Chapter Ninety-Six
Since the night Bella publicly revealed her pregnancy, Max had seemingly undergone a complete transformation. He no longer used the excuse of being busy with work to leave the house every evening as he used to.
If Bella hadn’t known the true nature of her despicable and deceitful husband, she might have actually believed he cared for her. His appearance as a caring and model husband left Bella astonished.
Bella suspected that something must have happened between Max and Pearl after that dinner, or else a woman like Pearl would never let Max off so easily.
"You haven't been busy with work every night like you used to lately. Things at your company must be going well?" Bella said casually, though she was probing into the relationship between Max and Pearl.
Max heard her but didn't grasp her meaning, thinking only that his wife was showing concern for him. "That's right, I haven't been as busy lately. It's perfect timing, with you being pregnant, so I can stay home to take care of you. Have you told your father yet?"
Since it was a fake pregnancy, Bella, of course, hadn’t told her father. She planned to tell him everything only after everything was over. Bella pondered for a moment, unsure if Max had any ulterior motives or was simply inquiring out of concern.
"I haven't wanted to say anything yet. I want to surprise him. Just imagine how he'll react when he finds out he has a grandchild! He'll definitely hand over all his assets to me. Actually, whether I'm pregnant or not, my father will pass everything to me, including his company, since I'm his only daughter," Bella said innocently.
Seeing Max's eyes light up like headlights made Bella smirk inwardly. She knew exactly what he was thinking and what he wanted since his original purpose in marrying her was for her father's company and wealth.
Max was elated, feeling as if he was on the cusp of achieving ultimate success. His eyes involuntarily drifted to Bella's stomach, the smile in his eyes growing even deeper.
Bella continued to play the role of the obedient and dutiful wife but refused to follow her husband's demand that she quit her job and stay home.
“If you keep working, you'll be exhausted. Just quit your job and stay home!” Max said irritably, unable to understand why Bella was so devoted to a low-paying office job.
He could give her ten times more money just to indulge in shopping.
“I don't feel tired. Don’t worry, I won’t let myself get exhausted,” Bella said, not wanting to continue the conversation with Max on this topic.
To an outsider, it might seem that Max was a perfect husband, attentive and loving towards his wife. But Bella alone knew that the man she called her husband was really after her father's company and assets.
Max couldn't directly confront her father, so he had been secretly trying to gain control of the company behind her father's back. Moreover, Bella was her father's only child, so Max wanted her to stay home to keep her from learning anything about the company, making it easier for him to control everything.
In truth, Max wanted Bella to be a mere puppet, oblivious to everything, because from the beginning, he only saw her as a pawn in his game.
Bella had kept the secret about being the wife of Director Cooper, as she was very private about her personal life and didn’t share much on social media, so her colleagues were mostly unaware that she was married.
Lauriel lightly tapped the table, drawing the attention of several colleagues, including Bella. Every time Lauriel did that, it meant she knew something particularly interesting within the company that few others knew about.
“Have you all heard? It seems our director is considering firing Secretary Pearl. She hasn’t been coming to work these past few days, and I’ve heard that she didn’t notify the director before taking time off.”
Another female colleague asked curiously, “She’s quitting? That’s impossible! Are you sure, Lau? The director and Pearl have always had a very ambiguous relationship, and everyone in the company knows they’re like lovers. There’s no way the director would want to fire her.”
Other colleagues agreed, finding it plausible given Pearl’s notoriously erratic behavior, whether in work or conversations with other employees. So, hearing that Secretary Pearl had been absent for several days didn’t surprise anyone much. What did surprise them was whether Director Cooper had done something, and if their ambiguous relationship had indeed come to an end.
Lauriel shook her head, “I also heard that Director Cooper is actually married and has been for several years.”
Hearing this part, Bella, who was sitting nearby, was startled. She thought Lauriel had figured out that she was Max's wife, but with Lauriel's next sentence, Bella breathed a sigh of relief.
"I don't know who his wife is, but it's definitely not Pearl. Pearl is just Mr. Cooper's mistress," Lauriel said boldly and smugly.
The colleagues who overheard were surprised, as they had been working at the company for a long time, but none of them knew that Mr. Cooper was married. Max never gave the impression that he was a married man; at work, he didn't wear a wedding ring, and he and Pearl often appeared together.
Despite this, no one thought that Pearl was Mr. Cooper's wife because they assumed that someone of his status and position would surely marry a lady of noble background, not a small, arrogant secretary.
Although they didn’t know who the director's wife was, they guessed that Director Cooper had probably lost interest in Secretary Pearl and was ready to fire her at any moment.
Most of the employees who had interacted with Secretary Pearl disliked her due to her arrogant and bossy attitude. If they weren’t afraid of her being the director's secretary and favored by him, they certainly wouldn’t have tolerated her behavior.
Bella sat next to them, listening without saying anything, outwardly pretending not to know, but inwardly feeling very satisfied.
As things stood, Pearl hadn’t come to work, but Max didn’t care. He thought she was just sulking and would come back in a few days. He had no intention of firing her or putting pressure on her; he just wanted her to obediently remain his mistress, like before.
At dinner, Bella appeared worried, "I'm really concerned, Max. I heard from some colleagues that Pearl hasn't come to the company for almost a week. Is something wrong with her? Since that dinner, I've noticed she’s been acting strangely."
Max, of course, knew about this, but he didn’t care much. He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about her. If she wasn't your friend, I would have fired her long ago."
Bella feigned concern and said, "I'll go to her house. I want to see how she's doing."
When Max heard that his wife intended to visit Pearl, he panicked and quickly slammed his hand down to stop her. "No, there's no need for you to worry about her. Don't do anything unnecessary."
Seeing Max's strong reaction, Bella raised an eyebrow. She knew he was deliberately preventing her from meeting or interacting with Pearl. Anytime she mentioned wanting to meet or talk to Pearl, Max would react defensively, telling her not to worry about Pearl anymore.
But this time, she was determined to meet Pearl because she had something to say to her "best friend".
"This is not unnecessary, Max. I don't understand why, but I feel like you're trying to stop me from seeing Pearl. Did something happen between you and Pearl that you’re hiding from me?" Bella crossed her arms and raised her voice.
Bella had always presented herself as soft and gentle in front of Max, so he thought that simply raising his voice would easily make her comply. But this time, Max could see that Bella was serious, with suspicion evident in her eyes, making him nervous and uneasy.
He was very afraid that Bella would find out about his relationship with Pearl, so he didn’t want his wife to have any contact with her. In his mind, Max kept cursing Pearl as a woman who only caused trouble.
"What are you talking about, Bella? How could there be anything between Pearl and me that I would hide from you? Don't let your imagination run wild. Fine, if you insist on seeing her, then I'll go with you," Max tried to stay calm.
Although Max said he would go with Bella, he deliberately delayed the time, making her increasingly annoyed. Her patience had its limits, so she said, "Fine, if that's the case, I'll go by myself. The more you try to stop me, the more it proves that there’s something you're hiding about Pearl. Tell me, what are you hiding?"
Faced with his wife's serious suspicion, Max had no choice but to take her to see Pearl, silently praying that Pearl wouldn’t say anything she shouldn’t to Bella.
Standing in front of Pearl's house, it was completely dark inside, with no sign of light. Bella thought Pearl wasn't home, but after the third ring of the doorbell, accompanied by Max’s calls, Pearl came running to the door and threw herself into Max's arms, leaving both Bella and Max stunned.
"Max, you finally came to see me!" Pearl looked up at Max, her appearance haggard and pale, though it couldn’t hide her natural beauty.
Max was shocked and embarrassed, quickly glancing at his wife before hurriedly pushing Pearl away from him. "Pearl, are you crazy? Let go of me!"
Chapter Ninety-SevenFearing that his wife might find out about his relationship with Pearl, Max quickly turned to explain to Bella."Bella, don't misunderstand. She seems to be drunk. I can smell the alcohol on her."Pearl heard Max's words and realized he hadn't come here alone, nor had he come to see her. At that moment, Pearl no longer wanted to hide anything. She had been in the shadows for too long and didn’t want to continue like this.But before Pearl could speak, Bella smiled gently and said, "It's okay. It seems your situation is getting worse, Pearl. So bad that you even hugging mistook my man."The faces of both Pearl and Max turned pale, especially Max, who was furious with Pearl for putting him in such an awkward situation.Pearl looked at Max, wanting him to say something, her eyes asking why Bella was here. But Pearl didn't wait for Max's response; she couldn’t hold back any longer."What are you doing here? Who allowed you to come to my house?" Pearl's eyes were fille
Chapter Ninety-EightMax stood outside the door as if standing in a furnace; he wanted to rush in, but Pearl had locked it from the inside, leaving him with no choice but to wait outside."...DIE!..."Max immediately recognized Pearl's scream. Horrified, he could no longer calmly wait and kicked the door forcefully. With the strength of a grown man, it only took three kicks to break down the locked door."Bella! Bella! Where are you?" Max frantically ran inside. He heard noises from the living room and rushed in.Before him was a horrifying and disgusting scene. Max quickly scanned the room and found Bella curled up on the floor, clutching her stomach and trembling uncontrollably. Pearl was holding a large shard of glass, which was smeared with some red liquid.Just by looking, Max knew what was happening. He staggered over to Bella."Bella? Bella? What's wrong? Bella, wake up. Blood?" Max held Bella in his arms, and when he touched her stomach, he felt a liquid flowing out. As soon a
Chapter Ninety-NineAfter Levi mentioned that her unfaithful husband had run off with his lover, Bella truly believed it, as it was a likely scenario. However, she couldn't allow them to cause such havoc and then escape so easily.What Bella didn't expect was that Max would return after two days of her hospitalization. He wanted to see her but was stopped by two bodyguards outside. Since Bella had been admitted, Levi had arranged for numerous bodyguards to be with her, with two stationed right at the door and others guarding the hallway.Hearing Max's voice, Bella merely smirked and said softly, "Let him in.""I'm afraid not, ma'am. Sir has given strict orders—" one of the bodyguards sternly replied.Bella waved her hand and said softly, "Then you stay here with me." After all, she wasn't sure what Max intended by coming here or if he would try to harm her. Although he wasn't directly responsible for her hospitalization, his hesitation had nearly cost her life.As soon as Max saw Bell
Chapter One HundredLevi did not respond but merely stared silently at Bella. He showed no expression, leaving Bella slightly confused, as she had expected him to mock or tease her."Alright, that guy thinks I've forgiven him because I still love him too much. Ridiculous. To think that after all this, that jerk still believes that makes me sick," Bella sighed, glancing at Levi.Levi squinted at her but remained silent. Just his gaze made Bella uncomfortable and confused. She sighed again and added, "Please don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy enough to forgive that jerk, but there’s something I need to finish. I haven’t ended this yet.""So, when will this end?" Levi's tone hinted at impatience, not quite angry, but clearly, he didn’t want to continue this game with Bella anymore.Bella was somewhat perplexed by Levi's attitude. After all, their relationship had always been transactional. She had never mentioned a deadline, nor had he. So why was he irritated when she said she di
Chapter One Hundred and OneIf that night the image of the two women was drastically different, then now, it’s the same, only reversed. Bella, as a patient, was dressed in hospital clothes, her face pale and weak, while Pearl radiated beauty and nobility, pure and elegant.Since Pearl was standing with her back to Bella, Bella couldn’t see her expression. Aside from the sound of the wind, no one spoke, making the atmosphere between them strangely tense.Finally, Bella broke the silence. “So? You asked me to meet you up here on the rooftop, but you’re not saying anything?”Pearl stood by the rooftop railing, turning around to face Bella. She looked at Bella with a sneer.“Why are you standing so far away? Are you afraid I’ll do something to you? We’re best friends, aren’t we? Why are we so distant now?”Bella didn’t expect Pearl to say such words. If Pearl really considered them best friends, she would never have had an affair with Max and schemed to hurt her.“Of course, I’m afraid. I
Chapter Ninety-ThreeBella smiled brightly and spoke with such joy, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The moment she finished speaking, the atmosphere became strange, but she pretended not to notice and repeated herself.“I said I’m pregnant. I really am pregnant.” Bella said with a smile, her hand deliberately resting lightly on her stomach, rubbing it as if there was truly a tiny life forming inside her.To prove she was really pregnant, Bella placed the pregnancy test paper on the table.Max stared blankly at the title on the paper for a second, then immediately stood up, his face full of happiness as he tightly embraced Bella.“Are you really pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Do you know how much I’ve been looking forward to this moment? I’m so happy, my love. Finally, we’re going to have a baby.”Bella despised Max’s embrace and touch, so she didn’t hug him back, but she also didn’t push him away. While Max was happily hugging her, oblivious to ev
Chapter Ninety-FourLevi's words once again left Bella stunned. She cleared her throat and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you actually think I'm pregnant?"Levi remained silent, which surprised Bella. It wasn’t that he didn’t know her plan, yet he was asking such questions now. Of course, she wasn't pregnant, and she hadn't even gone for a full medical check-up. The pregnancy report was fake.This was all just an act to make those two scumbags turn on each other. Bella had assumed Levi, like her, understood this clearly.Bella lightly shook her head in denial, "Stop joking. Do you really think I could be pregnant? Who do you think the father would be? You or my husband?"Despite her words, if she were truly pregnant, the child in her womb could only belong to the man sitting in front of her, because she had never slept with her husband, so it was impossible for her to be pregnant with Max’s child.Levi didn’t say anything. He silently tapped his fingers on the dining t
Chapter Ninety-FiveHearing what Max said, Bella only gave a slight smile, but deep down, she felt an intense disdain for this man. She couldn't understand why she had once been so deeply in love with him, to the point where she believed that if she didn't marry him, she wouldn't want to marry anyone else.However, Bella still felt fortunate that she had discovered how disgusting this man truly was. More importantly, she and Max didn’t have any children together, which was one of the reasons why she didn't feel guilty for betraying her husband.When they arrived home, Max, still slightly intoxicated and in a good mood from two pieces of good news that evening, was feeling extremely relaxed. From behind, he watched Bella, admiring her beautiful figure. Even just looking at her back was enough to make others feel captivated. Max quickly stepped forward and embraced her from behind, greedily inhaling the sweet and seductive fragrance of his wife."Bella, you smell so good..." Max whisper