Bella Jefferson’s phone chimed twice.
She remained indifferent and continued working.
“I will report the real-time progress of the new technology to Assistant Monroe, so I won’t take up your phone’s storage space, Mr.
Xavier.”
“Nancy Monroe is no longer responsible for this project.
From now on, you will report all your work directly to me.”
Adrian Xavier shoved his phone screen in front of her face.
The WhatsApp friend request pop-up was blindingly bright.
“Do you see it now?
Add me!”
Bella gripped her fountain pen tightly and looked up at him with cold detachment.
“I will follow the standard procedure and email my reports.
Please just give me an email address, Mr.
Xavier.”
Adrian’s knuckles visibly whitened as he gripped the phone.
He reached around her from behind, leaning in and bracing both hands on the desk.
His lowered voice carried an unquestionable authority.
“It’s just adding someone on WhatsApp.
What are you so afraid of?”
There were no open windows in the laboratory.
Bella found herself trapped against his chest once again.
His heart beat wildly and powerfully.
His scorching breath brushed against the crook of her neck inch by inch, burning her skin and causing her to shrink back.
In her panic, she tried to push him away.
But the man was like an immovable iron wall.
Her struggles only made it look like she was playing hard to get.
Bella was both ashamed and annoyed.
She gritted her teeth and retorted, “Of course I’m afraid.
I don’t want my husband to misunderstand.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she clearly felt the oppressive presence behind her vanish.
Seizing the opportunity, she ducked under his arm and retreated to put some distance between them.
Adrian straightened his suit jacket, his back to her, his spine perfectly straight.
The sunlight streaming in through the window fell upon him, casting an endlessly long shadow.
It made him look even more aloof and untouchable.
“If you want to successfully get your medical book back, I advise you to cooperate properly.”
He pulled out a business card from his pocket, tossed it casually onto the nearby table, and strode out of the laboratory.
Bella let out a sigh of relief and picked up the business card to take a look.
The black card with gold foil lettering gave off a cold gleam in the sunlight—a perfect match for Adrian’s temperament.
She rubbed her thumb over the raised font.
As her eyes landed on the prominent title, “CEO of Xavier Group,” her body trembled uncontrollably.
It felt as if an invisible hand had violently squeezed her heart.
Her thoughts drifted back to five years ago, back when Adrian Xavier was still Miles Sinclair.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Sinclair had guarded against him, preventing him from working at Meridian Group, so he had no choice but to find a job elsewhere.
He had used his very first paycheck to buy her a diamond hairpin, smiling as he made a promise to her.
“When I’m successful in the future, I’ll definitely buy you something even better.”
And now, the business card he handed her was as exquisite as a piece of art, yet it acted like an icy blade, carving a massive chasm between them.
He had successfully reached the pinnacle of power and wealth, becoming the most unreachable existence.
It couldn’t be found.
And they could never go back.
Bella’s eyes stung with heat.
With trembling hands, she picked up her phone and opened WhatsApp.
Ultimately, she accepted his friend request.
Soon, a message popped up.
“Come to the company and report to me in person every Friday.”
His strictly businesslike tone left no room for negotiation.
Bella didn’t reply.
She set her phone down and returned to her research, using the busy work to calm her emotions.
She worked straight until five in the afternoon, when Hailey Lynch came over to tell her that a welcome-back dinner had been organized for her that evening.
Bella couldn’t tear herself away from her work, but she didn’t want to let everyone down either.
Left with no choice, she agreed.
“Alright.
You guys head over first after work.
I’ll come meet you as soon as I finish up here.”
At seven o’clock that evening, inside the Blue Bar.
Bella was just about to go look for Hailey and the others when a familiar figure suddenly flashed across her line of sight.
Seeing the person’s face clearly, Bella stopped in her tracks.
Mindy Jefferson?
Had she returned to the country?
Mindy weaved through the crowd and sat down at a booth not far away.
And sitting across from her in the booth was none other than Scarlett Sullivan.
Bella froze, wondering when those two had gotten together.
Seeing Mindy and Scarlett talking and laughing—even linking arms and resting their heads on each other’s shoulders from time to time—they looked exactly like sisters with a great relationship.
Finding it incredibly bizarre, Bella quietly took a few steps closer.
Mindy was her younger half-sister from her father’s side.
Back when Bella’s mother had been bedridden with a severe illness, her father couldn’t wait to bring his first love and his illegitimate daughter into their home, replacing the positions of Bella and her mother.
When her mother passed away five years ago, Bella agreed to marry Mason Sinclair and completely severed ties with the Jefferson family.
As a result, Mindy became the sole heiress of the Jefferson family.
To cultivate Mindy’s elegance as a socialite, the Jefferson family had spent a fortune crafting her image.
They had even sent her abroad to study.
After not seeing her for a few years, Mindy had indeed shed her former arrogant and willful image, becoming much more gentle and poised.
She was growing closer and closer to being a proper high-society lady.
But Scarlett was Bella’s former classmate, and Mindy had been abroad all these years.
How on earth did they know each other?
Pondering this, Bella found a concealed spot and sat down.
This position perfectly allowed her to clearly observe their every move and eavesdrop on their conversation.
From their chatter, Bella learned that Mindy had just returned to the country today.
Tonight’s gathering was a welcome party hosted for her.
“Scarlett, you and Mason have been together for five years now.
This was followed by Scarlett’s dissatisfied complaint.
“Mason said we still need to wait.”
“Wait for what?
You’re the one who deserves to be Mason’s wife.
Bella is just a nameless imposter.
She’s been stealing your rightful place for so many years; it’s high time she got lost.”
Scarlett swirled the drink in her glass, a flash of resentment passing through her eyes.
“Before, Mason’s position was unstable, so he needed her to solidify it.
Plus, we still needed her medical book to research new technologies, so we had no choice but to keep her around for the time being.
“But I didn’t expect that during this collaboration with Xavier Group, Mr.
Xavier would actually demand that she lead the project.
If the company becomes dependent on her, Mason will be even less willing to let her go.
“That’s why I was in such a rush for you to come back.
I want you to get close to Mr.
Xavier.
As long as you can capture his heart and make him completely devoted to you, Bella will lose all her value at the company.
Then, Mason will naturally discard her.”
Mindy looked troubled.
“But I heard this Mr.
Xavier is incredibly mysterious.
To this day, no one has even seen his true face, let alone gotten close to him.”
“He is hard to approach, but I heard that Madam Jefferson’s eightieth birthday banquet is in a few days.
No matter how mysterious Adrian Xavier is, he couldn’t possibly skip his own grandmother’s birthday party, right?” Scarlett’s eyes were filled with absolute determination.
She stroked Mindy’s hair and continued, “Since the Xavier Family and Meridian Group have a joint project now, they will definitely send Mason an invitation.
When the time comes, you can attend the banquet with Mom and Dad, and I’ll help you find an opportunity to get close to Adrian.”
Mindy had always dreamed of marrying into a top-tier wealthy family.
If she could really hook Adrian Xavier, she would become the young madam of the number one family.
Who would dare look down on her then?
She hugged Scarlett affectionately.
“Thank you, Scarlett.
I knew you treated me the best.
Once I become the young madam of the Xavier family, I’ll definitely help you out.”
Hearing this, Bella’s face was filled with utter disbelief.
She knew that Mindy’s mother had a failed marriage in the past and had given birth to a daughter with her ex-husband.
However, she never would have imagined that the daughter was actually Scarlett Sullivan.
Scarlett was Mindy’s older half-sister!
No wonder Mindy had suddenly returned to the country.
It turned out to be Scarlett’s arrangement.
The whole point was to have Mindy come back and get close to Adrian Xavier, ensuring Bella could be smoothly kicked out of Meridian Group.
This way, Scarlett could openly and securely lock down her position as Mrs.
Sinclair.
Right at that moment, a familiar voice rang out.
“What are you two chatting about?
You look so happy.”