Steven returned to Bellaâs side after finishing his duties.
âAre you planning to let Ms. Hoffman off the hook, Ms. Bella? Thatâs too nice of you.â
Steven watched with a doting and helpless smile as Bella knocked things over with her stilettos. He
went and tucked her heels under the table.
Bella was gaming to take her mind off things, slaughtering many in the virtual world.
Her character, Lucifer, had reached god-level in the eyes of players. Thousands tuned in to watch
every time she streamed her gaming live.
âWhat are you thinking? Let her off the hook? Iâm a charitable entrepreneur, not Mother Theresa. Iâm
not going after Zoe now because I donât have solid evidence to put her away. She made Bethany a
scapegoat, so all suspicions about Zoe are circumstantial. My hands are tied for now.
âI donât think thatâs the last weâll hear of Ms. Hoffman.â Steven added angrily, âInstead of showing
remorse, she glared at you before storming out.
âShe better come at me with everything she has or just back off. I wonât want to be her if the whole
thing blows up in her face.
Her phone vibrated, channeling a call from Asher.
âHey, Ash!â Bella answered the call with a sweet voice.
âAre you at the hotel, Bella?â Asher asked.
âYes. Iâm in the office.â
âSo youâre with Steve?â Asher spoke in hushed tones.
Bella was witty enough to read between the lines. She got up and walked out as if she were heading to
the bathroom.
If she were to dismiss Steven, he would pick up that she was shying away from him.
She stepped into her personal bathroom and shut the door behind her âWhat happened, Ash? Does it
have something to do with Steve?â
âYou can say that, but not directly. I canât be straight with you if heâs around.â
Asher paused before carrying on in a steady tone. âGregory sought help from Stevenâs brother, Hunter,
to get his daughter out. Hunter is heading to the police station to release Bethany on bail as we speak.â
Bella narrowed her eyes dangerously. âHunter is Bethanyâs get-out-of- jail-free pass.â
âHunter is cutthroat, contributing to his success as a defense attorney for over a decade. He wonât
allow himself to fail. He will give Bethany a clean state by any means necessary.â
Asher gave Bella the heads-up. âIf I were Hunter, I would start with the journalist, Bella. She is the top
witness to testify against Bethany.
âI get what youâre trying to say, Ash, but Xena Gordon is not with me. Justin is holding her captive.â
Bella took a deep breath to pull herself together. âIâll handle it. You, and especially Axel, should stay out
of it. He works for the government. He canât be caught engaging in misconduct while helping me. That
will just play into the hands of those wishing us harm.â
The mood was heavy at the end of the phone call.
Bella never took a small fry like Bethany seriously because Shannon was the big fish she was after.
She was worried that the news would upset Steven. The silly boy w highly sensitive and heavily bound
by a sense of duty. He might ju come to her in tears again.
Lost in her thoughts, Bella made her way to her office.
âBella.â
The husky voice caused her to halt her footsteps. Feeling a pit in her stomach, she looked back.
There was no one behind her.
Bella shook her head and kneaded her temples, attributing the sound to her sleep deprivation.