Chapter 4

Bella stepped inside her father’s mansion after the long, quiet drive. The heavy door clicked shut behind her, the sound echoing through the grand foyer.

The staff moved around her with exaggerated care, heads slightly lowered, footsteps softer than usual, eyes flicking away the moment they landed on her. They knew. Her father was annoyed, and no one wanted to be the one who set him off.

Bella’s stomach twisted with nerves. She had felt braver back at Stephanie’s, surrounded by vanilla candles and her friend’s fierce worry. Here, under the high ceilings and polished marble, that bravery felt thin, almost laughable.

She adjusted the strap of her dress, suddenly aware of how wrinkled it still was from the night before. The fabric clung to her in all the wrong ways, too tight and too exposing even though it covered everything.

Her eyes met Evelyn’s across the hallway.

The stepmother approached slowly, not by rushing or shouting, just calm poison wrapped in expensive perfume. When she reached Bella, her smile was measured, almost artificial, the corners of her mouth lifting just enough to pass as pleasant.

“Bella,” she said, like she’d been expecting her. “You’re back.”

Bella didn’t move. “I didn’t plan to stay long where I was.”

Evelyn’s smile didn’t shift. She walked closer, composed and controlled. “You look tired, dear.”

Bella held her gaze, already tired of the performance. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are,” Evelyn replied lightly. “Pity about last night. Your father had gone to quite a bit of effort.”

Bella’s jaw tightened. She saw through it, every word, every tone. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Evelyn stopped a few steps away, folding her hands neatly in front of her. “Only that your father was rather stressed this morning.” A small pause followed. “You know how he is about appearances.”

Bella exhaled quietly, her patience thinning. “Didn’t know I was part of the image.”

“You are,” Evelyn said simply. “Whether you like it or not.”

Bella didn’t bother hiding the disgust in her expression.

Evelyn tilted her head slightly, as if something had just occurred to her. “By the way, your father asked that you wait for him upstairs. In the study.”

Bella hesitated for a second, then nodded faintly. “I’ll go, then.”

Evelyn’s smile lingered. “Oh, there’s no need to rush.” She stepped a little closer, voice softening just enough to feel intrusive. “I’ll keep you company.”

Bella glanced at her. “You don’t have to.”

“I know,” Evelyn said gently. “But I think it’s better if you’re not alone right now.”

And with that, she moved forward without waiting for permission.

Bella knew exactly what this was. Evelyn wasn’t being kind, she wanted front-row seats to whatever was about to happen.

Still, Bella followed her upstairs.

The walk felt longer than usual, each step heavier than the last. By the time they reached the study door, Bella could already feel the tension building in her chest.

Evelyn stopped beside it and spoke again, her tone soft, almost careful.

“Bella… just so you know, whatever your father says in there,” she began, “it’s never personal. He just has a way of… prioritizing what matters.”

Bella let out a quiet breath, her eyes fixed on the door. “And I don’t?”

Evelyn tilted her head, as though genuinely considering it. “You do. Just not in the way you think you do.”

Bella’s gaze hardened. “That’s a nice way of saying I don’t get a choice.”

A faint, unsettling smile touched Evelyn’s lips. “Choice is a luxury, dear. Stability is what keeps everything standing.”

She stepped closer, her voice lowering, more intimate now. “Your father only wants what’s best for you. A good match and the right environment. Not… unpredictability.”

Bella’s fingers curled at her sides. “You mean control.”

“I mean security,” Evelyn corrected smoothly. “Something your mother never quite understood.”

The words landed hard.

Bella’s fists tightened, anger rising sharp and immediate. “Don’t talk about her.”

Evelyn’s expression softened again, almost convincing this time. “I’m only saying… she made things harder for herself than they needed to be.” A small pause. “I’d hate for you to do the same.”

Bella didn’t reply. Her chest felt tight, her mood already tipping into something darker.

Without another word, she pushed the study door open and slammed it behind her.

Evelyn remained outside for a brief moment before calmly opening the door again and stepping in, settling onto the sofa with a quiet, satisfied kind of composure, a smile playing at her lips that spoke of nothing but control.

Bella felt it then, that suffocating pressure building in her chest.

She already knew what her father was going to say.

And somehow, Evelyn’s words made it worse.

The silence between them stretched, thick and uncomfortable, pressing in from all sides.

Then after a brief wait, the door opened without warning.

Alex Seneca walked in, unhurried and composed as ever. Bella immediately stood up, while Evelyn stayed seated on the sofa, a small, wicked smirk playing on her lips like she was watching her favorite show unfold.

He didn’t look at Bella right away. Instead, he took his seat behind the desk, adjusting his cuff with slow, deliberate precision before finally lifting his gaze to her.

Silence stretched between them. Bella held it, even as it pressed against her chest like a physical weight.

“Sit,” he said.

She obeyed.

His eyes lingered on her a moment longer, studying, measuring. “Do you have any idea what you did last night?”

Bella swallowed, her voice catching slightly. “I…”

“You walked out,” he continued smoothly, cutting her off without effort. “In front of men I had personally invited. Men whose time is not easily given.”

His tone never rose, not even slightly, which somehow made it worse.

“One of them called me this morning,” he added. “Do you know what that looks like?”

Bella’s fingers tightened in her lap. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene.”

“A scene?” he repeated quietly, the word sounding almost beneath him. “You didn’t cause a scene, Bella. You created doubt.”

Bella lifted her chin just a fraction. “I’m not something you control.”

A brief pause followed. Evelyn shifted slightly on the sofa but remained silent, her amusement untouched.

Alex’s expression didn’t change. “Everything connected to me reflects on me. And that includes you.”

Bella held his gaze, even as something twisted uncomfortably in her chest.

“The men you walked away from were not random,” he continued calmly. “They were carefully chosen for you. It was strategic”

Her stomach dropped at that.

“You think that arrangement simply disappears because you decided to be emotional for one evening?”

Her voice tightened. “I’m not marrying any of them.”

This time, the pause lingered. Alex regarded her like she’d said something mildly inconvenient rather than defiant.

“We’ll see,” he said.

Evelyn stepped in then, her voice soft, almost soothing in contrast. “Your father is only trying to correct what was disrupted. These things require… cooperation.”

Bella let out a quiet, humorless breath. “Is that what you call it?”

Alex ignored her completely.

“There are other options,” he continued. “ More beneficial ones. One of the commissioners has already expressed renewed interest.”

That was enough.

Bella pushed herself to her feet. “Renewed interest,” she repeated slowly, as if testing the words. “That’s how you see this?”

Alex didn’t react. “That’s how it is.”

Evelyn tilted her head slightly, her tone still gentle, almost reasonable. “Things like these don’t just disappear because you walk away from a room, Bella. They’re discussed and adjusted.”

Bella exhaled quietly, her gaze dropping for a moment before lifting again.

“Adjusted,” she said. “Right. That’s what this is to you.”

“Because it is,” Alex said simply.

That landed harder than anything else.

Bella’s fingers curled against her palm. “You had me sitting there like I was part of some negotiation,” she said, her voice steadier now, colder. “Like I was something to be evaluated, picked and passed around until the numbers made sense.”

Evelyn’s smile didn’t fade. “You’re overthinking it.”

“No,” Bella said, shaking her head once. “I’m seeing it clearly.”

She looked directly at her father now, with no hesitation left in her eyes. “I’m not a deal you get to renegotiate.”

Alex’s response was immediate, and merciless. “No,” he said calmly. “You’re an asset I will not allow to depreciate.”

That did it.

Something in Bella’s expression shifted, hurt folding inward, hardening into something colder. She couldn't fathom her father objectifying her like that

Evelyn’s lips curved faintly at the edges, like she had been waiting for that exact moment.

Then Alex stood.

“You will attend another dinner tomorrow,” he said, already moving toward the door. “And you will behave appropriately this time.”

Bella said nothing.

He paused just before leaving, glancing back once. “And Bella,” he added, voice as even as ever, “try not to embarrass me again.”

The door closed behind him, leaving Bella alone in the study with Evelyn.