The next morning, the façade of Noble Hotel gleamed in the soft, golden light of dawn, its elegant architecture a stark contrast to the somber mood that enveloped Mr. Stephen, his guys, Kathy, and Bella. As they stepped out gently, flanked by Mr. Stephen's imposing guards, the atmosphere was heavy with the weight of impending separation.
Bella, dressed in a simple yet elegant white sundress that highlighted her youthful beauty, struggled to hold back tears as she gazed up at her father. Kathy, standing beside her in a casual yet chic pair of distressed denim jeans and a pastel pink top, offered a reassuring presence, her arm wrapped protectively around Bella's shoulders.
Mr. Stephen, resplendent in a tailored navy blue suit that accentuated his authoritative presence, wore a somber expression as he gazed at Bella and Kathy. His guys, dressed in smart black attire, stood discreetly in the background, their faces expressionless.
As Mr. Stephen hugged Bella deeply at the entrance of the hotel, the sound of gentle sobs filled the air. "Take care of yourself, Bella," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "I'll miss you, Daddy," Bella replied, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own tears. Mr. Stephen smiled softly and replied, "I'll miss you too, sweetie." With one final glance, Mr. Stephen watched as his men escorted the girls to the car packed, and they drove off, leaving him to depart for Nigeria. His men returned the girls back to their apartment, ensuring their safe arrival.
Arriving at their apartment, the familiarity of home brought a mix of comfort and longing. As they entered the house, they settled onto the couch, Bella still carrying the weight of her emotions. She wrapped her arms around Kathy, holding her close as she whispered a silent prayer for her father's safe flight.
After a while, they retreated to their respective rooms to freshen up, the sound of running water and gentle humming filling the air. The mundane tasks of laundry and tidying up soon followed, bringing a sense of normalcy to their day.
Once they were done, they settled back onto the couch, this time with the television flickering to life as they flipped through channels. Their conversation drifted to the matriculation ceremony, and they giggled about the shocked reactions of their peers upon discovering Bella was a politician's daughter.
Bella was lost in her Instagram feed when Kathy jokingly nudged her to check her message requests.
"Yeah, check your message requests, maybe you've got some secret admirers
" Kathy said with a sly grin. Bella playfully rolled her eyes and navigated to the requests. That's when she saw it - a message sent a day ago from an unfamiliar account. Her curiosity piqued, she clicked on it and read the words.
The message was blunt and to the point, its words cutting deep into Bella's heart.
"You seem like a nice girl. Don't let a guy like Justin ruin you," the message began. Bella felt a lump form in her throat as she read on.
"He's been seen with that girl Chloe a lot during school hours. People are talking. He's just playing smart, be careful," the message continued. Bella's mind was racing with thoughts of Justin and Chloe, and the times she had seen them together.
The message's words were harsh, but they struck a chord within Bella. "You're too smart to fall for this. But you did, didn't you? He's not going to take you seriously. He never was. To him, it's just vibes, temporary fun," the message read. Bella felt a pang of sadness and regret.
The message went on to describe Justin's behavior, pointing out how he acted around her versus when others were around. "You haven't noticed how cold he gets in public? How he switches up when eyes are on him? Or how he never really defends you when people talk?" Bella thought back to her interactions with Justin, and she realized that the message was right.
The final blows came when the message revealed that Justin was often around Chloe when Bella wasn't around. "Justin is always around Chloe when you're not around. Sometimes during class hours. Just thought you should know before you waste more of your heart. Justin is not the right guy for you," the message concluded.
Bella felt like she had been punched in the gut. The message's words were painful, but they also brought her a sense of clarity.
Bella's expression changed, and a mix of emotions crossed her face. Kathy noticed the shift and asked, "What's wrong?" Bella handed her the phone, her eyes welling up with tears. Kathy took the phone and read the message, her brow furrowing in concern. "Who tf sent this?" she asked, examining the account. It had only 10 followers and 0 following, and the account name seemed mysterious "truth teller".
Bella's voice trembled as she spoke. "Is Justin really using me? No wonder he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend...now I know who he truly is. I knew something was going on between him and Chloe, I just knew it."
Her words poured out like a confession, filled with hurt and suspicion.
Kathy's expression turned thoughtful as she tried to offer some perspective. "What if it wasn't true?" she asked gently. "You know you can't believe everything you read online and jump into conclusions like that, Bella."
Kathy's words were cautious, urging Bella to consider the possibility that the message might not be accurate. She wanted Bella to think clearly before reacting.
Bella's voice was laced with conviction as she replied, "Don't say that, Kathy, it's true." Her eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and disappointment. "If Justin had loved me, he'd have asked me to be his girlfriend by now, we've been together for 4 months. He wasn't even genuine."
Kathy tried to offer a different perspective. "Why not text him and ask him about it?" she suggested, her tone soft. But Bella was resolute.
"I'm not going to text him," she said firmly.
"It's not needed. I'm not going to look desperate. I'm more than that."
Kathy nodded understandingly. "Just play it cool, Bella. Don't let this get to you," she advised, her voice calm. Bella took Kathy's words to heart and decided to take action. She opened her Instagram and began deleting her stories and posts featuring her and Justin. With each deletion, she felt a sense of liberation. She wanted to erase the reminders of her unrequited feelings and the shock of the message.
As she clicked delete, Bella felt a sense of closure. She was taking control of her narrative, and it felt empowering. With a newfound sense of determination, Bella closed her Instagram app, ready to move on from the heartache.
****
Back at Melanie's place, Talia, and Rina couldn't help but wonder if Bella had seen the anonymous message.
"Let's check her account,"
Talia suggested, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "If she takes down any posts, it means she's seen it."
The three girls quickly went into Bella's Instagram account, and their jaws dropped as they saw her follower count had skyrocketed from 70k to 305k.
"Girl, she's passed your followers," Rina said, nudging Melanie.
Melanie chuckled, "Oh girl, I'm not even a politician's daughter, and I have 90k followers." They all burst out laughing, agreeing that Bella's newfound fame was undeniable.
As they scrolled through Bella's stories, Talia suddenly screamed, "Jeez, she deleted her posts with Justin!" The other two girls rushed to check her posts, and indeed, the ones featuring Justin were gone. "Mission accomplished," Melanie whispered, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Bella would probably be in tears," Rina added, giggling.
But then Rina posed a question, "What if this doesn't change anything?" Melanie's response was confident. "It would. She'll change her perspective of seeing Justin." The three girls laughed, high-fiving each other as they celebrated their successful plan. Their laughter echoed through the room, a mix of amusement and satisfaction.
As they continued to gloat, Talia said, "Let's keep an eye on her account. This is going to be fun." Rina nodded in agreement. "We'll see how she reacts to this." Melanie smiled mischievously. "This is just the beginning." The three girls clinked their hands together in a promise to keep watching the drama unfold.
****
Bella's eyes were fixed on the phone, her mind reeling from the anonymous message. Kathy, sensing her friend's turmoil, reached for the phone. "What do you want to use it for?" Bella asked, her voice laced with skepticism.
"I want to reply to the message and challenge whoever said it," Kathy replied, her fingers hovering over the screen. But Bella swiftly intervened, "No, it's of no need. Just leave it alone. Life goes on anyway."
Just then, Bella's phone rang, shrill in the silence. Justin's name flashed on the screen, and Bella's gaze lingered on it, her thoughts a jumble of emotions. The phone rang three times before she finally let it go to voicemail.
A text message from Justin followed,
"Hi babe, are you okay, and are you still at Noble Hotel or you've left?"
The text seemed casual, but Bella's eyes narrowed as she read the words. The term "babe" that Justin used didn't sit well with her anymore, especially after the anonymous message she had received. She wondered if Justin was genuinely concerned about her or just checking in out of habit. Despite Kathy's suggestion to respond and clarify things, Bella decided to ignore the message for now. She wasn't ready to talk to Justin or pretend everything was fine when it wasn't..
Kathy noticed her friend's silence and gently asked again , "Do you know what to do concerning Justin?"
Bella's response was resolute. "I know." Her voice was firm, a sense of determination underlying her words. Kathy nodded, understanding that Bella had made up her mind about how to proceed. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken decisions, as Bella weighed her next move.
*****
Justin walked into John's room, finding his friend engrossed in a game. "Hey, man, I'm having a bit of an issue," Justin said, flopping down on the bed.
John paused his game and turned to Justin. "What's up?"
"Bella read my messages and didn't reply. I called her and she didn't pick up," Justin explained, a hint of concern in his voice.
John's expression turned thoughtful. "Did you do anything wrong to her?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
Justin shook his head. "I don't remember doing anything wrong. The last time we spoke, it went well. Maybe she's busy or still with her dad, you know the attention and all. She'll reply soon," Justin said, trying to brush it off.
John nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, maybe you're right. She's probably just caught up with something. She'll get back to you." John's calm demeanor seemed to ease Justin's worries, but a flicker of doubt remained in Justin's mind.
Justin's anxiety had subsided slightly as he reflected on John's words. Feeling more composed, he sent Bella another message. "Hey."
Moments later, Bella replied, "Hi, back at my apartment." Justin showed the message to John, and they both commented that her response seemed a bit dry, but maybe she was just tired.
Undeterred, Justin asked Bella if she wanted to meet up for a stroll. "Mind seeing you for a stroll?" he sent, hoping for a positive response.
Hours passed before Bella replied, saying she was tired and needed rest since she had just gotten back from the hotel. Justin's response was brief: "Okay." Bella didn't read the message, leaving Justin wondering about her silence.
When Justin shared Bella's dry responses with John, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. This wasn't the Bella he knew, who was usually warm and engaging. Still, Justin convinced himself that maybe she was just having a bad day, and he held onto the hope of seeing her on Monday morning when students would be calmly heading to class.