had an arm wrapped protectively around Bella' s shoulders, his expression a carefully constructed

g as if she were on the verge of tears. "What you did was

ay. "You signed the papers. Mr. Harrison has a copy, as do I.

ss!" Bella cried.

a misunderstanding. Bella is just emotional. All we' re asking for is her fair

tyle while I worked myself to the bone to save our father' s legacy? The share she was go

legally binding. This is a copy of the bill for the damages you caused in my office, which has been sent to you. And this," she added, pulling out a singl

ble to her, but the words "restraining order" were clear enough. The reality of h

cracking with hysteria. She threw the papers on

nails outstretched. Chloe sidestepped her easily, causing Bella to s

a," Chloe said, her voice dangerously ca

t' s go, honey. She' s not worth it." He shot Chloe a look of

umph, only a cold, hard resolve. She picked up the shattered pieces o

hloe' s instructions were simple: follow Bella and Leo. Document everything. She wanted to know where they went, who they met, what they spen

gs. The pictures showed Bella and Leo meeting with a man Chloe recognized instantly: Arthur Vance, the CEO of a r

firm before leaving under a cloud of suspicion. H

damning. It was from a bug Marcus

He wants the new project schematics. He said if we deliv

a whined. "Chloe won' t even let me near

ay to get you back into her good graces. You' ll have to cry a little more, maybe fa

ed. They really thought she was that stupid, that w

commission that would have put the company back on the map. It was a complex and innovative design, one she and her father

. Now, she knew better. She remembered Bella had been in the office late that night, supposedly to "help" her organize files. She had brought Chl

by Vance, with Leo as his puppet master and Bella as his willing pawn. The pain of that mem

. It was an unknown number. She

d remorse. "I... I' m so sorry. For everything. Leo was a mistake. He was using me. I se

ella' s voice, the insincerity in every word. In her past life, she might have beli

she' d heard on the recording. They wanted to get Bella back

They thought they were setting a trap for her. T

oice full of a warmth she did not feel.

heer from Leo. Let them think they' d won. Let them get comforta