The days melted into a delicate routine, forced proximity, stolen glances, and conversations that always tiptoed around the truth. Jason had become relentless, making sure Bella stayed close, under the guise of professional necessity. Every blueprint, every late-night revision session in the glass-walled executive suite was a battlefield one where neither swords nor shields were visible, but wounds ran deep.
Bella buried herself in work, refusing to give Jason the satisfaction of seeing her flinch. She cloaked herself in professionalism, her clipped replies and cool tone a barrier she hoped he couldn't breach. But he was watching. Always watching. As if trying to read between her movements, decode her silences, and uncover the story behind her eyes.
Then, one late evening, Jason slid a report across the table without a word. Bella glanced at the highlighted numbers.
"Security enhancements?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Supposedly," Jason replied, voice calm but tight. "But the cost breakdown is vague, and the supplier doesn't exist. Did you approve this?"
Bella scanned the document. "Absolutely not. This wasn't part of the original plan." Her eyes narrowed. "That's Veronica's team's addition, isn't it?"
Jason nodded once. "It has your digital signature."
The breath caught in Bella's throat. "That's not possible."
"Apparently it is." He leaned back, studying her. "Someone's trying to make it look like you're mishandling funds."
A cold dread settled over her shoulders like a shroud. Veronica wasn't just playing games anymore she was laying traps.
The next day, the trap sprang tighter.
Veronica, smiling with syrupy sweetness, handed Bella a last-minute assignment. "Mr. Reed wants you to personally inspect the Upstate property. It's urgent."
Bella stared at the printed order, her heart sinking. The property was remote and long-forgotten. No one had mentioned a revival. "Are you sure he—?"
"He insisted," Veronica said, her smile sharp. "Today."
Just as Bella reached the lobby, suitcase in hand, Ryan Cole intercepted her.
"Where are you headed?" he asked, concern evident.
"Apparently Jason wants me to evaluate a condemned site in the middle of nowhere."
Ryan's expression darkened. "Jason didn't authorize that. Bella, that's Veronica. She's trying to isolate you. And she's been whispering to Jason... about your exit from Reed International five years ago."
Bella stiffened. "What exactly is she saying?"
"That you tampered with financial records before you left. That you used your role to move money."
Bella's voice trembled with anger. "That's a lie. I left with nothing but my dignity."
"I believe you," Ryan said gently. "But Jason's already asking questions. She's leading him somewhere dangerous."
As she rode the train north, Bella's thoughts tangled with memories and fears. Veronica was circling like a vulture, Jason was chasing ghosts, and the truth was too fragile to bear exposure without unraveling everything.
That week, the most unexpected thing happened.
Jason showed up at Lila's school.
He claimed it was a routine check on the firm's new security installations. But Bella wasn't fooled.
Lila spotted him instantly. "Hey! You're the man from Mommy's office!"
Jason chuckled, kneeling before her. "Yeah, I guess I am."
Lila pointed at a class display screen flashing parents' pictures. "Are you Daddy's friend?"
Jason froze.
The air felt thinner.
Then, he smiled, just a little. "Something like that."
When he reached to gently tuck a curl behind Lila's ear, Bella's breath hitched. The way his fingers trembled, the awe in his eyes told a story words never could. He didn't know he was looking at his daughter. But some part of him felt it.
That night, back in her apartment, Bella sat on the floor beside Lila's bed, watching her daughter sleep. The weight of it all bore down on her—Jason's nearness, Veronica's schemes, the five years of silence thick between them. Her phone buzzed.
It was Dean.
"Just wanted to hear your voice," he said, warmth lacing every syllable. "I miss seeing you around here. Are you okay?"
Bella hesitated. "I don't know. I feel like I'm caught in a storm."
"You don't have to stay," he said. "Come back. To Boston. To us. To something safe."
Safe.
That word echoed like a bell tolling across her chest.
Dean was steady, gentle, everything Jason wasn't. But Jason was the father of her child. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget the way he looked at Lila not with suspicion, but something achingly close to love.
And then her phone vibrated again.
An anonymous message.
"You don't know the real reason Jason broke things off with Veronica. Dig deeper. Start with the night you left."
Bella's blood ran cold. She stared at the screen, heart racing.
Someone wanted her to uncover the truth.
And suddenly, she wasn't just caught in a battle between love and lies she was standing at the edge of a deeper, darker web.
The game of proximity had just become a game of survival.