Chapter 31 Caught in the Act
DAVID
Who does she think she is, coming back now, after all she’s done? And with my brother, of all people.
I was lying on my side, replaying every betrayal, when another message from her buzzed on my phone. "Dd, can we let go of the past? I still love you."
I laughed, a cold sound in the quiet of my room. Bella was everything she wasn’t genuine, beautiful, with her own spark. This woman thought she could just waltz back into my life? Not a chance.
Exhausted, I let my head hit the pillow and closed my eyes. I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, my phone was ringing.
“Sir, your attention is needed in the office urgently,” my assistant’s voice said, tense and out of breath.
What could be so important that it was worth interrupting my hard-earned sleep? I could tell from his tone that something was off, so I pulled myself out of bed, threw on some clothes, and drove to the office.
When I arrived, I found him pacing outside my door, his expression uneasy.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, the sharpness in my voice snapping him to attention.
“Sir… Lizzy is in your office,” he stammered, “and she’s been causing a bit of trouble.”
Lizzy? Here? Of course, she would show up when I was least prepared.
Without another word, I strode past him and into my office. There she was, lounging on my desk, legs crossed, rolling back and forth in my chair with a smug grin.
"Hello, Dd," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
BELLA
The office was buzzing with excitement when I walked in. Elowen and the rest of my team were gathered around my desk, their faces lit up.
“We won!” Elowen shouted, practically bouncing. “We’re doing the script for the movie!”
My heart skipped, and a wide smile broke out on my face. “We really won?” I hugged her tight, both of us laughing and caught up in the moment.
After the excitement settled and everyone returned to their desks, I turned to Elowen, still grinning. “You could have told me sooner!” I teased.
She gave me a look. “I tried, but your phone was off. Are you okay? You had me worried,” she said, crossing her arms with a concerned frown.
I hesitated. “It’s just… David and I had a rough moment.”
Her face softened. “Want to talk about it?”
Before I could answer, our director appeared, nodding in approval. “Congratulations, Bella,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I knew you could pull it off.”
“Thank you,” I replied, matching his professional tone.
“There’s just one more thing,” he continued. “You’ll need to go to headquarters to sign the contract as team lead.”
My stomach dropped. Headquarters. Which meant I might run into David an encounter I was desperate to avoid.
“Of course,” I said, trying to sound unaffected.
After he walked away, Elowen raised an eyebrow. “So you’re off to HQ? If anyone tries to give you trouble, you know where to find me.”
I laughed, though my nerves twisted into knots. “Thanks,” I said, giving her arm a grateful squeeze before heading out.
As I walked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Every step felt heavy, and the air seemed thick with a tension I couldn’t quite name. I brushed it off as paranoia, but it still lingered as I entered the building.
At the front desk, David’s assistant looked uncomfortable, like he was hiding something.
“Ma’am, the boss is… in a meeting,” he stammered, avoiding eye contact.
I hadn’t even asked about David, but now my heartbeat quickened. What was he hiding?
When I reached his office, I pushed the door open without knocking. And there they were David and Lizzy locked in a kiss, their arms wrapped around each other.
My mind scrambled, trying to catch up, trying to understand how this could be happening. I wanted to turn away, to close my eyes, but I was frozen, rooted to the spot. My fingers trembled around the handle, and I could feel my heart shattering, piece by piece.
Did David… did he really love her all along? Was everything between us just a game?
My thoughts tangled as a sharp pain pierced through my chest, making it hard to breathe. I stood there, in silent disbelief, feeling like I’d been erased like I was nothing.