It was Mason Sinclair.
Bella Jefferson instinctively lowered her head to avoid being seen.
Mason must have just come from the company.
He was impeccably dressed in a sharp business suit, and his appearance immediately drew the gazes of several women in the room.
Mindy Jefferson stood up from her seat and waved at him with familiar ease.
“Mason, over here!”
Mason walked over and sat down across from the two women, responding naturally, “Yeah.
Mindy, why are you back so suddenly?”
“It’s because you keep making Scarlett sad.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore, so I came back to support her.”
At this, Scarlett Sullivan stood up and moved to sit beside Mason.
Mindy wore a wicked smile.
“Look at how much Scarlett loves you.
The moment you arrive, she doesn’t even bother coaxing me anymore.”
Scarlett coyly looped her arm through Mason’s and chided playfully, “You make it sound like I don’t care about you.
During all those years you were studying abroad, who called you every day and secretly sent you money?”
“Yes, yes, yes.
You’re the absolute best, Scarlett.”
“Oh, right, Mom and Dad just called me,” Mindy added.
“They said we should all go home for dinner tomorrow.
Mason, you should come too.”
Mason brushed a stray lock of hair from Scarlett’s forehead, his face full of tenderness.
“Alright.”
Bella understood instantly!
The Jefferson family had known all along that Mason had used a fake marriage certificate with her.
Perhaps they were even involved in arranging this whole setup.
It was laughable.
They were a warm, harmonious family, while she was the only one kept in the dark, played for a fool.
But she was a child of the Jefferson family too!
Even if her father disliked her mother and despised her, how could he team up with an outsider to deceive his own biological daughter?
The revelations crashed down on her like boulders.
Bella felt a severe, dull ache in her chest, and her ears rang.
She dug her nails into her palms, forcing the surging hatred back down.
Afterward, she quietly slipped away from the booth, as if she had never been there.
Just then, Mason turned his head, catching a fleeting glimpse of a slender silhouette.
Frowning, he stood up from his seat.
“Mason, what’s wrong?” Scarlett followed his gaze but saw nothing, finding his reaction strange.
“It’s nothing.”
Mason assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Bella no longer went out for business deals and had no need to socialize, so it was impossible for her to be here.
However, remembering that she had left the company at noon and hadn’t contacted him since, he sent her a message asking where she was.
By the time Bella received the message, she was already at the door of her private room.
[At home.]
She typed the two words casually.
Mason replied quickly: [Get some rest.
I have to work overtime tonight, so don’t wait up for me.]
Bella ignored him, pushing open the door and walking into the private room.
“Boss, what took you so long?
We’ve been waiting for ages.”
“Sorry, sorry.
I got held up by something.
I’ll punish myself with three drinks.” Without another word, she picked up a glass from the table and downed it in one gulp.
No one else noticed anything off about her, but Hailey Lynch saw right through it.
When Bella sat down beside her, Hailey leaned in and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
“Mindy is back in the country.
Mason and Scarlett are out there throwing a welcome dinner for her.”
“Did you run into them?”
“No.”
Bella downed another glass of wine, as if only the alcohol could alleviate her terrible mood.
As she went for her fifth glass, Hailey stopped her.
“Drinking alone is no fun.
Let’s all drink with Bella.
Tonight, we won’t go home until we’re drunk!”
“Alright, not going home until we’re drunk!”
Everyone raised their glasses in a toast.
Bella had built up her alcohol tolerance over the years.
Whether it was because of her bad mood or the strong liquor, she quickly grew tipsy.
“Tell me, how have I ever wronged Mason?
Did I murder his entire family in a past life, or dig up his ancestors’ graves in this one?
Why would he use someone else’s identity to register a marriage with me?
“For the past five years, I took meticulous care of him and helped him stabilize his career.
Even a man with a heart of stone would have been moved.
Yet, he conspired with my own family to set a trap for me.
“I know my father didn’t like my mother, and he’s despised me since I was a child.
But what kind of biological father pushes his own daughter into the fire?”
The grievances and pain of the past few days seemed to have found an outlet, erupting all at once.
Bella drained her glass and violently smashed it against the floor, screaming hoarsely, “Am I even his biological daughter?!”
Glass shards flew everywhere, and the noisy room suddenly fell dead silent.
Hailey hugged her with heartache.
“Just cry if you want to.
We’re all here for you to lean on.”
“That’s right, Bella.
You still have us.
We are your family.”
Everyone chimed in to comfort her.
Bella could no longer control her tears; they gushed out like a burst dam.
What she had thought was a “home” was actually a cage Mason used to imprison her. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
What she had thought was “love” was just a tool he used to exploit her.
But why?
Why was even her own father so cruel to her?
Tears splattered onto the floor, making muffled sounds.
At first, she cried quietly, her shoulders trembling as sobs escaped her lips.
Gradually, she let go, clinging to Hailey and weeping as if her heart had been torn apart.
Her cries filled the entire private room while no one else said a word.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally lifted her head, wiped her tears, and forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
“I’m sorry, I lost my composure.
I’ll get someone to clean this up.”
Hailey was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but Bella had already stumbled out of the room.
Her long hair clung messily to her face, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her damp eyelashes were still stained with tears.
This disheveled yet innocent beauty made everyone passing by turn their heads for a second look.
A drunken man even whistled lewdly at her, moving closer in an attempt to grope her.
Not far away, a man in a pure black custom suit was walking in her direction.
His cold, pale skin gave off a jade-like luster under the lights.
With his left hand tucked into his pocket, he radiated an aura that screamed for strangers to keep their distance.
Nancy Monroe was following behind him, reporting on work, when she suddenly spotted the figure ahead.
“Mr.
Xavier, that looks like Miss Jefferson.”
Adrian Xavier happened to step into the shadows, his sharply chiseled face shrouded in the dimness, making him appear even more fierce and stern.
He merely lifted his gaze, shooting a casual glance, before lowering his eyes back to his wristwatch.
Then, he gave a very faint, “Mhm.”
Unable to gauge his thoughts, Nancy asked cautiously, “Should we help her out?”
“Do you have that much free time?” Adrian frowned, causing the surrounding air pressure to drop coldly.
Startled, Nancy shivered violently and shook her head.
Just that noon, Adrian had flown into a massive rage over a work report involving Bella, and he had nearly fired Nancy on the spot.
At this moment, she didn’t dare say another word.
Up ahead, Bella took off her high heels and ruthlessly smashed one against the drunkard’s forehead.
The drunkard howled in pain, his face instantly covered in blood.
Cursing viciously, he raised his leg to kick Bella.
Nancy was frantic with worry.
Just as she was about to boldly speak up again, the previously indifferent man suddenly stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it to her.
Unbuttoning his shirt cuffs, he took wide strides forward.