Chapter 233

~Octavia~

The room went completely quiet. Bella walked straight into the lounge like she still owned the place. Her white trench coat looked expensive, and her high heels clicked loudly against the floor. Every single step she took seemed deliberate, designed to draw as much attention as possible to her grand entrance.

She didn’t need anyone to show her around. Bella used to work here, so she knew exactly how to get past the front desk and into the executive wing without anyone stopping her. She knew the layout of this building like the back of her hand, and she used that knowledge to stride right past our security sensors as if she had never left.

Bella let out a soft laugh that made my skin crawl. It was a mocking, airy sound that filled the high-ceilinged room. She looked at me, then glanced over at Williams, who was leaning against the counter with a smirk on his face. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the drama, watching us like a spectator at a movie theater.

"So, you’re the new partner," Bella said to Williams with a nod, her tone dripping with casual arrogance.

She acted as if she did not know him, but I knew better.

Then she turned her full attention back to me, walking slowly around the large table in the center of the lounge. She looked me up and down, her eyes sharp and assessing, trying to see if I would flinch or show any sign of weakness under her gaze.

She was trying to intimidate me, to see if her coming back will shake me. But she was wrong.

"Look at you, Octavia," Bella said, pausing on the opposite side of the table. "Sitting in a big office office, wearing your little suits, pretending to be a big boss. Tell me, how does it feel to live a stolen life? Do you feel good sleeping in that bed, knowing Franklin only married you because he felt guilty about your accident?"

She raised her voice intentionally, making sure the people out in the hallway could hear every single word. She wanted to cause a massive scene and make everyone in the building pity her as the returning victim.

"I was locked away for months, terrified and forced to help Rufus ruin my own life, my love!" Bella cried out, making her voice sound shaky and weak, like she was right on the verge of tears. She turned her head toward the clear glass walls of the lounge, projecting her voice to the outer offices. "And you just took over my life without feeling bad at all. You took my ex, and you took so much! You don’t even believe me!"

But as Bella paused, waiting for people to gasp, murmur, or show some kind of sympathy for her tragic story, nothing happened.

The entire office floor remained dead silent.

I looked past her shoulder through the glass partition. A large crowd of employees had gathered outside in the corridor, but they weren’t looking at Bella with pity or sadness. Victoria stood right at the front with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, looking completely disgusted by the performance. Sarah and the rest of the core tech team stood right behind her, their expressions hard and unforgiving. Even Miranda was watching from the back of the crowd, her face completely unreadable.

Nobody bought Bella’s story. They had all worked through the chaos she caused before she disappeared, and they knew exactly how malicious she was. They weren’t going to fall for her crocodile tears now, and they were standing firmly behind me as a united front.

It looked as if people were even more disappointed she came back. She had tormented everyone’s life before leaving.

Bella immediately noticed that nobody in the office was taking her side. Her fake trembling stopped for a second, and a flash of pure, unadulterated anger crossed her face before she quickly hid it behind her polished mask.

I didn’t yell, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t break down. I stood up calmly from my desk, smoothing out the wrinkles in my jacket with slow, steady movements.

"That’s quite a story, Bella," I said, keeping my voice completely steady and level, she was the only one who could hear me and maybe William because he was close to us.

I refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. "It sounds great, but it doesn’t make any sense when you actually think about the details. You claim Rufus kept you locked up in a room and forced you to do those things. But your secret will be revealed very soon."

Bella narrowed her eyes, her lips thinning into a tight line as she realized her sob story wasn’t rattling me. "The truth will come out in court, Octavia. I was just a hostage, forced to sign whatever he put in front of me."

"Is that so?" I murmured.

I took a slow step closer to her, leaning across the table so only she could hear me. I kept my voice incredibly low, speaking right into her ear so Williams and the people outside wouldn’t catch a single syllable of what I was saying.

"You think you’re so smart," I whispered, my voice cold and sharp as a knife. "You think you’ve won because of your fake story. But I know you’re lying, Bella. I know you’re up to something, and I’m going to prove it. Enjoy being back while you can, because I’m going to make sure you lose everything."

I pulled back and gave her a polite, completely empty smile. Bella stared at me, her chest rising and falling quickly as her breath hitched. She looked genuinely shocked that I had just threatened her so calmly. I hadn’t told her what my actual plan was, but I had said just enough to make her feel incredibly nervous.

Williams chuckled from the corner, breaking the silence as he adjusted his posture. "Fascinating. This is absolutely fascinating to watch."

Right then, the doors burst open with a loud, violent crash that echoed off the walls.

I turned my head toward the entrance. Franklin was standing directly in the doorway, his tall frame completely blocking the exit. His dark wool coat was damp from the morning rain, and his face was twisted in absolute, terrifying fury. The veins were bulging in his neck, and he looked like a man ready to tear down the entire building.

Bella turned around and faced Franklin. Already acting sad.

The air in the room instantly turned thick with tension, and it felt like everything was about to explode. Franklin stared at Bella, Bella stared at Franklin, not to mention William that was glaring at Franklin.