The Contracted Stripper

Bella sat in her sleek new office at the top of the Kendrick tower-now rebranded as Vector Empire.

She gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking over the city as it shimmered under the midday sun.

A sense of triumph washed over her. She had nearly everything she ever wanted: the power, the company, and control over the entire Kendrick fortune.

Yet, as she swirled the glass of wine in her hand, the victory felt hollow.

“If only Ryan had loved me,” she muttered to herself. “None of this would’ve been necessary.”Her mind wandered back to that fateful night, the night that had set everything into motion.

It was the night she had finally decided to take control of her destiny and cement her position in Ryan’s life-by any means necessary.

She had asked him out for lunch that day, trying to act casual, like the friend who had always been by his side.

Ryan had been distracted, his thoughts clearly elsewhere, but Bella had insisted. “You’ve been so stressed with everything going on, Ryan,” she had said, her voice sweet and soothing.

“Come on, let’s just take a break. It’s only lunch.”He had hesitated at first but eventually agreed.

They went to one of his favorite restaurants, and she made sure everything was perfect-his favorite dishes, his favorite wine.

She knew exactly how to keep him comfortable, how to slip him into a relaxed state.

After lunch, when she suggested having a few more drinks, Ryan had been reluctant.

“I’ve got a lot to do,” he had said, rubbing his temples. But Bella had persisted, ordering his favorite whiskey strong, smooth, and deadly.

“Just one more drink,” she had purred, placing her hand on his. “For old times’ sake,” Bella smirked as she remembered how smoothly everything had gone.

It hadn’t taken long for the alcohol to work its magic. Ryan, always so in control, had started to loosen up, laughing and chatting with her in a way he hadn’t done in months.

She had watched his defenses crumble as he became more and more intoxicated.

By the time they left the restaurant, Ryan could barely stand. Bella had taken full control, helping him into a cab and taking him back to her apartment instead of his.

He had been too drunk to even notice.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Once inside, she had carefully undressed him, making sure to be methodical-removing his shirt, his shoes, and his belt.

She had laid him down on her bed, his mind already lost to the alcohol. Then she had stripped herself, leaving her clothes scattered across the room to make the scene look convincing.

Of course, nothing had actually happened between them that night. Ryan had been far too drunk to do anything, and Bella wasn’t foolish enough to push her luck.

But she didn’t need him to remember what did or didn’t happen. She only needed him to believe it.

So, with a smirk on her face, she crawled into bed beside him and snapped a series of photos just enough to make it look like they had shared an intimate moment. When Ryan woke up the next morning, groggy and confused, she had let him come to his conclusions.

And he had. Exactly as she had planned. Bella let out a dry laugh as she took another sip of her wine.

“So brilliant of you, Bella,” she whispered to herself.

A few months later, she had dropped the bombshell: she was “pregnant.” The look of shock and guilt on Ryan’s face had been priceless.

He had racked his brain, trying to piece together that night, and in the end, he had accepted it.

After all, why wouldn’t he? The pictures, her tearful confessions, and her fabricated symptoms had all been part of her carefully constructed lie.

Ryan had never doubted her. Not once.”Fool,” Bella muttered, her smile fading as she swirled the wine again. “If only you had loved me, Ryan.

Sincerely. I wouldn’t have had to do any of this.”Her thoughts drifted to the present, to the empire she now controlled, and to Victor, her cunning brother.

They were close, closer than most siblings and they had been planning this takeover for years. Their rise to power had been inevitable, but Bella couldn’t help feeling that her real victory was incomplete.

Ryan had never loved her. Not the way she had wanted. And now, she had lost him entirely.

The door to her office opened suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts. Victor walked in, his expression serious as he approached her desk.

His tall, imposing figure cast a shadow across the room, and Bella could sense something was wrong immediately.”Bella,” he said, his voice low, “we have a problem.”She raised an eyebrow, setting her glass down. “What is it?”Victor sat down across from her, his hands resting on the armrests of the chair. “It’s Luca He’s been digging into our past. He knows about the offshore accounts.”Bella’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean? How could he know?”

“He’s not as clueless as we thought,” Victor replied, his eyes narrowing. “Luca has been working. He’s been investigating us for weeks, and I think soon he might find the accounts we’ve been funneling Kendrick’s money into.”

Bella’s mind raced as she processed the information. “So what do we do now?”Victor leaned forward, his gaze cold and calculating.

“We can’t wait any longer. We need to move faster. If Luca takes it to Ryan and then he takes this to the board, everything we’ve built will crumble.”

Bella gripped the edge of her desk, trying to steady herself. “But what about Ryan? If he knows, he’ll never let us get away with it.”

Victor’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. “Leave Ryan to me.”Bella frowned, her pulse quickening. “What do you mean? What are you planning?”Victor stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. “We’ve come too far to let Ryan ruin this now. If he’s in the way, we’ll remove him.”

Bella’s stomach twisted. She had been ruthless in her climb to power, but the thought of harming Ryan unsettled her. “I don’t want him hurt, Victor,” Victor smirked.

“Hurt? No, no… we don’t have to hurt him. Just… make sure he doesn’t interfere.”Bella swallowed hard, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She had wanted control, but she had never imagined it would come to this.

“What are you suggesting?”Victor leaned down, his face inches from hers. “Ryan and Luca is a loose end. And we don’t leave loose ends.”Bella felt a cold shiver run down her spine as Victor’s words sank in.

He wasn’t just talking about getting rid of Ryan. He was talking about eliminating him.”I won’t let you kill him,” Bella said firmly, her voice shaking slightly. Victor straightened up, his smile widening.

“Who said anything about killing? We just need to make sure Ryan disappears… permanently.”

Bella spent the rest of the day pacing in her office, her thoughts consumed by Victor’s chilling plan. Could she go through with it? Could she really let Victor get rid of Ryan? Her phone buzzed on her desk, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Ryan.

Ryan: “We need to talk now.

“Bella’s heart skipped a beat as she stared at the screen. Her worst fear had come true, But the question was, what did he want to talk about? She quickly typed a reply. Bella: “I will be home soon”

“I will meet you up at the office Ryan replied”.

That evening, Bella stood in the dimly lit hallway of her office building, waiting for Ryan to arrive.

She could feel the tension building inside her, knowing that the confrontation she had been dreading was finally about to happen. When the elevator doors opened, Ryan stepped out, his expression hard and determined. He didn’t look at her as he walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor.

“You wanted to talk,” Bella said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ryan stopped a few feet away from her, his gaze cold as ice. “I know what you’ve been doing, Iris. I know everything about you and Victor.

“Bella swallowed, trying to keep her composure. “Ryan, what do you know I can explain…..”

“No,” Ryan cut her off, his voice sharp. “I don’t want your explanations. I want the truth. Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother? Why lie to me? Were you hiding it from me on purpose?

Bella released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, her heart racing. Initially, Ryan’s so dumb, she said to herself.

Before she could respond, Ryan took a step closer, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper.

“You’ve made your choice, Iris, by keeping secrets; now it’s time for me to make mine.”

Just as Bella opened her mouth to speak, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Victor appeared at the end of the corridor, his eyes locking onto Ryan with a predatory gleam.

“Ah, Ryan,” Victor said, his voice smooth and menacing. “I was hoping we could have a little chat.”Ryan turned to face Victor, his jaw clenched, he could still remember the face of the man who came to propose investment.

There was more to the investment, but Bella could see the fear flash in his eyes.

She knew that Victor wouldn’t hesitate to follow through with his threats. And now, Ryan was trapped between the two of them.