Chapter 25
1471 Words
The moment Reyes disappeared through the glass doors, the atmosphere inside the boutique shifted again—like everyone was finally remembering how to breathe.
But Bella… she still couldn’t fully unclench her hands.
Her fingers were trembling slightly, even though the threat had passed. The silver necklace still sat on the counter like evidence of a nightmare she hadn’t fully woken up from.
Molly noticed first.
She nudged Bella gently. “Hey. You’re safe now, okay?”
Bella nodded, but her eyes stayed distant. “I know… it just happened so fast. One second we were laughing, next second I was… a thief in front of everyone.”
Her voice cracked a little on the last word.
Molly’s expression softened. “You weren’t. And everyone who matters knows that.”
Bella gave a small, tired laugh. “Yeah. After Reyes saved me from being arrested and publicly destroyed.”
That finally pulled a faint smile from Molly.
Still, Bella’s gaze drifted toward the entrance again.
“He didn’t even hesitate,” she murmured.
“What?”
“Reyes,” Bella said slowly. “He just walked in and… everything stopped. Like he already knew he was going to fix it.”
Molly leaned back slightly, watching her. “That’s because he can.”
That silence that followed wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either.
Bella picked up the shopping bag again, more out of habit than intention. Her grip tightened around the handle.
“I didn’t even see Amelia leave,” she said quietly.
Molly scoffed. “She got dragged out like she should’ve been. Trust me, that girl is going to wake up tomorrow regretting every decision she made today.”
Bella didn’t respond immediately.
Because somehow… she wasn’t so sure Amelia was the type to regret anything.
Outside the boutique, Amelia was already spiraling.
Her heels hit the floor hard as she stormed through the mall corridor, her friends trailing behind her in tense silence.
“This is insane!” she snapped. “Reyes just embarrassed me in front of everyone for her?”
Lila tried carefully, “Amelia… he said he saw the footage—”
“There was no footage!” Amelia cut her off sharply. “That’s the point!”
Sophia hesitated. “But Claudia—”
Amelia stopped walking so abruptly they nearly bumped into her.
Her eyes were sharp now. Dangerous.
“Don’t say her name here,” she hissed.
That shut them up instantly.
For a moment, Amelia stood there, breathing hard, jaw tight. Then slowly… her expression shifted again.
Not anger this time.
Something colder.
Something controlled.
“She thinks this is over,” Amelia said quietly.
Lila swallowed. “Isn’t it?”
Amelia gave a slow smile.
“No,” she said. “It just got interesting.”
Back inside the boutique, Zara was already trying to repair the damage.
Staff moved quickly, resetting displays, speaking in hushed tones, avoiding eye contact with Bella and Molly like they were both victims and walking scandals at the same time.
Bella sat on a nearby sofa now, finally letting her body relax for the first time since everything started.
Molly dropped beside her with a sigh. “I need food. Or therapy. Or both.”
Bella let out a weak laugh.
“Same.”
A pause.
Then Molly tilted her head. “So… Reyes.”
Bella blinked. “What about him?”
Molly smirked slightly. “You noticed the way he looked at you when he asked if you were okay?”
Bella’s brows knitted. “He didn’t look at me any different.”
Molly gave her a look. “Girl.”
Bella sighed and leaned back. “Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything,” Molly said innocently. “I’m just observing that your ‘problem solved by billionaire owner’ moment was kind of cinematic.”
Bella groaned, covering her face. “Please stop talking.”
But even behind her hands, she couldn’t fully hide the faint smile tugging at her lips.
Because the truth was… she had noticed.
The way Reyes didn’t question her once.
The way he looked at Amelia like she was already guilty before she spoke.
The way everything around him just… obeyed.
Bella lowered her hands slowly.
And for a brief moment, she wondered what kind of life someone like that actually lived.
One where chaos didn’t last very long.
One where people like Amelia didn’t get the chance to win.
And then, quietly, she shook the thought away.
“Come on,” she said, standing up. “Let’s just get out of here before anything else happens.”
Molly grabbed her bags. “Yes. Before I spontaneously develop trust issues with luxury stores.”
Bella snorted.
But as they walked out together, she couldn’t shake the feeling that today hadn’t really ended.
It had just… paused.
Somewhere behind them, unseen, unresolved things were still moving.
And Amelia—
Amelia never looked like someone who accepted losing quietly.
Back at the dorm, the door had barely shut before the laughter broke loose.
Bella dropped onto her bed like all the tension from earlier had finally given up on her body. The moment her back hit the mattress, she exhaled sharply—half relief, half disbelief that the day had actually ended without her life falling apart.
Molly followed right after, kicking off her shoes and tossing her shopping bags aside. She leaned against the wall for a second, still laughing under her breath like the memory of Amelia refusing to leave her head.
“I swear,” Molly said, wiping the corner of her eye, “the way her face changed when Reyes walked in… I thought she was going to combust on the spot.”
Bella turned onto her side, smiling into her pillow. “She went completely silent. Like someone unplugged her confidence.”
Molly snorted. “No, because she actually thought she was winning. Standing there recording like she was about to trend on the internet.”
Bella let out a soft laugh. “And then everything just flipped.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The laughter eased into something calmer, like the weight of the day was finally loosening its grip.
Bella stared at the ceiling.
The boutique. The alarm. The necklace. The accusations. The cameras pointed at her face like she was already guilty before anyone even checked.
And then Reyes.
She exhaled slowly.
If he hadn’t shown up…
She didn’t finish the thought. She didn’t need to.
Molly rolled onto her stomach, still grinning. “Anyway, I’m sorry, but today was insane. First Amelia gets humbled, then security goes crazy, then your name is suddenly ‘criminal of the year’—”
“Don’t remind me,” Bella groaned, covering her face with a pillow.
Molly laughed louder. “—and then boom, billionaire enters the scene like, ‘I own everything, problem solved.’”
Bella peeked out from the pillow. “You’re enjoying this too much.”
“I am enjoying this too much,” Molly admitted without shame.
That made Bella laugh again, softer this time. Real laughter. The kind that didn’t feel like it had to fight through stress to exist.
The room slowly settled after that, the energy easing into something peaceful. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, stretching across the floor in warm lines. For the first time all day, nothing felt like it was about to explode.
Bella lay back properly, letting her arms spread out.
She felt… lighter.
Not completely free of what happened, but no longer trapped inside it either.
Molly suddenly checked her phone again and sat up. “Okay, reality check. We have two hours.”
Bella groaned playfully. “You’re obsessed with time.”
“I’m obsessed with not being late and missing the entrance where everyone judges us,” Molly said seriously.
That earned another laugh from Bella.
Molly pointed at her like it was a command. “Get up. We have a party to attend and an image to destroy.”
Bella sat up slowly, shaking her head. “You’re dangerous.”
“And you’re welcome.”
They both stood, the mood shifting effortlessly from rest to excitement. Bags were opened, clothes were pulled out, and the room suddenly became a shared battlefield of “what looks better” and “no, that one is too extra” and “trust me, this is the one.”
Bella caught her reflection in the mirror at one point—just briefly.
And something in her expression surprised her.
Not fear.
Not anxiety.
Just… calm confidence starting to settle in.
Maybe Molly was right.
Maybe tonight would actually be fine.
She turned back to her clothes, smiling slightly.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s get ready.”
- Writer
