4. Bella
— ? —
Bella
Monday morning arrives with a sense of anticipation that I can’t quite shake.
I dress carefully in a navy blue suit that’s professional but flattering, style my dark hair in loose waves, and apply my makeup with more care than usual.
I tell myself it’s because of the new project, because I want to look polished and professional for whatever challenge Adrian is about to throw at me.
But I know it’s more than that.
Last night… I had fun with Adrian, after Marcus left, despite myself. And something changed between us.
The office is already buzzing with activity when I arrive at eight-thirty.
I’ve learned the rhythms of Sterling Industries over the past three months - the way the junior analysts arrive early and stay late, the way the senior executives move through the halls with purpose and confidence, the way Adrian commands respect without ever having to demand it.
I’ve also learned that I fit here in a way I’ve never fit anywhere else. The other employees accepted me quickly, once they saw that I was competent and hardworking. If anyone thinks it’s strange that Adrian hired his rival’s ex-fiancée, they’re smart enough not to say it to my face.
I’m settling into my office, reviewing the preliminary information Adrian sent over the weekend, when my phone buzzes with a text from him: Conference room A. Ten minutes.
I gather my laptop and notes and make my way to the main conference room. It’s one of the largest in the building, with glass walls that overlook the city and a massive table that can seat twenty people. Usually, it’s reserved for board meetings and presentations to major clients.
Adrian is already there when I arrive, standing at the head of the table with his back to the door, looking out at the city. He turns when he hears me enter, and I feel that now-familiar jolt of attraction.
“Isabella,” he says, and there’s something in his voice that makes me pause. “Come in. Close the door.”
I do as he asks, my curiosity growing. “What’s going on? I thought we were discussing the new project.”
“We are.” Adrian gestures to the chair beside him rather than across from him. “Sit. There’s something I need to tell you before we go any further.”
I sit, my heart rate picking up. Adrian’s expression is serious, almost grave, and I can’t help but feel like I’m about to hear something that will change everything.
“The target company,” Adrian says, sitting down beside me. “The one I want you to analyze for the takeover. It’s Webb Industries.”
For a moment, I can’t process what he’s said. Webb Industries. Marcus’s company. The business he inherited from his father and has been running for the past five years.
“You want to take over Marcus’s company,” I say slowly.
“Yes.” He levels me with a look. “I told you it was starting, Bella.”
“And you want me to help you do it.”
“Yes.”
I sit back in my chair, my mind racing. This is why Adrian has been so secretive about the target. This is why he wanted it to be a surprise. Because he knew exactly how I would react.
“Why?” I ask. “Why now? Why Marcus?”
Adrian is quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable. When he finally speaks, his voice is carefully controlled.
“Because Marcus Webb is a criminal,” he says. “And I’m going to prove it.”
The words hang in the air between us, heavy with implication.
“A criminal,” I repeat. “And why me?”
“Why you? Because you are going to help me prove it.”
My brows fly up. “What are you talking about?”
Adrian pulls out a tablet and slides it across the table to me. “I’ve been investigating Webb Industries for the past five months. What I’ve found is… troubling.”
I look down at the tablet. It’s open to a document that appears to be a financial analysis, but the numbers don’t make sense. There are discrepancies, irregularities, transactions that seem designed to obscure rather than illuminate.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “What am I looking at?”
“Evidence of fraud,” Adrian says. “Marcus has been cooking the books for years. Inflating revenue, hiding losses, paying bribes to secure contracts. And that’s just the financial crimes. There’s more.”
He swipes to another document, this one a series of emails and text messages. I scan them, my confusion growing.
“These are about a construction project,” I say. “The Riverside development. I remember Marcus talking about that. It was supposed to be his biggest success.”
“It was built on a lie,” Adrian says. “Marcus paid off city inspectors to overlook safety violations. He bribed officials to fast-track permits. And when a whistleblower tried to come forward…” He swipes to another document. “The whistleblower disappeared.”
My blood runs cold. “Disappeared?”
Adrian winces. “He was killed in a random mugging.”
I stiffen even further. “Killed?”
“But I have evidence that suggests Marcus was involved. That he paid someone to make sure the whistleblower never talked.”
I stare at the documents, my mind reeling. This can’t be real. Marcus is a lot of things - a cheater, a liar, a coward - but a criminal? Someone who would hurt people to protect his secrets?
But even as I think it, I know it’s possible.
I’ve seen glimpses of Marcus’s ruthlessness over the years, the way he talked about crushing his competitors, the way he celebrated when rival companies failed.
I’ve always thought it was just business, just the aggressive tactics of a successful entrepreneur.
But what if it’s more than that? What if the man I almost married is capable of real evil?
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Because I need your help,” Adrian says.
He hesitates and then leans in, his voice hushed. “You’re the only one who can help me put him away, and that’s because… it’s your name he used on these accounts. So unless you turn on him, you’re implicated, and if anyone but us does this, they’re likely to put you away behind bars, also.”
All of the words seem to rush out of him after that, in one big breath.
Suddenly I feel dizzy. This new knowledge of my unknowing involvement in this world of crimes has made me unsteady on my feet. I put a hand out to steady myself. “What do you mean, Adrian?” I ask slowly, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“Oh my God.” My breath starts to come out in shallow gulps.
“I need someone who understands Marcus, who knows how he thinks, who can help me find the evidence I need to bring him down. And I need someone I can trust.”
“And you trust me?”
Adrian reaches across the table and takes my hand. His touch is warm and steady, grounding me in the moment.
“I trust you,” he says simply. “You’re brilliant, Isabella. You’re thorough and detail-oriented and you see things other people miss. And you have every reason to want to see Marcus face consequences for what he’s done.”
I look down at our joined hands, then back up at Adrian’s face. There’s something in his eyes - determination, yes, but also something softer. Something that looks almost like concern.
“This is why you hired me,” I say. “Not because you thought I was talented. Because you wanted to use me to get to Marcus.”
Adrian doesn’t deny it. “Initially, yes. When I first offered you the job, the night that was supposed to be your wedding, I was still gathering my evidence. I didn’t have enough then, but I knew I could get enough.
And part of my motivation was knowing that having you work for me would irritate Marcus.
Rattle him just like we did last night. But Isabella…
” He squeezes my hand gently. “That’s not why I kept you.
That’s not why I’ve given you increasingly important projects, or why I trust you with this.
You’ve proven yourself a dozen times over.
You’re here because you deserve to be here. ”
I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him. But I’ve been fooled before by a man who said all the right things.
“I need time to think,” I say, pulling my hand away. “This is… it’s a lot.”
“I understand.” Adrian stands, giving me space.
“Take the day. Review the documents. Some of them… some of them are personal texts and communications between you and your ex-fiancé. He used your name to set up the shell companies that moved his money - forged your signature on the accounts, the filings, all of it. You were his fiancée; he had everything he needed. What I have to prove is that you never knew a thing about it.”
I shake my head, unsure if any proof like that exists.
Adrian shrugs, his eyes indicating that he feels defeated.
“And then tell me if you’re in or out. But Isabella?
” He waits until I meet his eyes. “If you’re in, I need you all the way.
This isn’t going to be easy. Marcus will fight back.
He’ll try to discredit us, to destroy us if he can. I need to know you’re ready for that.”
I nod slowly. “I’ll let you know.”
Adrian leaves the conference room, and I sit alone with the tablet, staring at the evidence of Marcus’s crimes. Part of me wants to walk away, to tell Adrian I can’t do this, that it’s too much, too complicated, too dangerous.
But another part of me - the part that was humiliated at the altar, that was betrayed by the man I loved and the sister I trusted - wants revenge.
And if Marcus really is a criminal, if he really has hurt people to protect his secrets, then he deserves to face justice.
I spend the rest of the day in the conference room, reviewing every document Adrian has given me. The evidence is damning - financial records that show clear fraud, emails that prove bribery, witness statements that suggest Marcus’s involvement in the whistleblower’s disappearance.
And with it, my involvement, too.
By the time the sun begins to set, I’ve made my decision.
I find Adrian in his office, working at his computer. He looks up when I enter, his expression carefully neutral.
“I’m in,” I say. “I’ll help you take down Marcus Webb.”