Twenty four hours

Chapter 4:Twenty four Hours

BELLA’s POV

Heat rushed to my cheeks, embarrassment taking a hold of me for a moment. I nodded, unable to meet his gaze. "That information wasn’t meant to slip out like that but yeah. Yeah I am.”

“You do not look like a virgin though,”

“Excuse me? How are virgins supposed to look?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.”How old are you?”

“It’s improper to ask a lady her age like that.”

“I can literally find out about your whole family background and entire history within minutes so you revealing your age shouldn’t be a big deal. Don’t forget who I am.”

I sighed deeply and said,”24?”

“A 24 year old virgin?” He scoffed. “No way in fucking hell.”

“Well,believe it or not. Why do I even have to explain anything to you or prove a point?“ I was getting irritated by the second.

His  expression hardened, his tone firm and commanding. "Break off your relationship with that  boyfriend of yours.Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate in throwing your sorry ass into jail. I would take pleasure in doing that,trust me.”

I really wanted to scream out of frustration right at that very moment. Who the hell did he think he was to order me around like that?

“Well?” He tapped his feet on the floor impatiently.”We don’t got all night,princess. Is it a yes or a no?”

I reluctantly spoke,”Can I at least have some time to think about it?”

AARON’s POV

"I'm going to give you twenty-four hours, Bella," I said, my voice low and certain."Twenty-four hours to decide whether you're going to cooperate or face the consequences."

Her breath hitched, and her gaze locked onto mine. She knew I meant business.

“Just twenty four hours? Isn’t that too short?”

I reached into my pocket and retrieved a knife, its glimmering blade catching the faint light. I moved closer, my hand grazing against the ropes that held her captive. Her muscles tensed as she anticipated my next move.

"But before I untie you, let me make one thing clear," I continued, my tone icy. "Don't think for a second that you can outsmart me. I know how to find out everything about you within minutes. Your whole profile—your secrets, your past, your weaknesses—nothing will be hidden from me. Don’t forget who I am.”

She stared at me,expressionless.

“Please untie me now?” She asked dryly. 

I hated this lady’s guts,to be very honest.

I slashed the ropes, freeing her from her constraints. She rubbed her wrists which were a little red now.

As she got on her feet and prepared to leave, I pulled out my smartphone and swiftly snapped a picture of her,capturing her wide-eyed expression. 

She glared at me.”Hey! What did you do that for?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“You taking a picture of me is none of my business? Are you serious?”

"This is my house.Now,get the fuck out" I commanded, my voice authoritative.

“Well thanks for nothing,” she huffed and stormed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” I called after her.

“Leaving your house?” She turned back to me.

“Is that the way you came in? Go out the same way you came in.”

“No,you can’t be serious!” She threw her hands in the air.

“Dead ass. Get the fuck out of my house the exact way you came in.”

She groaned and looked at me like she was going to kill me  but I didn’t care. I watched as she drew out another rope from her bag and tied it to the already cut rope. Then she pulled herself up hand over hand and ascended towards the ceiling. 

Once she had left, I wasted no time in taking action. I retrieved my phone and dialed Tom Bradley's number, a private investigator I had worked with before. The phone rang twice before he answered.

"Mr Aaron Davis, it's been a while," Tom's grave voice greeted me. "What can I do for you sir?”

"I need you to find out everything about someone," I replied, my voice steady. "I've already sent you a picture. I want a complete profile on this woman. And I mean every single thing. Don’t wanna miss out on any details.”

There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line as Tom processed my request. "Consider it done,sir. I'll get started right away. Just give me a few days."

“A day.I don’t have all the time in the world.”

“Right. Yes sir.”

I thanked him and ended the call, knowing that Tom would deliver the information I needed. 

I just realized  that I didn’t sleep a wink throughout the night because of that crazy woman. 

Sighing, I collapsed on the sofa and scrolled through my I*******m feed.

 And then, there she was—Jasmine Hart, the love of my life. Sadness hit me as I saw her smiling face, surrounded by friends and living a life that didn't include me.

How was she so fucking happy without me? 

She had moved on so quickly like I wasn’t ever a part of her life. 

It had been a few months since our break up but I still hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind. 

All the girls I fucked around with was just to get her out of my system but nothing worked. 

Tried to impress her in every possible way I could but it was all pointless. 

Sometimes I wondered if I was wiped clean from her memory. 

I had been the one to screw things up with her,yes. But come on,couldn’t she have given me a second chance or something? 

Closing the app, I leaned back in my chair.

Memories of our time spent together came flooding in.

Jasmine had been a good woman to me and put up with all of my attitude . Well,most of them.

I was gonna get it all back. But for now, I had to focus. 

Maybe this was a good thing. 

I had told her I never wanted to get married but once she realized that I was going to marry someone else,maybe she was going to come back to me. 

I was definitely going to have her attention. 

And about the inheritance,my family saw how fucked up I was and probably wanted me to be a little bit more focused. 

My family was known for managing one of the biggest entertainment and media company in the entire state known as Alpha Media Inc. It had different branches that consisted of streaming platforms,a music label,a publishing arm,advertising and sponsorship as well as film production that collaborated with other production companies. I was a well known model as well as actor.

We also had other chain of businesses that dealt with managing hotels and resorts. 

My parents had given  me an ultimatum. I had to be married and have a child within the space of a year and a half. 

How the fuck was I going to pull that off!

I never wanted to get married in the first place because I always thought I never wanted to be legally bound to just one woman for the rest of my life. But it was either that or I lost the whole business to my corny little annoying brother. 

Noah. 

We were two years apart and he was definitely my nemesis. 

He always loved to act like the goody two shoes but in reality he was a bastard. I was not going to lose everything to him and I was gonna make sure of that. Even if it was the last thing I ever did.

BELLA’s POV

I stumbled through the front door, exhaustion weighing heavily on my shoulders. The night had been long, spent at Aaron's house, and now, as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, it was finally 6 am. I had tried calling Ryan throughout the night, but his phone had been turned off. Frustration and worry gnawed at my insides, making me more determined to confront him about his sudden disappearance yesterday.

Without bothering to knock, I entered Ryan’s house. "Ryan?" I called out. 

The house remained eerily quiet. Was he asleep?

He had the nerve to sleep soundly when he had abandoned me last night? 

My steps quickened as I made my way towards his bedroom. He was surely going to get it from me.

As I flung the door open, my breath caught in my throat, and the world seemed to shatter around me. 

Ryan was covered in a pool of his own blood!