Chapter 93
Bella’s hands trembled as she pushed open the glass doors of StoneTech and stepped out into the bright afternoon. The sun glared harshly, but it didn’t reach her. Everything inside her felt numb — hollow — as if the world had muted itself.
After listening to Jake pass her off to his brother, there was no way she was going to go there, not in this state. He wouldn’t let her quit, then he’d have to fire her himself. She’d told herself as she took her bag and ran out of the company after meeting Jake.
She didn’t even remember telling the security guard goodbye. Didn’t remember calling a cab as she left. All she knew was that her chest hurt.
She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry. That she wouldn’t give Jake the satisfaction of knowing how deeply he’d broken her. But the moment she sank into the backseat of the cab and the door shut, the tears she’d been holding came. It was silent at first as she tried to hold it back but then, it became uncontrollable. The harder she tried to stop it, the more the tears.
Her reflection in the window blurred as the city sped by — the same streets she’d once found comfort in. Sweliss had been her restart, her new beginning.
And now, it was just another place she’d been made a fool in.
She thought of the night she’d gone to Jake’s place, excitement and nerves fluttering in her chest, thinking they might finally become a family after she tells him of their child. Instead, she’d found him in bed with Helena.
Her throat tightened painfully.
She wiped at her face, whispering brokenly, “Why did I have to come to this place p>
If she hadn’t come to Sweliss, her once peaceful life—thd one she’d gotten used to all these years wouldn’t have been disrupted like this.
Five years ago, he’d been her hope when he offered her money but had left her even more broken with an unwanted pregnancy and yet five years later, it was happening all over again. Make her dream of a better future only to shatter it.
Was she meant to know no true love?
When the cab stopped in front of the apartment, she paid and climbed out slowly while the driver gave her a pitiful look. The apartment felt too quiet when she stepped in. No laughter. No Chloe’s music. No Rachel’s soft humming. Not even her son’s little voice or embrace. She checked the time and knew Timothy was with Rachel.
Now, it was just her. Just her and the ache sitting heavy in her chest. She hadn’t had any time to herself since it happened last night. But now, she could finally cry and release all the pain she’d been trying to hold together.
She dropped her bag on the couch and stood there for a long moment before her knees finally gave in. She sank down to the floor, pressing her hands to her face, and for the first time since that night, she let herself truly cry.
All the confusion, the betrayal, the humiliation, everything all came rushing out like a broken dam.
And beneath it all, a small, bitter whisper she hated herself for thinking.
Could he truly have an excuse? Could things truly not be as it seems?
It definitely wasn’t. She’d seen it with her eyes. There was nothing he could say to her. In fact, she was just going to take her child and leave. She had learned her lesson. Going forward, she’d make sure to guide her heart and protect it from men.
They were all jerks, hiding in fine suits and faces. She was going to stay away from them and just focus on herself and her child.
Jake on the other hand didn’t leave his office after he finished talking with Bella. He sat there, still staring at the closed door Bella had walked out through, every word she’d said echoing in his head.
Her voice had trembled when she said she couldn’t stand his face.
But what broke him most was that she’d meant it.
He’d seen it in her eyes. Thıs content belongs to.net
She was done. And it broke him.
And if he didn’t find out what happened soon, he’d lose her — not just as his assistant, but completely.
He rose from his chair, grabbed his phone, and strode out.
When he stepped out, and saw Bella’s desk empty, he sighed. She’d probably moved over to Raymond’s.
Thinking about Raymond, he couldn’t help but wondering why he’d asked for Bella himself. Almost like Raymond had been waiting for him to discard Bella or something.
Could there be more between Bella and Raymond that he didn’t know about? He thought as he quickly called his driver to be on standby since he’d called him earlier on to be around the company.
By the time he stepped outside, his driver was already in the car, waiting. “Sir, are we heading home?” the driver asked curiously.
Jake’s voice was low, controlled. “No. The lounge. Here’s the address,” Jake said, giving the driver his phone to confirm the address.
Once it was confirmed, the driver roared the car to life and hit the road.
The drive was silent except for the steady hum of the engine and the occasional tightening of Jake’s jaw as different possibilities filled his head.
When they pulled up in front of the lounge, the afternoon crowd had already begun to fill the parking lot.
The manager—a nervous-looking man in a sleek dark blue suit — hurried out the moment he saw who had arrived. “Mr. Stone! What a surprise p>
Jake cut him off with a single look. “I need access to your CCTV footage from last night. Private booth section. Now p>
The manager’s smile faltered. “Sir, we can’t just p>
Jake’s voice dropped to something icy. “Do you know who I am p>
“Y-yes, of course p>
“Then you know I can shut this place down in less than a day if I want to p>
That did it. Within minutes, Jake was seated in the dimly lit office at the back of the lounge, eyes fixed on the screen as the manager played back the footage from the night before.
Although he knew he could’ve gone about this in a different approach, that would waste his time more. He needed to be quick. He was becoming unsettled and only the answers can calm him.
“There,” Jake said suddenly, leaning forward. “That’s me p>
“Yeah. I didn’t realize you’d visited the lounge the day before,” the manager said as they both carefully looked at the footage.
The footage showed him sitting at the corner booth, his shirt collar undone, looking relaxed. Then Raymond entered, his face looking like someone who’s experienced a loved one’s death.
Jake watched his brother cry and talk about his heartbreak. He paid extra attention to when their drinks arrived.
This was the moment. If indeed, Raymond didn’t touch his drink, then he’d have to hold the server responsible for whatever was out in his drink. Jake told himself as he shifted in his seat, praying and hoping Raymond wouldn’t let him down.
Despite all the prayers, Jake watched as Raymond reached across his drink when he wasn’t looking.
Jake’s blood went cold, his feet frozen in ground and goosebumps spreading around his body.
“Pause it,” he ordered.
The frame froze. Raymond’s hand was tilted slightly, his fingers brushing the rim of Jake’s glass—almost too naturally. But when Jake leaned closer, he saw it — a small white colored power dropping in before Raymond withdrew his hands quickly to avoid being caught.
Jake’s heart slammed once in his chest.
The manager swallowed nervously beside him. “Sir, do you—do you want a copy of this footage p>
Jake’s voice was low, tight. “Yes. Send it to this email,” he said, typing quickly on his phone.
When the footage resumed, it showed Jake drinking from the glass, smiling faintly — unaware. Ten minutes later, he began to slump forward slightly, blinking as if disoriented.
Raymond’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he pulled out his phone, typed something, then stood and made a call.
Whoever he called answered immediately. Raymond glanced toward the exit, then turned back to Jake. Moments later, he slipped an arm around his brother’s shoulder, guiding him up and out of the booth like someone helping a drunk friend or brother.
Jake’s hands curled into fists.
He already knew who Raymond had called. Helena.