5

"What's your name?" Betty asked as they both got into his car. "Why were you waiting for a bus if you—"

"I was waiting for my cousin. We were supposed to meet there, but he texted me that he can't make it," he interrupted, already knowing where she was going with this. "And my name is Bellamy."

"Thank you, Bellamy," Betty replied, leaning her head back. Even though she was grateful, she still had some doubts about him. You can't completely trust a stranger, after all—not even one who saved you earlier.

"What's your name?" Bellamy asked after a moment.

"Elizabeth. But everyone calls me Betty."

Meanwhile, everyone in the Stone mansion stared at Alicia's youngest grandson as he was dragged inside by the driver and one of the bodyguards. Questions filled their eyes.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Alicia asked, staring at her grandson.

Kai rubbed his eyes before glancing around the room at everyone.

"Who?"

Ronan groaned and rubbed his temples. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Well, you didn't say anything, did you?" Andrew chimed in, giving his brother a pointed look.

"I didn't know about this until earlier—when Grandma told me. After I came back from work."

"Where's Elizabeth, Kai?!" Alicia raised her voice. After everything she had done to make her granddaughter stay, was she going to lose her like this?

"She's here. She was with me," Kai slurred, wanting nothing more than to crawl into his bed. He remembered Betty being there. "She was the one who suggested texting the driver. She was right there, I swear."

Ronan shook his head and grabbed his brother by the collar. "You left her alone out there—on the streets—at this time?"

His voice dripped with sarcasm. Everyone could sense it. He already knew the answer, and he was pissed.

Andrew looked at him in confusion. Ronan was the one who didn't even like Betty—so why was he suddenly worried about her?

"Where is she?" Alicia repeated, her voice quieter now, defeated. She didn't know what to do. If Kai was responsible for something bad happening to Elizabeth…

"I don't know," Kai mumbled in embarrassment. How could he have let this happen?

Ronan shoved him away and turned around. "I'll go look for her. I'll ask Xavier for help, since our dear brother is clearly out of it."

"I'll come with you," Andrew and Alicia said at the same time.

Just then, Betty walked into the living room, stopping in her tracks when she noticed the tension in the air.

"Betty!" Alicia rushed to give her a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine," Betty replied, already knowing what this was about. They'd figured out what Kai had done—he'd left her all alone. If not for a kind stranger, who knows what could have happened?

"What happened?" Ronan asked coldly.

So Betty told them everything—how Kai had left her, and how a stranger had helped her. But she didn't say his name.

"Is he still out there? I want to thank him for helping my granddaughter."

"No, he already left."

Alicia sighed and rubbed Betty's back. "Go up to your room and get some rest, sweetie."

Betty didn't understand why she liked the way Alicia spoke to her so warmly—or the way she called her "sweetie."

Without saying another word, she walked upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Andrew asked his grandmother.

"I have things to do."

___________

In the morning, everyone was seated in the dining room for breakfast. Kai couldn't look anyone in the eye, still embarrassed about yesterday's events.

"Elizabeth, you're coming with me today," Alicia stated, taking a sip of her fresh orange juice. She never drank anything from the store—the kitchen staff always made it fresh.

"Okay," Betty replied, and said nothing more after that.

Once she'd finished eating, she excused herself to go for a bike ride before work. As she reached the front hallway, Kai rushed up to her. They were alone.

"I'm so sorry, Betty. I don't even know exactly what happened yesterday, but Grandma said you were safe and nothing happened. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me. I'll do anything—anything at all."

Betty paused, thinking. Kai sounded sincere, but after what happened last night, she knew one thing for sure—she would never go anywhere with him again. So she told him the truth.

"I forgive you, Kai. But just know—I'll never, ever go anywhere with you again."

Kai's face fell. But he knew he deserved that.

"Okay. I understand," he said quietly.

Betty turned to leave, but then she stopped, remembering something else.

"And by the way... you need new friends."

_______

After an exhausting day at the company, all Betty wanted was to crawl into bed and watch one of her favorite shows—Squid Game. But she didn't get the chance. Three of her brothers were shouting at each other in the living room.

"What's going on here?" Alicia asked. Her voice cut through the chaos, making everyone stop and turn toward her.

"Grandma," Kai cried out, walking over to her. "Ronan hired someone to shoot me because of what happened yesterday! He's crazy! We should lock him up or something. And because of him, Xavier's in the hospital!"

"What?" Betty gasped, her eyes widening. She didn't even realize she'd spoken. She had always believed Ronan was dangerous—but she didn't think he'd go that far.

"This is preposterous. You don't actually believe him, do you?" Ronan looked disgusted. "I would never hire someone to shoot my own brother."

"Then what happened today? Can you explain that?" Kai asked sharply.

"I don't know. Maybe you pissed someone off—"

"You little shit!" Kai lunged at his brother, fist raised, but Alicia stepped between them just in time.

"That's enough!" she snapped. "We'll get to the bottom of whatever this is. I'll investigate what happened."

She paused to catch her breath, then turned to face all her grandchildren.

"If any of you are responsible for what happened to Kai today, I won't apologize for the consequences of your actions."

Alicia was guided into the entrance of the huge building. She was visiting a family friend—and the biggest investor in her company.

"Mrs. Stone." Ezra Miller stood from his chair as the woman was shown into his home.

"Hello, Ezra," Alicia replied, a hint of a smile on her face. There had been a time when she feared for her company—her legacy. It was at risk, but Ezra stepped in as the biggest investor and saved it. That was seven years ago, and ever since, Alicia had been nothing but grateful to him and his family. Her grandkids also behaved respectfully around them. Upsetting their most important investor was out of the question, so they always acted with the utmost care in his and his family's presence.

"What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in my house? The last time you came to visit was, what—two years ago?"

Alicia sat down in front of his desk, and Ezra took it as a sign to sit down as well. He could already tell from her expression that she was here for something serious.

"I have a problem, and I need help."

Ezra nodded, though questions filled his mind. "With all due respect, Ma'am, you have plenty of powerful connections. It wouldn't be hard for you to find the help you need."

Alicia understood what he was implying, so she nodded and began to explain. "Someone tried to take out my youngest grandson, Kai. I can't trust just anyone right now. You're the only one I trust."

Ezra stiffened slightly. So it was serious. Without another word, he opened his laptop, already knowing what Alicia needed. He was determined not to disappoint her.

"I'll call my best private investigator. He'll get the job done in two days—just trust me on this."

Alicia smiled, genuinely grateful. "Thank you, Ezra."

Ezra nodded as he continued typing.

"I hope your family's doing well," Alicia added, remembering the second reason for her visit.

Ezra smiled at the thought. "Of course. They're living their best life." He wasn't bragging—just stating facts. He and his wife had worked hard their whole lives so their kids wouldn't have to.

Ezra had three children, and he was proud to say all three of them were spoiled.

"Are they home?" Alicia asked, her interest clearly shifting to something more specific.

"The twins are out with their mom," Ezra replied, giving her a small smile as he closed his laptop. "It's done. The investigator will be here in an hour. You can wait if you want, and share the details directly with him."

"I'd like that."

There was a short silence as Ezra called the kitchen staff and asked them to prepare something delicious for their guest.

"So, your eldest is home?" Alicia asked casually—but he could tell she was leading somewhere with that question.

Ezra tilted his head slightly, nodding. "Yes. You want me to call him?" he asked, hesitant. He knew his children well. They would never be disrespectful, but he still didn't understand why Alicia would want to talk to them.

To his surprise, Alicia nodded. "I'd like to thank him."

Ezra kept his expression neutral, though confusion simmered beneath the surface. He told his butler to bring in his son.

After a moment, the boy walked in. "You were calling me, Dad?" His words trailed off as his eyes landed on their guest. "Mrs. Stone."

Alicia smiled warmly, rising from her seat and stepping closer to him. "Bellamy, I wanted to thank you."

Bellamy raised an eyebrow and glanced at his father, confused. He didn't know Betty was her granddaughter, so he had no idea what he'd done to earn Alicia's warm tone.

"You helped my granddaughter the other night. I'm really thankful for that."

Bellamy thought for a moment. Then realization crossed his face. "Elizabeth's your granddaughter." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. She recently joined the company, and I'm teaching her how to make decisions, lead teams, and understand the business inside and out."

"I didn't know you had a granddaughter," Ezra chimed in.

Alicia turned to him and nodded. "Yes. Like I said—she just joined the company. I'm helping her learn how things work, how to make tough calls, and how to carry the family legacy."

"Can I tag along?" Bellamy asked, cutting in.

Both Ezra and Alicia turned to him, startled.

"You want to learn the business from me?" Alicia asked, raising a brow.

It surprised her. Ezra was a respected businessman—his son could easily learn from him. Why was he asking her?

"Yes. If it's alright." Bellamy's tone was calm, but Ezra looked away. He didn't support the idea, but he could sense something else behind his son's words. Bellamy had never shown much interest in business matters before. There was another reason for this request.

"Of course," Alicia said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. She finally understood his real motive. Bellamy wanted to spend time with her granddaughter—and Alicia had nothing against it.

Alicia watched the young man closely. She didn't mind him being around Betty—not at all. Bellamy had always carried himself with quiet confidence. He didn't speak unless he had something worth saying, and when he did, people listened. There was a calm sharpness in him—always observing, never rushing. He was also patient with children, kind in a quiet way.

____________

Betty didn't expect to see another face beside her grandmother's — and she definitely didn't expect it to belong to the guy who helped her the other night.

The kind stranger. Bellamy.

"Elizabeth, this is Bellamy Miller," Alicia said. "His father is the biggest investor in our company. He'll be tagging along for a few training sessions."

Elizabeth gave a polite nod in greeting.

"Hi."

"Hi," Bellamy replied as the three of them entered the building.

They stepped into the headquarters of the Stone & Co. Group. "Today we're going to learn how to hire the right people," Alicia explained as she led them into a quiet room filled with paperwork. "Employees shape a company. If you choose the wrong ones, everything suffers. But if you choose well, they help the business grow."

She gestured toward two chairs. "Sit."

Alicia remained standing as she continued. "The first thing I want you to remember: experience isn't the most important thing."

"It's not?" Betty asked, surprised. She'd always assumed no one would hire her without it.

Alicia nodded. "Skills can be taught. Values can't."

"The second rule is…" she went on, walking them through what to look for — attitude, consistency, integrity, effort. Bellamy listened carefully, occasionally glancing over at Betty.

After finishing the theory, Alicia handed them a challenge.

"There are four candidates waiting outside. You'll interview them and decide who's the best fit for the company."

She opened the door and waved them through, then closed it behind them without entering.

Instead, she called in Mr. Duran, the head of Human Resources, to observe them while she stepped away to check on other business matters — and her grandkids.

Bellamy and Betty interviewed all four candidates. But when it came time to decide, they disagreed.

"I think the second one was the best choice," Bellamy said. "He had strong experience, good recommendations, and a clear work history. He only left his last job because they wouldn't raise his salary."

"I'm not sure," Betty replied, frowning at the papers. "Alicia said experience isn't everything. Victor, the last one, seemed genuine. His resume said he stayed late to help co-workers without being asked and organized charity events at his previous job."

Victor didn't have experience in a company like this one, but Betty thought his values stood out.

Eventually, Bellamy gave her the lead. "Alright," he said. "We'll go with your gut."

They chose Victor.

When the interviews ended and the candidates left the room, Mr. Duran stepped in. He looked furious.

"You failed," he said flatly.

"What?" Betty asked, blinking. She recognized him from her first day — he was one of the people Ronan introduced her to, someone from HR.

"You failed," he repeated, louder. "You believed everything that guy said. Didn't even think to call his previous employer? What if he was lying? What if he's desperate for a job and decides to make things up?"

His tone rose with every word, and Bellamy frowned.

"I can't believe Mrs. Stone thought you were worth training," Mr. Duran snapped. "You don't know anything."

"That's enough," Bellamy said sharply, stepping forward. "We made a mistake, but you don't get to yell at her over it."

Mr. Duran stared at him, stunned.

He was about to say something else when Alicia returned.

"She failed—"

"You can leave," Alicia said coolly.

Mr. Duran hesitated, then walked away.

Alicia turned toward the two teens, her expression unreadable.

She wasn't thrilled about the mistake… but she was proud of Bellamy for stepping up. And the way he looked at Elizabeth didn't go unnoticed either.

In her mind, she was already planning their wedding.