Belle looked at Grayson skeptically and asked, "Are you free today?"Was he really interested in hearing her childhood stories?"Well, I don't have to go to work.""Just because you're free doesn't mean I am. I have things to do.""What kind of work do you have?""Important things!" Belle quipped, "I have to earn money to survive, unlike you, who has so much money you can't spend it all!""You mean you have to go to work today?""Yeah, what's wrong with that?""I'll pay you if you tell me your childhood stories. Ten thousand for an hour."Belle immediately perked up. "Really?""Yes."Belle thought for a moment. Ten thousand for an hour meant a million for ten hours."Can I choose not to answer certain questions?""Sure. You can talk about whatever you like, and if you can keep the conversation going until dinner time, I'll give you an additional five million."Belle quickly agreed, "Deal!"With that much money on the line, she'd be a fool not to take it.After lunch, Be
Belle thought for a moment and replied, "It was a normal life. Eating, sleeping, learning medical skills, and martial arts from my grandfather. I was always busy."Grayson asked, "What about when you were alone?""What do you mean?""I mean when you weren't learning.""I did things I enjoyed. There were a lot of fun things to do in the mountains. You could fish in the river, fight with wild animals, or treasure hunting."Grayson quirked an eyebrow. "So, you were playing by yourself. Were you lonely?"Belle shook her head. "Not at all. I was always busy, so I didn't have time to feel lonely. But sometimes I missed my parents, especially when I was sick."Belle's eyes betrayed a hint of sadness at that. Every child yearned for their parents, but she had never experienced the love of a mother and father.Her grandfather loved her dearly, but it was a different kind of love.Her grandfather always reminded her that her parents were the best parents in the world and that they loved
Belle continued to recount her childhood stories, unable to stop herself from laughing as she spoke.She said, "When my grandfather heard that I had given birth to a big bear, he was even more confused. He picked me up and asked me with a serious expression, "How did you give birth to a big bear?"Belle continued, "I told him that I gave birth to the bear together with the mommy bear! Then, Grandpa asked where the cub was. He wanted to look for the cub! Eventually, he realized it wasn't me who had given birth but that I had helped deliver them."Grayson couldn't help but join in the laughter."I once found a bird nest but couldn't find the chicks' parents. I thought that they had an accident as the parents will never leave the nest when there are eggs in it. "I wanted someone else to hatch the eggs, so I went to a snake for help. I placed the eggs in the middle of the coiled-up snake as it was sleeping. "However, the snake was uncooperative, so I threatened to feed it to a fish. Then
Grayson watched her as she walked away, and his brows furrowed. He felt that Belle's refusal to answer his questions about this brother figure of hers stemmed from her genuine concern for him.Why was Belle so obsessed with him?Grayson was suddenly worried that he wouldn't be able to capture Belle's heart.He didn't dare show that he was frustrated. Meredith had just mentioned that she liked gentlemen. He had to be gentle!Besides, the opportunity was right in front of him. Belle was here, and as long as he treated her well, she wouldn't remain indifferent to him.Grayson planned his strategy and then increased his pace to catch up with Belle.Belle was playing and laughing with Sixteen as they walked ahead. She was like a cheerful child, making the surroundings feel more vibrant.She was wearing a white down jacket and blue jeans. The clothes accentuated her slim and long legs. Her long hair flowed freely, and her every move was filled with youthful energy, making her a deligh
Belle's eyes lit up when she saw the snacks. She exclaimed, "You actually brought snacks with you? That's a good habit to have!"Grayson knew that it was a habit he developed because of her. He knew she liked to eat, and she got hungry quickly. So, he had prepared some snacks and put them in his coat pocket before they went out.Belle took the pack of beef jerky from his hand and happily started munching on it.After finishing the beef jerky, Grayson gave her a piece of chocolate, followed by a small bread roll, cookies, and cereal bar, all of which were her favorite snacks.Belle felt touched and said, "If I had known you were this thoughtful, I definitely wouldn't have argued with you every day. I would've treated you well."Grayson felt pleased but responded with mock modesty, "You are so easily pleased.""What do you know? I feel the worst when I'm hungry. Do you have more?""There's no more. It's not good to eat too many snacks. We'll have dinner at home."Belle wanted to
Knowing that Phil was related to Lena, Grayson was wary of him. He didn't know why Phil wanted to meet him and didn't want to involve Belle in this.He looked around and saw that Belle had gone into the kitchen with Meredith, so he stepped onto the balcony to take the call.Phil wasted no time and asked, "Grayson, are you off work?""I'm at home.""At home? Why did you come home so early today? Did you come home to accompany your wife?" Phil teased with a chuckle.Grayson asked, "Is there something you need, Mr. Sanchez Senior?"Phil explained, "Xenia has returned. She recently won a major international award, and I want to host a celebration party for her to network with influential people. "My home is too small, and I'm afraid many people won't attend the party. But if they hear you're attending, they'll surely come. So, I wanted to ask if you have time tomorrow to attend the party."Grayson fell silent for a moment and inquired, "Can I bring someone from my family with me?"
Belle was reminded of Lena's scented sachet. She guessed that Grayson's abnormal behavior recently was because he was feeling grateful toward her for saving him.Although Belle never thought he would feel indebted to her, it was a good thing he was now getting along with her.While thinking that, Belle was about to say something to Meredith. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number.Belle washed her hands and picked up the call. "Hello?"Xenia's voice rang in her ears. "Hi, Belle. What are you doing?"After hearing it was Xenia, Belle flatly said, "Oh. It's you."Xenia paused for a moment before replying, "Don't you have my phone number saved?"Belle glanced at her phone again. She was unsure when she had deleted Xenia's contact.Belle pursed her lips. "Is something the matter?"Xenia guessed that Belle had deleted her contact. Although the former was quite upset, she tried to be patient. "It has been a long time since I last saw you. Let's meet up. I w
After eating dinner, Belle played with Sixteen in the yard. Meanwhile, Grayson looked at them from the corridor.Grayson used to adore Sixteen. Yet, he found it to be annoying right now. Grayson especially wanted to throw it out when it snuggled up to Belle.Seeing that Sixteen was about to lick Belle's cheek, Grayson furrowed his brows. "Sixteen!" he yelled.Sixteen froze and looked at Grayson with widened eyes. It did not dare to make a move."Come over!" Grayson yelled.Sixteen immediately ran over while wagging its tail, even starting to whine. Grayson glared at him through his narrowed eyes. Although Sixteen couldn't talk, it was a clever dog.Thus, Sixteen was now looking at Grayson carefully. It was unsure what it had done wrong.Belle couldn't bear looking at them anymore. "What happened to you? Why are you bullying Sixteen again? You're even bullying a dog now! How shameless of you," she scolded while walking over.Grayson paused for a moment before replying, "It's g