The enigmatic man and Theodore Reid the same?

Bella stirred, blinking away the remnants of a deep sleep. As her eyes fluttered open, a jolt of surprise ran through her as she found herself in entirely different surroundings. It wasn't the oppressive environment she remembered being in. There was no smell of alcohol or cigarettes; instead, a soothing scent of expensive room freshener hung in the air.

Slowly, the disturbing incident came back to her— the coffee, the dizzying nausea, the chilling threat. The sad part was that she had failed to collect the key and the documents for her house. On top of that, her money was gone.

What was she going to do now?

Bella didn't have the courage to fix another meeting with those dangerous people. She had been on the verge of being raped and killed. Thanks to the man who had come at the right time and rescued her.

Who was the man?

As the question emerged in her mind, she vaguely remembered Theodore's face.

'Theodore!'

Bella felt a tremor in her spine, surprised. Was it Theodore who had saved her?

Still disoriented, Bella struggled to focus as the door creaked open. A tall figure stepped in, filling the room with his presence. It was Theodore.

"You!" Bella exclaimed, disbelief painting her voice. "It was you?"

A hint of a smile played on Theodore's lips, a rare occurrence that hinted at amusement. "It seems that you have forgotten everything. Don't tell me you don't remember what happened between us."

Bella's stomach flipped at the implication of his words. Her hands flew to her chest, feeling nervous under his unwavering gaze.

"What do you mean?" she stammered.

Theodore's eyes roved over her body. "You should look at yourself. You will get the answer."

Bella looked down and found herself wearing a big, loose-fitting T-shirt, clearly not her own. The realization dawned upon her, and her face turned pale instantly.

At that moment, she thought she had slept with him under the influence of drugs. A few hazy images of herself clinging to him flashed in the back of her mind.

"You mean, we..." She trailed off, unable to utter the next words. A flicker of annoyance surged through her. "Why didn't you stop me?" she snapped. "You were sober, right? How could you take advantage of me?"

"Don't blame me," Theodore snapped back, though amusement sparkled in his eyes. "I tried to stop you, but you wouldn't leave me. You kissed me... here." He pointed at his throat. "And here…" His finger dragged down to his chest. "Then, you know, I couldn't control myself."

Bella's cheeks turned crimson when she vaguely recalled some intimate moments with him. She had indeed kissed him and tried to unbutton his shirt. But she couldn't remember anything properly.

She had no choice but to believe in what he had said. She felt a mix of anger and embarrassment. "You should have had more control!" she retorted. "I was drugged, for heaven's sake!"

But Theodore merely hid his amusement behind a mask of indifference. "Blame yourself, not me," he retorted. "You started it." His smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "You are overreacting. Intimacy is natural between husband and wife."

His words failed to soothe Bella. Even though they were married, their marriage was only temporary. She wouldn't want to be entangled with him emotionally, let alone having sex. Yet, she ended up sleeping with him.

Regret gnawed at her. Nothing would have happened if she had heeded Mrs. Green's advice and had not gone with that man. Now, her house was lost, and the money was gone. Disappointment settled in her heart.

Amidst the despair, she saw a ray of hope as she glanced up at Theodore. It was only he who could help her get her house back. Should she plead with him, and explain her predicament?

"It's, uh, alright," she mumbled, chin tucked into her chest. "We are adults. I'll assume it was an accident."

Accident?

Theodore's brow furrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. Even though nothing had happened between them, it still hurt him to think that she considered the intimacy between them an accident.

"Since you're awake, get dressed," he said coldly, the lightness in his tone vanishing completely. "We're going to see my grandfather."

"Now?" Bella sputtered, panic rising in her chest. She wasn't prepared. No gifts, no time to mentally rehearse. "So soon? But I thought we were going this weekend!"

"The plan changed," Theodore interrupted. "Grandpa invited us to dinner – A perfect opportunity to introduce you to the family. I arranged your clothes. You will find them in the cupboard."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Wait a moment," Bella called out, forcing him to pause. She bit her lip, the words catching in her throat.

Theodore glanced at her. "Do you have any questions?" he asked, his tone clipped.

Bella took a deep breath and then started, "I wanted to thank you for saving me. There is something I need to tell you."

She glanced up at his ramrod straight back, hesitating for a moment. "Don't you want to know how I ended up there?" she asked cautiously, her heart hammering inside her chest.

Theodore offered no outward sign of curiosity. Skyler was already on the case, tasked with extracting answers from those thugs. He would soon find out why those goons had taken her. However, he maintained his indifference, as if he were not interested in her personal issues.

"I don't have time to discuss it," he dismissed flippantly, glancing at his watch. "It'll take a few hours to reach there. Get ready. We'll talk later."

With that, he strode purposefully from the room, leaving Bella alone with a sigh.

"Time to meet his family," she murmured, a hint of apprehension lacing her voice. She got out of bed and went to freshen up, her mind racing with thoughts of the impending encounter.

The cool water on her face helped clear her head a bit, but the anxiety remained. A sudden question in her mind jolted her upright, her wide eyes fixating on her reflection in the mirror.

Theodore. What was he doing here, in the west district? And this house?

A brain-shattering realization crashed over her. 'He has a house here!'

Her mind careened back to the cryptic message she had received that very morning, from a man named Tritan who claimed to be Mr. Reid's assistant.

Could it be? Could Theodore have been in the west district six months ago? Was the enigmatic man and Theodore Reid the same?

A tremor ran down Bella's spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.