The Contracted Stripper

Ryan’s hands trembled slightly as he slid the phone into his pocket, pacing in the hospital hallway. Luca stood next to him, concern etched across his face, while Ivy leaned against the wall, still on her call.

Her conversation seemed calm, almost too calm for everything happening around them. Ryan kept glancing at Ivy, waiting for her to finish, but his thoughts were clouded with the disturbing messages he had been receiving ever since his father’s sudden collapse. The anonymous texts, the cryptic warnings-something wasn’t right, and it was driving him mad.

Finally, Ivy ended her call and looked at him, her usual cold demeanor softening a little. “What’s going on, Ryan? You look stressed.”Ryan hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath.

“Luca, check the number that’s been sending me those anonymous messages. I need to know where they’re coming from.

They’ve been popping up ever since all these problems started, and it can’t be a coincidence.

“Luca frowned but nodded in agreement. “Send me the number, I’ll trace it.” He pulled out his phone, ready to start.”Something’s off,” Ryan continued, his voice tight with frustration.

“My dad’s sudden collapse, these weird messages, and now my mom’s been acting strange.

And Bella-she’s barely visited Dad at the hospital. It’s like everything’s spiraling out of control.”Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Bella hasn’t visited Dad? Not even once?”

“Only on the first day,” Ryan muttered. “Since then, she’s been avoiding us. I don’t know what’s going on, but I need answers.”

As Ryan shared his concerns, Luca finished typing on his phone and looked up. “Ryan, what did the doctors say about your dad? Any update?”Ryan shook his head, the memory of his father lying unconscious still fresh in his mind.

“They said it was a heart attack, but I can’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just natural. The doctor couldn’t explain why it happened so suddenly. Dad was healthy.”

Luca’s face darkened with concern. “I’ll look into the messages and try to trace the number. But in the meantime, you should go home and check the house. Maybe there’s something there that could explain all of this. Your mom’s been at the hospital with you, right?”

Ryan nodded slowly. “Yeah, she hasn’t left Dad’s side. I’ll head home and see if I can find anything.”Luca clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. I’ll call you as soon as I find something.”Ryan watched Luca walk off, his mind racing with questions.

He didn’t want to believe his mother could be involved in something so sinister, but the more he thought about it, the more things didn’t add up. And Bella… she had been distant, distracted.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew something he didn’t. With a heavy sigh, Ryan headed for his car, determination filling his every step.

When Ryan arrived home, the mansion felt eerily quiet. The grand halls, usually filled with life, now seemed cold and empty.

The only sound was the soft echo of his footsteps against the marble floor as he moved through the house, searching for anything that could give him answers.

He started with his father’s study, the room where Mr. Kendrick had spent countless hours running the family business. Ryan rummaged through the papers on the desk, hoping to find something-anything-that could explain the sudden heart attack. But nothing stood out.

The financial documents were in order, and there were no signs of stress or issues that could have triggered such a collapse.

Feeling frustrated, Ryan moved on to the rest of the house, checking every room for anything unusual. But as he searched, his hope began to fade.

It seemed like there was nothing to find. That was until he reached his father’s bedroom.

Ryan was about to leave the room, thinking there was nothing there when he spotted something out of place. His father’s phone lay on the floor near the bedside table, almost hidden beneath the bed.

He hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick it up. The phone wasn’t locked, which struck him as odd-his father always kept his phone secured.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

Ryan’s heart raced as he swiped through the phone, going through messages and emails.

Everything seemed normal at first, but then he opened the photo gallery. What he saw made his blood run cold. There were photos of Bella.

But these weren’t just ordinary photos. They were intimate, candid shots of her in the mansion, in places she shouldn’t have been.

And there were messages exchanged between his father and Bella, messages that hinted at something far deeper and more troubling than he had ever imagined.

Ryan’s hands shook as he continued scrolling. The photos and messages painted a picture of betrayal, of secrets kept from him.

His father and Bella had been closer than he ever knew. And now, with his father’s sudden collapse and Bella’s strange behavior, everything started to fall into place.

Had Bella been involved in this somehow? Had she orchestrated his father’s collapse? Ryan’s mind raced as he tried to process the shock of what he was seeing. But before he could fully comprehend it, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

It was Luca.”Ryan,” Luca’s voice was tense. “I traced the number. The line is active, and it’s being used from… your mansion.”Ryan’s grip tightened on his phone.

“What?”

“It’s coming from inside your house,” Luca repeated. “And there’s only one person who could be using it. Bella.”Ryan’s stomach churned. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Luca said firmly. “Everything points to her.”Ryan stood frozen in the middle of his father’s bedroom, his heart pounding in his chest.

The evidence was mounting against Bella, but he didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that the woman he had once trusted, the woman who was supposed to be by his side, had been betraying him all along.

But the facts were undeniable.”Ryan, what are you going to do?” Luca asked, concern in his voice.

Ryan stared at the phone in his hand, the weight of the truth pressing down on him. “I’m going to confront her,” he said, his voice cold and determined. “I need to know why she did this.”Luca paused for a moment before speaking.

“Be careful, Ryan. If Bella’s involved in this, she could be dangerous.”Ryan nodded, though Luca couldn’t see him. “I will. I’ll call you after.”He ended the call and pocketed his phone, his mind set on one thing-confronting Bella and getting to the bottom of whatever she had been hiding.

Bella was in the living room when Ryan found her, lounging on the couch with a glass of wine in hand. She looked up as he entered, a faint smile playing on her lips.”Ryan,” she said smoothly, her voice calm and collected.

“You’re back. How’s your father?”Ryan didn’t answer her question. Instead, he crossed the room and stood in front of her, his eyes cold and hard. “I know what you’ve been doing, Bella.”Bella raised an eyebrow, her smile fading slightly. “What are you talking about?”

“I found the messages,” Ryan said, his voice steady despite the anger building inside him. “Between you and my father. And Luca traced the anonymous messages-they were coming from this house.

From you.”For the first time, Bella’s calm facade cracked. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and she set the glass of wine down on the table. “Ryan, I-”

“Don’t lie to me,” Ryan snapped, cutting her off. “I know everything. You’ve been playing me, haven’t you? You were close to my father, and now he’s in the hospital. What did you do?”

Bella stood up, her expression shifting from surprise to something colder. “I didn’t do anything, Ryan,” she said slowly, her voice steady but with an edge of danger. “Your father and I had an understanding. But I had nothing to do with his heart attack.”

Ryan stepped closer, his anger boiling over. “Then why have you been sending me those messages? Why have you been hiding everything from me?”Bella’s lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes glinting with something dark. “Because, Ryan, you were never meant to find out.”Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest.

“What do you mean?”Bella tilted her head slightly, her gaze unwavering. “Your father and I had plans, Ryan. But now that he’s out of the picture, things are going to change. You’re not the only heir to the Kendrick empire anymore. I’ve made sure of that.”Ryan’s breath caught in his throat. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I’ve secured my place, Ryan,” Bella said, her voice cool and calm. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”Ryan’s mind raced, his world spinning out of control as Bella’s words sank in.

He had been blind, trusting the wrong person, and now everything was falling apart. But before he could respond, his phone buzzed again. He glanced down and saw another anonymous message.

This time, it read:You don’t know the whole truth yet. Be careful who you trust. Ryan looked up at Bella, his heart pounding, and realized that the nightmare was far from over.