The Contract Bride of Mr. Reid-Chapter 98: It’s murder.

Another shock hit Bridget. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? Why would he do that?"

Bella’s expression was a mix of anger and fear. "It was to get back at me. Mrs. Green was kind to us, and he saw it as a betrayal." Her face fell, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "She is in trouble because of me. If I hadn’t requested her not to let Lionel enter the house, she wouldn’t have meddled with him. I don’t know how she was doing."

Tears gathered in her eyes as a vision of the kind, elderly woman flashed in her mind. Alone and vulnerable, Mrs. Green had been caught in the crossfire of Bella’s troubles. She had no idea where Mrs. Green was staying, or how she was coping. She wanted to go see her right away, but she couldn’t leave her mother either.

"I can’t believe he is so cruel." Bridget’s face hardened with resolve. "We need to do something about him, Bella. He can’t keep getting away with this."

Bella nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "I know. We have to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else." The next minute, she sighed with guilt in her heart.

"I am worried about Mrs. Green. She is poor and getting old. There’s no one to take care of her," Bella choked out, tears spilling over. The image of Mrs. Green, adrift in this crisis, was too much to bear. "I feel so awful for her."

Bridget reached out, offering a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Don’t cry, Bella," she soothed. "You can see her once your mother is out of the hospital."

Bella nodded, taking a shaky breath and wiping away the tears. "You are right," she whispered. "I’ll go see her and compensate her for the losses Lionel caused."

Bridget squeezed her hand gently. "Do whatever you need to do, but don’t let this get you down. Now, enough with the tears," she said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Bella took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The weight of everything felt lighter with Bridget’s support. "Thank you."

Bridget smiled warmly. "We’ll get through this together. You are stronger than you think."

A small smile broke through Bella’s tears.

At Theodore’s office...

The office was empty; only the cleaning staff were there. Theodore strode towards his private cabin, a furrow settling in his brow as he noticed Tristan waiting expectantly beside the door.

"Sir, you have arrived." Tristan bowed slightly, pushing the door open for his employer to enter.

Theodore settled into his chair behind the imposing mahogany desk. "What news do you have?" he inquired with a solemnity that mirrored his expression.

Tristan hesitantly stepped forward, placing a photograph on the desk. "We identified him," he began. "His name is Jackie."

Theodore picked up the photo with a flourish, the image of a man with a guarded expression staring back at him. His frown deepened with each passing second.

"Hugo tracked his location down," Tristan continued. "With a team, he went to that address, but Jackie tried to run away. Unfortunately..." he trailed off, his words faltering as regret washed over his face.

Theodore looked up at Tristan and commanded, "Speak!"

"He is dead," Tristan said.

Disbelief flickered across his face, quickly replaced by a dark scowl. "What?" he barked.

"Before Hugo could catch him, a car hit him. Jackie died on the spot."

"Damn it." Theodore slammed his fist, his chest heaving up and down. They had been so close to uncovering the mystery behind his accident, but their only lead was now dead.

"Sorry, sir," Tristan apologized, taking a guilty peek at him. "We disappointed you."

Theodore’s face was flushed with anger, his fists trembling. "This is not a coincidence," he muttered. "It’s murder."

He suspected that whoever had orchestrated his accident was still watching their every move. His face hardened as he issued a stern command, "Track the car down. Find out who the driver was."

"Erm..." A flicker of dismay crossed Tristan’s features. "There is...a complication, sir," he stammered. "There were no license plates on the car. Hugo and his team found it abandoned in a junkyard. Upon inspection, it appears to have been stolen from a service center."

Theodore’s frustration only deepened. He felt the walls closing in, the answers slipping further away. "Are you telling me you have nothing?" he asked, his annoyance reaching the peak.

"Whoever is behind it is smart and one step ahead of us," Tristan said. "But rest assured, we haven’t given up. Hugo is already investigating the service center. I’ll update you as soon as we have anything."

"Better don’t disappoint me this time," Theodore snarled. "Keep Franklin under constant surveillance. Under pressure, even the most cunning make mistakes."

He was waiting for that moment. One clue and Franklin would be out of the Reid family.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bella was finally allowed to see her mother. Tears blurred her vision as she entered the sterile room, the rhythmic hum of the machines filling the air.

Selena lay on the bed, pale and fragile, an oxygen mask obscuring most of her face. Yet, when their eyes met, Selena smiled weakly.

"Bella," she rasped. A trembling hand reached out, escaping the confines of the thin white blanket.

Bella choked back a sob, rushing forward to clasp her mother’s hand. Her own voice thickened with emotion as she murmured, "I’m here, Mama. I’m right here." Mustering every ounce of strength, she squeezed her mother’s hand and offered a forced smile. "You’ll be fine soon. Your suffering has come to an end."

Selena’s chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. "It’s because of your husband," she managed to breathe, her voice weak but filled with a hint of gratitude. "Thank him for me."

Bella’s heart ached. "Of course," she murmured, gently patting the back of her mother’s hand.

"Ma’am, please do not let the patient speak much," the nurse came over and cautioned her gently. "She needs rest."

Bella nodded understandingly. "I know," she whispered. "I won’t disturb her any longer. Mama, get some rest. I’ll come see you again soon." With one last, lingering look at her frail form, Bella reluctantly stepped out of the ICU.

Emerging into the waiting room, she found Theodore sitting there. As soon as he saw her, he stood up and walked up to her.

"Did you get to see her? How is she?"

Bella couldn’t speak. The emotions churning within her were too raw, too overwhelming. Without a word, she threw herself into his arms, seeking solace in his warmth.

He didn’t hesitate to catch her, his embrace a solid anchor amidst the storm of emotions threatening to engulf her. A low sob escaped her lips, tears finally spilling over as she clung to him desperately.