The Contracted Stripper

Inside the hospital, Ivy sat by Ryan’s bedside, holding his hand.

Mrs. Rose entered the room, her face a mask of concern.

“How is he?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“The doctors say he’ll recover. But Mom, who would do this? Why?” Ivy asked, tears streaming down her face.

Mrs. Rose’s eyes darkened. “I don’t know, but I will find out.

“Suddenly, the door burst open, and Bella stormed in, her face twisted with anger.”What the hell happened?” she demanded, looking at Ryan’s unconscious form.

“He was shot while looking for Iris,” Ivy explained, her voice trembling.

Bella’s eyes narrowed. “This is all because of that whore. If he hadn’t been obsessed with finding her, none of this would have happened.

“Mrs. Rose’s temper flared. “Watch your mouth, Bella. Ryan is fighting for his life because of this, and you dare to blame him?”

Bella scoffed. “He needs to forget about Iris and focus on what’s important. Like our baby.”Mrs. Rose’s eyes blazed with fury. “Get out, Bella. Now.”Bella opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

As the hours passed, Ryan began to stir.

Ivy held her breath, watching as his eyes fluttered open.

“Ryan? Can you hear me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Ryan groaned, his hand moving to his side. “Ivy? What… what happened?”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“You were shot. But you’re going to be okay,” Ivy said, tears of relief streaming down her face.

Ryan’s eyes darkened. “Victor… he did this.”Ivy nodded. “We know. But we don’t have enough evidence to take him down.”Ryan’s jaw clenched.

“We need to find Iris. She’s the key to all of this.”Just then, Mrs. Rose entered the room, her face set with determination. “We’ll find her, Ryan. I promise you.”Ryan looked at his mother, a flicker of hope in his eyes before he drifted off to sleep again. “We have to. Before it’s too late.

As the night wore on, the hospital quieted. Mrs. Rose sat by Ryan’s bedside, her mind racing.

She needed to keep her family together, no matter the cost. Outside the hospital, a shadowy figure watched from a distance, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

He dialed a number, his voice low and menacing.”It’s done. Ryan’s been warned. Now, we wait.”The figure hung up, disappearing into the night. Little did the Kendricks know, their battle had only just begun, and the secrets that would be unveiled would change their lives forever.

Ryan woke up in the hospital bed, his body aching from the bullet wound.

He glanced around, trying to get his bearings. The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor

. Luca sat in a chair by his bedside, his eyes filled with concern. “Hey, man. How are you feeling?”Ryan winced as he shifted slightly. “I’ve been better. What happened?”

“We were ambushed. That guy, Victor, had it all planned out. You took a bullet, but the doctors said you’ll recover,” Luca explained.

Ryan sighed, his mind racing. “Ivy. Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She was here earlier but went home to rest. She’s been worried sick about you,” Luca replied. Ryan closed his eyes, the weight of his mistakes pressing down on him.

“This is all my fault. I should have been more careful.”Luca shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. Victor is a dangerous man. We just need to find a way to stop him.

Later that day, Ivy returned to the hospital, her expression determined.

“Ryan, we need to talk.”Ryan looked at her, his eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I should have protected you and Iris.”Ivy shook her head. “This isn’t the time for apologies. We need to focus on finding Victor and getting Iris back.”

Ryan nodded. “I know. But how? He’s always one step ahead.”

“I have an idea,” Ivy said, glancing at Luca.

“Alex, the guy we met, he might have some connections. We need to reach out to him.”Luca frowned.

“Can we trust him?”Ivy sighed. “We don’t have a choice. He seems to know a lot about Victor. It’s worth a shot.”

Ryan took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do it. But we need to be careful. One wrong move, and it could all fall apart.”

A few weeks later, Ryan was discharged from the hospital. He still felt weak, but his determination to find Iris kept him going.

Back at the house, they gathered in the living room to discuss their next move.”Alex agreed to meet us tonight,” Ivy said, her voice steady. “He says he has information that could lead us to Victor.”

Ryan nodded, glancing at Luca. “We need to be prepared. This could be our only chance.”As they finalized their plan, the doorbell rang.

Ivy opened the door to find Bella standing there, her expression smug.”What do you want?” Ivy asked, her voice cold.

Bella pushed past her, heading straight for Ryan. “I have something you need to sign,” she said, pulling out a stack of papers.

Ryan frowned. “What is this?”

“It’s a contract,” Bella replied, her eyes glinting with malice. “Your mother insisted. You marry me, or I take everything.”

“What”? Ivy gasped in shock.

Ryan’s heart sank. He knew his mother was pushing for this, but he didn’t expect Bella to play her hand so soon. “I can’t marry you, Bella. My wife is still missing.

“Bella’s smile turned icy. “If you don’t sign these papers, I’ll make sure you lose everything. Your company, your money, everything.”

Ryan felt a surge of anger. “You’re using my child to manipulate me?”

“Think of it as securing your future,” Bella said, her tone dripping with sarcasm

. Luca stepped forward. “This isn’t the time for this, Bella. Ryan’s dealing with enough already.”

Bella glared at him. “Stay out of this, Luca. This is between Ryan and me.”

Ivy crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “You really think this is going to work? Forcing him into a marriage while his wife is missing? You’re despicable.”

Bella shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. Sign the papers, Ryan, or lose everything.”

Ryan looked at the papers, his mind racing. He knew he couldn’t give in to Bella’s demands, but he needed to buy time. “Fine. I’ll sign them. But under one condition.”Bella raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“I want a month. Give me a month to find Iris. If I can’t, I’ll marry you,” Ryan said, his voice steady. Bella considered this for a moment before nodding. “Fine. One month. But if you fail, you’re mine.”

Months had passed since the day Iris and Jessica were abducted, and the silence from their captors weighed heavily on everyone.

Ryan had lost weight, his once vibrant eyes now dull and sunken from sleepless nights.

He often slept in Iris’s room, clinging to her clothes, her scent the only comfort in his increasingly desperate world.

His dreams were haunted by visions of her, and the nightmares of her absence tore at his soul

. Ryan had taken a leave of absence from work, leaving Luca to handle the company. The once proud and commanding figure was now a shadow of his former self, his pain palpable to anyone who saw him.

Bella, however, was surprised by his torment. To her, it was just a sign that her plans were unfolding perfectly.

One morning, Bella entered Iris’s room where Ryan had been sleeping. She noticed the sound of the shower running and quickly picked up his phone.

She typed a message, watched it get delivered, and then deleted it before tiptoeing out.

She was almost at the door when Ryan’s voice boomed from behind her

.”And what are you doing here?”Bella froze, her mind racing to come up with a plausible lie.

She turned slowly, her eyes falling on Ryan’s body clad only in a white bath towel, his chiseled pectoral muscles, defined six-pack abs, and sculpted waistline on full display. Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “I asked you a question.”

“Oh, you’re done bathing,” she said, forcing a smile.

“I didn’t see you all day yesterday, so I decided to check on you. I heard the water running, so I knew you were bathing and decided to check back later.”

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’ll take my leave now.”

Ryan watched her go, suspicion gnawing at him.

As he dried off, he opened Iris’s wardrobe, his eyes landing on a red lingerie set she had worn for him once. His thoughts drifted back to the first time he had set eyes on Iris.