The Contracted Stripper

The room was suffocating. Ryan sat up straighter in his hospital bed, his eyes narrowing as Luca entered, his expression grim. The air felt thick with anticipation as everyone waited for the news.

Luca cleared his throat and looked directly at Ryan. “The anonymous messenger? It was Sarah-your house help,” he said quietly. Ryan’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Sarah?” He glanced at Ivy, then back at Luca. “What do you mean? She’s just a housemaid. Why would she-” “She’s been traced and caught,” Luca interrupted his voice firm. “We got her while she was trying to flee the country. She’s been feeding information to your enemies, Ryan. She’s been working with Mrs. Rose.”

The room went still. Ivy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, and Kendrick’s face drained of color. Mrs. Rose stood frozen, her eyes wide in disbelief as all eyes turned toward her.

“What… what are you saying?” Ryan’s voice was low, but it shook with barely restrained anger.”She confessed everything,” Luca continued, his gaze not leaving Ryan’s. “She’s been working with your mother, feeding them information about you and Iris. She was also responsible for your food poisoning. That was all orchestrated by Sarah, under Mrs. Rose’s orders.”

The room erupted into a flurry of shocked whispers. Ivy looked as if she might faint, and Jessica’s face twisted in anger as she stepped forward, her voice cold and full of venom.” I was right,” Jessica said through clenched teeth.

“Mrs. Rose was the one who planned my kidnapping from the hospital. She wanted me gone. She’s been orchestrating everything.”Mrs. Rose’s face twisted in panic, and she shook her head, stepping backward as if trying to distance herself from the accusations.

“I… I don’t understand what she’s saying,” she stammered, her voice high-pitched with fear. “I don’t even know Sarah! Please, you have to believe me!” Kendrick, standing beside her, remained silent, his face unreadable.

But Ryan’s gaze hardened as he watched his mother, betrayal etched into his features.”It’s over, Rose,” came a familiar voice from the doorway. Everyone turned as Dr. Parker entered, flanked by two police officers. His face was pale, his eyes filled with regret, and there was a strange calmness to his voice as he spoke.

“What are you talking about, Parker?” Rose asked, her voice shaking as the officers stepped closer to her. “What do you mean?”Dr. Parker sighed deeply, looking at her with sorrow. “You should have never married him, Rose,” he said quietly, almost as if he were lamenting their past.

“We belonged to each other. But you married Kendrick, and look at the mess we’re in now.”Rose’s face twisted in confusion, panic growing as the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place for her.

“What are you saying?” she demanded, her voice rising in hysteria. “You’re talking nonsense, Parker! Why are you here with the police?”Parker turned to Kendrick, his face filled with remorse.

“Kendrick,” he said softly, “I’m so sorry. For everything. Please, forgive me.”Kendrick’s expression didn’t change. His eyes remained locked on Parker, his jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

The weight of the betrayal that had just come to light was too heavy for words. As the police officers stepped forward, one of them spoke calmly, his hand resting on his belt.

“Mrs. Rose Kendrick,” he said formally, “you are under arrest for conspiracy, attempted murder, and accessory to multiple criminal activities.” “No!” Rose cried, stepping back further, her eyes wide with terror as she glanced between her husband and the officers.

“No, this is a mistake! You can’t do this to me! Kendrick, help me! Say something!”But Kendrick didn’t move. His silence spoke volumes. Rose’s breath came in short, panicked gasps as she tried to flee, but one of the officers grabbed her by the arm.

“You can’t do this!” she shrieked, resisting with all her strength. “Kendrick! Ryan! Ivy! Help me! Please!”Ryan watched, his heart heavy with a mixture of anger and sorrow, as his mother struggled against the officers.

But he didn’t move to help her. Neither did Ivy. There was no saving her now.

“It’s too late, Rose,” Dr. Parker said softly. “It’s over.”Tears streamed down Rose’s face as she fought against the officers, her voice cracking with desperation.

“Ken, ken, please! I did it for us! For our family! Everything I did was for us!”Kendrick’s eyes finally met hers, and for the first time, he spoke.

His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it was filled with a deep sadness. “You destroyed this family, Rose. Not me. Not anyone else. You.”Rose let out a choked sob, her knees giving out as the officers cuffed her hands behind her back.From NôvelDrama.Org.

“No,” she whispered, her voice broken. “No…”As the officers began leading her out of the room, she kept looking back, her eyes pleading for someone to save her. But no one did. Ryan, Ivy, Kendrick, and Jessica watched in silence as she was dragged away, her sobs echoing down the hallway until they faded into the distance.

When the door finally closed behind her, the room fell into an uneasy silence. Ryan let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process everything that had just happened.”I can’t believe it,” Ivy whispered, her voice trembling.

“Our mother… she…”Ryan glanced at her, his face filled with bitterness. “She betrayed us, Ivy. All these years… she was never the person we thought she was.

“Kendrick sat down in one of the chairs, his face pale and drawn. “I should have seen it,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I should have known.” “No one could have predicted this, Kendrick,” Jessica said softly, her voice filled with a quiet resolve.

“Rose hid her secrets well. But now… now it’s all out in the open.”Dr. Parker, who had remained silent since Rose’s departure, cleared his throat and stepped forward. His face was filled with remorse as he looked at Kendrick, but also at Ryan and Ivy.

“I’m truly sorry,” he said, his voice heavy with guilt. “I know there’s nothing I can say to make up for what happened. I was blinded by my feelings for Rose, and I let things get out of control. I never wanted it to end like this.”

Ryan’s eyes flashed with anger as he stepped closer to Parker, his voice tight with fury. “You knew everything,” he said through clenched teeth.

“You helped her. You were part of this from the start, and now you’re here apologizing? It’s too late for that, Parker.”Parker hung his head, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his guilt. “I know,” he whispered. “I know it’s too late.”

Just then, another officer entered the room, his face grim as he approached Kendrick. “Mr. Kendrick, we’ve also uncovered more information regarding Sarah. It seems she wasn’t acting alone. There’s someone else who’s been orchestrating things from behind the scenes.”

Kendrick’s eyes shot up, his face filled with confusion. “Someone else? Who?”The officer nodded. “Yes. We’re still investigating, but it appears that there may be someone else involved-someone higher up, pulling the strings.”

Ryan exchanged a worried glance with Ivy. “Higher up? Who could it be?” “We’re not sure yet,” the officer replied, “but we’re following leads. We believe this person is the real mastermind behind everything that’s happened, including the food poisoning, the kidnapping, and even Rose’s involvement.”

Jessica’s face darkened as she listened to the officer’s words. She had suspected there was more to the story, but this confirmation sent a chill down her spine.”So, Rose wasn’t the one in charge?” Ivy asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

“She was just… being used?” “Possibly,” the officer replied. “But until we gather more information, we can’t say for certain.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone processed the news. The revelation that there was someone else involved, someone pulling the strings from the shadows, left them all on edge.

“What now?” Ryan asked, his voice filled with frustration. “How do we stop this?”The officer shook his head. “We’re working on it. But for now, all I can say is to be cautious. Whoever this person is, they’re dangerous. And they’re not done yet.

“The weight of his words hung in the air like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over everyone in the room. Ryan clenched his fists, a mixture of anger and determination burning in his eyes. “We’ll find them,” he said quietly.

“Whoever they are… we’ll find them.”Kendrick stood up, his face filled with resolve. “We’ll bring them down. Together.”As the group stood in the hospital room, united by their shared resolve and the weight of their shattered past, they knew that the fight wasn’t over.

And somewhere, in the shadows, their unseen enemy was still watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. The battle had just begun.