#3 in Humor! Thank you so much. Not a big update, but something better than nothing, right? Also, thoughts on new cover?

Vote. Comment. Follow. Do help out! Let's get this book to #1

*****

"You were expecting me?" I stepped out from Brandon's shadow, no more cowering, though still suspicious. The idea that all the drama we had put ourselves through, from the bus to the bodyguard, was in fact redundant-- because the man who we were trying to find, was himself waiting for us? What sort of bullshit was that.

Alard smiled. "Of course."

I made a face, not able to believe him. "You're lying. You hate us."

"I do?"

"Yes. You hate our guts, don't you? I bet you wanted to get rid of us the moment you saw us." I didn't know where the bitter words came from, but I believed it to be true. They were as good as facts. "So, tell me, were you expecting us?"

He wiped the smile off his face, his true demeanor appearing. A single eyebrow went up to make an arch on his inanimate face. "Someone else was."

The back room opened, catching our attention, and Bella stepped out. She was frowning, unwilling to move from her position as the door closed behind her. Her head was bent down, like she had taken an oath to not look up or something. Or maybe she was crying behind the veil of her hair. I couldn't tell.

"Bella?" I said, unsure if I could or not. It was better to play it safe in the enemy territory. Certainly better than ending up as a pitiful sacrifice otherwise .

I wasn't sure if she had heard me or not. But Alard didn't stop me, so I took her name again.

This time, upon my calling, she looked up, startled. Her eyes shone bright. Unshed tears threatening to fall. From her expression, it was clear that she hadn't expected us to be standing here, inside her father's makeshift den.

I expected her to come forward, greet us, or at least acknowledge us. But she did nothing. Instead, in a cool and calm voice, she spoke to her father. "Papa, did you bring them here?"

Her voice quivered. With surprise, I noticed that her cheeks were sunken in, as if she was trying to hold her emotions, her hand hovering beneath her cheek, checking for any spill over tears. She despised showing weaknesses. That much I had learned about her. Rather than gaining pity, she preferred ignorance. As much as I hated to not to do anything, I did just that and didn't acknowledge her emotional state.

When an answer from Alard didn't come, she grew impatient, her eyes boring into the back of Alard's head. "Did you bring them here?"

This time, he chose to answer.

"No, Isabela," Alard paused, turning to give her a look, and then back, the corner of his mouth twitching up, "They brought themselves here."

"Is that so?" She looked straight at me. There was surprise in her eyes, and... affection? It was gone as soon as it had flickered awake. "And what business do they have here?"

Bella's mouth, posture, body and then her eyes, both sent mixed signals. Was this an act? She should know why we were here! Her body screamed hostility, though her eyes told a different story. It had to be an act. But whatever the motive was, I wasn't playing along. I stepped forward, not letting Alard answer first. "We have a reason."

Alard raised his eyebrows. "Let's hear it then. What reason do you have, Tyler Anderson?"

At the mention of my full name, my stomach twisted. The words dancing on the tip of my tongue vanished at his demeaning command. As if my words were not worth listening to. Brandon, ever so perceptive, tried to ease me by patting my back. It worked- until another terrifying thought assailed me. Alard Rousell knew my full name. He was interested, no, annoyed enough, to find out my name. There couldn't be any reason besides.

Brandon squeezed my shoulder, taking over. "You know our reason."

"Yes, you do," I added, regaining composure, "Our reason is her." I pointed towards Bella with my chin. Even as I spoke, it was hard to look him in the eyes. My body shouted at me to run away and save myself (though there wasn't any threat to be afraid of, unless you counted a seething cold glare). But I didn't. I didn't run away. It was an electrifying realization.

Alard wasn't impressed. "My daughter doesn't wish to associate with you. You have over stayed your welcome."

I snorted."We just got here, sir."

"And you will leave."

"How long will you continue to do this?" I said in a tone and pitch higher than his. This was power struggle of words and today, I wasn't backing down. "How long will you control your daughter's life?"

"Tyler," Bella cut in. I paused. She didn't look that eager to stop me. It was concern in her eyes, for me and Brandon, that made her do it. "Please."

"No. He has to know." I emphasized. There was a bubble building up inside me, eager, borderline desperate, waiting to be popped. The unconcerned look on Alard's face, the way he disregarded Bella's very existence. As if she was just a piece of block in his money game. It infuriated me. More than that, I could see that it choked Bella too. It made her life nothing more than of a puppet's. She dressed pretty, ate better, had more money, but at what cost? For God's sake, why couldn't Alard understand? Was it that hard to comprehend? Was it that hard to follow? Didn't Bella had her human rights?

Filled to the brim with these thoughts, I didn't know where to start and where to end. Would it even work? Was it worth it?

Worth it or not, I couldn't not say anything.

"Your daughter here," I started, "agreed to marry a scumbag, even when she knew she had no future with him. She went on dates with him, tolerated him, trusted him, because you expected her to do it."

Alard made a low impatient voice. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the bodyguards tense, ready to advance.

I hurried. "She was ready to sacrifice her whole life to spend with a man she didn't like. To spend her life with a man, period." Another wave of anger made my head swim. "You know she likes women. Giulia. They have been together for four years! Did you ask her? About her feelings? Her point of view? About the truth? I mean, it's fine, you can be shocked.

"You can be upset. Disappointed even. But what did you do?" I scoffed. Right now, my mouth was like a train with no brakes. Now that it had accelerated to an irreversible speed, I was afraid, that it would only stop once it derailed. "You took her, silenced her, and then locked her up in that room!"

I took in heavy breaths, my body heating with the tone and implications of my words. But it looked like I was passionate one-sided only.

Opposite me, Alard was impassive. "So?"

"So?"

I couldn't believe my ears. Brandon got impatient too, his short and quick breaths an indication of his rising temper and our agitation and frustration. He spoke, "Don't you think you're dictating her life? Why is she not given a choice?"

Alard laughed. "Choice?"

The word hung in the air. Like a discarded filthy cloth no one wanted to use. He laughed again, but it was wistful, carrying more scorn that amusement.

"Are you telling me she had no choice? She spent her whole life living with more choices than you can ever dream of!" Alard roared, and for the first time I felt his true mask loosen, and give way to his angered inside. "I asked her one thing. One!"

My jaw tightened, expecting his next words. I was right.

"Marry into Francis's family. That's it."

"That's it? The marriage of your only daughter, and you think that's it? It's her whole life you're talking about."

"Ten million Euros, that's the cost of this partnership. And I lost half of it because of the shares, the payment for the breach of contract. Do you think that's it? Because of her one mistake, the whole company will suffer." Alard stepped forward, boring the slits of his eyes into mine. Staring me down as I stood there with my quivering knees. His words made a jungle of thoughts inside my head, jumbled up and incomprehensible. But that didn't stop him.

"We'll lose stocks, people will get sacked, wages will reduce." He continued to walk forward. Each step emphasizing his words. Involuntarily, because there was no other option, Brandon and I took equal steps backwards. "What do you think about that? Opinions? Thoughts? More arguments?"

We were cornered. Just short of Alard breathing down our necks. Or murdering us then and there with his glare. But still, I was speechless.

One. One mistake. Was it even a mistake? No, it was more of a forced opinion-or command-binding Bella to his words.

So what if she couldn't do what he asked? Was all the blame on Bella? Why should she bear all the costs on her shoulder? He was the one to put the burden of it on her shoulders in the first place! Him being a father, I couldn't grasp how cruel he could be.

What were we to do?

He had said his side. Painting a pity picture for us to dwell and sulk on. No, I wouldn't do that. Why should I? When he was at the wrong, by tying her daughter into a business deal.

I was too overwhelmed to speak, but Brandon wasn't flustered. His thoughts mirrored mine, as I got to know, when he started speaking. "You call that an excuse?"

"Brandon," Bella called out from behind us. She bit her lip, shaking her head. I frowned, not understanding her signal. Besides me, Brandon heated up.

"All you talked about was money. Money. And money," Brandon spat out, making use of his height to intimidate Alard. Alard's face turned red. Not from embarrassment though. He was fuming.

Did we cross the limit?

It looked like so when I saw Alard restraining himself to raise his hand on Brandon. His bodyguards didn't practice that restrain though. In the blink of our eyes, my hand was pulled back into a tight grip, restraining me from moving an inch from my place. Brandon got the same treatment. He resisted, I didn't.

"Papa! Those are my friends!" Bella yelled, horrified. She left her place and ran towards us, slapping the hands of the men away. They did, almost instantly, since Alard didn't refute them from doing so.

"You don't need friends like these."

Bella didn't comment, but instead rubbed my arms, her eyes filled to brim with tears. "I am so sorry," she whispered, her voice making tiniest of the sounds. I started shaking my head when she apologised. She called me her friend, it was the least I had to do.

Besides, Bella apologising made the other person uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Tyler," she said, in the same low whisper, then turned to Brandon, "And Brandon. Thank you for coming."

"You don't have-" She cut me in with a hug.

Wasn't this girl doing a lot of unexpected things today?

What I had thought to be a friendly hug, turned out to be much more when she started speaking into my ear, her mouth close to attaching itself there. "Tyler."

My eyes widened as she spoke my name.

"Don't act as if I am talking, just nod." I did as she asked. "You have to listen carefully." I nodded again.

Bella spoke fast. Still, the time seemed to go by too slow. I feared that someone would detach her from me, or shut her mouth up. But it was as if everyone had lost interest in out sob story.

So, I listened to her. Undisturbed.

Her initial words twisted my stomach into a web of horrors and fear. She didn't let go of my ear until she was done. When she did, I was filled with new information to the core. Her eyes spoke louder than the words, and I could see the desperation in them. The will in them to come out of this-albeit severely injured-and that was enough for me to believe he and put my trust in her. To put all my effort into it.

Bella gave Brandon a hug too, and his eyes widened, and he nodded too, before she left us standing there.

"They'll go. I am sorry for this," Bella told to Alard, who seemed to have calmed down, and maybe softened a bit at her daughter's polite words and apology.

"Fine." He waved his hands, shooing us away. The bodyguards stepped forward, about to show us the door when Bella sent me the signal with a nod.

"I'll go." I halted. "If you allow Bella to attend the finals of the Baking Competition."

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off, "It's just day after tomorrow. Bella wishes to go too. Please?" I choked the last word out. "We won't bother you again.

"Ever," I added.

Bella used her card, going the pity way. I just hoped that it would work. "Can I go, papa? It'll be rude since they let me in the competition too."

Alard grunted. A frown marring his forehead. To be honest, I would have been in a dilemma too, simply because of Bella's behaviour. She being concerned about being rude? I would have laughed my ass off.

But Alard seemed to take the bait. After a minute of full-on thinking, he agreed. "Fine. But my men will be there if I don't come myself."

Bella grinned. "Of course."

"Consider it your last public appearance for a while," he added quickly.

"That's fine." She nodded, the corner of her mouth easing into a much relaxing position. "I'll see you then, Tyler."

"Sure," I said, wiping my hands on the dress. I hadn't noticed that they had become so clammy. Not sure what to do anymore, since this wasn't some polite gathering, I started walking backwards. Brandon followed suit, keeping the back towards the door.

"Good luck until then." That was her last words as she waved us goodbye. I gave her a short smile, before we turned and went outside the open door. It felt sad leaving her alone, but it had to be done.

The same bodyguard that had accompanied us downstairs, led us away from the maze of hallways and corridors. I was getting impatient to get rid of him, and then tell all the things Bella had told me to Brandon. At last, we reached the stairs going up, and he took his leave. Climbing the short flight of stairs two at a time, I picked up my pace in silence. Brandon, noticing my hastiness, matched mine in three strides.

"Why are you in a hurry?" Brandon asked.

"She didn't tell you, right?" I stated the obvious.

He frowned, and then shook his head. "She told me you will tell me."

"I know." We were back to the reception area. In the brief meeting with Alard, the mass of media had visibly doubled. Fearing recognition, I took Brandon's hand and led him back to the washroom area we had gone before. "We have a lot of work ahead."

"Why?" he asked.

"For one," I said, with no one in sight, "Giulia is missing. Again."

"Well, damn."

***