Bella's Suspicion

But for the first time in five years, she lied to the family without blinking.

Elena stared at the text message on the burner phone, her thumb hovering over the delete button. *Dr. Evans is waiting.* It was a summon to the execution. The retrieval appointment wasn't just a medical procedure; it was a harvesting. They wanted the last piece of her that held value before they discarded the rest.

"Change of plan," Elena said, leaning forward to tap on the plastic partition of the taxi.

"Lady, you just said Saint Jude's," the driver grunted, his eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror.

"I need to make a stop first," she said. "In Scarsdale."

Kai looked at her, his eyebrows shooting up. "Scarsdale? You want to go to the house? The one with the cameras?"

"No," Elena said. "I want to go to the school."

"Bella's school?"

"Bella's phone," Elena corrected. "She's the weak link. She thinks she's a player, but she's just a pawn. And pawns get sacrificed."

She explained the text she had seen. The demand for money. The panic. Bella wasn't just a spoiled teenager; she was a co-conspirator who was starting to realize the ship was sinking.

"If she's asking Seraphina for money, it means Seraphina cut her off," Elena reasoned. "Which means Bella is desperate. And desperate people make mistakes."

They redirected the cab to the exclusive private academy where Bella was supposedly attending a "winter intensive" art program.

They found her in a coffee shop across the street from the campus. She was sitting alone, her face illuminated by the glow of her phone, her thumb swiping furiously. She looked small. Young.

Elena walked in. Kai stayed by the door, a silent sentinel.

"Bella," Elena said, sliding into the booth opposite her.

Bella jumped, nearly dropping her phone. "Elena? What the hell? You're supposed to be..."

"In a psych ward?" Elena finished. "Or dead in a frozen lake?"

Bella’s face went pale. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," Elena said. "I think you know exactly what the plan is. The question is, do you know what your part in it is?"

"I'm family," Bella spat, recovering her composure. "I'm their daughter."

"And I'm the wife," Elena said. "Look how well that worked out for me."

She placed the Centurion card on the table. The black titanium gleamed under the café lights.

"This is cancelled," Elena said. "So are the supplementary cards. So is the trust allowance. So is the tuition payment for next semester."

Bella stared at the card. "You can't do that."

"I already did. I'm the CFO, remember? I control the flow. And the tap is dry."

"Mom will fix it," Bella said, but her voice wavered.

"Mom is busy trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage on a villa she doesn't own with money she doesn't have," Elena said. "She doesn't have time for you, Bella. She never did."

"Shut up!"

"She saved you in her phone as 'Mom'," Elena said softly. "But did she ever act like one? Or did she treat you like an assistant? A spy?"

Bella looked down at her hands. "She loves me."

"She loves what you can do for her," Elena said. "Just like she loved what I could do for her. But when the money runs out, Bella, love evaporates."

She leaned in close.

"I'm going to the police," Elena lied. "I have the deed. I have the photos. I'm going to burn this whole family to the ground."

Bella looked up, terrified.

"But," Elena continued. "I can leave a door open. For you. And for Chloe."

"What do you want?" Bella whispered.

"I want the passcode," Elena said. "To the server. The one in the basement. The one that stores the 'family videos'."

Bella hesitated. She looked at her phone. She looked at the cancelled credit card.

"She'll kill me," Bella said.

"She'll abandon you," Elena corrected. "She's already packing, Bella. The boat is fueled. The flight plan is filed. Do you really think there's a seat for you?"

Bella swallowed hard. She picked up her phone.

"It's not a number," she said. "It's a phrase."

"What is it?"

Bella smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"Have a safe trip, Elena."