Isabella~
"Bella, is everything all right between you and Xavier?" The next morning, Victor came into my room before breakfast.
"Yes, absolutely." After hearing his query, the memories of last night flashed before my eyes, but I decided to keep quiet because I didn't want to talk to anyone about our private issues.
Xavier's forced kiss has deeply hurt me, yet I choose not to express it through my behavior.
"I noticed that Xavier is upset from last night, so I thought that something happened between you two." He fixed his gaze on my face as if he were trying to see the lie hidden in my calm face.
"Perhaps the case is stressing him out." I combed my hair and then tied it into a tidy bun.
"Maybe you are right; let me drop you off at your office. I'm headed towards your office today." When he saw my car keys in my hand, he offered me a ride in his car.
"No, I will manage; I have an important meeting with a client." I grabbed my purse from the side table and headed down the stairs.
"Bella, why didn't you have your breakfast today?" Dad's sharp voice halted my steps. He stuffed his newspaper inside and gave me a calculating look.
"Dad, I am getting late, so I will eat something in my office." I feel a bit guilty about lying to him, but there's no better option than to ignore Xavier.
"Okay, I skipped my medications too if you won't listen to me." Dad shrugged his shoulders and resumed his newspaper reading. Hearing his tone of blackmail, I sighed in defeat and sat silently at the breakfast table.
"Bella, good morning." Xavier greeted me with a big smile as he joined us at the breakfast table.
"Good morning, Xavier." I replied to him in a slow voice. I made a concerted effort to conceal my dissatisfaction from him, aiming to evade Dad's notice, as I didn't want to provide him with additional grounds for disapproval of Xavier. However, I find it difficult to ignore Xavier's domineering side.
A plate broke into two pieces as it fell out of my hand during breakfast. When I saw those shattered bits, I thought they stood for Xavier and myself.
The broken shards of the plate mirrored my fractured reality—Xavier, Dad, this investigation—all pulling me in different directions, leaving me splintered.
"Is everything okay, Bella?" The awkward silence at the dining table was broken by Dad.
"Yes, Dad, everything is fine; now I have to go." I got out of my dining chair and walked out of the house before Dad could read my thoughts.
James promised to assist me in learning more about Laila. I told him the whole incident and pleaded for his assistance when he came into my room last night. He assured me that he would assist me in locating the missing pieces of the puzzle that Jordan Lucas had utilized to trick my family. After Victor, I found a good friend in James. Like me, he is funny, helpful, and sentimental. I found it tough to discuss my issues with Xavier, but I was able to do so with him with ease.
"Did Xavier know about this, Bella?" There was a flicker of reluctance in James' eyes before we left for our old Thompson house.
"No, he does not know about it." I tightened my hold on the steering wheel and turned on the car's engine.
"Bella, he will be furious if he discovers that we stole his case files from his home." James requested that I ask Xavier's permission before entering the mansion.
"I have already attempted to inquire about the Laila case, but he is unwilling to discuss it, leaving me with no other option. Tell me, are you coming or not?" I give him a raised eyebrow.
"Bella, I trust you—but if Xavier finds out, this could get messy for both of us. Are you sure this is worth the risk?"
James finds it hard to decide whether he should be more devoted to me or Xavier.
"If you are unsure or afraid, you can leave." I once again asked him to reconsider his choice.
"Since I can't pass up the opportunity to work with a stunning attorney like you, Bella, I have decided to assist you in this case." I laughed when he made flirtatious comments.
After learning that Victor was the one who had communicated with him on my Facebook, he continued to flirt with me. Even though he knows I never had any interest in him, my rejection seems to have stung his pride.
"Bella, from where did you get the house keys?" He was preparing to enter the house through the window, but before he could impress me with his skills, I unlocked the hall's door with the key.
"I stole it from Xavier's room." Upon entering the house, I immediately made my way to the study room. As I entered my former bedroom, memories from the past started to flash before my eyes.
Each drawer I opened felt like I was crossing another line, not just with Xavier but with myself. Was the truth worth this deception? Or was I only feeding the rift between us?
To win Xavier's affection, I had to put up with a lot of his anguish and torment, but in the end, he expelled me from his life.
"Are you okay, Bella?" James's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Yes, let's find Laila's file." I looked through his old case files in the cupboard. I don't know where he stored the file. I searched everywhere for that file, but I couldn't find it in either his study or his room.
"Bella, don't be so stressed. We will find it." James tapped on my shoulder to remove the dust from my shirt.
"You have no idea how much Laila's file means to me, James." I got up from the chair and walked towards Dad's study room. Despite my lack of hope that I would find anything related to Laila's case in Dad's office, given that Laila's case was related to Xavier, I nonetheless opened Dad's study room to alleviate my doubts.
"Bella, I think we should leave now because Xavier is continuously calling me on my number and then on your phone. I believe he is harboring doubts about our relationship." James waved both phones before my eyes.
I don't understand why he is so afraid of Xavier, but I don't want to give him any more reasons to fuel his jealousy, so I nodded my head and left the house. I noticed a yellow file in the side drawer of Dad's office before I locked it. I pulled it out right away and saw the name printed on it.
"Laila Thompson."
Why is this file in Dad's office? Is Dad also related to this case? Why does her surname seem similar to ours? Does she share the same surname as us? I had a lot of questions after viewing that file.
"Bella, please hurry up; we should leave now before he comes here and catches us red-handed." James kept honking, so I packed that file in my bag and walked out of the old Thompson mansion.
As I slipped the file into my bag, I couldn't shake the feeling that Xavier's doubts would soon become impossible to ignore. How long could I keep this secret from him.