Novels by Bella Cruz

Amik had gotten home that night,his shoulders heavy with the weight of the day’s humiliation. The air inside his penthouse was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the sharp clicks of his polished shoes against the marble floor. His mind replayed the scene at the lounge —Andrew’s cold smirk, the way the other executives had turned their backs as if he were nothing. The memory burned like acid in his chest. His friend, Daniel, was already there, pacing the length of the living room like a caged animal. The television screen flickered with muted news coverage—Amik Corporation’s stocks plummeting, analysts dissecting his downfall with clinical detachment. Daniel’s face was pale, his fingers twitching at his sides as if he wanted to punch something. The moment Amik stepped in, Daniel whirled around, his eyes wild. “What the hell happened, Amik? What did I see on TV?” His voice was a blade, slicing through the quiet. Amik exhaled, his fingers tightening around the glass

His voice, once proud and sharp, broke down into pleading. “I-I’m sorry,” Amik stammered, hands trembling, “Please… I didn’t know… If I had known… I swear, I wouldn’t have…” He looked up at Andrew like a drowning man begging for rope. “I was wrong. I was so wrong. Please forgive me. Just one chance, just one.” But Andrew didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He didn’t show the rage they had mocked, or the power they had denied. He only looked at Amik with the same quiet calm that had shaken them all to the core. It was that stillness that made it unbearable. “I didn’t know,” Amik repeated, now more desperately. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know who you were!” Amik begged harder, his voice growing more frantic. He promised anything, everything—money, favors, loyalty—but deep down, he knew it was too late. It was all his fault . His voice was shaking, words tumbling over each other, but Andrew’s expression didn’t change. There was no mercy in his eyes. He had given him chan

Amik laughed, loud and careless, the sound ringing through the room. “Don’t tell me you actually believed what this lowlife just said?” He tilted his head, smiling as if he had just witnessed the most ridiculous lie of the century. His words dripped with mockery, his voice full of arrogance. He spoke like a man too sure of the air he breathed, too unaware that it could be taken from him. He looked around for agreement, waiting for the others to join in, but his laughter began to echo back at him. The room didn’t laugh with him this time. There was a pause. A long one. Then a voice snapped through the silence like a crack in glass. "He was telling the truth!" one of the men shouted back, his voice cracking with urgency, and instantly, every pair of eyes in the room jerked toward the television mounted on the wall. And just like that, nothing else in the room mattered anymore. The screen lit up with the red-and-white logo of a news station known for breaking high-priori

Andrew slowly took the phone away from his ear, his thumb still resting on the screen. He didn’t blink. He didn’t move. His face stayed calm—too calm. But the room around him was not. Suddenly, loud laughter exploded in the air, sharp and mocking. It was cruel. It was on purpose. Each laugh was louder and meaner than the last, filled with pride and disbelief. They weren’t just laughing at what he said. They were laughing at the idea that someone like him could say it and actually believe it. One of them clapped loudly, almost choking in his amusement. “You hear that?! He cancelled the contract,” he managed to gasp, slapping the armrest beside him. “The bloody contract! What’s next? He owns Jashem too?!” Another man snorted and leaned in, eyes glinting with ridicule. “Only the chairman can make that call. And last I checked, the chairman doesn’t wear cheap jeans and second-hand shoes.” The laughter doubled. It wasn’t just sound—it was assault. “You must really enj

Andrew was slightly taken aback himself, though not in the way they thought. He hadn't known Amik had partnered with his company. Not because it wasn’t important, but because he hadn’t been keeping up. The CEO had begged him to visit the Jashem branch, to see the numbers, the growth, to meet the new partners. But Andrew hadn’t had the time—or the interest. He had poured his all into that company . He’d built it brick by brick. And when it began to rise, he didn’t cling to it. He didn’t need to see its shadow to know it still stood strong. He set it up to grow without him. He had built ten branches in the ten cities. Each one planted like a seed with deep roots. He had no idea the Jashem branch had grown so much. That it now commanded this kind of attention. That it had the clout to make or break careers. Andrew chuckled softly. The world is small. Smaller than pride. Still, he wouldn’t use it against the man. Not yet. He wouldn’t tamper with Amik’s contract. Bu

Silence fell in the room, Thick and heavy . No one spoke, not even Amik. Every man in that lounge had gone still, as if suddenly realizing they’d been standing beside royalty and hadn’t known it. Every man in that lounge knew exactly who he was now. “This is Amik Brandon, the CEO of Amiklin Corp” One of the men said out loud , his voice trembling with amazement “Of course it's him !” Another yelled in astonishment Amik Brandon. The man the whole of Jashem was buzzing about. The man whose name had been plastered across every media channel four days ago after the shocking announcement that A and U Group had partnered with him. A partnership of that level was unheard of. Almost mythical. Every tech CEO in the city had been trying for years to get A and U’s attention, and yet somehow, Amik had done it. Practically overnight, he'd become Jashem’s newest obsession. People wanted to know how he pulled it off. Was it innovation? Was it bribery? Was it sheer luck? It didn

Meanwhile, back at the Mortan’s mansion,the atmosphere was gloomy with their gazes fixed on the TV screen. Oliva stared in disbelief, her heart brimming with anger “How could they do this to me?! “She yelled, not exactly directing the questions at anyone “There is more to this, you said Leono requested for the video before agreeing to give you the contract. So how come they are cancelling the contract” Mrs Veronica asked, her voice laced with shock "You caused all this Olivia! such a thing was asked from you and you gave it out without informing us first, now you can see what it has cost us! Mr Kendrick yelled, his voice dripping with fury " Oliva your father is right, how could you? Your sister is serving a 20 year jail term and now your brother, had also been sentenced 30 years, all because of your selfishness ”Mrs Veronica lamented “How is it my fault mommy? They choose that path, how am I the one to blame, was I the one who asked Anita not to go to school and instead choose

A few minutes later, Denzel joined his grandfather and uncle in the sitting room. After settling down, Denzel began without delay “Grandpa, how did Montage manage to become the COO of K. D Leon? He wasn't even able to do anything when brickwell stole K. D Leon's design and now, he is sending men after my life”Denzel said, his tone laced with subtle anger "Son…” Grandpa Leon said and paused as if pondering on something “Montage was my loyal assistant for 10 years before I decided to make him the COO, as at that time, he was the best candidate for the position . Although his performance dropped, because he started to feel comfortable, coupled with my illness, I wasn't always there to monitor everything like I used to,but he never came off as someone that could be able to hurt a fly, talk more of killing his future chairman So son, are you one hundred percent sure that it was montage who sent those men?” Grandpa Leon said calmly, adjusting his glasses Denzel opened his mouth to tal

A few hours later, Denzel, Amanda and Ellias were seated in the car as his butler, Mike drove the car. They had dropped Mr.Dave at his busstop and were on their way to drop Ellis before heading back home. “So how did this happen Amanda? Denzel asked, his gaze fixed on the laptop sitting on his laps. “Young master, It was Amanda's fault” Ellias cut in sharply, giving Amanda a side glare “How was I supposed to know that it was a trap”Amanda counted, rolling her eyes at Elias “I warned you… "Ellias I need you to keep shut! Amanda go on ”Denzel said sternly , cutting off Ellais from what he was about to say “Ok young master, ” Amanda let out a deep breath as she began “After we ended the call and I escorted the testifiers and their families to take the secret route to the airport, I returned back to the court to pick up Ellias because he didn't come with his car. And Mr. Dave's car also happened to have developed a fault, so the three of us headed home in my car. H

“What do you mean by, everyone is dead and you are the only one surviving ?!” the man growled, his eyes blazing with fire “S.s… s ...sir the man released the snakes on everyone, but I managed to escape before anyone else noticed” the man on his knees stuttered, his voice laced with fear and trepidation. “What rubbish are you spewing?! How did he get the box from you Amon? Amon was in possession of that box and it was supposed to be released on those people”The furious man barked, his voice dripping with venom “S…s..sir Mr. Amon released the snakes from the box, but the mysterious man controlled the snakes and it went back into the box.”The man said, his gaze fixed to the ground because he wouldn’t dare look his boss in the face while saying something that sounded so ridiculous. “Are you listening to yourself?” Mr Philip snapped, slamming his hands on the coffee table After K. D Leon won the court case, they got information from an insider that the lost grandson of the K. D Leons

Everyone in the room let out a horror filled gasp as they stared at the shattered glass on the floor and back at Denzel. The men trembled in fear as their heart banged furiously against their chest. A few minutes ago, they felt confident and secured hiding at the back of that tempered glass, and in less than a minute, the glass was shattered on the floor, leaving them at the mercy of the mysterious man. At this point, they knew they were done for, and with just a whistle from the man , the black zambars would pour out from that box they were in and attack them. Their bodies shook in fear, and one by one, they all went down on their knees, surrendering to the mysterious man standing tall in front of them. 9 of the men were all on their knees except Mr. Amon who stood dumbfounded, as his body trembled involuntarily,still he refused to surrender. “Please sir, forgive us, we are sorry” “We will never return to our evil ways# “Please have mercy, I don't want to die” “I have a fam

Standing at the entrance was Denzel, his chest heaved up and down as sweat streamed down his muscled body. “Sir please you need to leave , grandpa Leon won't survive if he hears that you are dead” Amanda cried as her heart thumped in fear At this point, Amanda wasn't thinking about herself, the day she swore to be Denzel’s right hand man and assistant, she also swore to lay her life on the line in place of his, if need be. But now, they were both helpless with no one to save the other. “You don't need to bother about me, I will get you guys out of here”Denzel said confidently, his voice firm and laced with assurance Meanwhile, one of the men had rushed out of the room and sneaked up to Denzel’s back “Watch your back young master! ” Amanda yelled, but it was too late as the man had forcefully pushed Denzel into the room and locked the door behind him. A roar of laughter reverberated from the other side of the room covered with a large transparent glass, where the men watched fro