Chapter Ninety-nine

"Mr Jay, whatever my sister owes you, I want to take full responsibility for it. Call your attorney and we'll reach an agreement on just how much I would be remitting to you on a monthly basis ", the sharp tongued brother of hers was saying. Jay could not believe his ears, did they understand what was going on here, he was actually the one suffering right now and all they could do was roast him. He observed them for a while, then deciding not making a scene, he stalked away to his car. In the car, Jay slammed the steering wheel as though it was the object of his present predicament. He needed to act fast before Bella slipped through his fingers as she was already slipping away. He could remember vividly that look of shock and disappointment she had given him before walking away. He blamed no one but himself for his misfortune as it was him who had sanely walked into the arms of that snake of a woman. Something needed to be done as soon as possible, and he knew that this time, he would be needing more than words to convince her, he needed concrete and had evidence if Bella was going to trust him again. Picking up his phone, he dialed the only one he could trust currently. He called Alfredo and began making demands on how far the investigation was going. He told him about the current mess with Stella and he heard him swear understand his breath. He had messed up big time and the hands of fate were beginning to play jigsaw puzzle with his senses. Jay was disappointed with himself so much. He just hoped there was still a chance for him. As he drove, he wondered what exactly Stella and her cronies wanted from him, he was going to get to the root of it all. 

Bella could not believe her ears when Mikey and her step dad filled her in on everything. She had been a chess piece all the while. Mikey showed her the few photos he had in his possession and they were waiting for his boss whom he claimed was going to bring more evidence and also explain their resolution to her. She felt really sad and angry at the same time. There she had been, building castles in the air and dreaming a perfect happily ever after, while Jay was thinking reunion. She felt ashamed of herself. Her father joined them at the time, he had finally bonded with Anthony as he appreciated the moments of happiness he had given Mrs Clarkson before her passing on. He saw how devastated Bella was and misunderstood her pain to be as a result of the death of her mother. Squatting close to where she sat, he began comforting her when she broke the ice, "I'm pregnant dad",she said and he looked confused. She understood what must be going through his mind, his unmarried daughter getting pregnant out of wedlock was another ball game on its own. Before she could start explaining, her step dad stirred him outside to fill him in. 

Bella cradled her head in her hands as she felt the life of her getting drained by her own silly mistake. "Is everything okay with my sister ",she heard her little brother say as he came inside, Mikey answered him. Telling him she was just missing her mother, "Okay. I thought she was still mad at that really nice guy, where is he by the way? ",he asked innocently and Bella raised her head to observe him. If there was one thing she knew about her little brother, it was the fact that he barely appreciated people. He must have met Jay and had seen that appealing personality she had fallen for. She told him he had gone to his office as he had some emergency at his office. How she still had the nerve to lie for him baffled her, he had taken her for granted for crying out loud, she reminded herself. 

"Oh, dad's back ", Mikey said and she looked at the direction. They were approaching with someone who looked vaguely familiar, someone she knew really well. Was that, "Diego? ",she whispered.