Novels by Bella Cruz

Anastacia had no choice but to oblige her friends’ demands. She didn't want to, but saying no would raise suspicion. If Andrew had been someone influential—a man with pedigree, a last name that made heads turn—she wouldn’t have waited to be told before proudly dragging him to their table. But Andrew’s case was different. He was a nobody. Not from a notable family, not the owner of any business. Nothing about him screamed success. Just a desperate man who married her for the sake of leeching off her family’s fortune. That’s what she told herself. That’s how she justified the disgust bubbling in her chest. To her, he was a disgrace. An unwanted shadow tied to her name. Nothing more. Still, with measured steps and a hollow expression, she walked toward Andrew’s table. This was going to be unpleasant, but backing out would make it worse.She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “My friends want you to come join us at our table,” she said, the words sliding off her tongue with

That word—“husband”—annoyed Anastacia to the brim. But she still maintained a calm demeanor and tried to keep her cool. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break down, not now, not ever. She took a controlled breath, fingers curling beneath the table as her painted nails pressed lightly into her palm. She could already feel the judgment thickening in the air like perfume—too sweet, too suffocating. This was the part about this sham marriage that she had dreaded the most—when her friends and the influential people she knew would eventually find out about Andrew. She had rehearsed a dozen versions of this day in her mind, prayed it would stay in the realm of speculation until the quiet, discreet divorce. But now, here it was, thrown on the table like some scandalous appetizer. Eyes were watching. Ears were tuned in. Her armor had to stay intact, flawless, as always. They wouldn’t see her sweat.She had been friends with this group since high school, but deep down she

“C’mon, it’s not possible that you would know someone like that,” Paul said, his voice edged with disdain as he leaned closer to Dorothy. He lifted his wine glass lazily, swirling the golden liquid inside without taking a sip. His gaze flicked briefly toward the direction Andrew had gone. They had all watched the brief incident that had unfolded between Mirian and Andrew. None of them had commented at first, but their eyes had said enough— even if Andrew wasn't a waiter as Mirain had mistaken him for , he didn't seem far from that .But there was a question lingering through their mind "How did he get a vip pass ? “Who knows, he might have gotten a free invite or something,” Paul said out loud as he smiled without warmth, clearly amused by the idea that someone dressed like that could be allowed in a place like this.“Paul is right. Where do you think you could possibly know someone like that?” Mirian asked dismissively , her voice laced with disdain .Dorothy looked over to Andr

“Get me an extra wine glass,” the voice, which belonged to Mirian—one of Anastacia’s friends—ordered again, this time harsher than the first.Andrew didn’t say a word to the lady to clarify that he wasn't a waiter. He didn’t need to. Even a blind man could see that he wasn't wearing the same uniform as the waiters. His outfit—a dark, unbranded polo shirt tucked into plain, well-fitted jeans—stood out against the polished uniform of the restaurant’s waiters. But the woman wasn’t blind. She was being deliberately condescending.Her tone had the sharpness of someone used to belittling strangers. It wasn’t the first time someone mistook him for less than he was, but Andrew didn’t react. He’d learned that silence sometimes hits harder than protest. He stared at her for half a second then turned his face away, impassive. He wasn’t here for drama. Anastacia shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she tried to hide the fury brimming inside her.She was pissed, but not because her friend was

The next day, Andrew went about his day, and was heading home that evening. He hadn’t eaten all day, and his stomach grumbled with irritation, but he barely noticed. His mind wandered until something suddenly clicked. He remembered that one of the men had given him a voucher.Andrew dug into his wallet and pulled out the voucher. The paper felt crisp and cold in his hand. It was a one million dollar voucher to one of the top restaurants in Jashem City. A ridiculous amount, too extravagant to ignore. He blinked at it, then tucked it back into his wallet with a low sigh. He decided to go eat first with the free voucher before heading home.Half an hour later, Andrew arrived at the Mountain Palace Restaurant—a 100-storey skyscraper that lit up the city skyline.Wind pressed gently against his coat as he looked up at the towering building, its glass panels reflecting the early night. It wasn’t just a restaurant. It was a landmark. It was one of the top seven-star restaurants in the cit

Mr. Devon sat in his leather chair, hands steepled, his eyes fixed on the TV screen like his life was dependent on it .The room was dim except for the light from the screen, flickering across his hard-set face. The room was wrapped in silence until the door creaked. One of his men leaned in, said something in a hush. Mr. Devon didn’t shift, his voice came low and deliberate—“Let him in.” Immediately Jackson stormed in like a man on fire, his jaw set, eyes cutting across the room before settling on Devon. He didn’t sit. Didn’t greet. Just folded his arms and fired off, “Where are we with the plan?” The edge in his voice was sharp but Devon didn’t blink.He paused for a moment , a smirk curled around his lips ,then he pointed his finger at the TV. “Our plan is set,” Mr.Devon said, his eyes still glued to the TV. “That news is our plan.” Jackson narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The screen showed a smiling woman holding a child, her name flashing in

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