Twisted Ties of Love

The elevator required iris recognition to work, and Nathaniel passed out. Once he came to, he wouldn't let her leave. Even if she could get downstairs now, Nathaniel's henchmen would be waiting for her. She couldn't fight them off.

At this point, she was like a bird trapped in a cage. Even if she could fly out, there were a million traps outside. Danger could strike at any moment.

Izabella stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the shadows patrolling below, her hand on the window tightening.

She returned to Nathaniel, removing his tie to bind his legs, and then began to check if he had a mobile phone.

She wasn't sure if he had seen this coming, so he didn't bring a phone from the start and no internet or communication devices. She might be trapped here.

She had two choices. One was to use Nathaniel as a hostage to escape, and the other was to wait for someone outside to save her.

The second choice seemed more reliable. She had not gone back and had not contacted anyone, so Toby would definitely notice something was off.

Her plan now was to ensure her own safety, to make Nathaniel's men not dare to do anything to her.

Izabella looked at Nathaniel tied to the chair, her heart filled with rage. Her hatred for Nathaniel was no less than for Brett.

Not only did he hurt her, but he also killed Ryker and ruined Bell.

Izabella grabbed Nathaniel's hair and forcibly lifted his head, her other hand clamped around his neck. It seemed like she could kill him with just a little force.

However, Izabella's rationality was not swallowed by anger. If she killed Nathaniel now, then she really wouldn't be able to escape.

Izabella let go of Nathaniel. She turned around and sat on the couch, curling up, her head on her knees. In her heart, she thought, "Casey, I wish you could come to save me now. Didn't you say you'd be by my side when I needed you? When will you come?"

Even though this place had changed entirely, it still stirred up a lot of painful memories for her.

After Casey and Izabella parted, Casey called the hotel suite he had reserved to cancel his order.

He was injured and couldn't drive, and he always needed a chauffeur. After he got away, he started to regret leaving Izabella alone there.

But he also didn't know how to face Izabella, so he called Toby to inquire about the situation.

"Ms. Salotti called me, and she said she was going home first."

"Oh, I see."

Toby felt it was a bit odd but didn't ask further. Knowing that Izabella had gone home, Casey felt a sense of unease.

This unease continued until he got home, where he locked himself in his room.

Bunny found it strange that he came home so early. Normally, Casey would be celebrating Izabella's first successful film. He even went to the set to pick her up, and he shouldn't have come home so early. And seeing the person he liked, he should be happy when he returned, right? Why was he locked in his room?

Ever since Casey had pulled out his tooth in private, Bunny didn't dare to leave him alone in his room.

She first had the maid check the situation, making sure Casey hadn't brought any dangerous items into the room before she felt a little relieved.

She walked to the door of Casey's room, looked at the closed door, hesitated momentarily, then knocked.

"Casey."

There was no response from the room.

Bunny knocked again. This time, Casey responded.

"What was that?"

"Can I come in?"

The room instantly quieted down. Bunny tried the doorknob and found it wasn't locked, and she gently pushed the door open, seeing the curtains were not drawn, only a faint light from the edge of the curtains. The room was dim.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Casey leaning against the head of the bed.

"Casey."

Casey's head was down, and Bunny couldn't see his expression. His phone was at his feet, and the screen showed Izabella's contact information.

It seemed the problem was with Izabella.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Since the day Casey pulled out his tooth, she had noticed there was a problem between him and Izabella.

Casey had always been indifferent, and he had always done as he pleased in the entertainment industry. Very few people could affect his mood.

But he did something as drastic as pulling out a tooth because of Izabella, which she couldn't understand what kind of conflict had occurred between them.

But it was a matter between the two of them, and she couldn't interfere.

"Weren't you supposed to be celebrating Izabella's success at the hotel this afternoon? How come you're back so early?"

Casey said in a low voice, "I didn't go."

"Did something happen between you two?"

Casey didn't answer.

Bunny sighed. She crouched down on the floor, leaning against the bed, close to Casey.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Bunny tried to get closer to Casey, but seeing that he didn't resist, she reached out to stroke the back of his head, soothing him gently. Her touch was gentle, Casey's heart softened, and he mumbled, "Mom, what would you do if Dad married you because you looked like his ex-girlfriend?"

"He wouldn't dare!" Bunny cut him off before he could finish, "If he did that, I'd make him regret it!"

Beck Dempsey, far away, got the chills for no apparent reason. He looked at the dark sky outside the window, feeling like something bad was about to happen.

Casey was startled by his mother's words, and his guard temporarily lowered.

"I was just asking. Take it as a metaphor."

Bunny wasn't a fool, and she understood the crux of the matter immediately.

Casey didn't like metaphors, especially when it came to the word "substitute."

"Did Izabella treat you like her ex-boyfriend?" she asked.

Casey stiffened.

Bunny paused her hand, rubbing the back of her head, deep in thought, then said, "No way, my son is too good-looking to be someone's stand-in. Do you have a picture of that guy?"

"No."

"Do you feel that Izabella liked you because you resemble her ex?"

"It's not a feeling, it's a fact."

"So where's her ex now?" Bunny asked.

"He's dead," Casey simply replied.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

"Do you still believe in this replacement love? That was a new age. You're caught in your own emotional mess, and you couldn't think straight. Casey, do you really think Izabella was with you just because of another guy?"

"Wasn't that the truth?" Casey

laughed sarcastically, "I always

thought she liked me until I saw a picture of the guy she liked. I realized that she liked my smile. She stared at my face because I looked like him, not because I was Casey. I asked her today if she could forget about him and be with me, but she rejected me."

Bunny frowned, stood up, opened the curtains, and turned on the light.

"Casey, looked at me," Bunny said, standing in front of him.

Casey looked up, surprised by the serious look on Bunny's face, a first in his memory as if he had done something wrong.

"You wanted Izabella to forget the guy in her heart and be with you? Wasn't that forcing her? Let's not discuss how that guy died, but his being in Izabella's memory indicates his significance." Bunny crouched down, her hands gently cradling Casey's face.

"Forgetting was scarier than aging, and being forgotten was scarier than forgetting. If one day Izabella was gone, and I asked you to forget her, will you?"

"How could Izabella be gone?" Casey quickly retorted.

"We can't control life and death. Who can guarantee to always stay by someone's side? But Casey, even if someone dies, they can still live in someone else's heart. You can't stop someone from remembering another person. That's just selfish."

Casey stared blankly at Bunny, his eyes slowly turning red. He looked like a lost puppy.

Bunny laughed and said, "As for

Izabella's feelings, you don't need to worry that she's with you because of someone else. The day you had a car accident, she ran to the hospital to see you without even changing her costume and makeup. That was proof enough of your place in her heart. You didn't need to doubt yourself, and you were unique."

Casey slowly rested his head on Bunny's lap. After a while, he softly replied.

"You should be thankful to that guy. His kindness to Izabella gave you such a wonderful Izabella. And because of him, you could meet Izabella and stand by her side. You should remember the good things people do for you, not the bad. That way, you'll live easier."

"Mom," Casey called out.

"What was that?"

"Thank you."

Bunny chuckled, gently patting Casey's head, "If you had talked to me about this earlier, you wouldn't have so many worries. Consider ita lesson. In the future, remember to communicate more, don't lock yourself up in your room, and don't overthink. If I were like you, I don't know how many times I would have divorced your father. You are enjoying a bright future."

Casey nodded. Just like Bunny said, he tended to become indecisive and then isolated himself, not communicating. He just needed to think carefully. Izabella's feelings for him were not entirely because of this guy named "Ryker."

His relationship with Izabella was built step by step. The image of Izabella taking care of him in the hospital and her concerned gaze, how could he suddenly forget that?

He suddenly felt relaxed. Casey grabbed his hair, and he was so foolish to just realize this now.

Brett and Nathaniel were obviously jealous of his relationship with Izabella. They wanted to break them apart, and he was stupid enough to almost fall for their deception! Bunny handed her phone to Casey, "Izabella was waiting for you. Call her then."

"

"Got it."

Casey unlocked his phone, the screen still on Izabella's number. He dialed it right away. The call rang for more than ten seconds, but no one answered.

"Was Izabella busy?"

"Maybe."

What could she be busy with at that time? Casey checked the time, and it was four in the afternoon. Maybe she's sleeping?

Casey dialed again, but still no answer.

"Was she angry at you?"

Casey's face turned serious instantly. He stood up, his eyes filled with anger.

"Something happened to Izabella."

Casey had a hunch. The first time he called, she didn't pick up, maybe she was busy; but the second time, the call was directly hung up. That was not Izabella's style.

Her phone might not be with her.

"Mom, I need some people to find Izabella. She might be in danger."

Bunny's face turned serious, too. That couldn't be delayed. She immediately sent people to check and followed Casey to find Izabella.

Casey wanted to check the signal information of Izabella's phone, but the other party was obviously alert and turned off the phone.

Sitting in the car, Casey felt both angry and anxious. If he hadn't left Izabella then, she probably wouldn't be in danger, and this was his negligence. Casey slapped himself hard, and the slap woke him up. He almost forgot about Toby.

Toby was the bodyguard he introduced to Izabella, and his main job was to protect Izabella's safety, he couldn't be unprepared.

Casey was a little hopeful. He called Toby and told him what happened.

"Don't worry, she won't be in danger, and I have her location information."

The location info was tucked away in the ring. As long as Izabella didn't take it off, he can track her down.

Toby didn't beat around the bush, and he immediately dug up the location info, shot it over to Casey, and then they hightailed it over there.