The troublemaker

The scent of stale coffee lingered in the air as Theodore hunched over a desk, scrutinizing a set of design drawings.

Knock-Knock…

A knock on the door shattered the quiet.

"Come in," Theodore called out, his eyes still scanning the design drawings.

The door creaked open, revealing a young woman whose gleeful smile could light up the room. "Brother!" she exclaimed, bursting through the doorway.

Theodore met her gaze, a slow smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Hey, you are a bit late. You could have met someone talented if you had come a little earlier."

"Oh? My bad." She shrugged, her smile faltering slightly. "The meeting dragged on longer than expected," she explained, taking a seat opposite him. Her eyes darted towards the documents in his hand. "What are you so engrossed in?" she queried.

"Take a look, Willow," Theodore instructed, extending the drawings towards her. "Tell me what you think. I need an honest opinion."

Willow's eyes scanned the illustrations, widening in surprise. "Wow," she breathed with awe. "These are phenomenal! I don't see a single flaw." Her face lit up with a mix of wonder and excitement. "Who is the artist? I'd love to meet her."

Theodore offered a knowing smirk. "Well… let's just say she is your admirer," he replied cryptically. "And she is interested in working with you."

"I see!" A flicker of uncertainty crossed Willow's features as her gaze fell back on the drawings. Her mind cast back to a past encounter – a woman who had sold her own hard work to her and vanished without a trace.

Willow had been looking for her all those days. Months of searching had yielded nothing, leaving her frustrated. She had already made up her mind to work with her in partnership.

While this new prospect Theodore presented seemed promising, a different possibility bloomed in her mind. Perhaps this designer could work alongside her as an assistant. She did need someone capable to assist her.

"Alright, I'm open to it," she conceded, a determined glint returning to her eyes. "Set up a meeting."

A satisfied smile played on Theodore's lips. He hoped this opportunity would encourage Bella to resign from Brico and take a step towards a more promising future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shrill ringtone of Bella's phone pierced the quiet of her workspace, shattering her focus. It was her personal number ringing. As she checked it, she noticed Mrs. Green's name on the screen. A jolt of urgency surged through her as she scrambled to answer the call.

"Hello, Mrs. Green," she chirped brightly.

"You truly do care about this old woman," a gruff voice rasped from the other end of the line, instantly wiping the smile from Bella's face. A shiver danced down her spine, a cold dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking.

The gruff voice scoffed. "Forgotten me already, have you? You sent your stepfather to jail and then vanished without a single penny to pay off those debts. You didn't reply to my calls either. Do you think you can hide from me forever?"

Bella's heart plummeted, a sickening realization dawning on her. She had dreaded this call Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She had planned a trip back to her hometown this very weekend, intending to settle her debts with the money lander after checking on Mrs. Green. But she had not anticipated that the money lender would contact her like this.

"You've got twenty-four hours," the man snarled with menace. "Show up and settle your dues. Otherwise, your house gets sold off, and this old lady gets a taste of real pain."

"Wait, please! Leave her out of this!" Bella cried out, panic rising in her throat. "I'm coming, I'll pay you back everything. Just don't hurt her."

A chilling silence followed. "Very well," the man finally said. "I won't lay a finger on her right now. But if you're even a minute late after that deadline, I can't guarantee her safety."

Beep

The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving Bella gasping for air. Fear, sharp and primal, clawed at her. Those men wouldn't hesitate to harm Mrs. Green. Without a moment's hesitation, she began frantically gathering her belongings, her mind racing as she hurried out of her desk.

Amy, just back from her meeting with Zack, breezed through the door.

"Hey, Bella," Amy stopped her, a frown creeping on her face. "Are you leaving so soon?" Bella's hurried appearance caught her off guard. "Mr. Hudson just dropped off this file needing corrections. Thought I'd check if you could finish it up."

Nothing was mattered at that moment for Bella but Mrs. Green's safety. "I'm so sorry, Amy," she said with urgency. "Something has come up, and I need to leave right away."

Observing her disturbed and flustered appearance, Amy felt something amiss. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Bella hesitated for a beat. She had not told anyone here about her past. "It's personal," she finally forced out. "I need to go now. I will resume my duty on Monday."

Without waiting for further questions, she bolted out of the office, leaving Amy staring after her in a daze. Her frown deepened as she pondered Bella's flustered demeanor.

"What's wrong with her?"

Across the room, Olivia witnessed the entire exchange. A smirk played on her lips as Bella disappeared through the door. "Looks like you just gave me the perfect opportunity to complain about you. "

Rising from her chair, she sashayed over to Amy. "What's wrong with her? She looks awful." She pretended to be worried. "I saw her talking on the phone. I hope everything is fine with her."

Amy, still bewildered by Bella's sudden departure, offered a curt nod. "She said some personal thing came up and needed to leave." She turned to walk back to her desk.

Olivia, sensing an opportunity, stopped Amy in her tracks. "Hold on a minute. Give me that file. I'll do the correction."

Amy hesitated, her gaze flickering between Olivia and the file in her hand. Under Olivia's persuasive gaze, Amy reluctantly handed over the file. "Alright, but finish it today,"

With that, she stormed to her desk.

'Today!' Olivia's smile faltered for a brief moment, annoyance flickering across her face. She had volunteered to curry favor with Amy and her boss, not expecting to be pressed to complete the task by the end of the day.

Spending an evening working late wasn't exactly on her agenda. She directed her frustration towards Bella.

"Bella, you bitch," she muttered under her breath, seething. "You are a real troublemaker. You'll pay for this."