Daniel was an arrogant man. He couldn't stand being ignored and would become furious over the smallest of things. However, he also had the ability to calm himself quickly.
He only intended to scare Bella, but when he grabbed her arm and placed the gun to her head, Bella initially stumbled in fear. Yet, a moment later, she stared back at Daniel with defiance, as if to show him that she wasn't afraid. When Daniel stood close to Bella, he was reminded of the same scent from that night, the one that was coming from Bella, which was intoxicating him.
That same scent was present again, and the moment Daniel smelled it, he momentarily lost himself. But quickly regaining his composure, he shoved Bella away and distanced himself. He hurriedly put down his gun and ran his hands through his hair, deep in thought. Then, he picked up the file with Bella's information, which included pictures of her taken by the media. Bella was shocked as she saw him pull out those photos.
Showing the photos to Bella, Daniel smirked and said, "So, Miss Bella, if you don't sign these papers, I'll hand these photos back to the media. They worked really hard to get these shots, after all."
Bella was stunned by his words, thinking how low this man could stoop. She was speechless. If those photos leaked, no one would recognize Daniel, but she, due to her grandfather Mr. Phillip, was known by everyone. Her reputation would be destroyed, and it could ruin her life.
A devilish grin appeared on Daniel's face. He knew this time Bella wouldn't be able to refuse.
With anger, Bella said, "You're a disgusting man. Maybe I must've committed some great sin in my past life, and you're the result of that."
Hearing Bella's harsh and bitter words, Daniel snapped, "Look, it's not like I'm excited about marrying you either. I have my own reasons for doing this."
Fuming, Bella grabbed the pen from his hand, quickly signed the marriage papers, and slammed them on the table without even looking at Daniel as she stormed out.
As Bella stepped outside, Jacob greeted her. She looked furious, and Jacob said, "Ma'am, please get in the car. I'll take you home."
The place was far from the city, so Bella agreed and got into the car. Jacob sat in the passenger seat next to the driver.
As they drove away, Jacob cautiously said, "Ma'am, I think we should first head to your college."
Bella looked at him with questioning eyes.
Through the front mirror, Jacob noticed her gaze and, trying to keep calm, explained, "Ma'am, Daniel had asked me to gather all the information about you. So while following you this morning, I overheard your conversation with your friend at the restaurant. I sincerely apologize for that, but when I reported this to Daniel, he went ahead and paid your college fees."
Bella was stunned that such a rude, arrogant, and obnoxious man could do something like this. She wanted to feel happy that she could now attend the college of her dreams, but the fact that Daniel had paid the fees irritated her.
Annoyed, Bella said to Jacob, "Tell your boss that I'll repay him every cent as soon as possible."
Jacob didn't react to her statement but thought to himself, "She might be the only woman in the world who has the courage to hate Daniel so openly and say it to his face."
Bella sat in silence, fuming. When they reached the college, she went straight to the dean's office to confirm her admission and sign the necessary documents, with Jacob by her side. The college was run by Daniel's company, so the dean recognized Jacob, Daniel's personal manager. Seeing Bella with him, the dean treated her with the utmost respect, especially impressed by her top-ranking status.
After completing all the formalities, they left, and Bella was thrilled that she would be joining the college the next day. She didn't want to think about Daniel and ruin her mood, so she focused solely on her upcoming studies.
That day, Richa also arrived at the college for her first day. She loved being the center of attention, so she dressed up impeccably. Richa was naturally beautiful, and since morning, everyone had been talking about her. Many people wanted to be friends with her, and Richa was elated by the attention.
While she sat in the cafeteria sipping coffee, she overheard two boys talking, "Did you see her? She's so beautiful. She's going to join this college too."
The other boy replied, "Yeah, I couldn't take my eyes off her."
The boys walked away, and without even meeting this new girl, Richa already felt a pang of jealousy.
Richa was determined to see the girl for herself. She wanted to find out if anyone could possibly be more beautiful than her.
She headed toward the dean's office and asked the security guard, "Did a girl just leave the dean's office? Where did she go?"
The guard pointed toward a girl standing at a distance, speaking on the phone. The girl had her back to Richa, so she couldn't see her face.
Bella was on the phone with Ruby, saying, "I've confirmed my admission and will be joining tomorrow."
Ruby was both surprised and thrilled for Bella, asking, "I'm so happy for you, but how did you manage to pay the fees?"
Bella responded, "It's a long story. I'll tell you everything when you come to college tomorrow."
Ruby agreed, and Bella ended the call. She began to walk away, and Jacob, having finished his work at the college, was heading back to Daniel.
Richa hurried after Bella, sensing she knew her. Bella left the college and took a taxi home. Richa, standing at the gate, realized it was Bella.
Her heart sank. "When will this cursed girl stop following me?" she thought, fuming with jealousy. "And how on earth did she pay the fees?"
Richa's whole body was burning with rage. She decided then and there that she had to do something about Bella. She quickly left for home.
Meanwhile, Bella, who hadn't eaten anything all afternoon, felt exhausted after all the running around. She thought of stopping by a restaurant for food but didn't have much money, so she settled for some street food instead, just like she used to do in her school days with Kasey. By the time she reached home, it was already evening.
As soon as Bella entered the house, she saw her uncle Nick and aunt Scarlett waiting for her in the living room, clearly angry. Nick, her uncle, shouted, "You went out with your friend as an excuse, but where have you really been? And how did you pay your college fees? Where did you get so much money?"
Nick's voice was so loud that Bella was taken aback and couldn't respond.
Scarlett chimed in, "What's there to ask? Just like her father, she must have trapped some rich man or, who knows, maybe she's returned after staining her reputation again."
The cruelty of Scarlett's words brought tears to Bella's eyes, and helplessness washed over her.
Richa, on the other hand, was beyond pleased today. She was grinning at Bella's situation, thinking this was exactly what she deserved.
Nick and Scarlett continued to berate Bella. She wanted to hide somewhere to escape the bitter words.
Scarlett added, "Because of your disgusting deeds, even my innocent daughter Richa will have to face the consequences. If you have any shame left, you should leave this house."
They made Bella feel like a burden, as if she had no right to live in their home.
But Bella was a proud woman. Though their words wounded her, she wiped her tears and gathered the strength to say, "Fine. I won't burden you any longer. I'll leave right now."
Scarlett, with disdain, replied, "That's for the best. Just make sure you don't take anything that doesn't belong to you from this house." The contempt in her voice was unmistakable as she walked upstairs to her room, and Richa followed with a smirk on her face.
Nick, uninterested, sat back on the sofa and continued scrolling through his phone, not even looking at Bella.
Humiliated and broken, Bella quickly left the house.
The weather was terrible, with strong winds and heavy rain. Bella walked aimlessly on the deserted road, too consumed by her pain to notice her surroundings. She barely saw the car approaching with its headlights blinding her.
The car stopped just in time, right in front of her. Bella, drenched from head to toe, felt her legs giving out beneath her. A man dressed in a black suit stepped out of the car. Bella was dizzy, her vision blurred, and she collapsed. The man caught her before she hit the ground.
It was none other than Daniel Smith. Daniel carried Bella to his car and took her to his villa.
Lifting her out of the car, he brought the unconscious Bella into his bedroom, laying her gently on the bed.