The Hidden Heir

Chapter 9- Bella Hale

Before I can even process what’s happening, Aidan drags me aside and pulls me toward the back hallway. He doesn’t say a word as we move quickly down the corridor. Without warning, he pulls out his phone and calls Zane, but the line goes straight to user busy.

“God damn it!” Aidan mutters, yanking me toward the car.

A moment later, his phone buzzes with a flood of incoming calls.

“Yo?” he answers—only for Zane to immediately cut him off.

“Oh my days, I just saw Bella go off with some guy,” Zane says, his voice sharp with irritation. Aidan switches the call off speaker.

After several minutes of muffled shouting from Zane’s end, Aidan finally says, “Yeah, well, she’s with me. We’re waiting for you in the car,” and hangs up.

“You couldn’t have mentioned that before he bitched about me?” I snap, glaring at him. He just shrugs.

Zane emerges a few minutes later, the twins trailing behind. Aidan’s lips curl into a smug smile as Zane flips him off before sliding into the car.

“I have one—”

“No.” Zane cuts me off sharply. “I don’t care about what you have to say.”

The rest of the drive passes in tense silence.

When we arrive, I slam the car door shut and storm up to my room. Tears blur my vision. I don’t fit in here—and, honestly, I probably never will. I start throwing my things into a bag but nearly crash into Callum in the hallway.

“Bella, where are you going?” he asks, stopping me in my tracks. I can’t let him see me like this, but he gently guides me to sit down.

“I don’t belong here,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to go home.”

He begins to stroke my arm reassuringly. “Bella, I haven’t been completely honest with you. Your father and I started this company together, which means fifty percent of it is yours. Just stick around until you’re eighteen, collect your inheritance, and leave if you still want to. I’ll even sweeten the deal—I’ll set up an education fund for you. Every week you choose to stay, I’ll add ten thousand dollars to that fund. You can use it for your education, as a backup if things go south. I’ll cover any expenses you have. But if you leave now, you’ll never get another chance like this.”

My mind goes blank. This could be my one shot at getting into a good university. A year and a half. I can manage that.

“Okay… fine,” I say, my voice shaking.

“Perfect. And if there’s anything I can do for you, let me know. It’s late—you should get some rest.” He presses a gentle kiss to my forehead before I head back upstairs.

“You know, my dad always wanted a daughter,” Aidan’s voice calls out as I reach the top of the staircase. I turn to see his cold grey eyes fixed on me—though this time, there’s a flicker of warmth in them. He gestures toward his room, and I follow reluctantly.

He closes the door behind us, and my heart sinks.

“I hope you know I’m not a stripper or a p********e,” I say lightly, though there’s an edge of uncertainty in my voice.

“Bella, I know that. In fact, at this point, I know almost everything about you—down to how much your old apartment cost and the name of the girl who bullied you in fifth grade.”

“Dana Scott,” I mutter under my breath.

I pull up a chair, my vision blurring with unshed tears. Through the haze, I catch the almost-soft look in his eyes.