Chapter 76 Let Her Go
Chapter 76 Let Her Go
Bella's POV
I froze at what my father had just said and looked at Haley.
Haley knows about THE FIRM?
That realization hit me almost as hard as everything else that had already happened tonight. She had known this entire time, while I remained completely in the dark about my own father's true nature. I guess I was the only one kept in the dark.
"Benjamin! You promised my father he would protect me and raise me as his own biological child," Haley protested loudly, her voice rising with indignation, her eyes wild with betrayal. "That was the deal! But now that your biological daughter is back, suddenly you want to go back on your word?"
My father's face twisted with anger, his composure cracking as he glared fiercely at her.
"You little ingrate! None of this would be so complicated if you had simply done as you were instructed. Instead, you let yourself fall in love with Lucas, and now look at the mess we're all dealing with because of it." he snapped at her.
I frowned as I was completely lost now. Whatever they were talking about, I had no idea of it at all. My mind scrambled to catch up, trying to make sense of the conversation happening right in front of me.
Haley must have noticed my confusion, because she turned to look at me, her eyes burning with anger, and I could also see a twisted satisfaction flickering across her face at the chance to finally say it out loud.
"Lucas actually had feelings for you back then, your father, Mayor Benjamin Monroe, was the one who sent me to seduce Lucas and ruin your marriage from the inside." she said with a gloating expression.
“Shut up, Haley!” My father shouted at her angrily, his voice booming through the room, but Haley refused to stop, as she was emboldened by whatever desperation had already taken hold of her.
"When your father found out about the marriage contract," she continued, ignoring his angry glares, "he sent me to sabotage things and set Lucas up so you could get a divorce before the contract ended. That way, you'd walk away with half of Lucas's properties, clean and legally entitled to them, without anyone questioning why the marriage fell apart."
I didn't need her to finish explaining as the pieces were already falling into place in my mind, each one clicking with a sickening clarity, forming a picture uglier than anything I had imagined even after everything else I had already learned today.
My father had sent Haley to seduce Lucas, hoping it would drive us apart cleanly, without any real damage to me. But Haley had fallen for Lucas instead, and rather than following through with the plan, she had helped him plot my death.
I turned to my father, my voice steady despite the storm building inside me.
"Did you actually want me to divorce Lucas to protect me," I asked, "or did you just want his properties? Be honest with me for once…I think I deserve at least that much."
"I did everything for you," he said firmly. "Stop being so stubborn, Bella! Everything I've ever done circles back to keeping you safe and secure, even if you refuse to see it that way. You are always quick to assume the worst of me, even before you had any reason to."
"Maybe because everything you've done has given me plenty of reason to," I shot back, my voice cold and unwavering despite the emotions churning beneath the surface.
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed from the entrance. Marcus walked in with two guards trailing closely behind him. He greeted my father with a respectful nod, then turned to look at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips, one that carried no warmth behind it at all.
Haley's eyes went wide with panic and she instantly bolted for the door, her bare feet slapping against the marble floor, but the two guards caught her instantly, gripping her arms tightly before she could even reach the hallway.
"My mother would never allow this!" she screamed, thrashing against their hold with a strength I hadn't expected from someone who looks frail and weak. "Benjamin Monroe, you coward! You take back your word like it means nothing at all!"
Her voice grew louder and more hysterical, her eyes darting toward the staircase, as though she expected her mother to come rushing down at any moment to save her from whatever was about to happen. But no one appeared and the staircase remained empty.
"Where is my mother?" Haley demanded, her voice cracking with desperation, her body still straining against the guards holding her in place. "Where is she? Why isn't she coming?"
My father didn't answer. He simply waved his hand, signaling the guards to take her away, his expression completely unmoved by her cries.
I wondered briefly where Winnie actually was during all of this, whether she even knew what was happening to her own daughter right now, or if she too had been kept in the dark about everything.
"I don't want to go!" Haley shrieked, thrashing even harder now, her nails clawing uselessly at the guards' arms in a futile attempt to break free.
One of the guards delivered a sharp chop to the side of her neck. Her body went limp instantly, and they carried her unconscious form out of the room without another word, her feet dragging slightly against the floor as they went.
The silence that followed felt extremely suffocating.
I sat there for a moment, trying to process everything I had just learned. My mother's death, my father's organization, the Ricci family burned to ashes, and Lucas's betrayal that was actually engineered from the start by my own father, using Haley as nothing more than a pawn in his own game, the same way I had been used by everyone around me my entire life.
It was all swirling together in my head, too much to hold onto at once, each revelation stacking on top of the last until I could barely think straight, let alone figure out what to do with any of it.
I stood up from the couch, ready to leave, my legs shaky but my resolve firm.
"Forget about Ethan's organization and focus on the future I've planned for you instead." My father suddenly said, his voice calm but firm, stopping me mid step
Something in his tone made my stomach drop instantly. There was a certainty to his words that felt too deliberate like he already knew something I didn't.
"What did you do?" I asked, my voice sharp with sudden alarm, as I spun around to face him fully.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said simply, refusing to elaborate further, his expression giving nothing away.
I didn't wait for anything else. I bolted straight for the door, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Marcus moved to intercept me before I could reach it, his hand shooting out to grab my arm with a very strong grip.
I reacted instantly, as the months of intensive training took over without any conscious thought. I pulled the dagger hidden in my jacket and drove it into his shoulder with a speed he had no time to counter.
He grunted in pain, his grip loosening enough for me to yank free and shove past him toward the door, not bothering to look back at him to see the damage.
I sprinted across the estate grounds toward my car, adrenaline pumping through my veins, my shoes thumping against the cold pavement, and my breath coming out in ragged gasps.
I threw myself inside and started the engine with an insane speed, my hands moving on instinct alone, years of training kicking in without a single wasted second between thought and action.
As I pulled out of the driveway, I saw the assassins stationed around the property lifting their weapons in unison, aiming straight at my car with the kind of precision that told me every single one of them was fully capable of hitting their target without hesitation, and without a second thought given to who I was.
My heart lurched into my throat and I braced myself for gunfire, certain this was the moment everything ended, that I had survived everything else only to die in my father's own driveway, shot down by men who probably didn't even know who I am.
But suddenly, my father's voice boomed from the entrance behind me, loud enough to carry across the entire property, freezing every single one of them in place instantly.
"Do not shoot! Let her go!”