Chapter 44 Building A Stronger Team
Courtney's POV
The energy in the apartment had shifted again. Not back to what it was before—not untouched, not perfect—but something close enough that I could breathe again. Bella had a way of doing that. She was still clinging to Anna like she hadn’t seen her in years, talking a mile a minute, her excitement practically bouncing off the walls. The oversized bouquet now sat abandoned on the table, slightly crushed but still impressive, petals spilling over the edges like it had arrived with the same chaotic enthusiasm as its owner. I leaned back against the arm of the couch, watching the scene unfold with a soft smile. Anna deserved this. Joy. Noise. Distraction. Something that drowned out the memory of Felicia’s voice cutting through her engagement like a blade.
But the moment didn’t last forever. It never did. Eventually, the conversation shifted. It always did. Bella was the one who noticed first. Her gaze moved from Anna’s glowing face to the others in the room—Marcus, Damian, Peter—and something in her expression sharpened.
“You’re all doing that thing,” she said suddenly.
I blinked. “What thing?”
Bella gestured vaguely between them.
“The we’re pretending everything’s fine but it’s absolutely not fine thing.”
Peter huffed under his breath. “That’s not a thing.”
“It’s very much a thing,” Bella shot back.
I bit back a smile. Yeah. That tracked. Bella’s eyes landed on me next.
“And you,” she added, narrowing her gaze slightly. “You definitely didn't mention anything being up when last we spoke. Your hardest decision at that time was whether to buy that new pair of hot red Jimmy Choos.”
I hesitated for half a second as my brain registered the shoes in all their perfection before refocusing. Just long enough. Bella straightened.
“Oh no. Nope. I don’t like that pause.”
“Bella—” Marcus started.
“No,” she cut him off, holding up a hand. “Don’t ‘Bella’ me. Something happened, and I just walked into the aftermath of it.”
Her gaze flicked around the room, every pair of eyes avoiding hers.
“…Tell me what happened, right now!”
Silence. Heavy. Telling. Bella’s expression shifted instantly.
“Felicia Ardent was here,” I said quietly.
Bella froze. “What?”
I pushed off the couch slowly, stepping closer.
“She showed up at the proposal,” I continued. “Out of nowhere.”
Bella’s face paled, the excitement from moments ago draining away. “You’re joking.”
“I wish she were,” Damian intoned from where he stood.
Bella looked between everyone, searching for someone to contradict it. No one did.
“Oh my God,” she breathed.
Anna’s hand found hers, squeezing gently.
“I’m okay,” Anna said softly. “I promise.”
Bella nodded quickly, but her attention snapped back to the others.
“Why?” she demanded. “Why would she even be here?”
That was the question. The same one that had been circling all of us. I glanced at Damian briefly before speaking again.
“It’s bigger than just today,” I said. “Elena… she gave us something.”
Bella’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I took a breath. “She found a possible link,” I said carefully. “Between your father… and Felicia Ardent.”
The words landed like a punch. Bella went completely still.
“…No,” she said immediately. “No, that’s not—”
“We don’t know the full extent yet,” I added quickly. “But there’s enough there to raise questions.”
Bella shook her head, her expression twisting with something between disbelief and anger.
“My father?” she repeated. “You’re telling me my father is somehow connected to her?”
Peter shifted slightly, his jaw tightening.
“Bella—”
“No,” she snapped, turning on him. “You don’t get to soften that. If there’s even a possibility that his… whatever he did all those years is dragging all of you into this—”
Her voice cracked slightly. “—then I need to know.”
I felt a flicker of sympathy. Because this? This was messy. Personal. Too close to home. Bella dragged a hand through her hair, pacing once before stopping again.
“This is happening again,” she muttered. “His indiscretions… his decisions… they’re affecting people who don’t deserve it.”
Her eyes lifted, locking onto Damian, Marcus, then Peter.
“I’m not sitting this one out,” she said firmly.
There it was. The shift. Resolve.
“You’re not shutting me out of this,” Bella continued. “Not when my father could affect your lives once more. I want to help. However I can.”
Marcus exchanged a glance with Damian. Peter sighed softly.
“Bella—”
“I mean it,” she pressed. “I’m already involved, whether you like it or not. So you can either work with me… or spend your time trying to keep me out of something I’m going to find my way into anyway.”
I blinked. Okay. I knew there was a reason I liked the new her. Damian’s lips twitched faintly, like he appreciated the logic. Marcus exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
“You’re not wrong,” he admitted.
“Of course I’m not,” Bella shot back. Then her expression softened slightly.
“I just… I need to do something,” she said quieter now. “If this is tied to my family, then I don’t get to ignore it.”
I stepped closer, placing a hand lightly on her arm.
“You've already done so much,” I said gently. "The last time you took a bullet for Anna. We don't want anyone else in the line of fire here."
Bella nodded, understanding but still tense.
“And I'd take that bullet again if I needed to. My father is the sole reason this whole situation is so screwed up, and I promised myself if anything from his past causes any issues going forward, I would make sure and deal with it." She paused for just a second before speaking again. "I’d like to keep my sisters out of it as much as possible,” she added. “Portia’s training for her competition, and Elena…”
She trailed off, her expression tightening.
“Elena’s already been through enough,” I finished softly.
Bella nodded again. “Yeah. Thank you by the way. She told me you had her back during that fiasco of a failed kidnapping.”
I chuckled as I winked. "Believe me, Elena was holding her own quite well. I was merely a person standing by her side."
Peter cleared his throat slightly. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “Detective Carter is helping us.”
Bella blinked. “Emily Carter?”
“Yeah,” Peter replied. "You know her?"
Bella’s expression shifted almost instantly—surprise, then something far more amused.
“Oh wow,” she said, a grin spreading across her face. “That’s… interesting.”
Peter frowned slightly. “What?”
Bella folded her arms, clearly enjoying this now. “She and I were classmates,” she said.
Peter straightened a little. “Yeah? And?”
“And,” Bella continued sweetly, “she is so out of your league if you’re planning on turning that into something more.”
I choked on a laugh. Marcus outright snorted. Peter scoffed.
“Please,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “My charm speaks for itself.”
Bella burst out laughing.
“Oh, I’m sure it does,” she teased. “But trust me—winning her over won’t be your biggest problem.”
Peter raised a brow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Bella said, still grinning. “You’ll have to win over her father.”
Peter paused. “….Her father is my coach at Stanford. He's already in love with me.”
“Coach Carter,” Bella said, clearly savoring this. “And let me tell you—he does not play when it comes to his kids. If you're under the impression that he likes you and you haven't really had a full season with him, then you're screwed young McKay,”
I laughed outright now. “Oh, I like him already.”
Marcus shook his head, amused. Peter rolled his eyes, though a small smirk tugged at his lips.
“I’ll manage,” he said nonchalantly, but his eyes shook with renewed worry.
“Good luck with that,” Bella shot back.
The tension eased again. Not gone. But lighter. More manageable. I glanced around the room—at Anna leaning into Marcus, at Bella standing stronger than she had moments ago, at Peter pretending he wasn’t slightly concerned, and at Damian—
Always watching. Always thinking. I exhaled slowly. Whatever this was—
Whatever Felicia had set into motion—
We weren’t facing it alone. Our team just got a member stronger. And for now? That was enough