Ch 38

Before Raw started, Stephanie decided she needed to talk to her father. Her father had been holding something over Hunter's head for weeks, and now, after everything that had happened at King of the Ring, she was done staying out of it.

With determined steps, she stormed into Vince's office, finding him behind his desk, going over the plan for Raw one more time. He barely acknowledged her as she entered.

"What do you have on Hunter?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

Vince's eyes flicked up at her, his expression cool but his patience clearly thinning. "That is none of your concern."

Stephanie wasn't backing down. "I'm not blind I've seen how you've been pressuring him into things. You've been holding something over him, and I want to know what."

Vince's jaw tensed. He slowly stood up, straightening his suit as he walked around the desk. "Let me make something very clear, Stephanie." His voice was sharp, a dangerous edge creeping in. "Stay out of my business with Hunter."

Stephanie met his glare without flinching. "You're playing a dangerous game, Dad. If you keep pushing him, Hunter's going to snap."

Vince let out a dark chuckle. "Good. Because that's exactly what I want."

Stephanie shook her head, frustrated, but she knew when her father had made up his mind. She left his office, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was coming.

While The Undertaker battled Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event, Hunter was backstage, pacing. He had spent the entire night debating whether to talk to Bella, to tell her the truth about everything. But now, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

That's when he heard the familiar, arrogant laugh.

He turned sharply, finding Vince McMahon standing there, arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face.

"Enjoying the show, Hunter?" Vince taunted.

Hunter scowled. "What the hell do you want?"

Vince stepped closer, lowering his voice just enough to make the threat more menacing. "Next time you decide to run your mouth to my daughter about our little arrangement… remember what is about to happen to your sister right now," Vince pointed to the monitor as Austin rolled out of the ring.

Hunter's blood ran cold. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as Austin gave Bella a stunner. "You son of a bitch. Why? Would you do that to her?"

Vince smirked, watching Hunter's reaction like a predator savoring its prey.

"Let's just say… if you keep testing me, next time, she won't just get the wind knocked out of her."

Hunter's fists shook with rage, but he forced himself to stay in control. Losing it now wouldn't help Bella. That's exactly what Vince wanted.

Vince chuckled, enjoying every second of his torment. Then, as if he hadn't just threatened Hunter's sister, he patted him on the shoulder. "Think about that before you try to grow a conscience." And with that, Vince walked away.

Hunter didn't waste another second. He raced to find Bella.

Hunter rushed through the hallways, his heart pounding. When he finally found her in the medical area, sitting on the examination table, relief flooded through him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, barely able to catch his breath.

Bella looked up, surprised by the worry in his voice. "I'm fine. It just knocked the wind out of me and I hit my head. I had no idea I was taking a hit tonight."

Hunter exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Bella…" He shook his head, still rattled from Vince's threat.

Before he could say anything else, the raised voices came from the hall.

"Damn it, Deadman, you know I didn't mean for that to happen!" Austin's unmistakable Texas drawl rang out.

"You think that matters?" Undertaker growled. His voice was low and dangerous. "She wasn't supposed to take a hit tonight. She wasn't prepared."

"I get that, but Vince—"

"I don't give a damn about Vince," Undertaker snapped. "You put your hands on my wife. You're lucky I didn't knock your teeth out."

Undertaker entered first, his presence filling the room with more tension. His jaw was tight, and his fists were still clenched at his sides. He went to Bella, gathering her in his arms. Austin followed a second later, looking frustrated but also… guilty.

Bella straightened, her expression unreadable as Austin glanced at her.

"Look, Bella," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "I didn't know Vince was gonna pull that last-minute change. The Stunner—it wasn't supposed to happen like that. Vince assured me you knew. He said that is how he was bringing Kane more into your storyline. I'm sorry. I hope you're ok."

Bella studied him for a moment. She could tell he meant it.

"I'm ok. I understand it isn't your fault. You were just doing your job," she said evenly, "but next time… we need to come up with some sort of signal you can give me if things change after we do a run through."

Austin nodded. "Fair enough. I'm sorry again," he quickly exited the room.

The tension in the room didn't lift, though. Undertaker turned to Hunter, his eyes narrowing.

"Why the hell would Vince change things like that last minute?" he demanded. "It feels like he is trying to send a message using Bella to do it."

Hunter sighed. "I don't know," he lied, not wanting to get into an argument right now. "I don't like it either."

Undertaker stepped closer. His towering presence was intimidating, but Hunter didn't back down.

"You better start figuring it out," Undertaker growled. "Because if this happens again—"

"Mark, stop."

Bella's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

Both men turned to look at her. She had enough for the night.

"I just want to grab Samantha and Jessica and go back to the hotel," she said tiredly, rubbing her face. "I'm done with all of this tonight."

Undertaker exhaled slowly, his anger still simmering beneath the surface, but he gave a short nod.

Bella turned to Hunter. "Is it okay if I take Samantha back home to Florida with us?"

Hunter ran a hand down his face, then nodded. "Yeah, that's fine." He hesitated before adding, "I have a few things I need to take care of first, but I'll join you there soon."

Bella held his gaze for a moment, sensing there was more he wasn't saying, but she didn't push.

"Alright," she said simply.

Hunter nodded again before stepping back toward the door, glancing between her and Undertaker one last time. He knew he had to stop Vince from using Bella again.