29/08/2026
THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Episode 5: The Truth Written in Blood
The deafening sound of the gunshot echoed through the forest.
BANG!
Bella's scream pierced the air.
Everything seemed to stop.
The birds flew from the trees, and for a few terrifying seconds, no one moved.
Then...
Someone collapsed.
It wasn't Adrian.
It wasn't Damien.
It was Thomas.
"Father!" Bella cried, rushing toward him.
Thomas fell to his knees, clutching his left shoulder as blood soaked through his shirt.
"It... it's just my shoulder," he groaned through gritted teeth.
Bella quickly tore a piece of her dress and pressed it against the wound.
"Stay with me! You're going to be okay!"
Adrian immediately drew a pistol from beneath his coat and looked around.
"Show yourself!" he shouted.
Silence.
Then another shot rang out.
BANG!
Adrian grabbed Bella and pulled her to the ground just as the bullet whizzed past her head and struck a tree behind them.
Bella's face turned pale.
"Someone is trying to kill us!"
Damien remained standing, completely calm.
A wicked smile spread across his face.
"They've arrived."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"You brought them here."
"I never travel alone, little brother."
From the surrounding trees, nearly twenty armed men emerged, all dressed in black with their faces covered.
Within seconds, Adrian, Bella, Ethan, and Thomas were surrounded.
The leader of the armed men stepped forward.
He removed his mask, revealing a long scar across his face.
"Welcome home, Mr. Blackwood."
Damien smiled.
"Good to see you again, Marcus."
Bella looked at Adrian.
"Who is he?"
Adrian answered without taking his eyes off Marcus.
"He used to be my father's chief bodyguard."
Marcus laughed.
"Used to be."
"Now I work for the man who deserves the Blackwood empire."
Damien folded his arms proudly.
"The rightful heir."
Bella frowned.
"I don't understand."
Damien's smile disappeared.
"Then perhaps it's time someone told you the real story."
Twenty-two years earlier...
The Blackwood family had been one of the wealthiest families in the country.
Adrian's father, Edward Blackwood, owned vast estates, businesses, and priceless treasures.
But there was one problem.
Edward had two sons.
Damien, born to his first wife.
And Adrian, born after Edward remarried.
Although Damien was older, Edward believed Adrian possessed the kindness and wisdom needed to inherit the family empire.
One evening, Edward gathered the family for dinner.
"I've made my decision."
Everyone listened carefully.
"When I retire..."
"The Blackwood estate will belong to Adrian."
Damien's face turned white.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I've worked for this family my entire life!"
Edward remained calm.
"You have intelligence."
"But not compassion."
Damien slammed his fist onto the table.
"You'll regret this."
That night...
Someone set the mansion on fire.
Bella listened in horror.
"So... you were telling the truth."
Adrian nodded sadly.
"I started the fire."
Bella stared at him in disbelief.
"Why?"
"Because Damien locked our parents inside the burning house."
Bella gasped.
"I heard them screaming."
"I couldn't reach them."
"So I set another fire in the west wing."
Bella looked confused.
"What?"
"I hoped the servants would notice the smoke and rescue them."
Tears filled Adrian's eyes.
"But the flames spread too quickly."
"My parents died..."
"And everyone blamed me."
Bella covered her mouth.
"Oh my God..."
Damien clapped sarcastically.
"What a touching story."
He looked at Bella.
"Did he also tell you what happened next?"
Bella slowly shook her head.
Damien's smile returned.
"He chained me beneath Blackwood Manor."
"For twenty years."
Adrian spoke quietly.
"You murdered our parents."
"I protected the world from you."
Damien burst into laughter.
"No..."
"You protected your inheritance."
Bella didn't know who to believe anymore.
Every version of the story sounded believable.
One brother claimed he was protecting the family.
The other claimed he had been betrayed.
Then something caught Bella's attention.
Thomas, despite his injury, was staring at Damien in fear.
Not anger.
Fear.
"Father..." Bella whispered.
"You know something."
Thomas looked away.
"No..."
"You recognize him."
Thomas's lips trembled.
Damien smiled.
"I wondered how long it would take."
Bella grabbed her father's hand.
"What is he talking about?"
Thomas remained silent.
"Tell me!"
Finally, he looked into Bella's eyes.
"There was... someone else in the mansion that night."
Adrian frowned.
"What?"
Thomas nodded.
"I was there."
Everyone froze.
Bella couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"You were there?"
Thomas closed his eyes.
"I worked as a young gardener at Blackwood Manor."
Adrian stared at him in shock.
"You never told me."
"I was afraid."
Damien stepped closer.
"Go on, Thomas."
"Tell them what you saw."
Thomas's hands began to shake.
"I saw..."
Before he could finish—
BANG!
A third gunshot echoed through the forest.
This time, the bullet struck Thomas squarely in the chest.
Bella screamed.
"NO!"
Thomas collapsed into her arms.
Blood spread rapidly across his shirt.
His breathing became shallow.
Bella cried uncontrollably.
"Father! Stay with me!"
Thomas weakly grabbed her hand.
With his final strength, he whispered four chilling words into her ear...
"Don't trust... either brother..."
His hand slipped from hers.
His eyes closed.
Bella froze.
Tears streamed down her face as she realized what had happened.
Her father was dead.
She slowly lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Adrian...
Then toward Damien.
If her father's dying words were true...
Then neither of them was telling the whole truth.
And somewhere in the shadows...
The real mastermind was still waiting.
To Be Continued...
Who killed Thomas before he could reveal the truth? Why did he warn Bella not to trust either Adrian or Damien? Could there be a third person behind the tragedy at Blackwood Manor?
Share your theories in the comments! Don't forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW the page for Episode 6!