Chapter 83
+25 Points
Chapter 83
Bella paced her room, her arms folded tightly across her chest. She had been trying to figure out how to get what Gerald was asking for–the picture. A picture she couldn’t get without first getting access to Alexander’s phone.
Her mind was racing with ideas that all sounded brilliant until she said them out loud.
“I’ll just ask him directly,” she muttered, lifting her chin in confidence. She squared her shoulders and mimicked the scene. “Alexander, can I borrow your phone for something?” Then she paused, groaned, and threw herself onto the bed. “Borrow it for what, Bella? To scroll through his private messages? Genius.”
Sitting up again, she tapped her fingers against her knee, eyes narrowing in thought. “Okay… maybe I’ll pretend my phone is dead. ” She picked up her own device from the table, held it like a prop, and said in a sweet voice, “Oh no, Alexander, my battery died. Can I use yours just for a quick call?” She froze mid–sentence, then slapped her forehead. “And what call exactly? He’ll want to know. Who am I supposed to be calling?”
She knew Alexander wouldn’t part with his phone just because she needed to make a call with it, unless he was sure the call was urgent.
Frustration bubbled, and she got up again, pacing like a caged wolf. “Alright, new idea. I’ll say I need to Google something… yes! That sounds reasonable.” She smiled briefly, then tried it out. “Alexander, I need to check something real quick. Can I use your phone?” A beat later, her shoulders sagged. “And when he asks what I’m checking and why I can’t use mine, what do I say?”
Her rehearsals piled up like a stack of failed scripts. With each excuse, she grew more exasperated, muttering under her breath, tugging at her hair, and dropping heavily on the bed again. “Ugh, even if I get the stupid phone, how on earth do I search for the picture without him noticing?”
She stared at the ceiling, jaw tight, before burying her face in her hands. “This is hopeless,” she whispered.
An idea struck so suddenly she sat upright on her bed, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Yes
that’s it,” she whispered to herself, fingers drumming against her thigh.
If she could have someone send her a picture through Alexander’s phone, it would be the perfect excuse. She’d tell him her phone had been crashing, that lately she couldn’t find things in her gallery, and she urgently needed to see the picture. He’d hand it over without a second thought–at least, she hoped.
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< Chapter 83
+25 Points
Her lips curved into a sly smile. “Smart, Bella. Very smart. If I can’t get the phone directly, I’ll make it come to me.”
She leaned back, but almost immediately her brows knit together. But what if he asks questions? What if he wants me to view it while he holds it out for me, instead of handing it over? No, no, that won’t work… unless…
She bit her lip. “I’ll have to make it something harmless. Something he won’t even be suspicious about.” She shook her head. “Ugh, this is harder than I thought.”
Another spark of inspiration lit up her face. “Irene!” she exclaimed under her breath. “Of course. If it’s from Irene, Alexander won’t be suspicious or curious about it…he trusts his sister. And Irene isn’t even here–she’s at their mother’s place, that would make it seem real. Perfect. If I call her and ask her to send me something through Alexander’s phone, he won’t suspect a thing. I’ll just act desperate and annoyed about my phone crashing.” She began to grin, nodding as though she were pitching the idea to herself.
“Yes, yes, this is it. I’ll call Irene, tell her to forward a picture…anything, I don’t care what. Then I’ll go to Alex and say, ‘Hey, did Irene send something to your phone for me? My stupid phone’s acting up again.‘ He’ll hand it over. I’ll scroll casually, like I’m just looking for what Irene sent. And then…” Her grin widened as she clasped her hands together. “I’ll have all the time I need to check through his gallery. Hopefully Gerald’s picture isn’t buried too far down.”
She spun toward the mirror, brushing her hair behind her ears, studying her own reflection with a look of triumph. “Genius, Bella. Absolute genius. You might just outsmart the almighty Alexander yet.”
Bella dialed Irene’s number quickly, her fingers tapping impatiently against the edge of the bed as the call connected. A soft relief washed through her when Irene picked up almost immediately.
“Irene,” Bella began smoothly, forcing her tone to sound casual, “I need a favor.”
She leaned back, rehearsing the little story she had already crafted in her head. “Do you remember that pair of shoes I saw on your phone the other day? The ones I said I was thinking of ordering?”
There was a pause on the other end, then Irene’s voice came with a spark of recognition. “Oh, yes. The black ones with the silver buckle. What about them?”
Bella exhaled quietly, her mind racing ahead. Perfect. She remembers. This is going to work.
“I just saw something similar at the store today,” Bella explained with just enough urgency in her voice to sell the act. “But the details looked a bit different. I thought if I could compare it with the picture you have, I’d know for sure before making any mistake.”
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