Twisted Ties of Love

Those strong arms were shaking, as if holding a fragile treasure.

Izabella felt her heart tremble as she gently rested her chin on Casey's shoulder.

"What's up?" she whispered, her breath tickling his ear, causing it to twitch slightly.

Casey's voice was husky as he answered in a low voice, "I'm scared; scared I got to you too late; scared I couldn't find you; scared something might happen to you; scared you might leave me; scared you might get bullied when I can't see; scared you might have problems and not tell me. Bella, can you tell me how to overcome this fear?"

"I'm fine." Izabella paused, hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand to gently pat his back. "And I'm not alone. I found you, I'm safe, and I'm here."

Casey felt like a soothed puppy; the warmth in his arms was so comforting that he didn't want to let go. His once empty heart felt full, as if it were filled with warm honey.

"I don't want there to be a next time, but if the same situation arises, I hope you'll contact me immediately. As long as you look for me, I'll show up. Izabella, never let yourself get into trouble."

Izabella's heart tightened; "emotions" in this world always seemed to hit her unexpectedly.

Casey let go of her, taking a step back with his head lowered.

Izabella suddenly remembered something Casey had said in an interview.

"I knew you before anyone else did, and I believe in you."

"No matter if it's a tough road ahead or an endless river, I will walk towards her without hesitation."

Izabella said, “I promise you, I'll contact you first if anything happens. Speaking of which," she paused, thinking about the drama that had unfolded today.

Casey didn't want her to get hurt, and she didn't want him to get hurt either.

"Do you think you can beat them?"

"I don't know; I have an okay relationship with them. I've never fought with them, but I think I could." Casey wasn't bragging; he genuinely believed in his abilities.

He had filmed action movies and war films. He never used a stunt double, and he did all the difficult moves himself. He was quick, strong, and had nimble movements. Casey didn't know if he could actually beat up Brett and Nathaniel, but to protect Izabella, he was willing to risk his life.

Izabella went in to change her costume. By the time she came out, almost everyone from the crew had left.

Izabella was a bit worried that the events of the day would be leaked online and cause trouble.

But after careful scrutiny, there was no information about her online; apparently everything had been taken care of.

Who took care of it was beyond her concern, but those who could control the onlookers and online public opinion obviously had the power to solve the problems they caused.

Izabella changed her clothes and checked her phone. Brad had sent a text message announcing that the crew would be taking a two-day break.

The damaged equipment needed to be repaired or replaced, and the scene needed to be reset.

As Izabella picked up her bag to leave the dressing room, the one person waiting for her had become two. Rachel was there too, carrying Nikki and a bag.

"Izabella."

"Did you just get here?"

Rachel nodded, but her eyes were not on Izabella; they were on Casey.

Casey explained, "I called her over."

When Izabella texted him, he was driving and contacting the crew. The first person he contacted was Rachel; he wanted to ask her about Izabella.

He didn't expect that Rachel wasn't at the set, but when she heard that Izabella was in trouble, she immediately came over with Nikki, having just arrived.

Rachel had many idols, but Casey was the one she admired the most. She never thought Casey would call her, and she never thought Casey and Izabella were so close-closer than typical friends. Casey reached out and said, "Put Nikki down; I'll carry her."

This ordinary sentence made Rachel nervously shake her head. How could she let a big star carry a cat?

Izabella said, "I'll do it."

Rachel took care of Nikki very well, and in just two weeks, Nikki had obviously put on some weight.

The healthier Nikki was, the happier Izabella felt.

Nikki was quietly curled up in the bag, not making a fuss. When she saw Izabella, one of her ears would twitch, just like Casey's.

Izabella directly opened the backpack and took Nikki out.

Although the bag had ventilation holes, it was summer and the outside temperature had reached 36 degrees, so the air inside the bag was not circulating.

Izabella held Nikki, who was obviously hot. Before she could say anything, Casey intuitively opened a bottle of water for Nikki to drink.

He watched Nikki drink while gently petting her little head.

Nikki used to be quite lively; liked

rubbing her head against people andNôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

scratching things with her front paws. But now, because of the self-esteem issues caused by her physical impairment, she no longer liked to be close to people. But when faced with Izabella and her friends, she was not averse.

Especially Casey; he could even touch her belly at will.

After feeding Nikki water, Casey said, "Let's go back to the car; it'll be inconvenient to move around when there are more people later. We'll decide where to eat once we're in the car." It was noon and time for lunch.

Izabella nodded, then turned to Rachel and asked, "Do you want to come with us?"

Rachel felt that if she nodded, she might be killed by Casey's gaze, so she immediately decided to shake her head and said, "Izabella, you guys go ahead. The crew is taking a break for the next two days; bplan to buy a ticket to go home today."

"Be sure to stay safe. If you need money, contact me right away."

"Thank you so much, Izabella." Rachel's smile was very sweet, and her eyes were full of gratitude.

She used to work as an assistant; the job was tough and the pay was peanuts. Now she's working with Izabella, and as long as she took care of Nikki, her salary had gone up a lot. Rachel was a pretty content person; she didn't come from a good home. After her parents divorced, she lived with her mom and had had a tough life ever since she was a kid.

Her mom raised her alone and didn't

have a cushy life. Now, all she

wanted was to make more dough

let her mom live a good life, and then buy a big house and take her mom to the Pink Sea, a place she always wanted to go.

Rachel handed the bag in her hand and the backpack on her shoulder to Casey.

After hesitating for a while, she asked gingerly, "Mr. Dempsey, can I get your autograph?"

"I didn't bring a pen."

Rachel quickly found a pen in her belongings; luckily, she always carried a notebook with her.

Casey took the pen from Rachel, quickly signed his name on the notebook, and added a sentence: "May all your wishes come true, and stay healthy."

Rachel smiled happily, watching Izabella and the others leave, holding the notebook tightly against her chest.

Izabella walked beside Casey, holding the cat. They walked side by side, unaware of someone watching them from the shadows.

Since they had a cat with them, many restaurants didn't allow pets. Plus, it was peak dining time, and as public figures, they could easily be recognized and draw a crowd.

So they decided to buy some ingredients and cook at home. Izabella's rented house was nearby, so she took Casey back.

She was fine, but Casey was a bit jittery, thinking about visiting the home of someone he liked for the first time and not having anything prepared.

However, he did have something prepared that he kept in the car, originally planning to give it to her in a few days.

"I left something in the car; I need to go back and get it."

"What is it?" Izabella glanced at the bag he was carrying with the just-bought ingredients, fruits, and snacks, and the bag he took from Rachel; everything was here.

She checked when she got out of the car and didn't seem to have forgotten anything.

"You wait here; I'll be right back." Then Casey got off the elevator and bolted towards the parking lot.

He opened the car door, rummaged in the car drawer for a while, and found a beautiful box that looked like a piece of jewelry.

Casey opened the box, checked that everything inside was intact, and smiled satisfactorily.

Back at the elevator entrance, Izabella was still waiting for him. Seeing him, Izabella pressed the elevator button to keep the doors from closing.

Casey was in good shape; he ran the whole way without panting, saying, "Okay, let's go back."

Although it was his first visit, he acted as if he were at home.

Izabella didn't like staying in hotels. After shooting every day, she would come back here to cook for herself, and it was also convenient to take care of Nikki. "Today you're my guest, so I should prepare the meal and let you taste my cooking."

"Really?" Casey looked surprised.

Izabella teased him, "Look at your disbelieving face; are you doubting my cooking skills? Should we eat out then?"

"Absolutely not! I'll help you wash and prepare the ingredients." Casey didn't dare ask any more, afraid Izabella might really take him out to eat.

Izabella put down Nikki, put on an apron, and casually tied her hair into a ponytail.