Flashback
Bella ran away disheartened after watching the scene in front of her.
Behind her, Leila's smirk widened. She pulled out a small remote from her pocket and pressed a button. Rick's figure flickered once and vanished without a trace.
It had been a hologram. A trap Leila had set up just to create a misunderstanding between them. All the equipment was hidden perfectly out of Bella's sight.
Leila dialed a number.
"Hello. Yes. Everything went exactly as planned," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
"She just ran out through the gate. Probably going somewhere to cry her heart out."
"Should I come there?" a male voice asked from the other end.
Leila rolled her eyes. "How stupid can you be, brother?" she snapped.
"You know her brother is looking for you. Just go to the nearby park. She always goes there whenever she fights with her lover boy."
"Fine. Have a nice day, sister."
"You too, brother. Do whatever you want with her. I don't even care if she ends up dead. Everything else is your call."
She hung up.
Before she could put her phone away, it rang again, from a name she hadn't expected. Rick.
Leila raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. She answered in her nauseatingly seductive voice.
"Hello…"
"Can I meet you?" Rick asked flatly.
"Of course, Sir Frederick…" she purred.
"Get in the car I sent outside your campus."
The call ended abruptly.
Thinking she had successfully charmed him, Leila rushed outside to find the car, unaware she had just been trapped exactly the same way she had trapped Bella.
Rick had arranged for his men to abduct Leila and force the truth out of her at gunpoint.
Meanwhile, Leila's brother arrived at the nearby park, ready to take advantage of a broken, crying Bella.
But fate had its own timing.
Just as he stepped into the park, Alex's signal reached his team. Within minutes, his men surrounded and captured the man. Both Thimothée siblings fell straight into Alex's net.
Bella finally reached the park. She cried until her whole body shook. And somewhere in the middle of her heartbreak, she made a decision.
"I can't… I can't stay here anymore."
With trembling hands, she pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote:
Dear brother,
It's your Bella. I'm going away for a few days. I need some time alone to clear my mind. Please don't come searching for me. I'll be safe. If anything happens, I'll use the emergency chip to contact you.
Bye. See you soon.
She folded the letter and handed it to her driver.
Then she went home, packed only her essentials, and walked away from the house, leaving everything else behind.
After all the chaos, Rick tried calling Bella again, but all he heard was:
"The number you are calling is not reachable at this moment."
His frown deepened. He immediately dialed Ben.
"Hey, Ben. Is Bella with you?"
"What? No! I've been looking for her too. I need to give her the gift."
Rick dragged a hand through his hair, panic creeping in.
"I think something's wrong, Ben."
"Yeah. She's nowhere in the campus."
"I'm checking all the CCTV footage," Rick muttered, already striding toward the control room.
"Okay, I'll call home," Ben replied, calling his butler. "Uncle, have you seen Bella?"
"Yes, young master. Madam gave me a letter to hand over to you. She just left. I believe she went toward the hostel."
"What?" Ben's voice cracked in shock.
"Okay. I'm coming." He hung up and rushed toward Rick.
By the time he arrived, Rick was already scrubbing through footage, eyes wide with fury.
"What the f**k!" Rick exploded.
Ben rushed to his side and his heart dropped. The footage showed Leila kissing a hologram of Rick, carefully set up to look real… and Bella witnessing it all, her face crumbling before she walked away.
"This b*tch," Rick hissed through clenched teeth. His fist slammed into the wall, eyes burning with anger and regret.
Ben stared in confusion as Rick suddenly bolted. Rick ran across the ground, picked up Bella's scattered books and froze when he found a small ring box in her pouch.
"Shit…" he whispered. Then he sprinted back to Ben. "Come on, man. Take me to your house. I need to fix this. Fast!"
Ben didn't question him. They rushed to the car and drove straight to the Smith mansion.
The moment they arrived, the butler handed Ben the letter.
Ben's face paled as he read it, collapsing onto the couch.
"What…?" he breathed.
Rick snatched the letter, scanned it, and let out a frustrated groan. He tugged violently at his hair.
"No. No. I'm going to find her."
He made a move toward the door, but Ben grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Rick froze, shoulders trembling.
"Rick," Ben said, his tone rough, "you have something to explain to me."
Rick shut his eyes tightly. His voice came out hoarse and guilty.
"Buddy, I… we…."
He swallowed hard and pulled out the ring box he found in Bella's bag and the small gift box he himself had bought for her. He braced for Ben's fury. A punch. Shouting. Anything.
But Ben only walked closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I got it," he said quietly.
Rick stared at him in shock.
"But you need to give her time, Rick," Ben continued softly. "She needs to clear her mind."
"But… I need to fix the misunderstanding. She's going to hate me," Rick whispered, running both hands through his hair helplessly.
"I know her, man. And we can show her the proof. I was with you the whole day. She'll understand. But… not right now."
Rick shook his head desperately. "If not now, then when? We don't even know where she is."
"Relax," Ben said firmly. "Wherever she is, she's safe. With everything happening with the Thimothees, she'll be protected. She'll come home when she's ready. And I promise, I'll tell you the moment she does."
Rick finally nodded, weak and defeated. He sank onto the couch, shutting his eyes as silent tears slipped down his cheeks.