"Back then, there was no such thing as loving freely," Ginger said. "There were only arranged marriages that parents decided for you. It's a blessing to be loved by Mr. Page. You should really take the opportunity."Belle didn't know what to say.However, Ginger suddenly said, "What about you? What do you think about him?"Belle thought about it carefully before saying, "I don't think I like him very much."Ginger's face broke into a smile. "You do like him! You said you 'don't think' you like him, which means that you're not sure. That's a sign that you're starting to fall! If you didn't like him, you would have said just that."Belle was taken aback by Ginger's observation. She actually felt like her argument made sense.Belle couldn't figure out her own feelings toward Grayson. She had never fallen in love before, so she didn't know what being in love felt like.However, she did care about him. She was also aware of how well he treated her.She had even taken the initiative
When Belle arrived in the ghetto, she didn't feel anything. Even when she walked into the housing area, she felt like everything was perfectly normal. However, she suddenly stopped when she approached the yard of the rented house.The sight of the tightly locked door of the neighboring house made her think of Ava.Ava's figure perfectly matched the picture Henry sent her yesterday.Belle finally realized that Ava was the woman in the picture.She couldn't see the woman's face in the picture Henry sent, but she knew her gut instinct couldn't be wrong.Belle's frown deepened the more she thought about it. She began walking to the yard next door.As she approached, the door swung open from the inside, and out walked Ava. Belle was even more sure that the person from yesterday was Ava when she saw her walking out. Belle's frown deepened even more. Ava clearly hadn't expected Belle to show up. She could tell by Belle's expression that something was wrong and grew alert. With a fal
After they were at least 50 feet away, Belle finally stopped with a frown. She took a small bottle from her pocket and gave them one pill each.They glanced at each other but ate the pill regardless. They didn't even ask what the pill was for.Lena and Ava could no longer be seen. Belle knew they must have made their escape.Belle felt a bit distraught at letting Lena slip through her grasp.After staring in the direction that Lena had escaped to for a long time, she asked the three men, "Who sent you?"One of them hurriedly replied, "Good day, Ms. Walters. Mr. Page sent us.""Grayson?""Yes, he sent us to protect you."Belle fell silent.After a brief moment, she asked, "You guys are pretty trusting. What if the pill was poison?""We trust you. Even if it were poison, we would still eat it."Belle stared at them in surprise. She could barely say anything at the sight of their solemn expressions. They must had been some of Grayson's most loyal subordinates."I gave you guys
Grayson nodded. He didn't bring Daniela up or mention the mysterious families. He also didn't mention the phone call he had with Noah.He decided to change the topic. "Why did you rent another house?"He had literally just found out about the house that Belle rented in the ghetto."I didn't want you to know my secret," Belle said honestly. "It was much more convenient to rent a house and work there.""How is the ghetto convenient?""It may be the messy part of town, but it's relatively safe. If it weren't, Lena and Ava wouldn't have also chosen to live there."Grayson didn't argue. Instead, he said, "Now that I know your secret, you don't have to go there anymore. There are plenty of empty rooms in the house. Move everything back here, and if you don't want to be disturbed, I won't even breathe near that room."Belle looked up at Grayson and nodded.She no longer needed to use that house anymore, and now that she directly confronted Lena, it was no longer safe.Rather than wor
Belle frowned in frustration.She had begun suspecting her connection with Lena since she learned that Lena knew about the Aspens' medicaments. Belle had already been almost certain when she made the call. Yet, she couldn't help but feel disappointed at the verbal confirmation.She had been an orphan ever since she was a young child. Apart from her grandfather, she had no other relatives. She should have been happy to hear about having a cousin, but …"Mrs. Sylvester Senior once said that Lena worked with my mother for a very long time. Lena killed her because of my mom and I, right?"Noah didn't deny anything. After a brief silence, he said, "I'll go to Maltford after the New Year celebrations. You're all grown up now, and there are things you need to know. Take good care of yourself in the meantime. I will tell you everything after the New Year."Belle urgently asked, "Why do I have to wait until after the New Year? Why can't you tell me now? What are you waiting for?"Belle
After a brief pause, Grayson said, "Since you've figured everything out, you can't let your grandfather down. Before he tells you the whole truth, you can't get too beaten up about it. "Don't overthink and upset yourself. You have to be happy, and we have to keep an eye on Lena. She's definitely keeping an eye on you, too. Your sadness is her happiness."Belle sniffed defiantly. "I won't be sad. I've always known that my background is complicated. I was just curious, that's all. Still, after so long, I'm barely curious anymore. Right now, I'm mostly angry that I couldn't capture Lena today. I really want to kill her!"Belle's tone and expression were both rather childlike.Grayson couldn't help but pat her on the head like he would to a child. "That's further proof that the time isn't ripe yet. Let's wait patiently. She can't escape."Grayson appeared assured that his conviction was accurate.Belle was curious. "Why are you so sure? Do you have a plan?"He shook his head. "We d
After working, Grayson noticed that Belle hadn't come out of her room. He knew she must be asleep.He lit a cigarette and began to recall the information that Noah sent.Having perused it, he gained a slightly deeper understanding of the mysterious forces. They emerged as formidable adversaries, a true force to be reckoned with.The information he possessed was quite superficial, suggesting that their true abilities might be more potent than any of them had yet realized.Some of them were even international.Compared to them, Grayson was more concerned about Belle's secret.He wasn't afraid of his enemies, no matter how strong they were. He wasn't an easy target. However, he was worried that Belle's secret lay in an area he couldn't control. After all, Noah mentioned that Lena and Daniela had attacked her because of the secret she held.He was worried that Belle's secret would hurt her and that he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.He had a ton of worries on his should
Belle pressed her lips into a thin line and rolled her eyes at Scott.Robert couldn't have said something like that. It had to be Scott who told Patrick to say that.She knew how Scott could be, so she didn't press any further. Instead, she asked, "How come you have time to visit?"Scott couldn't care less about Grayson's sour expression. He chuckled and said, "It's almost the New Year, after all. Robert couldn't make it back to give you your gift, so I'm here in his place.""A gift?"Scott passed the files he was holding to Belle. "This is from him."Belle opened the documents, and her eyes widened in shock. Robert had gifted her a piece of land."I—"Without waiting for her to say anything, Scott said, "You have to accept it!""First of all, this is a gift from Robert. If you don't take it, that means you don't see him as a friend. Secondly, if you really, really have to turn it down, you should tell him in person. I'm just the middleman. Also, do you know what kind of place