Fourteen

Jameson's POV

I let out a tired breath after the long day I have had. My mind should be relaxed. I have received good news from my team, but the only thing I feel is tension.

Bella's sad face manages to remain in my mind throughout the meeting. I have no doubt she is the one causing the tension I am feeling.

Picking up my phone, I scroll through my contact list until I get to her number. However, I didn't have the courage to dial it just yet. I need her to think through what we discussed about the brand ambassador.

She seemed to be having a double mind about it. That's the last thing I want her to have—a double mind.

If we are going to succeed in getting back at her family for everything they have done to her, she needs to be sure that revenge is what she wants, and not reconciliation.

I go over to my wine bar and pour myself a glass of whiskey, draining it all in one sip. I am in the process of pouring myself another glass when I hear Lamonthe's usual rasp on the door.

"Come on in."

He enters. One look at my face, he could tell that I wasn't in a good mood.

"From what the report said, you should be happy, boss."

"I should be, but I'm not." I snap at him. I close the whiskey bottle, having changed my mind for a second glass.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

My gaze goes to his face. On noticing the usual concern that comes on his face each time I have something bugging me, I chuckle slightly.

Lamonthe has been working for me ever since I took over the company from my uncle who had been managing it for me until I graduated from college. He knows me from the inside out and can sometimes guess how I am feeling even before I realize it myself.

"How about you take a wild guess just like you used to do?"

"It's about Bella. I already know this. I just wanted you to confirm my suspicions."

"She is trying to get out of the plan."

Lamonthe's frown line deepens, "She is? She seems to me that she is more ready than ever to give her family what they truly deserve. There is something else bothering you about her."

I ignore the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and move towards the view by the window.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it. Sometimes matters of the heart are hard to admit to. Excuse me, sir."

The door closes behind him and I begin wondering why it is so obvious that Bella is making me feel things I never imagined I would feel for the daughter of my worst enemy. The plan had been to deceive Bella, just like her father had deceived my mom in the past.

"Shit," I mutter.

The warm water cascades down my body under the shower. I pour a reasonable amount of shower gel onto my palms and massage it on my skin too. Every attempt to cleanse the hatred I have for the Vanderblibs in my mind seems to be futile.

I have what they did to my mom carved on the forefront of my heart. My hate for them has been a driving force pushing me over the years. It made me start over Pentagon Beauty from scratch after my uncle had mishandled it over the few years I have been in college.

It is that same hatred that gave me the courage to give it my best. Even in the darkest days, I found strength knowing that I just needed to get ahead of Vanderblib Glow, just to feel good about myself.

I get out of the shower after spending almost an eternity in it. After putting on joggers and a t-shirt, I head straight back to my home office, having gathered the courage I needed to talk to Bella.

On opening the door, I see my personal chef waiting for me just outside, with her hand hung in the air like she was about to knock.

"Good evening, sir, your food is ready."

My stomach grumbles just at that moment and we both chuckle at the embarrassing sound.

"I know what it is to forget to eat sometimes. Come with me, sir, I made just your favourite."

I follow her, forgetting about the call altogether.

Rosa, the chef's daughter, is already waiting for me at the dining table. Immediately her mother enters back into the kitchen, she gives me a wink while flashing me her usual seductive smile.

"My momma made some delicious turkey soup for you."

I settle down on my chair to have a taste of it. The aroma alone smells delicious. Rosa's eyes pin on my face as I try out the soup.

"You like it? You know I can help you spice it up just in case you don't like it," she whispers into my ear, making me choke at the double entendre.

"Rosa! Don't tell me you are bothering Mr Jameson all over again," My chef yells from the kitchen.

"No, momma, we are just having a nice chat!"

I listen to Rosa blab about some soap opera she follows on the TV. Deep down, all I want is to call Bella and have her tell me that she is sure about the revenge plan.

I hate that she is trying to change her mind again. What I hate even more is the fact that I can't get her out of my mind. It's like she is there to taunt and torture me.

"Sir? Have you been listening?"

Rosa shakes my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Sure, Rosa, I have been listening."

"No way!"

"I'm serious. Tell me what happened to my favourite couple."

"If you have been listening, you would have known by now!"

I fake a frown at her, "For real? I missed it?"

Rosa's excitement dies down, her mean look appearing, a flash of hurt crossing her green eyes.

"I'm damn sure you were thinking about that girl you rescued the other day. That was why you missed it."

I open my mouth to ask her how she knew I was thinking about Bella, but change my mind at the last minute.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Love is a strong word."

Admitting to my feelings for Bella isn't something I want to do, especially when I am not so sure what exactly it is I am feeling.

"But you like her. I've seen you looking at her in a way that says that you are madly in love with her."

"Rosa! Come over here!"

I let out a breath I never knew I was holding when Rosa finally left to answer her mother. I abandon the food and head to my home office.

Eventually gathering the courage I need to make the call, I pick up my phone and begin dialing her number.

She picks up on the third ring, the sound of her voice making my heart leap in my chest. She has been crying all night.

"What is it?" I ask, making sure the worry lingering on my mind didn't voice out.

She sniffs back the tears instead of answering me.

"Tell me what they did to you. Tell me everything right now."

"They hate me, Jameson. I want nothing but for all of them to rot!" She says in between tears.

For the first time in a while, I feel the corners of my lips lifting up in a smile. Even though I am trying to smile through the pain.

"More reason why you need to sign the damn papers. Sign them and watch me help you get the revenge you need."

She goes ahead to let me know about how her father tore the contract papers.

"Don't worry about that. I can have Lamonthe bring another paper for you tomorrow morning if you want. I just want to know if you're in on the plan or not?"

I hear her heave out a deep breath. It is as if she is trying to make up her mind.

Those few seconds while she paused as she tried to contemplate the answer to my request feels like the longest seconds in my life.

"What you are trying to have me do is such a big deal. I can't just betray my family even if they deserve to be betrayed."

A shudder runs down my spine on realizing that she is rejecting me. I end the call. Then I head straight to the wine bar to pour myself a glass of whiskey.

The burning sensation the alcohol left on my throat is nothing compared to the pang I felt from Bella's rejection.

Why would she choose a family that hurt her so much over me who has a lot to offer her? I can't seem to understand why she could do such a thing.

I sneer through my teeth, knowing that I have no other choice than to commence the third phase of my plan. This time around, it would be bloody.