Twisted Ties of Love

Izabella took the phone from Rachel, setting up the cat collar with the tracker.

"Nikki is a sweetheart; it won't stray."

"I know, but just in case, I don't want people who have a beef with me to harm Nikki. So it's safer to have a tracker on," Izabella replied, bending her head to confirm the tracker settings. She didn't notice the slight flicker in Rachel's eyes.

Rachel bit her lip, holding back something she wanted to say.

"All set." Izabella handed the phone back to Rachel, noticing her downcast expression. She gently ruffled her hair and said, "If you have something on your mind, just spill it; don't bottle it up."

"I," Rachel started but quickly shut up, looking down at Nikki in her arms and saying, "I'm fine, really."

"Good to hear." Izabella sensed something was off but had no clue what it was. Perhaps some family issues, but since Rachel wasn't spilling, it wasn't her place to pry.

Izabella got a call from Brad, asking her to get ready for the day's shoot. It was all her scenes today, so it would probably be a late wrap.

Kristin was also on set, her face still marred by injuries. A thick layer of foundation was all that hid it, making her face look even more rigid. Script in hand, Kristin was running lines with the other actors, scribbling notes with a colored pen, looking fully engrossed.

She caught sight of Rachel as she walked in, her face falling a bit.

At lunch, Rachel was heading out for food and, as usual, asked Izabella if she wanted anything.

"No, I'm good."

The production just got a fresh batch of supplies, so food and drinks were covered. Saved them a few bucks.

The crew, when not shooting, loved their gossip. They knew the last person to cross was Izabella, given her ties with two big investors. Even Garen, who often worked with Izabella, was tempted to dig for some dirt but was quickly warned off by the director.

Kristin put down her script, standing up to tell Rachel, "Rachel, grab me an Americano."

Izabella frowned. "If you want coffee, get it yourself. Your hands are broken or something?"

"She's an assistant. What's wrong with her getting me coffee?"

Izabella smirked and said, "She is my assistant, not yours. Got it?"

"You just want money, right? Here you go." Kristin carelessly threw some cash on the floor, as if it were charity.

Izabella stared at her, crossing her arms, not bothering to engage with such a dimwit.

She turned to Rachel, who was looking down, and said, "Go on, avoid these types in the future."

"Izabella, who are you calling a dimwit?"

"If I remember correctly, Kristin, your image is pure and innocent. But you can't really believe your own hype, can you? Who else could I be talking about?" Just as Kristin was about to blow up, Izabella cut her off.

"Calm down; getting upset only messes up your face. You'll end up needing more plastic surgery."

This hit a nerve, and Kristin lost it. With one hand on her face and the other pointing at Izabella, she blurted out, "Who are you to act all high and mighty, Izabella?"

"Me? I'm not acting anything."

Before Kristin could respond, Izabella calmly said, "Kristin, you remind me of someone. Brett's fiancée from three years ago, Kaley, dazzled us on the big screen. I don't know why; you look a lot like her; even your names sound alike."

At this point, Kristin's face hardened. She glanced at Rachel.

Rachel looked up, meeting her gaze. She blushed, looking flustered.

"It's fine, Izabella. I can just grab the coffee. I've done it before."

Rachel was always soft-spoken, which made her a target for bullies.

"But now you're my assistant. You don't need to do chores for others."

"I'm telling you, I'm fine." She bent down to pick up the money Kristin had left on the floor.

"Izabella, I have to go." And with that, Rachel rushed off.

"Rachel." Izabella called after her, but Rachel didn't turn back. She ran off into the distance, until she was out of sight.

Something was off. Izabella had been sensing it since morning.

"Huh." Kristin's sarcastic laugh broke Izabella's train of thought. "Some people are just born pushovers."

Izabella shot her a cold glance before being called away for lunch.

It was all her scenes in the afternoon; she didn't have time to dwell on it.

Rachel clutched the money in her hand, tears welling up. Her phone vibrated, making her heart jump. She nervously checked the text, tears streaming down her face. Rachel put down her bag, hugging it to her chest.

Looking at the contents inside, she choked back a sob and said, "I'm sorry. I need to save my mom. I'm sorry." Tears spilled onto the bag.

She needed a hefty sum to save her mom, and she was willing to stoop to this level.

Kristin had said that if she handed over the contents of the bag to someone, they would spare her mom and give her enough money for the treatment.

Raised by a single mother, Rachel's only wish was to make her mom happy by taking her on vacations to her favorite Pink Sea for photos.

But now her mom had been diagnosed with kidney failure and needed a transplant. The daily medical bills were through the roof, and her salary was nowhere near enough.

She also wanted to tell Izabella, but she knew Izabella didn't have that much money to lend her. Plus, her mom was still in Kristin's clutches, and she was afraid any careless move might put her mom in danger.

Rachel wiped the tears off her face, having made up her mind.

It's just a cat, she kept reassuring herself, as if that could somehow erase her guilt.

If anything happened to the cat, she'd buy Izabella a new one.

After all, the cat might be fine. It had a tracker on its collar, so maybe Izabella could quickly find it once she realized something was off.

Rachel comforted herself as she looked at a new text with a location. She clicked on it and started following the directions.

She found herself by the river and texted back, "Where are you?"

A reply came quickly.

"I can see you. Just stay where you are."

Rachel waited anxiously, with no one around, until a woman wearing a mask approached her.

"This is the cat?" The woman, with her mask and sunglasses hiding her face, had a mocking tone.

Rachel felt like she'd heard the woman's voice somewhere before, but she didn't have the energy to think about it at that moment. "Yes, this is the cat she always carries around with her."

"It's ugly, isn't it?"NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

Rachel didn't respond to her comment, instead asking, "If I give you the cat, you'll let my mom go, right?"

The woman seemed impatient. "Didn't Kristin make it clear? Why are you still asking? Hurry up and give me this ugly cat."

Rachel struggled: "You won't harm it, will you?"

The woman sneered, "You've already

el

brought it here, and you're still worried about what might happen to it? Don't worry about things you don't need to. You should use this money to treat your mom's illness."

Thinking about her mom, Rachel trembled and handed over the cat.

The cat seemed to sense danger. It started struggling in its carrier, making low noises. It kept ramming against the confines of its carrier, trying to look at Rachel.

But Rachel avoided its gaze. The woman handed her a card and said, "Here. Remember not to talk about what happened today."

Rachel took the card, nodding stiffly.

The woman gave a cold smile, took the cat carrier, and left. She looked down at the struggling cat inside, her face dark.

"Izabella, let's see how long you can be happy. You ruined my life, so I'll ruin what you love most."

She drove to the dump with the cat carrier in tow. She took off her mask, revealing herself to be Ariana, who had recently been blacklisted. She looked terrifyingly grim.

Ariana pulled out the items she had prepared: a knife, pliers, rope, gloves, a fire extinguisher, and a bottle of gasoline.

She put on the gloves and leisurely opened the cat carrier. The cat tried to bolt, but Ariana grabbed it by the neck.

No matter how strong a cat was, it's no match for a human. It was in pain as it struggled in her grip, trying to bite her, but she was wearing gloves, and its teeth couldn't penetrate. Its front claws had been damaged three years ago, and it had no nails to defend itself with.

Bella

Bella

"Mew-" Nikki's blue eyes showed fear. Ariana stared into its eyes with a sick smile on her face.

"It might hurt a bit soon; try to bear it." Ariana held Nikki's mouth, slowly looking at its sharp fangs.