Noah continued, his voice smooth and oily. "If you agree to have a nightstand with them... I can make sure you’re taken care of. Financially. You won’t have to work at that pathetic cafe anymore."

Krystal stared at him. Her mind went blank. Then it exploded.

Krystal whispered, her voice barely audible. "What did you just say to me?"

Noah shrugged, his expression casual. "It’s a good offer. You’ll get paid. They’ll have fun. Everyone wins."

Krystal stood up so fast her chair scraped against the floor. The sound echoed through the diner. A few customers looked up, curious.

Krystal shouted, her voice trembling with rage. "You want me to sell myself? You want me to be a prostitute for your disgusting friends?"

Noah’s eyes widened, panic flickering across his face. "Keep your voice down—"

"No!" she screamed. "You come here, you pathetic piece of garbage, and you ask me to whore myself out? After everything I’ve been through?"

Tears streamed down her face.

She cried out, her voice carrying across the diner. "You used me! You used me and threw me away! And now you come here thinking you can buy me?"

She grabbed her cup of water and threw it at him.

The water splashed across his face, dripping down his expensive jacket.

Noah gasped, wiping his face with his sleeve. "You’re crazy!" he shouted.

Krystal laughed, a bitter, broken sound. "I’m crazy? You’re the one who just asked me to be a prostitute! Everyone, listen!"

She turned to the other customers, her voice rising. "This man! This rich, entitled man just asked me to sleep with his friends for money! He thinks because I’m down on my luck, I’m desperate enough to sell myself!"

The customers stared. Their eyes moved from Krystal’s tear-streaked face to Noah’s panicked expression.

A woman with gray hair stood up, her voice firm. "Is this true, young man?"

Noah said quickly, his voice shaking. "No. She’s lying. She’s unstable. She’s—"

Krystal shouted, cutting him off. "I’m lying? You came to my table. You sat down. You made that offer. Everyone saw you. Everyone heard you."

A man in a work uniform stood up, his voice loud and powerful. "I heard him. He said she should sleep with his friends for money."

Another customer nodded. "I heard it too."

Noah’s face went white. "This is a misunderstanding. She’s exaggerating—"

Krystal said calmly, her voice suddenly steady. "Call the police. I want to press charges."

The manager of the diner, a heavyset man with a worried expression, stepped forward. "Ma’am, are you sure—"

Krystal said firmly. "I’m sure. He harassed me. He tried to solicit me for prostitution. I have witnesses."

Noah’s eyes darted around the room. "You can’t do this. You’ll ruin me."

Krystal smiled. It was a cold, bitter smile. "You tried to ruin me. Now I’m going to ruin you."

The police arrived within minutes.

Noah was taken outside, his protests falling on deaf ears. The customers gave their statements. The manager provided the security footage.

Krystal stood on the sidewalk, her arms wrapped around herself, her face still wet with tears. A police officer approached her, a kind woman with gentle eyes.

"Miss, are you okay? Do you need a hospital?"

Krystal shook her head. "I’m fine. I just want to make sure he pays for what he did."

The officer nodded. "We’ll make sure he does."

Krystal watched as Noah was put into the back of a police car. His eyes met hers through the window, and she saw fear in them.

She didn’t look away.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Later that week, Noah’s family offered her a large sum of money as compensation. They wanted to avoid a scandal and keep his name clean.

Krystal accepted.

She sat in her tiny apartment, staring at the check in her hands. The amount was more than she had ever seen in her life.

A smirk spread across her face. It was a slow, cold smirk that had once been her trademark.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Miss J looked at the old man sitting across from her with a calm smile. He was Bella’s grandfather, William, the man who had first introduced her to Bella at the art exhibition.

The cafe was quiet, tucked away in a corner of the city where no one would recognize them. The afternoon light slanted through the windows, catching the dust motes floating in the air. Steam rose from their cups of tea, curling into the space between them.

Miss J took a slow sip of her tea. "Why did you call me here?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

William set down his teacup. The porcelain clinked softly against the saucer. "I don’t want to beat around the bush. I don’t have much energy left for games. Let me say it plainly."

Miss J waited.

William’s voice was calm, measured. "Isabella is the child of Jessica and Jude Finley."

Miss J’s eyes widened. Her teacup froze halfway to her lips. Her heart stuttered in her chest. The name Jessica hit her like a physical blow.

"Jessica..." she breathed. "Jessica baby."

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for escape, for answers, for anything to ground her. Her mind raced through a thousand thoughts at once. Did this old man know the truth? Had he uncovered the secret she had buried so deep, so carefully, for so many years?

William’s eyes flashed with cunning. He saw her reaction. He saw the panic, the fear, the desperate attempt to hide. He saw the way her hands trembled, the way her breath quickened.

He knew.

He knew Miss J was Bella’s mother.

But he didn’t want to make it easy on her. Why had she left her small child alone with that woman? Why had she abandoned her daughter to a life of pain and neglect?

He was so old now, and he knew his time was limited. He wanted Bella’s future to be happy. He wanted her to have family by her side. So he had been searching, searching for the surrogate Jessica had hired, the woman who had given birth to Bella and then disappeared.

When Miss J had first met him, he had seen the resemblance. The way her facial features matched Bella’s in subtle, undeniable ways. The curve of her jaw. The shape of her eyes. The way she tilted her head when she was thinking. The way her smile crinkled at the corners.

He had gotten a DNA test done secretly without her knowledge.

It confirmed everything.

Miss J was Bella’s mother.

William’s voice was calm, measured. "You see, my Bella has suffered a lot in her childhood."

Miss J’s eyes widened. "Suffered?"