The following morning, Theodore shuffled down the stairs to find Bella already bustling in his kitchen. All those years, a woman had not graced his home, and the sight of her cooking sent a curious flutter through his chest. A sweetness he hadn't felt before spread through him. Perhaps, he mused, having her around wouldn't be entirely unbearable.
Bella's head turned as she heard footsteps on the stairs. "Good morning," she greeted, her smile warm. "I hope you don't mind entering your kitchen without your permission. I thought you must be hungry, and I took the liberty of making breakfast."
Theodore didn't know how to express his appreciation. He simply nodded, his face betraying nothing.
Bella interpreted his silence as coldness. 'A thank you wouldn't kill him,' she thought, the smile on her lips faltering for a brief moment. Regaining her composure, she set a glass of juice beside a plate piled high with golden French toast and crispy bacon.
The aroma danced in the air, causing Theodore's stomach to rumble. He pulled out a chair and began to eat without a word, leaving Bella standing there in disbelief.
Not a single word of thanks, not even a flicker of acknowledgment – he had simply dug right in. A flicker of annoyance pricked at her heart.
He sat at the table and started eating. Bella stood by the table, looking at him with disbelief. Without a word of gratitude or anything, he had simply started eating. The warmth she had intended for the morning was not there. His lack of gratitude stung, and a pang of annoyance twinged her heart.
Despite her irritation, Bella took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Is everything to your liking?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Theodore nodded and continued eating.
Bella's annoyance deepened. 'Couldn't he at least thank me?'
Theodore paused mid-chew, his gaze darting up to meet Bella's. "Why don't you join me? Sit down and eat," he finally offered.
But his attitude had already annoyed Bella and she had lost her appetite. "No, thanks," she muttered. "I need to go to the office early."
"Hey, wait-" Theodore tried to stop her, but Bella was already halfway out the door, her retreat swift and decisive.
Theodore frowned, a forkful of French toast suspended in mid-air. "Why is she in such a hurry?" he muttered, confusion etching lines on his forehead. "But I have a meeting with Zack this morning too. I thought we could go together..."
His words trailed off into silence as he stared at the empty doorway. Bella's hasty departure left a hollow feeling in its wake.
It was unusual for him to be so affected by a woman, but there was something about her that stirred emotions he hadn't felt in a long time.
He quickly finished his breakfast and headed back to his bedroom to get ready for work.
Frustration bubbled over as Bella stormed out of Theodore's house, muttering a string of curses under her breath. "The nerve of that man!" she fumed, her cheeks burning with indignation. "Cold as ice, just like the rumors say. He is so rude. No wonder he doesn't have any girlfriend."
She flagged down a cab and gave the driver the address to her apartment. As she settled in the back seat, her phone rang. Seeing Bridget's name on the screen, Bella's anxiety spiked.
"Hello," Bella answered, her mind already racing to formulate an explanation for Bridget. There was no way she could reveal the truth about the night spent at Theodore's place. Otherwise, both Bridget and Joe wouldn't stop questioning her until she revealed her contract marriage with Theodore.
"Where are you?" Bridget asked with a sense of urgency in her voice. "Did you go out for a morning walk?"
Bella finally found a believable excuse. "Yes, I woke up quite early this morning," she lied, forcing a lightness into her voice that she didn't quite feel. "I thought I'd get some fresh air before the day heats up. Did you make breakfast? If not, I can grab something on the way back."
"Okay. Come soon."
"I'm on my way."
Relief washed over her as she ended the call, thankful that Bridget hadn't pressed further. She stopped the cab at the curb near her house, bought some sandwiches, and then walked back home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bella arrived at the office. Reaching her desk, she dumped her bag with a thud and turned on the system. The presentation she had made last night was not there. Panic clawed at her throat as she scanned the folders on her computer. The report meticulously prepared the night before, was also missing.
A cold dread seeped into her bones. "Where could it have gone?" She murmured in apprehension. "I saved the file right in this folder."
Her fingers trembled as she frantically clicked through folders, but she couldn't find the desired file. Her mind replayed the previous day's events, searching for a misplaced click, a forgotten action.
Across the office, Olivia watched with a malicious glint in her eye. A satisfied smirk played on her lips as she witnessed Bella's growing distress. She relished the sight of her flustered face, certain that it was the last day for Bella at the office.
Just as she saw Amy approaching Bella, Olivia smoothly transitioned back to her own work, the remnants of a cruel smile still lingering on her lips.
'The show is about to begin,' she thought with a silent chuckle. As Amy neared Bella's desk, Olivia couldn't help but steal another glance.
"Bella, is the presentation ready?" Amy asked with a hint of urgency.
Bella looked up, her eyes wide with a rising tide of panic. "Amy, there's a problem," she stammered, her voice cracking under the pressure. "The presentation... it's missing."
Amy's expression darkened. "Missing?" she repeated, disbelief lacing her tone. "What do you mean missing? Didn't you save it before leaving last night?" A spark of doubt flickered in her eyes, warring with the seriousness of the situation.
Desperate, Bella blurted out, "I did, Amy, I swear! But I don't know how it could have disappeared."
Just then, Olivia swooped in. "Bella, it's an awful excuse. Saved files don't just disappear! This is your computer, Bella. No one else touches it. Maybe you deliberately deleted the file to cause problems for the boss in the meeting."
A chilling realization dawned on Bella as she locked eyes with Olivia's smug smile. Could it be? Had Olivia somehow accessed her computer and deleted the file?
"It's you, right? You deleted it?" she accused.
"How dare you?" Olivia spat, her fists clenching at her sides. "Amy, look at her! She is trying to deflect blame for her own carelessness by accusing me!"
Amy cast a skeptical eye at Olivia. While she wasn't oblivious to Olivia's antagonism towards Bella, accusing her without proof was something she couldn't do.
"I know it's you," Bella snapped back, rising to her feet. "Why else would you know it was the presentation file for today's meeting?"
Amy's frown deepened as she absorbed Bella's words. They had indeed not mentioned the presentation file for the meeting during their conversation. How could Olivia have known that they were talking about it?
A flush crept up Olivia's neck, a flicker of panic betraying her carefully constructed facade. She recovered quickly, regaining her composure with practiced ease.
"I overheard Amy mention the presentation," she countered.
Olivia's face flushed instantly. However, she regained her composure quickly and defended herself: "I heard Amy mention the presentation. And considering you've been working till late last night on the company report for the past five years, it wasn't a huge leap to guess."
"Exactly!" Bella snarled, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and suspicion. "You knew everything –you knew I was working on a compilation for the five years of data; you knew how important today's meeting was. You were trying to sabotage me, weren't you?"
"What nonsense?" Olivia shrieked, grabbing everyone's attention.
Murmurs filled the air.
"Enough!" Amy roared. "Go back to your desk, Olivia."
Olivia shot Bella a venomous glare before stomping back to her own cubicle.
"And you…" Amy turned back to Bella, her expression grim. "Can you put the presentation together again?" She inquired eagerly.
Bella took a deep breath, the weight of the situation settling heavily on her shoulders. "Yes," she rasped with determination. "I can do it."
"You have thirty minutes until the meeting starts. Work fast." With that ultimatum, Amy retreated to her desk.
Bella sat down and quickly checked her email, as she remembered sending the report to Amy. She retrieved the report from her email, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she worked furiously to recreate the presentation.
Bella's focus was intense, her determination unwavering despite the tight deadline. As the clock ticked down, she poured all her energy into the task, determined not to let Olivia's sabotage defeat her.
The time was ticking away faster, and the presentation was not ready yet.
In the meantime, Theodore arrived and headed to the conference hall, Skyler following him like a shadow.
Inside the CEO's cabin, Zack fidgeted impatiently. He still hadn't received the presentation file, and his frustration was simmering. With a growl, he picked up his phone and dialed Amy's number.
"What's the hold-up, Amy?" he barked. "Mr. Reid is here, waiting at the conference hall. Where's the damn presentation?"
"Sir, there seems to be a problem," she stammered with a tremor of apprehension.