Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 486

Throughout Casey's filming period, Izabella had managed to deal with Bell's family.

Fredric, tragically succumbed to rabies due to an infected wound, while Ron and Myra were abducted and forced to work in a sweatshop. Myra became paralyzed and was dependent on Ron, who begged in the streets daily.

Soon, the sweatshop was reported and shut down, with Ron and Myra rescued and returned to their village.

Bedridden and barely lucid, Myra spent her days cursing Bell.

Ron, on the other hand, lived in a daze, never venturing out of his house after returning home. Bell had paid them to sever all family ties and had even changed her identity after receiving her new passport. Nathaniel was also considering a new life for her, to transform her into a completely different person.

Even if anyone were to investigate Bell, they wouldn't find anything.

From the moment Nathaniel helped Bell change her name to "Izabella", Bell ceased to exist in this world.

Casey didn't inform Izabella about his return, but the director did and asked her to ensure that Casey wouldn't slack off.

Upon hearing about Casey's early return, Izabella planned a surprise for him, booking a restaurant, preparing his favorite dishes, setting up a candlelight dinner with red roses, and even arranging a violin for him.

Her body was no longer the one she used to have, and her hands were not the same as before. She could eat, write, work, use a mobile phone, and of course, play the violin.

Her fingers were nimble and well-maintained. As she touched the violin and gazed at it, a faint smile appeared on her face. The violin had been her childhood dream, which she thought she would never be able to realize. But now, she could pick it up again.

Izabella touched the violin strings and started to feel like playing. She placed the violin on her shoulder, put the bow on the strings, and slowly closed her eyes.

The piece she performed was Josh Vietti's Here is the Love.

The upbeat and relaxed violin sound filled the quiet restaurant, making it even more serene. Even the sound of the waitstaff walking was muted.

The waitstaff, who were preparing for the evening, watched Izabella intently.

The familiar melody flowed slowly from the strings.

The meticulously arranged roses seemed to lose their color as everyone's attention was drawn to the woman on stage.

Izabella was wearing a red dress that day, looking even more vibrant than the roses.

Such a vibrant red color made her already fair skin, which was glowing, look even more eye-catching.

The music reached outside the restaurant, causing many passersby to stop and look in. However, they were politely turned away by the waitstaff. "Sorry, the restaurant has been reserved."

Someone asked in confusion, "Is someone proposing?"

The waiter just shook his head and smiled, "I'm not sure."

A passerby uttered pitifully, "I really want to see who is playing the violin."

Would they be shocked if they knew that the person playing the violin was the popular actress Izabella?

Izabella stood straight and looked elegant.

With her eyes closed and a smile on her lips, her fair hands held the bow. The romantic and lingering melody, with a touch of cheerfulness, moved people's hearts and made them listen attentively. It was as if bunches of flowers were blooming, butterflies were dancing, and sweetness was the only thing they could feel.

Those who were most surprised were the people who saw this scene in person. If they weren't sworn to secrecy, they would have definitely recorded this moment.

People thought that Izabella was just acting, and there were rumors online that she had a low education level, not even going to college before entering the entertainment circle. But they didn't expect Izabella to be able to play the violin.

Moreover, the emotion and melody could not be achieved without considerable effort and time. It was impossible to perform like this without a solid foundation!

Would those who blindly ridicule Izabella online be shocked if they saw this scene? Would they feel ashamed?

There were also some Izabella's casual fans who became dedicated fans after seeing this. They felt an inexplicable feeling which made their eyes red.

Izabella really was excellent.

With only a few listeners around, she stood there like a beam of light, attracting everyone's attention. She was confident, beautiful, proud, and every move she made was charming.

After finishing the piece, Izabella took a long breath, opened her eyes, and found a couple of restaurant waitstaff watching her. She was startled, and then bowed to them. Applause rang out.

Izabella took out her phone. At this time, Casey should be about to land. When he got his luggage and came back, it would be just in time for dinner at six.

Izabella sent Casey a text message, then turned to Toby, "Toby, if you don't have anything to do, you can go back and rest. You don't need to protect me every day." Toby shook his head, "Mr. Dempsey asked me to protect you well, so I will do my duty during his absence."

"He'll be back soon."

"Yeah, but he's not here yet, is he?"

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Toby, Izabella chose to remain silent. She knew that Toby was trying to protect her.

"I'll go to the washroom, wait for me here."

Toby nodded.

Toby naturally couldn't follow her to the restroom. The restaurant was reserved by Izabella today, and there were very few people, even fewer staff than usual.

The restroom had a separate door that was closed. From the door handle, you could tell whether there was anyone inside. Izabella washed her hands, and then went in.

As soon as she opened the door, she found someone inside. Izabella quickly reacted, hurriedly closed the door and said, "Sorry, I didn't know someone was inside."

But something was wrong; the restaurant was reserved by her today. In theory, only the staff should be here, but they usually wouldn't use this restroom. And from the glance she had just now, although she didn't see it clearly, the person inside seemed too burly to be a woman.

In just two or three seconds, Izabella sensed danger. The quiet restroom suddenly became eerie. Izabella's body moved faster, and she quickly ran out of the restroom.

She just opened her mouth when a large hand grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her back. Izabella screamed and tried to hold onto the door frame. If she could move forward just a bit more, she could escape.

Caught by the hair, her head was yanked back, revealing a man dressed in a diner's uniform with a mask that hid all but his fierce eyes. A hand clamped over her mouth, the distinct scent of a drug heavy in the palm.

After a few seconds of struggle, Izabella was forced to inhale the substance. Her head felt heavier, and no sound could escape her lips. Eventually, her body slumped and she spiraled into unconsciousness. The lights in the diner were turned off at that moment, plunging the area into darkness.

When Izabella woke, she found herself in a vehicle. She was still groggy from the drug's effects.

Unsure of how long she had been out, the dim light in the car suggested it was around seven or eight o'clock.

The unfamiliar surroundings combined with the dim lighting made the environment eerily ominous.

She tried to feign unconsciousness, hoping to glean some information about those who had kidnapped her.

But the men in the car remained silent. Including herself and the driver, there were five of them.

Izabella's hands were tied behind her back. After being in one position for so long, her hands were numb. Her phone was gone, presumably thrown away, and she couldn't feel the ring on her finger either. To an outsider, the ring was nothing more than a piece of jewelry. Now it was missing, and the only explanation was that it had been discarded.

It could mean one of two things. Either they had discovered the ring's secret, or they knew about it from the start.

The ring held a GPS tracker, a sharp blade capable of cutting through ropes, and a dose of sedative.

She had used the sedative on Nathaniel once. If he thought back to what happened, he might be able to figure it out.

Could it be that these kidnappers were sent by Nathaniel?

Her pretense of sleep was soon discovered by the man nearest to her, who yanked her hair.

"Awake, are you? Why play dead?"

"I was wondering why she wasn't waking up after all this time. Turns out she was just pretending."

"Where's my phone?" Izabella asked.

"Thrown away, of course. Did you expect us to leave it with you so you could call for help? Not just your phone, we threw away your ring, necklace, earrings, and hairpins. Don't even think about escaping. Ever with wings, you wouldn't be able to fly out of here."

Izabella took a shallow breath, trying to calm herself. There were too many of them, and all her defensive tools were gone. Her only option was to bide her time and wait for rescue. Pointless struggle would only consume her energy.

There was an eerie silence in the car.

"Who sent you?" Izabella finally asked. "What do you want with me? Is it ransom? Or are you after something else?"

She had many enemies. While she had resolved many issues, potential threats still lingered.

The biggest threats were Nathaniel and Brett.

Brett was ruthless, and Izabella had no doubt he could stoop to kidnapping.

Nathaniel, too, was a plausible suspect. After realizing he was in love with Bell, he didn't want Izabella to occupy Bell's body, hence becoming resentful.

They could learn that she had reserved the restaurant and kidnap her in the restroom. The kidnapping seemed premeditated.

But hadn't Nathaniel been on the verge of collapse? And wasn't Brett focused on gathering shares? Neither of them seemed to have the time or resources to kidnap her.

But it wasn't so certain.

"You'll find out when we get there," they didn't give her a straight answer. The car sped along, and Izabella watched the street, memorizing the route for a possible escape. "She seems to be memorizing the route."

"Then blindfold her."

Regardless of Izabella's protest, a cloth was tied violently around her eyes, hurting her.

Izabella was 31, having spent three of those years dead. She considered herself quite experienced and unruffled, even in the face of kidnapping.

The car finally stopped after zigzagging. It was dark and after they took off the cloth around her eyes, Izabella made a swift judgement about the surroundings. The air had a faint smell of rust and mold.

It was a desolate area on the outskirts of the city. The wind rustled through the leaves, making the environment feel ominous.

Izabella was pushed forward, limping down the pebbled path in high heels, her red dress now wrinkled, her slender legs exposed under the knee-length skirt.

Her legs were covered in cuts from the grass and branches. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable. However, it wasn't the point. Right now, it was important to find a way out.

After passing out, she had no idea what happened; nor did she know if Toby was in danger.

The men who kidnapped her were all rough and strong, their aura similar to that from Toby.

Looked like it was the place.

Izabella stopped, their flashlight pointing ahead.

They arrived at an abandoned factory. The kidnappers seemed to be acting quite cautiously. They brought her inside.

"Navarro, I've brought her here."

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