"Would you just sit there and let her talk to me like that?" Rita demanded, her eyes fixed on Ben, trying to provoke a visible reaction, to make him lash out at Ella.
"Shut up and eat," Ben responded, his voice low and unwavering, carrying an icy edge.
Rita felt the sting of his words, but she forced a tight, false smile, concealing the hurt.
"All right, my love…" she added softly, running her fingers over his beard, a calculated gesture, meant to draw attention, meant to make Ella jealous.
But Ella… Ella cared less. All she wanted now was revenge, and every attempt Rita made to unsettle her only strengthened her resolve.
Days passed. Ella endured Rita's toxic presence, biting back her words, silencing her anger for the sake of strategy. But finally, she decided to take a break, to reclaim a fragment of peace for herself without informing anyone, not even Ben.
She disappeared quietly, leaving for her parents' house for several days, her heart and mind focused on her own plans.
Ben, however, grew worried. Anxiety gnawed at him with every passing hour.
"What did you do to her this time?" he demanded, suspicion and fear sharpening his tone as he looked at Rita.
"I did nothing," Rita replied quickly, her voice defensive. "I barely even talked to him after that incident. Trust me, Ella."
"Trust you?" Ben's voice rose, a mixture of fury and disbelief. "Ungrateful… after all I did for you, you still go behind my back to harm Ella? Who else can run the company smoothly better than her? Now I'm left with two responsibilities; to run both my father's empire and my company. All thanks to you."
Ben's hands tightened into fists. His face darkened with anger and fear, a storm of emotions he could barely contain. The thought of losing Ella completely was unbearable. He longed to confess that he had been pretending, that he hated Rita, but he couldn't. He feared that if Rita discovered the truth, and realized he had been pretending all along, it would put her in danger.
All searches ordered by Ben came back empty. Ella was nowhere to be found.
Days stretched on, each one weighing heavily on him. His patience eroded, his concern transforming into a volatile mix of desperation and anger.
"By tomorrow," he said, his voice low and deadly, eyes blazing, "if I don't see her, you'll be out of my life forever."
Rita's lips trembled. She knew she had gone too far, but fear of losing Ben now clawed at her. The tension in the room was suffocating, a silent battle waging, and all this while, Ella remained beyond their reach, quietly gathering her strength.
"I have no idea where she is," Rita said, her voice trembling, trying to defend herself. "I swear, I had no hand in this. Why don't you ask your father?"
"My father?" Ben's tone sharpened, a mix of disbelief and confusion. "What could possibly push him to do this?" He paused, wrestling with the thought, questioning every possible reason for his father's involvement, yet finding none.
"Besides… I'm doing what he wants. There's peace, so why would he….." Ben refused to believe that his father was involved, the suspicion gnawing at him relentlessly.
Later that evening, Ella returned, unconcerned, as if she owed no one an explanation. She walked in with the calm confidence of someone who had nothing to fear.
Ben, however, was seated, worry etched into every line of his face, unsure of what to do while Rita continued her pleas beside him.
"Where have you been?!" Ben yelled as Ella walked in, rising from his chair, striding toward Ella. "Why would you leave my company without any notice?"
Ella's anger boiled over. His words reflected only concern for the company, ignoring her humanity entirely.
"Your company this, your company that! I'm human too! I need a break!" Ella snapped, her voice tight with frustration as she turned and walked toward her room, leaving Ben standing there, torn between relief and exasperation.