Chapter 5

Isabella De Cruz grew up surrounded by protectors.

Three grown men stood between her and the outside world, each convinced that protecting her was not merely a responsibility but a sacred duty.

Her father, Diego.

Her uncle, Diablo.

And her eldest uncle, Charles.

Then there were two younger warriors who had appointed themselves her personal bodyguards long before they were old enough to understand what the job actually meant.

Arden and Ardian.

Her older cousins.

Her brothers in everything that mattered.

Between the five of them, Bella rarely had to face anything alone.

But there was one thing none of them ever allowed Bella to understand.

The world didn't know she existed.

The De Cruz family had deliberately erased her from public life.

There were no newspaper photographs of her.

No family interviews featuring her.

No social appearances.

No public celebrations.

No school photographs.

No casual sightings in restaurants or shopping centers.

Nothing.

To the outside world, Isabella De Cruz was practically a ghost.

The family had never made this decision simply because they were paranoid.

There was a reason.

They were trying to prevent history from repeating itself.

The De Cruz family had enemies.

They had always had enemies.

Powerful families attracted powerful enemies, and the De Cruz name had accumulated more than enough over the years.

Diego had seen what happened when people discovered exactly what someone treasured.

He refused to let Bella become a target.

And so, from the moment she was old enough to understand the world around her, her family carefully constructed a world for her.

A beautiful one.

A safe one.

A world where everything she needed was already waiting for her.

If Bella wanted a new book, it appeared.

If she wanted a particular toy, someone found it.

If she wanted to learn something, a tutor was brought to her.

If she wanted to play, there was an entire room dedicated to it.

If she wanted flowers, the gardens were filled with them.

If she wanted to see animals, the family arranged private visits.

And if she wanted to go somewhere...

Well, that was where things became complicated.

Bella was homeschooled.

That decision had been made before she was old enough to protest.

Her education took place inside the De Cruz estate, surrounded by private tutors and an extensive library. She learned languages, literature, history, music, art, mathematics, and anything else she showed an interest in.

She wasn't deprived of education.

She was deprived of ordinary childhood.

For years, she didn't even realize it.

As far as Bella was concerned, this was simply what life looked like.

Her family loved her.

Her father worried too much.

Her uncles argued over everything.

Her cousins followed her around.

Her mother spoiled her.

That was normal.

At least, it was normal to her.

Before Bella turned ten, however, her family occasionally allowed her to experience the outside world.

Carefully.

Extremely carefully.

There were trips to private parks.

Visits to zoos.

Occasional outings to amusement parks.

Family vacations where security surrounded them so discreetly that Bella barely noticed.

They would choose secluded locations or arrange private access whenever possible.

Bella thought she was simply lucky.

She didn't know that every outing required hours of preparation.

Security checks.

Routes.

Emergency plans.

Backup vehicles.

People watching from a distance.

Her family made sure she could enjoy herself without realizing how much effort went into keeping her safe.

And for a while, it worked.

Until one afternoon at a park.

Bella was still young.

She had been running around happily, her silver hair shining beneath the sunlight as she chased after Arden and Ardian.

Her laughter echoed through the park.

Her family watched her from nearby.

She looked like any other child.

Except she wasn't.

Her unusual appearance attracted attention.

People stared.

Some whispered.

Others simply watched.

Her silver hair and striking green eyes made her stand out wherever she went.

That day, however, someone was watching for an entirely different reason.

A group of human traffickers had noticed her.

They saw a beautiful, isolated child surrounded by expensive clothing and apparently wealthy guardians.

To them, she looked like an opportunity.

They began watching.

Waiting.

Looking for a moment when the family's attention might shift.

It happened quickly.

Far too quickly.

Bella wandered only a short distance away.

She was still within what her family believed was a safe range.

Then one of the strangers approached.

Bella didn't understand what was happening.

She only remembered the sudden feeling of fear.

A hand reaching toward her.

A voice she didn't recognize.

And then—

Everything changed.

The De Cruz security team reacted immediately.

Within moments, the attempt was stopped.

Bella was brought back to her family.

But the damage had already been done.

Not to Bella.

To the family.

The incident shattered something inside them.

Diego was furious.

Not merely angry.

Furious.

The thought that someone had looked at his daughter and seen her as something that could be taken from him nearly drove him insane.

Diablo blamed himself for allowing her to get even that far away.

Charles became stricter with security.

Arden and Ardian practically refused to let Bella out of their sight.

Rose was terrified.

For the first time, the family had seen proof that the danger they had spent years fearing wasn't imaginary.

It was real.

And it had found Bella.

After that day, the rules changed.

There would be no more careless outings.

No more unnecessary risks.

No more moments when Bella could disappear from their sight.

If she went somewhere, someone was watching.

If she left the estate, security accompanied her.

If she attended an event, the location was secured beforehand.

If she wanted to see something, they found a way to bring it to her instead.

The family had built walls around her.

Then they built higher walls.

And then higher ones still.

Bella, however, remained blissfully unaware of how much of her life had been carefully controlled.

She believed she knew the world.

She had seen parks.

She had visited zoos.

She had ridden amusement-park attractions.

She had traveled with her family.

She had watched the world from car windows and hotel balconies.

She had read books about distant countries and imagined what they looked like.

She believed she was free.

She didn't understand that every place she visited had been selected because it was safe.

Every route had been planned.

Every person around her had been screened.

Every door had been guarded.

Every adventure had boundaries she couldn't see.

The world she knew was real.

But it wasn't the whole world.

It was the world her family had built for her.

A beautiful cage disguised as a home.

A paradise surrounded by invisible walls.

And perhaps the most heartbreaking part was that Bella didn't even know she was inside one.

She thought her family was simply loving.

She thought her father was simply protective.

She thought her uncles were simply overdramatic.

She thought Arden and Ardian followed her everywhere because they enjoyed annoying her.

She didn't know that every member of her family lived with the same fear.

The fear of losing her.

Because Isabella De Cruz wasn't merely a daughter.

She wasn't merely a niece.

She wasn't merely a cousin.

She was the lifeline of the De Cruz family.

Their greatest treasure.

Their greatest weakness.

And after the incident at the park, they had made a silent vow.

No one would ever get close enough to take her away again.

Even if protecting Bella meant taking away the freedom she didn't yet realize she wanted.

For now, Bella was happy.

She laughed.

She played.

She studied.

She dreamed.

She grew.

And she believed the world was hers to explore.

She simply didn't know that every path she had ever walked had been chosen for her.

Every door she had opened had been unlocked by someone else.

And every piece of freedom she thought she possessed had been carefully measured by the people who loved her most.

Bella believed she knew the world.

In reality, she knew only the world her family had allowed her to see.

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