Chapter 16
Jay burst through the door, storming into Chris' office. He grabbed him by the collar and demanded, "What are your real intentions? The day you entered our lives, everything turned into a mess! You were the first to take action to shut down the brand, and now you're pretending to save it?"
Chris aggressively removed Jay's hand from his collar, smirked slightly, and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to know why I'm doing this?" he asked.
"Are you worried about Bella?" Chris continued. "She's just an innocent girl trapped in this mess because of you."
He leaned forward slightly. "Actually, I wanted to find your weakest nerve, and look, I did. You love your wife so much that she has become your biggest weakness."
"So, I decided to put her in trouble just so you could feel the same pain. And it worked. But then, a thought struck me—attacking from behind isn't a good idea."
Chris smirked again. "By the way, your wife is adorable. Look, she even sent me a thank-you message. She knows how to appreciate those who help her."
Hearing this, Jay lost his temper and punched Chris hard. "Don't you dare go near her!" he growled.
Chris, unfazed, retaliated with a punch of his own. "How dare you! And don't forget, I'm not the same person I used to be. Let me remind you, I'm the Vice Chairman now—I have more authority than you."
---
Evening at Home
Jay reached home, his face bruised. Bella noticed immediately. "What happened?" she asked, concerned.
As she applied medicine to his wounds, Jay grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "Why did you message him when I told you to stay away from him?" he asked firmly.
Bella pulled her hand away. "Are you angry at me? He helped me save my store, so I just sent him a thank-you message."
"But why, when I told you not to?" Jay insisted.
Bella frowned. "Did something happen between you two? Do you know each other from before?"
Jay hesitated but then replied, "No, we don't. But just remember what I told you."
Bella looked at him skeptically. "Did you fight with him? Did he hit you?" She observed his reaction closely. Jay turned his face slightly, avoiding her gaze.
She sighed. "How could he do this? He looks so calm..."
Jay spoke in a sharp tone. "Don't fall for his calmness. What he shows isn't real."
Bella, now upset, turned away. Jay softened his tone. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to talk to you like that. I'm just worried about you."
Bella crossed her arms. "I'm not a child. I know what people are like." With that, she walked away to her room.
Jay lowered his head, gripping it with both hands, lost in deep thought.
---
The Next Day at the Office
Chris approached Bella. "Hi," he greeted, but she ignored him.
Chris smirked. "Are you ignoring me after I helped you?"
"I'm not in the mood to talk," Bella said and turned away.
"Can we talk alone? I need to tell you something important."
Bella hesitated for a moment but then agreed. They walked to a quieter place.
"Thank you, Mr. Chris, for helping me before," Bella said. "But don't interfere in my life again."
Chris chuckled. "Do you know? Yesterday, your husband came to my office, demanding to know why I helped you. I think he was jealous."
Bella shook her head. "No, he wasn't jealous. He's just protective of me."
"Well, you reminded me of something yesterday," Bella said, her tone firm.
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"
Bella warned him, "If you ever lay a hand on him again, you'll pay a much higher price for it."
Chris smirked, impressed by her boldness.
As Bella turned to leave, Chris called out, "Don't you want to know your husband's past?"
---
At Jay's Office
Jay sat with Chan, discussing Chris' sudden reappearance in their lives.
"Is Bella still angry?" Chan asked.
Jay sighed. "Yes."
"Can't you just tell her the truth about Chris?"
Jay immediately shook his head. "No. I don't want her to know the truth yet. She's not ready for it. We just have to keep an eye on Chris and watch his every move."
"Let's put that aside for now. What about the store issue?" Chan asked.
"They're working on solving it as soon as possible," Jay replied. "Actually, I called someone to help resolve this matter."
---
At the Office Cafeteria
Bella spotted Sunny and approached her. "Can I ask you something about the past?"
Sunny looked at her, surprised. "About what?"
"You were their friend, right?" Bella asked.
Sunny raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"I saw you and Chan laughing and talking the other day, so I assumed it," Bella said.
Sunny chuckled. "Yeah, we were friends. Why? Do you want to know about your husband's ex-girlfriend?" she teased.
Bella shook her head. "No. Actually, I want to know about the past relationships between Jay and Chris."
---
Flashback to the Past
When Chris had previously offered to reveal Jay's past, Bella had refused. "If Jay wants to tell me the truth about his past, I will hear it from him," she had said firmly.
---
Back to the Present
Sunny looked at Bella and sighed. "Sorry, I can't tell you. If you want to know, it's better to ask Jay himself."
Sunny asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"
Bella asked, "Why?"
Sunny said, "Actually, the office is closed tomorrow, so I thought of spending the day with someone. But I don't have anyone to spend it with."
Bella said, "Okay, we can go."
NextDay
Bella was getting ready to meet Sunny when Jay asked, "Where are you going?"
In a teasing tone, Bella replied, "Someone was angry at me, so I'm going to have fun with someone else."
"Bella, just tell me where you're going," Jay asked.
Bella dramatically said, "No, I don't want to tell you."
Jay smirked and said, "Bella, do you want me to follow you? Well, I can do that, but then don't complain if people start looking at us suspiciously."
Bella quickly responded, "No, no, don't do that! I'm going out with Sunny to have fun today."
Jay smiled and said, "Okay, have a good day."