Love Made Me Do It

13. Blood Heist

Isabella spent her entire day at the office. All alone, doing nothing but tossing files and struggling to grasp the presentations so that she could work on anything but her mind was fazed with the thoughts of her mother's well being, Charlie's uncanny behavior and Alex's attitude as he didn't even called her to check on her for once, like he usually did. 

She wondered if her little stunt with him over the other night got his heart quaffed against her and now he felt finally over her, ready to throw her down and move on. Perhaps she thought he must be looking for a way to settle now. Isabella kept reading their text messages over and over again from the other day when he got her the new phone and it didn't seem to look like Alex was ready to leave Isabella but again he was the most unpredictable person to ever exist. In her mind, she knew he was a ticking bomb, when he could explode, nobody ever knew. 

At dawn when she reached her house, she found a Jaguar, standing in front of her house and already felt irritated, knowing that Emerald and Crystal was going to be there but Isabella was in no mood to put up with anyone. 

Entering inside her house, she made her way to the living room where she found Crystal and Emerald watching Netflix over the LED screen.  There were bottles of wine and beer scattered all over the place. Isabella groaned in annoyance, whenever Crystal and Emerald crashed at her place, they left a pile of garbage for her to clean. Isabella didn't use any domestic help as she preferred to stay alone. 

 "And of course come in!" Isabella stated sarcastically entering the room and crashing over the couch, grabbing a beer bottle, gulping all the contents in one go.

Emerald and Crystal shared a look. 

No matter how different the three women were, somehow their existence seemed to commemorate the fact, that a true woman's company is important and that's why the three bared it all with one another, sitting and drinking beer and wine, talking about nothing that connected them but everything that made them different from one another. As much as Isabella hated socializing this was actually the only time she enjoyed, being with Crystal and specially Emerald. 

"Let's share secrets!" Crystal who was silent all this while, never even spoke about anything to Emerald, spoke up. 

Emerald doubted that Crystal was up to something and wanted to get something out of the rest of the two and that's why she sent a silent signal to Isabella with her eyes; warning her to not to speak about anything to Crystal. 

There was an awkward moment of silence until Crystal herself spoke up, "I have a boyfriend."

Both Emerald and Isabella gave each other a skeptical look. They were both confused, not knowing what to say to each other or even Crystal. they had never heard such a thing from Crystal and were not even sure if she was speaking the truth or not. 

"Dave!" Crystal continued speaking. She was pretty drunk but not too drunk to not remember what she was sharing with Isabella and Emerald. 

"He lives in New York, we've been together since we were in college."  Crystal took out her phone from her pocket and started showing both Isabella and Emerald her pictures with Dave. He was indeed a handsome man, with a strong features. Both Isabella and Emerald shared an astounded look. Crystal even showed them a bunch of her private pictures with Dave just to confirm how serious she was in the relationship.

"Why haven't you told your family about it?" Emerald questioned.

Crystal snorted a sarcastic laughter, "Dave does not belong to a very 'rich'..." Crystal stated making air commas, "... family, he is a self sufficient guy, working on his own. He is a struggling director."

Isabella snorted a loud laughter, earning a look from Emerald and Crystal both. "Sorry!" she stated, by now even she was pretty much drunk. "I mean... isn't it ironic? But why are you telling this us now?" 

"Because I am tired of keeping secrets... There is so much in my family, so many secrets, I can't keep them all to me." 

Isabella shrugged her shoulders, "So what was your deal with Jesse?" 

"I just used him to irritate my mom, without knowing that... he is not Dante's real son..." 

The rest of the two were rendered shock at Crystal's confidence. 

"I mean it's no surprise but why are you so confident?" Isabella suspected that Crystal had something up her mind. 

"I just heard mom and dad this morning. He is Eric Paige's son."

Emerald and Isabella's eyes popped out of their sockets with shock. Who would have thought? The guy who had been imprisoned for life due to treachery and treason, murder of several people and a*******n of the first lady of Cherwood - Eric Paige, whose namesake was not even allowed to be taken anywhere in the city. His son - was brought up by the same people's most entrusted person; whom Eric tried hurting. 

"Does Jesse know that?" Emerald questioned.

"Do your brothers know that?" Isabella raised the main point. 

"No! I don't think so. If they did. They would've killed Jesse on spot, when they had a major reason to do so and I don't think even Jesse knows about it."

"Woah! That s**t is messed up!" Isabella retorted, taking in a sip of her beer. 

"Not as messed up as my relationship with Nicholas..." Emerald snorted making Isabella look at with concern. Isabella knew that the way Nick and Emerald looked together under all the glamour and glory, there relationship was not that perfect but she never expected Emerald to be that blunt and admit it on her and Crystal's face. 

"I never understand this one thing... If I were you, I'd walk away. Why are you still with him?" Isabella questioned. 

Emerald took in deep breath, laying down on the couch lazily, looking up at three architectural bottles hanging from the room as candle chandeliers. "Because I am guilty..." 

Isabella stayed quiet. She didn't want to know much about the two women, because she never expected to be a part of their world neither she accepted her surrounding ever. She was always sure that she was just a playtoy for Alex and one day when he was going to be bored of her, he was going to throw her away and she always waited for that day and Alexander's little PDA with McKenzie that day was enough to tell Isabella it was about time. 

"I got pregnant back in Highschool." Emerald spoke out of nowhere, astounding Isabella. She looked at Crystal who seemed much calmer from the news. Emerald continued;

"I didn't tell Nick, he was in college but before I could, I lost the child because I went to this shoot where I had an accident and... Somehow Nick found it and he blamed me for the whole situation. He blamed and he hates me. I beg him to love me and that's how he's still with me. He hates me and doesn't consider me anything and that's how he shows his anger towards my one lie. One f*****g lie that changed by entire life..."

Emerald sighed, but Isabella's mind became unrest-ed. So many thoughts spun inside her mind. But she spoke the very first one. 

"If he hates you, he wouldn't be sleeping with you!" She spoke up. "You losing his child, was an accident but his unnecessary hate has no explanation." 

Emerald looked up to Isabella and her eyes filled up, for the first time she felt understood. 

"You just feel an unexplainable guilt, guilt for a mistake that is not even your fault..." Isabella continued. "For how long are we going to keep taking crap for mistakes that aren't even ours? That have f****d up our lives... How long are we going to keep ourselves on the line of being taken for granted?" 

Tears sprung down Emerald's eyes and she felt a huge weight lifted off her chest. She could never talk to her mother about her relationship with Nick, because her mother never wanted them to be together. Her parents; The former basketball star Kevin Cornwell and former super model; Laura Cornwell, were good associates to the Mayhews but they were aware of the true colors of the Mayhews, that they would kill anyone standing in their way. 

But now listening to Isabella, Emerald felt reached and understood. Emerald gathered her thoughts and sniffed her tears away, "Your turn!" She told Isabella while Crystal also turned her attention towards her.

Isabella laughed a little, "There is nothing about me you two don't know..."

"We don't know if you love Alex..." Crystal said through thin air.

Isabella paused for a second, wondering herself. Alex had been nothing but a monster to her but the thought of him leaving her left her high and dry. She cleared her throat not wanting to attain any attention to the topic.

"McKenzie told me that you went to visit Alex today..." Crystal continued and this even caught Emerald's attention, "She told me how you got jealous when Alex kissed her."

Emerald cooed, "Oh! This is interesting..."

Isabella rolled her eyes, "I just went there because... I needed to talk to him about something important."

"What could be so important that you actually went to visit his office? No never visit his office." Crystal inquired. Both the girls were now down to teasing Isabella. 

"I needed to discuss about shifting my mother to some other institute." Isabella admitted, "Here... my secret..."

"Why do you want to shift your mother? I thought you were good friends with that crazy doctor... the blondie... what's his name...?" Crystal lingered in her thoughts. 

"Dr. Charles..." Isabella admitted. 

"Why do you want to transfer your mom from his place if you know him so well?" Crystal asked. 

Isabella bit her bottom lip. The not sharing everything with the two women, somehow didn't seem to be going well but she had no other option. She had to share it with someone or else she was going to lose her mind. 

"I think he's not treating her right. There's something about him that I find bizarre, something that I just know that he is about to it and for that he might... ugh!"  Isabella felt exhausted. 

"So, you just cannot sit here and risk your mom's health over that lunatic. You need to get her out of there ASAP, even if it is something you just feel. You just cannot take the risk!" Emerald concluded. 

"I thought about it." Isabella agreed, "I checked the whole procedure it's stupid long and I doubt Charles would let it happen, it requires his approval, besides if Alex would have it done it would happen in less than a day. But I... I still like I need some kind of proof, just to confirm before I talk to Alex."

"What do you have in mind?" Crystal asked. 

Isabella scoffed, "What I have, is near to impossible to be done."

"Why not try it?" Emerald encouraged. 

"It's stupid and I mean..." Isabella scoffed.

"What is it? Nothing is impossible unless you don't try it..."  Crystal sat up, somehow showing her enthusiasm to encourage Isabella. 

"Every Saturday night, there is a blood sample collection of the patients, I visit my mother, many times, when they were collecting her blood samples. I have a friend of mine who could get my mom's blood tested to see the kind of chemicals are given to her and also tell me the side effects and everything." Isabella explained her idea, "The only problem is... I can't go in there to see my mom and get her blood, They only have the samples at the laboratory."

"How do they collect the sample? I mean individually or collectively and take it to the lab." Emerald questioned. 

Isabella pondered for a second, "Collectively, they take everyone's sample and then take it to the lab, which is within the vicinity." 

"My friend is in charge at the lab inside the institute, maybe he can help?" Crystal offered. 

Her offer was more than anything that Isabella expected but she also didn't want anyone other than the two, to know about her plan, otherwise, it could sabotage everything. Her mother's condition was her first priority and she wasn't willing to risk it in any state. 

"As much as golden that sounds, it's still dangerous, if Charles find out about that in any way... We just can't trust anyone."

"How about we go in there and steal your mom's sample." Emerald suggested

Isabella laughed a little, "So you are suggested a sample s***h blood heist?"

Emerald shrugged, "Think about it, we do this on our own, nobody gets to know about it and if your suspicion is correct you take your mother out of that place, with evidence."

Isabella thought about her offer for a second, connecting all the dots and finally let go off a breath, "Let's do it!"

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As decided between the three women, all stepped out of Crystal's Jaguar, shining heels and Louis Vuitton bags, Burberry coats clutched to their bodies. Crystal made her way towards the east wing through the parking lot, where she was going to visit her friend at the laboratory. While Emerald and Isabella walked their way into mental vicinity. One thing about Isabella's visiting card set by Charles was that she could bring in as many as visitors at any time she wanted. 

The guard was only astounded with the fact that Isabella brought someone with her, she always came in alone for the past three years and now she was with someone else and that also none other than, the heartthrob actress, the shining model of Cherwood, Emerald Cornwell. 

Isabella noticed how the guard was influenced by Emerald's presence and hence immediately checked them in. Just according to the plan, they made their way inside the corridors, passing towards the visiting area. The hours were late, nurses were assigned to their stations and the corridors were empty.

Isabella entered the Visiting room alone, whereas, Emerald made her way towards another corridor where she saw a petite, small heightened, Asian nurse, carry the utility cart that had racks filled with blood samples. Passing in front of the nurse, Emerald tripped on her heel on purpose, falling face first. The nurse shrieked as seeing a well studded woman fall in front of her and immediately rushed to pick her up but was stunned to see the woman to be Emerald Cornwell. 

"Emerald Cornwell?" The nurse asked, entirely star struck.

Emerald groaned, grabbing her ankle, "Yes, Can you help me?" 

The Nurse immediately helped Emerald get up, making her sit on one of the three rowed bench, placed in the corridor in front of the doctor's office. 

"What are you doing here?" The nurse asked with astonishment. 

"I was here with a friend, to visit someone, I was searching for the toilet..." Emerald faked a stinging expression, grabbing her ankle, "I think I sprained my ankle." 

"Please, stay here I will get some help..." Emerald nodded her head. 

The nurse rushed out of the station to get someone from the entrance lobby to help her, besides it was a huge matter of respect for the institute itself, as such a huge celebrity was present; she was ought to get some attention. 

Isabella on the other hand waited for the old nurse, Ronda Williams, that always brought her mother into the visiting room. The nurse walked in with a smile, making Pamela sit on the bench adjacent to Isabella. Pamela's hair were tied neatly into a ponytail, while her clothes also seemed more neat than the usual. Isabella smiled looking at her mother but her heart was still saddened at her mother's weak and vulnerable situation. She passed a small smile to her mother and held her phone between her fingers, carefully as to not give the nurse an idea of what she was doing. She took a picture of the band, tightened around Pamela's wrist, that had her name and file / serial number on it. It was the information that was used on by the facility for labeling medicines, blood reports and samples.

Isabella immediately forwarded the image to Emerald, who was still sitting besides the unattended blood sample cart. As soon as the message notification popped up, Emerald, looked at long rows of transparent cylindrical blood sample bottles, held in apparatus molds. The green caps on the bottles had serial numbers; that were also patient numbers. She quickly scanned them, while looking at the corridor making sure that no one was coming. Her eyes finally fell on the sample she was looking for and immediately grabbed the bottle throwing it in her bag. 

"Are you alright?" 

Emerald shrieked hearing the nurse's voice from behind her. She stood straight and turned towards the nurse, "Of course, I guess I am fine now. Thank you."

She walked out of the corridor at the same time as Isabella did. Even Ronda was astounded by Isabella's brief visit. She usually sat around with Pamela until Pamela loses her patience and hits her hard.  

Isabella and Emerald made their way together towards the main gate, everyone was stunned to see the two together at this time and also visiting for such a short time but nobody seemed to care enough as everyone around the facility suspected Isabella to have a secret affair with Dr. Louisville. 

The two immediately got inside the car, with Emerald taking a picture of the sample bottle and forwarding it to Crystal. 

"Seriously? What are you doing here at this time?" 

The tall, dark and handsome black male stood in his lab overall, wearing blue medical gloves and a nurse's cap, with a mask flunk down to his chin. Small outlined hair stuck to his head under the cap, while his brown eyes neatly studied Crystal, who looked as if she walked fresh out of a fashion show. 

"Can't I visit an old friend?" Crystal faked a smile. 

"I have been in Cherwood for the past eight months, you never bothered to visit me?" The guy asked again, making his way towards his working desk. "Come on, Crystal spit it out! You didn't even know if I was working at this hour." 

Crystal tossed her hair off her shoulder seductively, "I was here with a friend who's mother is getting treated here, so I thought, why don't I meet with you?"

The man rolled his eyes and made his way inside the lab, where there were only a few attendants working on their stations, under different technologies, some used centrifugal, while some added data on to the computer. Passing down the rows of the stands and white ceramic tables, with attached top shelves that held different lab equipment and apparatus, Crystal followed the guy.

Her heels clicked on the sky blue tinted marble, while white florescent light reflected from the shiny surface. 

"Oh come on Archer!" Crystal called the guy, while her phone chimed with a notification.    

Archer turned around and scoffed at her, "You might wanna check that, might be your boyfriend." 

Crystal held on her hands for a second before opening her phone. She realized that Archer was still mad at her for everything that happened between them three years ago, when she left him for Dave. She opened her phone and saw the picture of the bottle sample collected by Emerald, signalling her it was about time to conduct the final stage of the sample theft. 

Crystal looked around the lab and saw a rack of empty lab equipment set at one side, placing the phone next to her ear, she began walking towards that part, she searched through the section and found the sharpie marker used to label the apparatus. 

She looked around the place, making sure no one was watching her. Sleekly, she picked she sharpie, along with a bottle and remembering the number on the bottle, Emerald sent her, she jotted '132' down on top of the lid of the empty bottle and threw it inside her court, grabbing on to it cleverly, to make sure the wet ink doesn't stain or gets ruined. 

She was walking towards Archer's station where he was working on a laptop and stood in the middle of the lab, when the door from within the institute that led directly into the lab opened up. Crystal slowed down her pace, pretending to look around the lab and waited for the nurse who carried the medical trolley with samples to pass by. The small Asian nurse that previously crashed into Emerald walked in. 

Crystal smartly walked her way towards the end of the counter row, making her way towards Archer, the nurse also pushed the trolley towards the further corner of the lab, where the samples were to be assembled. 

There was distance of two rows between Crystal and the nurse, so Crystal slowed her pace. Scratching the nape of her neck, she looked at the nurse that was now close to her. Noticing her cue, Crystal immediately walked at the end of the counter row and bumped into the nurse who carried the trolley, rattling it up a bit. 

The nurse looked up at Crystal who was cleverly positioned shielding the trolley from everyone's view. 

"Careful with that!" Crystal beamed a smile at the nurse grabbing her attention. She concealed her hustle and placed the empty bottle in the rack, making sure no one caught her sight. 

She stepped aside, making room for the nurse to pass by, who was simply star struck with the fact that she met two celebrities within the span of few minutes. First a super model and now the Mayor's sister, a billionaire child. 

Crystal walked towards Archer, who did notice the whole thing but also was unable to see the little heist that Crystal pulled off. 

"Seems like you are busy?" She asked Archer who kept himself busy, to avoid Crystal. Back in college their relationship was centered around Crystal using Archer for her own purpose and him getting used again and again, for assignments, projects, submissions, late night talks, whenever she would have a fight with her boyfriend, Archer would be the first one to call who would drive up with her favorite food to her apartment. 

He broke up with his high school girlfriend, just because she was possessive of Archer and now that he thinks about it, he realizes he made a huge mistake to hurt the woman who truly loved him for a woman who just used him. 

Archer avoided her, and kept himself dug into his work. Noticing that Archer was still bitter about Crystal leaving him for Dave, she decided to walk out of the lab. 

Right outside the lab, the Jaguar pulled up that Emerald was driving while Isabella sat on the passenger seat. Opening the back seat drop, Crystal got inside. 

Emerald hit the accelerator pedal and drifted the car out of the facility. The three girls remained awfully silent, not believing that they just stole something, something that could have serious consequences. 

Crystal - a billion dollar shining girl, pampered and spoiled, have the world at her feet, sadly a pathological liar with a psychological need of attention.

Emerald - an uprising actress, super model, billionaire's daughter, having everything at her feet, mayor's mistress. 

Isabella - a lost girl with a lost purpose, struggling to identify her enemy, a billionaire's mistress with a troubled life. 

All three of them, together in one car; coordinated together to pull off a theft. 

"So, what are we? Blood bandits?" Emerald broke the silent, making Crystal and Isabella laugh out a little.

Isabella sat back, staring out the window, wondering what life had become for her. The two women, she trusted the least, helped her today. Maybe it was about time to start grasping what was present, instead of pushing it away or running from it. 

Crystal was lost in her thoughts - seeing Archer after all this while, she realized she had given up so much, her parent's trust, a friend like Archer, even used Jesse to make her parents jealous which back fired. All this, just to be with Dave and now it was time she faced the truth. She took out her phone, the light brightened her face in the darkness of the car. 

Emerald on the other hand, for once felt alive and free, away from Nicholas and his thoughts, searching and wondering a purpose of her own. Her phone resting on the dashboard of the car; began vibrator with the screen flashing, carefully she picked the phone with one hand, while handling the wheel with the other. The screen flashed with Nick's name and for the first time, she did what she never thought she would. 

She pushed the start button on her phone, putting it on silence. Isabella noticed her little rebel behavior and smirked, shaking her head, proud of Emerald taking a step for herself. 

Isabella turned the radio on, which played Nina Simone's, 'Feeling Good'. Humming to the tune, the three women drove into the darkness of the night.