บท 34: Pang of sympathy

Ivy fumed, clutching the phone tightly. Her plan had crumbled to dust. Her money was wasted. Those thugs failed to ruin Bella and this very thought infuriated her.

"Incompetent fools!" she spat. "You couldn't even handle a weak woman."

"This wasn't some ordinary woman, madam," the gruff voice said from the other side of the phone, laced with irritation. "She has a strong backup. We have been working here for all those years without a hitch. But now, my men and the gang are facing terrible problems. It's all because of that man who came to save Bella."

"Who is he?" Ivy demanded, surprise flickering across her face. How could Bella, that nobody from a small town, have garnered such powerful support?

"We have no idea who he is," the man said with a sigh, lamenting cooperating with Ivy. "We shouldn't have agreed to help you in the first place. We are now in this mess because of you. If I get caught, I'll expose you."