Twisted Ties of Love

Kristin wanted some breathing room, but Ariana wasn't giving her any space.

"If you pay me now, I'll disappear. If not, I'll spill your dirty laundry online today. Think about what's the better deal for you."

Kristin was grinding her teeth, her anger burning in her chest. She wished she could pull Ariana out of the phone and give her a piece of her mind. Then she started to question herself, how could she have worked with Ariana?

"I can't give you 10 million at once, I'll give you 5 million first and the rest after you leave the country," Kristin quickly made the decision.

After some thought, Ariana agreed.

"Remember, once you leave the country, don't come back. I only give people who've threatened me only one chance, so you better follow through."

Kristin hung up without another word.

Ariana was sweating bullets. She knew Kristin must have been through a lot to reach her position in the entertainment industry.

Even though she boldly blackmailed her, getting money from Kristin was a good thing either way. 5 million would be enough for her to live abroad.

Ariana deleted all the news apps on her phone so she wouldn't receive any more hateful messages and set her phone to block calls and texts from unknown numbers.

She deleted her contacts and cleared all her chat apps.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

She made all the necessary arrangements and booked the earliest flight for the next day. As soon as dawn broke, she would be out of there and everything there would have nothing to do with her. Even though Ariana was cautious, she didn't realize her phone was being tracked, and someone was watching her every move.

Someone overheard her conversation with Kristin and knew her flight time and when she'd be leaving home.

In Spring Bay, Izabella took off her headphones and saved a recording on her computer.

Casey was cooking dinner in the kitchen. He knew Izabella liked spicy food, so he made some spicy dishes.

"Come eat," He carefully placed the plates on the table, watching Izabella at her computer. He didn't want to disturb her, so he brought in a small table from outside.

Hearing the noise, Izabella stopped typing, "I'm not hungry."

"Even if you're not hungry, you should eat something, otherwise you'll get sick."

"It's just one meal. Skipping it won't make me sick. I don't have an appetite now," Izabella looked tired; the redness in her eyes from crying had never faded. "Usually, people who have stomach problems say the same thing. Bella, you don't have to eat a lot, just a little will do," Casey insisted that she ate the food.

He was careful not to get too close or sound too intimate, as he was afraid it would irritate Izabella.

He wished he could leave her alone during those times, but he couldn't help worrying about her. "Will you eat something?"

Izabella was sitting and Casey was squatting in front of her, looking up at her. His eyes were full of concern, it was hard to say no to a man so focused on her.

Izabella nodded and started to eat the spicy shrimp on her plate.

"Is it good?" he asked.

Izabella nodded again. The food was tasty, but she couldn't swallow it because of her mood.

She only ate half the plate of prawns before she couldn't eat anymore. Casey didn't force her; he took the plate back to the kitchen.

He reminded Izabella to eat well but forgot that he needed to eat too. After he put the plate in the kitchen, he came back to Izabella.

He saw Izabella sending the recording file to her email.

"Is this the recording of Ariana and Kristin's conversation? Are you planning to release it now?"

Izabella shook her head, "I'll release it after Ariana gets the money."

Casey immediately understood Izabella's intention.

Izabella gave a little smile, "You're right, we should fight fire with fire."

Izabella was looking forward to the spectacle of those evildoers destroying each other.

Once Ariana received the 5 million from Kristin, their chat would be made public. Then Kristin would also have to face the music.

Even if Ariana exposed their 'deal', given Kristin's character, she would definitely strike back at Ariana.

The real show was just getting started.

"I've found Rachel, do you want to see her now?" Casey asked.

"Where is she?"

"In the hospital."

Izabella paused. She had heard Rachel's conversation with Ariana through Niki's collar, it wasn't complete, but she had a rough idea of what had happened.

Rachel's story wasn't hard to dig up. Her mother had kidney disease and was kidnapped from the hospital by Kristin's people. Kristin threatened Rachel to hand over Niki to Ariana.

Rachel might have been an accomplice, but she was also a victim.

But in that whole ordeal, the one who suffered the most was Niki. It died in the most painful way and could never come back.

Izabella had given Rachel a chance

If Rachel had trusted her from the beginning and told her the truth, she could have helped Rachel's mother get treatment and saved her life.

But Rachel chose to sacrifice Niki in the end. That was something Izabella could never forgive!