Regret and guilt continue to haunt Edward. Swearing by anything, if only he had known all this time that Bella was pregnant from their relationship, he would have tried to take responsibility.
Unfortunately, in their last meeting, Edward got into a heated argument instead. Instead of defending and listening to what Bella had to say, he accused the beautiful woman of spreading rumors about Julia’s affair.
No wonder Bella insisted he choose and marry her quickly. It turns out, there was a big reason why Edward should have done that from the beginning.
Remembering this, Edward feels ashamed and terribly guilty. Now, he can only lament his fate. He tries his best to find Bella and fix everything.
“Where do you think is the right place to look for Bella? For God’s sake, I don’t know where to start.”
Two days after hearing the news about Bella’s pregnancy, Edward again invited his two friends to meet for lunch together. He deliberately sought their opinions so as not to make the wrong decision.
“Isn’t it wrong for you to ask us that?” Kairos responded. While enjoying his meal, he spoke casually. “You’re her boyfriend, Edward. Haven’t you thought about places where Bella might live?”
“Surely, I’m certain Bella won’t go back to her own home.”
“That makes sense,” Samuel nodded. “Who knows, maybe she went to her friend’s house? Relatives, neighbors, distant relatives. Or maybe her new boyfriend’s.”
Edward immediately scoffed. His face showed disagreement.
“That’s impossible!”
“You never know,” Samuel countered. “Did you even know before living together if Bella’s status was truly single or if she already had a boyfriend or a date?”
Edward shook his head weakly. Stupidly, he didn’t investigate this.
“But I’m sure Bella wouldn’t possibly go back to another man’s house.”
“Not necessarily,” Kairos smiled. Glancing briefly at Samuel, who was now looking at him, he spoke to Edward again. “Who knows, when she ran away from your house, Bella might have met a handsome, kind-hearted man who was willing to help, protect, and then invite her to stay temporarily until the situation became conducive.”
“There’s no good man like that in this world. Even if there is one who offers himself, it’s always for some kind of reward.”
Kairos laughed.
“There are still plenty of good men in this world, Edward. As proof, both Samuel and I are among the ranks of good men, wealthy, and most importantly, smart. Not foolish like you.”
Edward sighed. He hated being teased like this. Somehow, Kairos couldn’t seem to respect him even a bit. He wondered why!
“Enough, Kairos. I’m serious.”
“I’m serious too, Edward. Besides, hasn’t your brain reached the point to think about something like this?”
Edward frowned.
“What do you mean, hasn’t reached?”
Kairos sighed deeply. Shaking his head, he tried to explain.
“Edward Alexander Darkwood, son of Sebastian Eduardo Darkwood, grandson of Alexander Darkwood. You’re a wealthy man, noble, of royal blood. Your father’s company is everywhere. Haven’t you ever thought or perhaps you can’t afford to hire a private detective to investigate and find the whereabouts of a Bella Stone?”
Samuel burst into laughter. Kairos’s words were sharp, filled with sarcasm.
“If you need a detective recommendation, I think you should consult with Kairos, Ed,” Samuel suggested, laughing.
“How could you be so clueless these past few days without even thinking a bit about hiring someone to find Bella? What do you call that if not foolishness?”
Edward fell silent. Once again, he had to endure being the subject of his friends’ mockery. Somehow, these past few days, he couldn’t think clearly at all.
“Alright, I’ll find her soon,” Edward said finally.
“You must find her, Edward!” Kairos replied angrily. “Just so you know, Bella is even pregnant with twins. If anything happens to her, I’ll personally hold you accountable.”
Edward was stunned. Another new fact he discovered now. For God’s sake, why were there so many surprises he had to face all at once like this?
***
“Santiago, please don’t do this to me.”
At one point, Julia tried to intercept Santiago who had just finished a meeting with some models. Sneaking into his room, Julia intended to have a private conversation with him.
“You can’t just leave me like this, Darling.”
“Julia…” Santiago shook his head. “Get out of my room. You shouldn’t be here.”
“No!” Now it was Julia shaking her head repeatedly. “I won’t leave until you promise to be with me again. For God’s sake, I’m not asking you to marry me, let alone take responsibility for the baby in my belly. I just want us to keep our relationship like before.” Julia then approached. She tried to caress Santiago’s chest, trying to seduce him. “Don’t you miss my touch? Don’t you miss making love to me? Now, if you want, I can even serve you.”
“Julia, stop it!” Santiago exclaimed. “I’ve told you, we don’t need to be in a relationship anymore, let alone meet. I don’t want to deal with you anymore.”
“You can’t just throw me away like that!” Julia looked at him angrily. “After everything we’ve done together, you want to discard me just like that?”
Santiago laughed.
“Oh my. Do you think all this time we’ve been in a relationship? In case you forgot, I paid you just to serve, satisfy, and sleep with me. Not to be in a relationship, let alone be my partner. If you forgot, in every service you provided, I always gave extra rewards and gifts. So, don’t be excessive, let alone expect anything more.”
“But I love you!”
Julia almost screamed. Whether her words were facts or just lies to gain Santiago’s sympathy, she wasn’t sure.
“I don’t care. I’m not responsible for your feelings either. So, now, leave my room. Or I’ll have security escort you out.”
“You’re outrageous, Santiago!”
“Go. I’ll say it again, leave now. And don’t ever expect anything from me.”
Julia wanted to protest. But seeing there was no hope for her anymore, reluctantly she left the man’s room.
Interestingly, as she crossed the lobby, Julia accidentally bumped into Aaron. Her manager seemed cheerful, walking with other models. As if he had no burden. Even when he passed by Julia, he didn’t seem to feel guilty at all.
“I need to talk to you!”
Julia approached and immediately grabbed Aaron’s arm, leading him to a corner. A bit annoyed, Aaron immediately brushed her off and asked directly.
“What else? There’s nothing we need to talk about.”
After that sentence was uttered, a slap landed hard on Aaron’s cheek. Julia deliberately slapped him followed by extreme anger.
“How dare you do this to me!”
Aaron looked sharp. He didn’t accept Julia suddenly slapping him.
“This is all appropriate for a greedy woman like you, Julia! Besides, I was just being realistic. Whoever gives the most money, that’s who I follow.”
“Bloody hell!!!” Julia cursed in frustration. “Have you forgotten how much time and money I’ve given to you?”
“Haven’t we just been casual fun for each other all this time?” Aaron replied casually. “At first, I genuinely loved you. But seeing how you only saw me as a means to an end, I don’t expect much from you.”
“You’re such a bastard!”
“We’re even now, Julia,” Aaron retorted. “Let’s just call it quits. No need to argue. Consider us strangers after this. And I hope that after being away from me, you can become as successful and famous as before.”
Aaron walked away, leaving Julia behind. As he got into the car, Julia continued to scream, venting her frustration that now reached boiling point.
Before her anger could subside, Julia received a call from her lawyer. Julia was certain that she would hear some bad news after this.
“What’s up? I’m really not in the mood to discuss my divorce with Edward.”
“But, you have to deal with the decision approved by the judge regarding the assets shared by Mr. Edward.”
Julia was immediately taken aback.
“So, what’s the verdict?”
The lawyer paused for a moment. After a few seconds, he began to explain again.
“In this divorce, Mr. Edward Darkwood has only allocated to you one car and cash amounting to £100, 000.”
“What? Only £100, 000?”
“It was even less before. And I requested an appeal to increase the amount. However, the court only approved £100, 000. Because the rest of Mr. Edward’s wealth will be allocated to his unborn child.”
Julia was furious. She threw her phone in any direction while yelling in anger.
“This is all because of Bella! Just you wait, you damned wench! I will find you and make you suffer!”