Russell house
Cindy was in her room playing with her phone her eyes widened as she scrolled through her social media feed, her heart racing with envy. There plastered all over the news and gossip sites were Ethan and Bella's faces, beaming with happiness.
"Marriage of the Year: Billionaire Ethan and Bella Tie the Knot!" one headline read.
Cindy's scowl deepened as she read on, her mind seething with resentment. Why did Bella get to live the fairy tale life.
Cindy's mind wandered back to her childhood when Bella's parents were still alive. She remembered how they would lavish attention and affection on Bella, making her feel like the center of the universe. Cindy on the other hand, often felt like she was living in Bella's shadow.
She recalled how her own parents, Harrison and Rita, would compare her to Bella making her feel inadequate. "Why can't you be more like your cousin Bella?" they would say. It was as if they thought Bella was the perfect child and Cindy was somehow flawed.
After Bella's parents passed away, Cindy's parents Harrison and Rita, took Bella and ken in, but their behavior towards her changed drastically. They treated her with contempt and made her feel like a burden.
Cindy remembered how her parents would make Bella do all the household chores, cook meals, and even clean up after Cindy herself. They would belittle her, call her names, and make her feel like she was worthless.
And Cindy fueled by her own jealousy and resentment, would often join in, making Bella's life even more miserable. She would mock her, call her names, and make her feel like she was inferior.
Now, seeing Bella's success and happiness with Ethan Black, her resentment grew more. She couldn't believe that bella of all people had landed a billionaire husband and living a life of luxury.
"Why does she get everything?" Cindy thought to herself, feeling the familiar sting of jealousy. "Why can't I have that kind of love and attention?"
Cindy walked into the living room, where her parents were watching the news. They were reporting on Ethan Black's recent marriage to Bella and her parents' faces were twisted in disgust.
"That little seductress," Rita spat, her voice venomous. "She must have done something to manipulate him into marrying her. No one in their right mind would willingly choose her."
Harrison nodded in agreement, his expression dark. "She's always been a sly one that Bella. I'm not surprised she's managed to snag someone like Ethan Black. No wonder she never came back that day"
Cindy smiled to herself feeling a sense of validation. She had always known that her parents shared her disdain for Bella and now they were voicing it openly.
"I know, right?" Cindy said, sitting down beside them. "I mean, what could he possibly see in her?"
Rita snorted. "Men are blind to these things. They only see what's on the surface. But we know the truth. Bella's a user, a manipulator. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants."
Harrison nodded, his eyes narrowing. "We need to keep an eye on her. She's not going to get away with this."
Rita nodded " no wonder she never came back after taking ken to the hospital and we're here worried while she was busy whoring around" Cindy smirked at her parents disgust with bella.
Bella... Let's see.... She thought to herself.
Bella, who had once been a part of their lives. But now, she was a constant reminder of what they felt was rightfully theirs.
To Cindy and her parents, Bella represented everything they felt they had been denied: love, attention, and success. They saw her as a manipulative and selfish person who had somehow managed to charm her way into Ethan Black's life.
But the truth was far from it. Bella was a strong and resilient person who had overcome countless obstacles to build a better life for herself and her brother. She had taken her brother Ken to the hospital that day, saving his life, and had then distanced herself from her toxic family to protect her own well-being but to Cindy and her parents, it was a constant reminder of their own failures and shortcomings. And they would stop at nothing to bring her down.
Cindy and her parents fueled by their jealousy and resentment, began to concoct a plan to destroy Bella's marriage to Ethan Black. They saw it as the perfect opportunity to bring her down and claim the spotlight for themselves.
"We need to get close to Ethan," Rita said a sly grin spreading across her face. "Find out his weaknesses and use them against him."
"And I can start spreading rumors about Bella," Cindy added, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Make sure everyone knows what a horrible person she is."
Harrison nodded, his expression dark. "We'll show her what it means to cross us. We'll ruin her reputation and her marriage."
But what they didn't know was that Bella's marriage to Ethan Black was not a traditional one. It was a contract marriage, born out of necessity and convenience. Ethan had his own reasons for agreeing to the arrangement, and Bella had hers.
As Cindy and her parents began to put their plan into action, they had no idea that they were playing with fire. Ethan Black was not a man to be trifled with and Bella was not the same woman who left, and she was not to be underestimated. The consequences of their actions would be severe, and they would soon find themselves in a web of their own making.