~ Bella's POV
"Bella, come down! Dinner's ready!"
My mother's voice floated up the grand staircase, a mixture of warmth and familiarity that I'd always taken for granted. Our house was a mansion, glittering with chandeliers and adorned with every luxury you could imagine.
I glanced at myself in the mirror, fiddling with the bracelet Dad gave me last month. Our life had always been perfect, or so I thought. Big houses, fancy cars, and everything money could buy. But tonight felt... different.
"I'm coming!" I called back, brushing off the uneasy feeling and heading downstairs.
Dinner in the Carter household was usually a formal affair. Dad, the powerful and confident businessman, would sit at the head of the table, always chatting about his latest deals. Mom would laugh at his jokes, her eyes sparkling with pride. Noah and Mia, my younger siblings, would fight over dessert while I tried to keep the peace.
But tonight wasn't like other nights.
Dad sat at the table, his face pale and his hands trembling as he gripped his wine glass. He wasn't wearing his usual tailored suit, just a wrinkled shirt that made him look smaller and older. Mom, ever the picture of grace, looked concerned as she reached to touch his arm.
"What's wrong, Richard?" she asked softly.
I paused in the doorway, my stomach twisting. Something was very wrong.
Dad didn't answer immediately. He drained his glass and poured another, his hand shaking so much he spilled wine onto the pristine white tablecloth.
"Dad?" I stepped closer, my voice hesitant.
He looked up at me, his eyes hollow. "Bella, sit down."
I sank into my chair, glancing at Noah and Mia, who had gone unusually quiet. Mom's lips pressed into a thin line, her hand gripping the table's edge.
"I need to tell you all something," Dad began, his voice barely above a whisper. "Something I should've told you a long time ago."
The silence was suffocating.
"I've... I've lost everything," he said finally, his voice breaking.
"What?" Mom's voice was sharp, a mix of confusion and fear.
"The money," Dad said, staring down at his empty glass. "It's all gone. The accounts are drained. The house, the cars, everything we own... it's over."
Mia gasped, and Noah's fork clattered onto his plate.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my heart pounding. "How? How could this happen?"
Dad looked up at us, his face crumbling with shame. "I trusted the wrong person. A woman I thought was loyal, she scammed me. Took everything and vanished."
"A woman?" Mom's voice trembled.
"A mistress," he admitted, the word cutting through the air like a knife.
I froze, my world tilting on its axis. "You cheated on Mom?" I whispered, disbelief flooding my veins.
"Bella…"
"You cheated, and now we're paying for it?!" I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"Bella, sit down," Mom said, her voice tight with barely contained emotion.
I sank back into my seat, my hands shaking as I clenched them in my lap.
"How could you do this to us?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. "To your family? To me?"
"I didn't know this would happen," Dad said weakly. "I thought I could fix it before…"
"Before we found out?" I interrupted, my voice cold.
Mia sniffled, her small voice breaking the tension. "Are we poor now?"
Dad's face crumpled, and he reached for her hand. "Mia, I'll fix this. I promise. We'll figure something out."
But even I could see that he didn't believe his own words.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur. I barely touched my food, my mind spinning with anger and betrayal. How could he? How could my father, the man I'd idolized my whole life, destroy everything we had?
My father had left that night, saying he was going to fix things and make everything right.
Then the knocking began.
The sound was heavy, forceful, like someone was slamming their fists against the door. It was loud enough to rattle the entire house, and my heart stopped.
The men's voices were harsh and full of fury. "Where's Richard Carter?" one of them yelled.
"He owes us everything!" another man shouted, his voice dripping with anger. "You think you can hide him?"
I stumbled to the door, panic rising in my throat. "What's going on? Who are you?" I called out, my voice trembling.
"That bastard!" one of them spat. "He stole from us! Lied to us! And now, we're here to collect!"
I froze, the blood draining from my face. These men… they were looking for my father.
"Please, please," I begged, my hands shaking as I reached for the doorknob. "He's not here. I don't know where he is, but I can…"
One of the men shoved a piece of paper in my face, his eyes burning with fury. "This is what your father's done! He trusted his mistress with our investments, and now we've lost everything because of him! And we know it was you, his family, who set us up!"
"Not here? Then where is he?" someone sneered.
Behind me, I heard Mom's voice, weak and trembling. She peeked around the corner, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear.
"Bella?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "What's happening?"
I turned to her, heart pounding. The mob was closing in, their faces twisted in anger, and I felt panic rise in me.
"Go upstairs," she whispered urgently, her voice barely audible over the chaos.
"But…" I hesitated, unsure of what to do.
"Now!" she snapped, her eyes full of determination. I ran without asking questions, but just as I reached the stairs, I heard a loud shout from below.
"Burn it down!"
I froze. "Wait, no…you can't!"
But before I could stop them, someone threw a bottle at the side of the house, and flames exploded, growing quickly. The heat hit me like a slap, and I spun back toward my mom.
"No! We have to go now!" I shouted.
Mom didn't move. She just stood there, staring at the flames, her eyes wide with fear.
"Go!" she yelled. "Get Noah and Mia! I'll go get the fire extinguisher!"
I didn't waste a second. I ran upstairs to my siblings' rooms, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Noah! Mia!" I shouted, banging on their doors. Noah was the first to open his.
"What's going on?" he asked, his face pale.
"The house is on fire!" I said, pulling him out of his room. "We need to get out, now!"