The Contracted Stripper

Ryan stood beside Ivy’s bed, his heart aching as he watched his sister struggle to process the overwhelming truth that had just been revealed.

He gently held her hand, feeling the coldness of her skin, the tremors running through her body, and the vulnerability in her eyes-a stark contrast to the confident, carefree Ivy he had always known.

“It’s going to be fine, Ivy,” Ryan said softly, his voice full of determination. “I promise you, we’ll get through this together.”

Ivy’s eyes were wide, filled with confusion and fear. She looked at Ryan, searching for reassurance, but the turmoil within her was too much to bear.

“Ryan… please, find Iris. I still can’t believe she’s my sister, my twin. How is that possible? What have I done? How could I have been so blind?”Ryan squeezed her hand, trying to steady her racing thoughts.

“Ivy, listen to me. None of this is your fault. You didn’t know. We were all kept in the dark.”Ivy shook her head, her voice trembling with disbelief.

“What if… what if this is all a dream? Please, wake me up, Ryan. How can I be a sister to Iris? How? It doesn’t make any sense.”Ryan’s heart broke at the desperation in her voice. He wished he could take away her pain, but he knew the only way forward was to help her face the truth.

“Just rest your head now, Ivy. Let everything sink in. There’s someone Luca and I are trying to trace. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

As Ryan turned to leave the room, Ivy’s grip tightened on his hand, stopping him in his tracks. Her eyes filled with fear as she whispered, “Be careful, Ryan. Mom and Dad… they’re dangerous. We can’t trust anyone right now.”Ryan nodded, understanding the gravity of her warning.

“I know. We’ll be careful, I promise.”Luca, who had been standing quietly by Ivy’s side, gently took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Rest now, Ivy. We’ll be back soon.”With a final look at his sister, Ryan walked out of the room with Luca following closely behind. As they closed the door behind them, the weight of the situation settled heavily on their shoulders.

Once they were out of earshot, Ryan turned to Luca, his voice tense. “We need to find out who’s behind this. There’s more to this than just what Jessica told us. If Ivy and Iris were separated at birth, there’s got to be a reason-something we’re missing.”Luca nodded, his mind already racing with possibilities.

“I agree. But first, we need to figure out who’s been watching us. The unknown caller who tipped off Bella about us being together-there’s someone out there pulling the strings.”Ryan clenched his fists, anger simmering beneath the surface.

“Whoever it is, they’ve been playing us for years. We’ve been manipulated, lied to, and used. But not anymore. We’re going to take control of this situation.”Luca’s eyes were sharp with determination. “I’ve been working on tracing the call.

I have a few leads, but it’s going to take time. In the meantime, we need to be cautious. Ivy was right-we can’t trust anyone, not even the people closest to us.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened as he considered their next move. “We need to keep Ivy safe. She’s vulnerable right now, and if Rose or Kendrick find out what she knows, they won’t hesitate to silence her.”Luca’s expression darkened at the thought.

“Agreed. We’ll have to take shifts watching over her. But we also need to get to the bottom of this. We can’t let whoever’s behind this keep manipulating us.”Ryan nodded, his mind racing with plans.

“I’ll dig into the family records and see if there’s anything that could explain why Ivy and Iris were separated. There has to be something we’ve overlooked.”Luca glanced at his phone, which was buzzing with incoming messages.

“I’ll keep working on tracing that call. If we can find out who’s been feeding Bella information, we might be able to get a step ahead.”Ryan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’re in the middle of a storm, Luca. But we’re not going to let it swallow us whole. We’re going to fight back.”Luca’s gaze was steady as he met Ryan’s eyes.

“We’re in this together. Whatever it takes, we’ll get to the truth.”Back in the room, Ivy lay still, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.

The revelations had shattered her sense of self, and she struggled to find solid ground in the sea of confusion. She had always prided herself on being strong, independent, and in control. But now, she felt like a fragile leaf in a storm, tossed around by forces beyond her understanding.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing thoughts, but the questions kept coming. Why had Rose lied to her? What was the real reason behind the separation?

And how could she have lived her whole life without knowing the truth? A part of her wanted to reject it all, to believe that this was some twisted nightmare. But deep down, she knew it was real. The truth was painful, but it was undeniable.

As she lay there, a sudden thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. If Jessica was her real mother, then everything Rose had told her was a lie. All the affection, the care-it was all part of a grand deception.

Tears welled up in Ivy’s eyes as she grappled with the betrayal. She had always craved Rose’s approval and had gone out of her way to make her proud.

But now, she realized that all of it had been for nothing. Ivy’s chest tightened with a mix of anger and sorrow. She had lost something precious-her sense of identity. And in its place, there was a void, a gaping hole that could never be filled.

But as the tears fell, Ivy’s sadness slowly gave way to something else-a burning resolve. She wasn’t going to let Rose get away with this. She wasn’t going to let the lies define her any longer.

She was going to fight back. With a shaky breath, Ivy wiped away her tears and sat up in bed. Her head throbbed, and her body felt weak, but her mind was clearer than it had been in hours. She knew what she had to do. She needed to confront Rose.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Luca were in the study, going through old family documents and records. They had spread out papers across the desk, searching for any clue that could explain the separation of Ivy and Iris.

“There has to be something here,” Ryan muttered as he flipped through a stack of legal documents. “Some reason why they would keep this secret for so long.”Luca was focused on his laptop, tracing the unknown over the place.

Whoever made that call knew what they were doing.”Ryan looked up from the papers, frustration etched into his features. “We’re running out of time, Luca. If Bella knows about Ivy and Iris, it won’t be long before Rose and Kendrick find out too. We need answers, and we need them now.”

Luca nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “I’m working as fast as I can. But we need to be ready for whatever comes next. If Rose is involved in this, she’s not going to let us dig too deep.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he thought about his mother. “Rose has always been secretive, always playing her games. But this-this goes beyond anything I ever imagined.”

Luca’s phone buzzed, drawing his attention. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. “Ryan, we’ve got a problem. The call-it’s coming from inside the house.”Ryan’s blood ran cold. “What?”Luca turned the laptop toward Ryan, showing him the screen. “The signal’s coming from within the Kendrick estate. Someone here is feeding information to Bella, or worse-to Rose.”

Ryan’s mind raced as he processed the implications. “That means we have a mole. Someone on the inside is working against us.”Luca nodded, his face grim.

“And they’re close enough to know everything we’re doing.”Ryan’s jaw tightened as the realization sank in. “We need to find out who it is, and fast. If they’re working for Rose, Ivy’s life could be in danger.”Luca closed the laptop, his expression hardening. “We’ll have to be careful. Whoever it is, they’re playing a dangerous game. We can’t let them know we’re onto them.”Ryan nodded in agreement.

“We’ll keep this between us for now. We need to find out who’s behind this before they strike again.”But as they spoke, neither of them noticed the shadow lurking just outside the study door, listening intently to every word they said.

Back in her room, Ivy gathered her strength and resolved to confront Rose. She couldn’t let this lie fester any longer. She needed answers-now.

Slowly, she stood up, her legs still shaky from the shock. She made her way to the door, her mind focused on the confrontation that lay ahead. But as she reached for the handle, she heard footsteps approaching.

Ivy froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t ready for this, not yet.

But the footsteps grew louder and closer until they stopped just outside her door.

She held her breath, waiting, but the door didn’t open. Instead, she heard a faint whisper-NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.