Tia and Bella – Best Friends
Chapter 1
The loud wail of police sirens filled the air as officers conducted their investigation, taking pictures of the lifeless body on the ground.
Bella collapsed onto the floor, crying uncontrollably beside the body—Tia, her best friend.
Tia's family stood nearby, devastated, unable to comprehend the tragic reality.
"The evidence suggests that Tia committed suicide," an officer stated.
Her family wept, struggling to accept the news. But amidst their sorrow, Bella sat frozen in shock and denial.
"No… Tia would never do this. She couldn't have done this," Bella whispered, her voice trembling.
As the police prepared to move Tia's body, Bella clung to her hand, refusing to let go.
"Where are you taking her?" she cried. "She's not dead! She's not dead!"
The officers tried to pull her away, but she resisted, sobbing.
Suddenly, someone stepped forward and gently held her from behind.
"Bella, please… control yourself," a familiar voice said.
It was Alex.
Overwhelmed by grief, Bella lost consciousness and fainted. Without hesitation, Alex carried her to the hospital.
When she woke up, the first thing she did was ask about Tia.
Alex sighed, his eyes filled with concern. "Bella, you have to accept it… She's gone."
Hearing this, Bella broke down, tears streaming down her face. Alex embraced her, comforting her as she wept.
For the next two days, she isolated herself, refusing to speak to anyone.
On the third day, Alex visited her and handed her a diary.
"This belonged to Tia," he said.
Bella's eyes widened. "Where did you get this?" she asked.
"I found it on the table when we were at her house that day. I thought it might be important," Alex explained.
Without another word, he placed the diary in her hands and left.
---
Chapter 2
Bella stepped into the building, and immediately, everyone stood, bowing in respect.
"Good morning, CEO," they greeted her.
It had been two months since Tia's death, and Bella had transformed her pain into determination, becoming the CEO of her own fashion store, "TIA FASHION STORE."
One day, while overseeing operations, she noticed a commotion at the counter.
A customer was arguing with one of her employees, demanding a refund.
"You sold me a used product!" the customer shouted.
The employee stood there helplessly, unable to defend himself due to company policy.
From a distance, Bella observed the scene. She knew the employee was not at fault, so she decided to step in.
Approaching them, she spoke firmly, "Sir, why are you causing a scene? You used the product and now you're blaming my staff?"
The customer glared at her. "How can you say that?" he snapped, raising his hand as if to push her.
Before he could touch her, someone swiftly stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
Everyone gasped in surprise.
The man who had come to Bella's defense was none other than Jay—the president of the company… and Bella's husband.
Chapter 3
Jay stood protectively in front of Bella, his grip firm on the customer's wrist.
"Sir, are you sure we sell used products?" he asked, his voice cold and authoritative.
The customer hesitated but continued to argue. "Yes, I'm sure!" he said in an arrogant tone.
Without another word, Jay signaled an employee, who immediately pulled up the CCTV footage on a nearby screen.
The video clearly showed the man using the product and then putting it back in its packaging.
The room fell silent.
The customer's face turned pale as everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Moments later, the police arrived. Bella didn't hesitate to report him for fraud.
Turning to her employees, "Don't stay silent when customers like this try to take advantage. You have the right to defend yourself."
The employees nodded in understanding, feeling empowered by their CEO's words.
Later, in her office, Bella tried to bandage her hand. That morning, while getting into the car, she had clumsily bumped into the door, injuring herself.
Jay noticed and took the bandage from her hands, attempting to help.
However, Bella pulled her hand away.
"Mr. President, I am not your real wife."
Chapter 4
"Mr. President, I am not your real wife," Bella repeated.
Jay tightened his grip on her wrist.
"Mrs. Jay, whether this marriage was arranged by our families or not, you are my legal wife. You may have married me for the sake of your business and your family, but that doesn't change the fact that I am your husband, and you are my wife—my real wife."
Before Bella could respond, someone rushed into the room.
"Bella, are you okay?" the voice asked, filled with concern.
Jay turned to see who it was and his expression darkened.
"Alex, how many times have I told you to stay away from my wife?" Jay said, his voice laced with irritation.
"She is my friend, and I have every right to meet her," Alex shot back.
Bella stepped in.
"Jay, I need to speak to Alex alone. Please leave us for a moment."
Jay clenched his jaw but left the room in anger.
Once he was gone, Alex confronted Bella.
"Why did you marry him when you don't love him? You should be with someone who truly cares for you!"
Bella took a deep breath.
"You already know why I married him. I did it to take revenge—for what he did to my best friend, Tia," she confessed.
"Do you remember what I found in Tia's diary that day?"
Two months ago, in the hospital—
Bella had opened Tia's diary and found a picture inside. A picture of Jay.
Back in the present, Alex looked at her, concerned.
"Bella, I know you want revenge, but is it worth putting yourself in danger?"
Ignoring his concern, Bella asked,
"Did you find the woman Jay loves?"
Chapter 5
A week before Tia's death—
That day, Tia had confided in Bella about loving someone, but she never revealed his name.
Later, in the parking lot, Bella overheard a conversation.
Jay was speaking to someone, saying,
"I love her, and I will marry the woman I love."
Back in the present, Bella whispered,
"You know how desperately I want to find that woman. I want to separate her from him so that he feels the same pain of love and loss—just like he made Tia suffer."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
---
At home—
Jay had prepared dinner.
"Go freshen up and come eat," he told Bella.
She frowned.
"Why are you cooking today?"
Jay smiled and held up a cake.
"You forgot? Today is your birthday."
Bella froze.
Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't know why.
"What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?" Jay asked, worried.
Without a word, she ran to her room, locked the door, and cried.
Jay knocked gently.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry if I upset you. Please don't be sad. I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable anymore," he said softly before walking away.
Inside, Bella clutched a photo of Tia.
"I'm sorry, Tia… I think I'm falling for him," she whispered.
"He's so good to me. Everything I ever imagined in my future husband… he has it all. But I can't forget that he's the same man who broke your heart… the reason you left me forever."
As her emotions overwhelmed her, she collapsed onto the floor.
Chapter 6
Jay called his childhood friend, Chen.
When Chen arrived, he found Jay drinking heavily.
"Stop this, Jay!" Chen said, trying to take the bottle away.
Jay sighed. "Why can't she see my love? I know she told me she doesn't love me when we got married, but I hoped my love would change her."
Chen patted his back. "Give it time, Jay."
Later that night, Jay returned home and found Bella asleep on the floor, shivering.
He carefully lifted her and placed her on the bed, covering her with a blanket.
Gently, he whispered, "Why don't you like me? What did I do wrong? I promise I'll make everything right and love you forever."
He kissed her forehead and left the room.
At the office -
In the Meeting Room
Bella presented her proposal to expand her fashion store, trying to convince the stakeholders to support her. Five out of ten people raised their hands in agreement. However, before the decision was finalized, Jay stopped them.
"Before we move forward, we should focus more on improving the store's internal operations," Jay said firmly. As the president of the company, his words carried authority, and everyone had to listen. The meeting concluded.
Furious, Bella stormed into Jay's cabin.
"What is your problem? Do your work and don't interfere in mine!" she snapped.
Jay remained calm. "First, calm down. What happened?"
"You don't know what happened? What you just did?!" she exclaimed.
"The proposal you presented was not right," Jay responded.
Bella, her voice filled with determination, said, "I built my store with my own hard work, and I have never disappointed anyone."
Jay sighed. "Yes, you never disappoint anyone. But this time, your proposal had a lot of flaws and confusion. You need to solve these issues first. Please review it again and verify everything for yourself. You will understand what I mean."
Suddenly, the door swung open, and someone barged in.
"Hey, my dude!"
It was Chen, looking as carefree as ever. The moment he saw Bella, he quickly straightened up.
"Hello, sister-in-law," he greeted her playfully.
"Shut up and leave!" Bella snapped.
Chen, pretending to be terrified, whispered to Jay, "Your wife is too dangerous. No one can handle her except you. Whenever I see her, I just stay silent. I never know when she'll get angry and boom, blast."
Jay rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Why are you here?"
In Bella's Cabin
Bella sat down and carefully reviewed the proposal. After going through it thoroughly, she realized that Jay was right—the proposal had many flaws.
She immediately called Alex. "What is this? You prepared the proposal. How did it end up with so many mistakes?"
"How did this proposal have so many mistakes?" she demanded.
"Sorry, Bella. My teammates prepared it," Alex admitted.
Bella sighed. "You know how important my store is to me. Don't make these mistakes again."
As Alex left the cabin, he clenched his fists in frustration.
Chapter 7
In Jay's Office Room
After discussing some business matters, Chen asked, "Jay, how are you feeling right now?"
Jay replied, "I'm okay. What could possibly happen to me?"
Chen sighed. "Can't you just express your feelings to her?"
Jay leaned back in his chair. "I don't know how to express my feelings to her. She doesn't even talk to me unless it's about business. How am I supposed to do it?"
Chen shook his head. "Dude, show some courage and tell her about your feelings. Otherwise, someone else might do it before you."
Jay hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay."
---
Another Evening
Jay prepared a candlelight dinner, decorating the table with Bella's favorite flowers. He put in a lot of effort to create a romantic atmosphere to express his feelings.
When Bella arrived, she looked around in confusion. "What is this?"
Jay gently took her hand and led her to the table. "Let's eat first," he said softly.
As they finished dinner, Jay pulled out a ring and got down on one knee.
Bella's eyes widened in shock. "What are you trying to do?"
Jay looked into her eyes. "I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you."
Bella interrupted him, disbelief evident in her voice. "Wait, what? You fell in love with me when you first saw me? Wow, Mr. Jay, your love sure changes fast."
She believed the first time he saw her was at a business party.
Jay frowned in confusion. "What are you saying?"
Bella scoffed. "Oh, now you don't remember your first love? My hard work has gone to waste. I thought I would find the woman you loved and make you feel the same pain as she did."
Jay looked even more confused. "What? Who are you talking about? I never loved anyone else—it's only you."
Bella's expression hardened. "Stop lying. Don't you remember Tia?"
Jay's face stiffened. "Yes, I remember Tia. But what does she have to do with this?"
Bella's eyes flashed with anger. "If you remember Tia, then you also know that I was her best friend, right?"
Jay nodded. "Yes, so what?"
Bella stepped closer. "So what? You married her best friend—the one who loved you."
Jay's expression darkened. "Wait a minute. I know you and Tia were best friends, but Tia and I could never be lovers because—"
Bella cut him off. "Because what? Because you didn't think she was the right girl for you? If you didn't love her, at least you could've made her understand that you loved someone else! I know she was a little stubborn, but if you had told me, I could've made her understand! None of this would have happened!
"Tia would never leave me like this. I know she wasn't the kind of girl who would take her own life. She could never commit suicide. And it all happened because of you—because she loved you!"
Jay stood there in silence, then abruptly turned and left.
Chapter 8
At the Garden
Chan rushed over, having overheard everything, and wiped his tears. "Why didn't you tell her the truth?"
He turned to leave. "If you can't, then I will. I'll tell her that you first saw her when you visited Tia's house because you and Tia were cousins."
Jay stopped him. "Wait. I'll tell her everything, but not now. She's already upset, thinking that Tia loved me and died because of me."
He let out a deep sigh. "But Bella is right. Tia couldn't have taken her own life. She was strong. She always gave courage to others when they were feeling low. And when I went to her room that day, I felt something wasn't right."
---
The Day of the Incident
After Tia's body was taken away, Jay entered her room and noticed something strange.
---
Present Moment
Chan nodded. "I know what you're talking about."
Jay looked at him. "Did you find any clues?"
Chan said . "A few days ago, the police said Tia cut her left wrist. But that's impossible. She was left-handed. If she had cut her left wrist, she would have used her right hand, but she wasn't right-handed."
Jay clenched his jaw. "Exactly. Something about this doesn't add up. Like Bella, I also refuse to believe that Tia took her own life. That's why Chan and he started looking for the real culprit."
---
Bella sat alone, deep in thought. She couldn't deny the truth anymore—Jay had always cared for her. He had never done anything to offend her. He looked after her, cared for every little thing about her. Yet, she had pushed all those thoughts aside.
That night, Jay returned home with a fever and went straight to his room.
Bella noticed and immediately started taking care of him. "You need to see a doctor," she said.
Jay shook his head stubbornly. "Do you care about me?"
Bella frowned. "What's your problem? You have a high fever, and instead of seeing a doctor, you're asking me a question?"
Jay grabbed her wrist. "Do you really believe I loved someone else? Look into my eyes, and you'll see the truth."
Bella hesitated, then sighed. "Just go see a doctor."
Jay didn't let go of her hand. "Listen to me first. Then I'll go for treatment."
Bella looked at him.
Jay took a deep breath. "Bella, Tia didn't love me."
Bella immediately tried to stop him, but Jay continued. "She couldn't have loved me because… we were cousins."
Bella froze in shock. "What?"
Jay nodded. "Yes, Tia and I were cousins."
---
At the Hospital
Bella stayed by Jay's side, taking care of him and giving him his medicine.
Jay gently grabbed her wrist. "Bella, don't worry. We will find the real culprit who did this to our Tia."
Tears welled up in Bella's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Jay hugged her tightly. "No, it's not your fault. It was just a misunderstanding between us."
As he wiped her tears away, Bella asked, "How did you know about all of this?"
Jay sighed. "I was her brother. I knew she could never do something like this. That day, after everyone left, I went to her room and found some clues."
He looked into her eyes. "Bella, you still have Tia's diary, right? Can you show it to me?"
Bella nodded and handed him the diary. As they flipped through the pages, they discovered something shocking.
A letter was hidden inside the cover of the diary, where Tia had confessed her feelings for Ash.
Jay examined the pages closely and realized that something had been written with invisible ink. He took a pencil and shaded the page, revealing hidden words.
Tia had written about someone who had been stalking her. She said she couldn't tell anyone about him, but his name started with A…
But after "A," nothing else was written.
The name remained a mystery.
Chapter 9
Jay stormed into a dimly lit room and punched someone so hard that the man fell to the floor. It was Ash — the person Tia had confessed her feelings for in her diary.
Ash, holding his jaw, glared up at Jay. "Are you out of your mind? And who the hell are you?"
Jay stepped closer, his eyes burning with anger. "You want to know who I am? Do you know Tia?"
Ash frowned. "Yes, so?"
Jay's fists clenched. "I'm her brother — and you took my sister's life!"
He raised his hand to hit Ash again, but Bella quickly stepped between them, grabbing Jay's arm.
"Stop!" Bella shouted. "First, let's hear why he did that."
Ash sat up, confused. "What did I do?"
Chen stepped forward, his expression dark. "You don't know what you did? Let me remind you!" He moved toward Ash, ready to strike him, but Ash shouted, "Stop! Are you all crazy? Why are you attacking me without any reason?"
Bella's eyes narrowed. "They're not crazy — but you're about to be. Now tell me — why did you kill Tia?"
Ash's eyes widened in shock. "Kill Tia? What are you saying? Why would I kill Tia? I had a crush on her, and fortunately I found out that she had feelings for me too, I decided to confess my love to her.
"On the day of Tia's death, I had prepared everything to propose to her. She had agreed to meet me that day. But suddenly, I got a call from an anonymous number. The person on the line said that Tia couldn't come… because she had committed suicide."
Ash's voice trembled. "I was in shock. I rushed to Tia's house that day, but the police had already taken her body. While returning home I saw you crying there, Bella. You were crying so hard and I was happy to thinking that Tia had someone else who loved her deeply."
Jay's expression hardened. "Who was the person who called you?"
Ash shook his head. "I don't know. I assumed it was someone from her family."
Bella's brow furrowed. "What time did you get the call?"
Ash thought for a moment. "Around 10:15 a.m., I think."
Chen's eyes widened. "That means… someone killed Tia!"
Bella- right someone killed Tia.
Jay's face twisted in disbelief. "What are you talking about? Can someone explain this to me?"
Chen's voice sharpened. "Remember — the whole family found out about Tia's death at around 11:00 a.m. So how could someone have called Ash at 10:15 a.m. unless they already knew she was dead?"
Jay's eyes darkened. "Do you still have the number of the person who called you?"
Ash pulled out his phone and showed them the number.
Chen quickly dialed it, but a robotic voice replied, "This number is not in service."
As they were about to leave, Ash stood up. "Wait. I also want to find the person who did this to Tia."
Bella eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"
Ash's voice steadied. "Because I loved her. I want to find the person who killed my love — and I promise, I will."
Jay stepped forward, ask, "How?"
Ash replied, "I'll try to trace the owner of this number. Don't worry — I'll do whatever it takes to find the truth."
Jay studied him for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Whatever information you find — come directly to us."
---
At the Company
Jay and Chan were sitting in the office, discussing the case when suddenly the door burst open.
Alex stormed in and grabbed Jay by the collar. "Where is Bella?" he demanded.
Jay calmly removed Alex's hand from his collar. "Why are you so worried about my wife?"
Alex's eyes flashed. "She may be your wife, but she doesn't consider herself your wife."
Just then, the door opened again, and Bella walked in.
Alex rushed to her side, grabbing her hands. "Are you okay?"
Jay's eyes darkened as he immediately pulled Bella toward himself, wrapping an arm around her waist. "She is my wife," Jay said coldly.
Chan, sitting nearby, burst into laughter. "I wish I had some popcorn for this."
Bella shot him a glare. "Shut up, Chan!"
She turned to Alex. "Relax, Alex. He's Tia's cousin."
Alex's eyes widened. "What? He's Tia's cousin?"
Bella nodded. "Yes, and we're all trying to find the real culprit."
She explained everything to Alex — about Ash, the anonymous call, and the suspicious timing of Tia's death.
Alex sighed and said to Bella, "Don't worry, we will find him soon."
Jay made a weird face, glaring at Alex.
Chan smirked. "Okay, Bella, why did you come here in such a hurry? Now tell us."
Bella's eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Look at this — I found the names of everyone whose name starts with the letter 'A' that Tia and I knew."
Alex took the paper from her hand. "Don't worry — I'll handle this."
Jay stepped forward, "No. We'll all work together to find him soon."
Bella and Alex both left the office.
Chan chuckled. "Looks like you've got yourself a love rival."
Jay picked up a file and threw it at Chan. "Shut up! He doesn't stand a chance against me — and don't forget, she is my wife."
Jay's expression darkened. "But I don't know why… something about him seems off."
Chan grinned. "Just admit it — you're jealous."
Jay grabbed the file again and moved toward Chan, but Chan quickly darted away, laughing.
Chapter 10
They checked everyone Tia and Bella knew, but no one seemed suspicious. They all split up, searching in different directions, with Jay and Bella staying together in the same place.
Suddenly, a message popped up on Bella's phone:
"Hi Bella, so you guys know the truth about Tia's death. That's great! Now let's play a one-on-one game. By the way, you look pretty in a blue dress. Bye, and wait for me."
Bella and Jay read the message in shock. Just then, Chan and Alex arrived, and they showed the message to them.
Alex glanced at the phone and said, "It's the same number."
Bella checked the number and tried to call him, but it was still out of reach.
Jay then got a call from Ash. He said, "The person was on the phone for two minutes, so I couldn't get the owner's ID — but he's at the same location."
Everyone began searching for him, and Ash also joined in — but they couldn't find him.
At home –
Another message popped up on Bella's phone:
"Bella, do you know me? Oh, wait — maybe not, because Tia never told you anything about me, right? Do you want to know why Tia died?"
Bella immediately dialed the number again, but it wouldn't connect. Frustrated, she shouted, "Who the hell are you?! Just come in front of me — I will kill you!"
Jay came over and calmed her down. "What happened? Why are you shouting? And why do you look so troubled?"
Bella handed him the phone and showed him the message.
Jay hugged her and said, "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. We will find him. Don't take too much stress."
The next day at the office –
Chan and Jay were discussing the message, trying to figure out the situation when Alex suddenly came over and showed them something related to Ash.
That evening, Jay took Bella out for a candlelight dinner. They were enjoying their time together when Bella's phone suddenly rang.
A voice on the other end said, "Are you enjoying your time with your husband? By the way, you look so beautiful. But don't you want to know why Tia died?"
Bella replied, "Just tell me the truth! Who are you? Why did you do it?"
Tia's killer laughed and said, "Wait, wait… why are you so hyper? I'll tell you. Tia died because of you." Then the call was cut off.
Bella sat there, frozen. "What? Hello? Hello?" But the call was already disconnected.
She tried calling the number again, but it wouldn't connect. She kept trying again and again.
Jay held her by the shoulders and asked, "What happened?" But she didn't respond — she just started crying.
Jay wiped her tears and said, "Bella, just talk to me. I'm your husband, and I'll take care of everything for you."
Through her tears, Bella replied, "He said… Tia died because of me." Then she fainted.
Jay immediately picked her up in his arms and took her home.
At home –
Bella woke up to find that Jay had decorated the whole room. He had prepared her favorite food and was playing her favorite movie.
Bella tried to ask him why, but he put his finger on her lips and said, "Shh… just watch the movie."
They spent the whole evening together.
The next morning –
Chan came over after hearing everything.
He said to Jay, "Call him."
Jay shook his head. "How? His number is always out of reach. We can't contact him. Only he can call us."
Chan asked Bella to show him her phone. He checked the call log and said, "See? He calls at the same time every day. Let's try calling him at 4 o'clock. Maybe he uses his phone at that time — your call might connect."
They called Ash and asked him to track the number at 4 o'clock. When the time came, they were ready. Jay called from Bella's phone, and the person picked up.
Jay said, "Let's be real men and talk face-to-face. Don't hide like a coward."
Tia's killer replied, "Okay, so you want to meet me? Come alone to this place. Don't take your gang with you everywhere — be a man." Then he cut the call.
Jay got ready to meet him, but Chan stopped him and said, "Don't go alone. We don't know who he is — he could attack you."
Jay replied, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
But Bella stepped in and said, "I'm coming with you."
Jay instantly said, "No, you can't. If anything happens to you…"
"Exactly!" Bella cut him off. "I'm also worried for you. I can't be separated from you. You told me we would find him together."
Jay kept denying her, but Bella wouldn't listen.
Chan stepped in and said, "Don't worry. I'll stay with Bella while you go to meet him. I'll protect her."
Jay finally agreed to let Chan join them.
Chapter 11
They reached the location. Jay went inside alone. The killer was wearing a mask, so Jay couldn't recognize him.
Jay asked, "Why did you kill Tia? And why are you troubling my wife, Bella?"
The killer became angry when Jay referred to Bella as his wife and threw a box at him — but Jay dodged it.
The killer shouted, "Don't call her your wife — she's mine!"
Jay punched him and said, "Are you psycho? How could you say that?"
The killer stood up, smiling. "I loved her before you married her. Tia knew about it, but she didn't let me confess my feelings to Bella — so she died."
Suddenly, Bella emerged and yelled at him. The killer became enraged and struck Jay on the head with a metal rod — then fled.
Chan took Jay to the hospital.
Bella sat outside Jay's room, tears streaming down her face. Alex came and sat next to her, gently placing her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Bella," he said softly. "I'm with you."
Through her tears, Bella whispered, "This all happened because of me. Tia died, and now Jay is hurt."
Alex gently patted her head. "No, it's not because of you," he reassured her.
Bella looked at him with gratitude. "Thank you for being such a good friend after Tia. I love Jay so much. I can't bear to see him in pain anymore. I've already caused him enough pain... but not anymore. I don't want him to get hurt because of me."
Alex tried to calm her down when a nurse approached them. "Bella, the doctor has asked for the patient's medication," the nurse said. Bella wiped her tears and left with her.
Chan, who had overheard their conversation, entered Jay's room with a wide grin. "Dude, I have great news for you!" he said excitedly. "Your love… loves you back!"
Jay's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"Yes!" Chan grinned. "Bella loves you too."
Jay sat up in disbelief. "You want my favorite sports bike? It's all yours!"
Chan laughed. "Wow! I hope your wife loves you even more so I can get your entire collection!"
At Home-
Bella carefully took care of Jay, making sure he took his medicine. As she handed him the pills, Jay suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Why are you taking care of me?" he asked. His eyes searched hers. "Do you have feelings for me?"
Bella hesitated. "Take the medicine first."
Jay held her gaze. "No. Just tell me… Do you love me?"
Bella sighed and finally confessed, "Yes… I've fallen for you. I love you. But I'm scared… What if someone tries to hurt you again because of me?"
Jay pulled her close. "No one can come between us," he said firmly, brushing her hair aside. He kissed her forehead gently before pressing a soft kiss on her lips.
Another Morning-
"It's Tia's birthday today… but this time she's not here," Bella said, sadness filling her voice.
A little while later, Bella's phone buzzed with a message. The sender wrote:
"Bella, do you remember today is Tia's birthday? Aren't you celebrating it this time?"
Bella showed the message to Jay, and he immediately called Chan. When Chan arrived, they showed him the message.
"This person is close to us," Chan said thoughtfully. "How else would they know such personal details?"
Bella's eyes widened as she remembered something. She rushed to her room and returned with a birthday card. "Tia gave this to me on my birthday. She told me to read it carefully and solve the riddle… but no matter how many times I asked, she never told me the answer."
The Riddle:
"All I want is to see you happy,
Leave the worries of life,
Excuse all of life's problems and wear
X-ray glasses to see people's true nature.
Don't trust everyone — be careful."
Suddenly, Bella's phone rang. It was Alex. "Bella… I'm hurt," he said weakly.
Without wasting a second, Bella and Jay rushed to the location Alex had mentioned. Chan, however, stayed behind to study the riddle.
Just then, Chan got a call from Ash. "I did it," Ash confessed. "I'll tell you everything."
When Bella and Jay arrived, they found Alex injured. Bella rushed to him, her eyes filled with worry. "What happened? Who did this?"
Alex winced. "It was Ash… He did this to me."
A locket hung around his neck, and Jay noticed that it was broken. He asked, "Where is the other part of the locket?"
He replied, "I don't know. I never paid attention to it."
Just then, Jay's phone buzzed. It was Chan. "Jay… I've figured it out. I know who the real killer is."
Chapter 12
Jay asked Alex, "Can you go to the hospital by yourself? Something urgent came up at the office, and we need to leave."
Alex replied, "Yes, I'll be fine." Both Jay and Bella left from there.
Jay took Bella home. Confused, she asked, "Why are we here? We should be going to the office."
Jay said calmly, "I'll tell you everything. Just come inside."
Moments later, the police arrived and arrested Ash for the murder. They presented evidence that Ash had been stalking Bella. Alex had previously shown proof to the police as well.
Ash protested, "No! I didn't do it!" But no one listened.
Jay looked at Ash with disappointment. "Trusting you was the biggest mistake of my life," he said coldly.
Sometime later…
Bella's phone buzzed again with a message from the same number. It read:
"Meet me at the old factory."
Bella showed the message to Jay, Chan, and Alex. They were all confused. "Ash is in jail… so who could this be?" Jay wondered.
Determined to uncover the truth, Bella, Jay, and Alex went to the old factory. A masked figure emerged from the shadows, threatening them. Suddenly, the figure walked toward Alex and said, "Sir, I did what you told me to do."
Alex stepped back, looking confused. "Who are you? I don't know you!" he said defensively.
Bella's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Alex… what is he talking about? Did you kill Tia?"
Alex shook his head. "No! I didn't!"
Just then, a video began playing on a nearby laptop. In the video, Tia appeared, leaving a heartfelt message for Bella:
"Bella, Alex is obsessed with you. He wants you at any cost. He threatened me, saying that if I told you the truth, he would harm you. He's always around us, so I could never tell you face-to-face. He even hacked my phone to stop me from warning you."
Alex suddenly laughed in a twisted way. "Wow… you guys are smarter than I thought. You finally figured it out."
He smirked. "Ash was innocent, but he's in jail now because of your mistake. An innocent person is paying the price for what I did."
Bella grabbed Alex's collar, her eyes burning with rage. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill Tia? We were good friends!"
Alex scoffed. "Friends? We were never friends. I loved you. I wanted you to love me back. But I'm part of a dangerous group… Tia found out and told me to stay away from you. But how could I? I loved you.
She was going to tell you the truth, so I had to scare her. I killed a person right in front of her. She was terrified after that. She was right to be scared. I was always with you to make sure she couldn't tell you about me."
Jay's anger boiled over. He punched Alex hard, knocking him to the ground. "You're going to jail for this," Jay said.
Alex wiped the blood from his mouth and sneered. "How? Ash has already been arrested for the crime. I'm free. No one can touch me."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. "Hello, Alex," said Ash, removing his mask.
Alex's face twisted in shock. "Ash?! How did you get out of jail?"
Ash smirked. "Because I was never arrested. The police were fake. But now… the real police are coming for you."
Alex's face darkened. "Shut up!" He smashed the laptop to the ground. "Now how will you prove anything?"
Chan stepped forward, holding up a small camera. "Like this," he said with a smile. "I recorded everything that happened here. The police are already on their way."
Alex's frustration turned into rage. "How did you figure it out?"
Chan grinned. "You can thank my smartness for that. Tia had already given us a hint about you — but we failed to see it at first. Remember the birthday card she gave Bella? The first letter of each line in the riddle spelled out your name."
"Also," Chan continued, "Ash called me and gave me the name of the person who owned the number that was sending Bella those messages — it was your name."
"When we went to Tia's room after her death, we found your locket another lost pendant. We also took her laptop. Since we couldn't unlock it ourselves, we gave it to Ash. He cracked it and found the truth."
Chan smiled. "Want to know when we figured it out? When you called Bella and Jay, pretending Ash had hurt you. But at that time, Ash was working with us. As soon as you hung up, he called me and told me everything."
"So," Chan said smugly, "we decided to trap you — the same way you trapped Ash."
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Alex's expression twisted in desperation. He grabbed Bella and held a knife to her neck. "Let me go! Or I'll kill her!"
Alex's eyes darkened as he looked at Ash. "You know… she looked so beautiful when she was getting ready to meet you. I didn't want to kill her… but I had to. She was putting Bella and Jay's pictures together in her diary and said they looked good together. That made me angry, and in a fit of rage, I cut her wrist.
But when I came to my senses, I put Jay's photo inside the diary and took Bella's photo with me."
But I made a mistake… I didn't realize she was left-handed. I should have cut her right hand."
Hearing this, Bella's eyes flashed with anger. She stomped hard on Alex's foot. He loosened his grip, and Jay pulled her away. Ash lunged at Alex, punching him hard until he collapsed.
The police arrived just in time, handcuffing Alex and dragging him away.
Bella started crying. "At least… at least Tia finally got justice."
Jay pulled her into a tight hug. "It's over now," he whispered.
Chan and Ash stood nearby, smiling as they watched Bella and Jay together.
"Thank you," Bella whispered to them.
Ash smiled. "Anything for family."