Chapter 230:


    She gestured to the corner of her desk. There, sitting in a ce of honor, was the blue and white porcin vase — bearing a spiderweb of fine cracks, scars from its near-destruction, but whole, its beauty now carrying the weight of a survival story.


    And sighed and pulled up a chair. “You need to file for a restraining order, Isolde. This is escting.”


    “Not until the divorce is finalized,” Isolde said firmly, her eyes on herptop screen. “I won’t give them any ammunition to im I’m trying to alienate the child before the settlement. Now — let’s talk about work.”


    Before And could argue, the office door burst open. Harper rushed in clutching a tablet, her face flushed with urgency.


    “Have you guys seen the news?” Harper asked, breathless. “Belle is back.”


    And frowned. “What now?”


    Harper tapped the wall-mounted screen, casting the live feed onto the disy. “She’s at the airport.”


    On the screen, Belle was surrounded by shing cameras and microphones, looking radiant and basking in the attention, her smile practiced and sweet.


    “Miss Escobar,” a reporter called out, thrusting a microphone forward. “That bracelet is unique! Is it a new release from a luxury brand?”


    The camera zoomed in on Belle’s wrist. Strung on a crude wire was a chaotic assortment of glittering, multicolored crystals.


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    Belleughed — a sound like tinkling bells. “Oh, this? No, it’s not a brand. My son Kaiden made it for me with his own hands.” She touched the beads with practiced tenderness. “It’s not expensive, just some old beads he found. But it’s full of love. That’s what matters, right?”


    Isolde stared at the screen, her blood running cold. She recognized those beads instantly. They weren’t old beads. They were the salvaged remnants of the ne Kaiden had cut apart — the very incident that had left her wrist bandaged.


    “Not expensive,” Isolde whispered, a bitter smile touching her lips.


    And stepped closer to the screen and squinted. Then his eyes widened. “Wait. Those aren’t just beads. That’s the ne I gave you — the one with the rare tourmalines and sapphires.”


    “Yes,” Isolde said, her voice devoid of emotion. “She’s calling a small fortune ‘not expensive.’ And she’s using my flesh and blood to perfect her persona of a loving mother.”


    And mmed his hand on the conference table, the sound cracking through the room. “That is too much. She’s wearing the proceeds of an assault on national television. This is bullying, in and simple.”


    Isolde, however, didn’t look angry. A strange, calcting calm settled over her features. She leaned back in her chair, watching Belle’s performative humility.


    “Don’t be upset, And,” she said softly. “This isn’t bullying. It’s evidence.”


    “Evidence?”


    “Belle just publicly confirmed that Kaiden made that bracelet,” Isolde exined, her mind moving three steps ahead. “If I report the ne as stolen — which it was — and the stolen goods are currently on her wrist, being broadcast to the entire country…”


    And’s eyes lit up. “You want to have her arrested for possession of stolen property?”


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    Message from Noa: Dear readers, today we have new releases, hope you like them. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (?O?=)? ?


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