Bella Jefferson was just pondering the meaning behind Adrian Xavier’s final glance when a WhatsApp message popped up on her phone.
Swiping it open, her face instantly drained of color.
“Do you like Mason Sinclair that much?
Enough to play third wheel for him and his lover?”
Bella gripped her phone so tightly that she saw the screen flicker a few times from the sheer force.
She could ignore Mason flirting with Scarlett Sullivan right in front of her.
But she absolutely could not stand Adrian’s tone!
“Yes, I love him to death!
I love him enough to forgive any of his mistakes!” she typed furiously, her fingers hitting the screen with a loud TAP TAP TAP, as if the screen were Adrian’s face and she wanted to smash it to pieces.
The other party showed no mercy, replying, “If you love him so much, just give him the medical book.
Why ask for it back?”
“None of your business!”
If she didn’t lack better candidates, she would never have cooperated with Adrian.
This man’s rotten temper!
She had had enough!
“Bella, who are you chatting with?”
A familiar voice came from above.
Bella looked up to see Mason and Scarlett returning, and she immediately locked her phone screen.
Then, Scarlett asked, “By the way, Bella, you’ve been dealing with the Xavier Family for so long.
Have you ever met Adrian Xavier?”
She had almost seen Adrian’s face just now.
It was all because that damn Nancy Monroe had suddenly appeared and ruined her chance.
However, even though it was just from the back, she could tell that this unattainable Crown Prince had excellent proportions—broad shoulders and a narrow waist, making him even taller and more imposing than Mason.
With a top-tier physique comparable to an international male model, his looks probably weren’t too bad either.
Bella waved her phone.
“Never met him.
The one doing the handovers with me has always been his assistant.”
Obviously, Adrian didn’t plan on showing his face in front of Mason just yet.
Furthermore, Adrian exposing himself wouldn’t benefit her either.
It might even affect her plans.
Even if she knew, she could only play dumb.
“How could Bella possibly meet someone of Mr.
Xavier’s status?” Mason sat back down and turned his head toward the direction where the black Rolls-Royce had departed, becoming even more certain that what he saw earlier was just an illusion.
Scarlett thought about it and agreed.
Even Mason had never met Adrian; there was no way Bella, a lowly pharmaceutical rep, would have the chance to interact with him.
It didn’t matter, anyway.
Madam Xavier’s birthday banquet was happening in just a few days.
They would find out once they attended it.
After the meal, using the excuse that she needed to report her work to the Xavier Family, Bella did not return to the company with Mason and Scarlett.
Upon arriving at the research institute, she dove headfirst back into the lab.
Towards evening, taking a break to drink some water, she picked up her phone and glanced at it, only to find that Adrian had replied to her message.
Only a mocking emoji.
Irritated, Bella tossed her phone aside and gulped down large mouthfuls of water to quell her smoldering anger.
Hailey Lynch walked in at this exact moment.
Happening to see her throw the phone, she asked in amusement, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.
Any clues from the registry office?”
Several days had passed, and they still hadn’t tracked down the information of the man she had registered her marriage with.
Bella was getting a bit anxious.
Hailey leaned against the wall next to her and shrugged.
“It’s a bit tricky.
We really can’t decrypt it.
We’ll have to find a more skilled hacker.”
Bella frowned, swirling her water cup.
It seemed Mason had gone to great lengths to pull off this deception.
She could no longer just sit around and wait for her doom.
The next day at the company.
Bella began observing the men around her in the office.
Having been with Mason for five years, even if she didn’t know him completely, she had a rough understanding of his temperament.
Mason was incredibly shrewd, suspicious, and cautious.
Therefore, Bella guessed that the man she had registered her marriage with was definitely someone Mason could control—either his trusted confidant or his subordinate.
She locked onto a few targets and asked Hailey to investigate their marital statuses, but the results all showed they were unmarried.
She also found opportunities to test them, but they all acted impeccably, and Bella simply couldn’t spot any flaws.
After several days of this fruitless scrambling, Madam Xavier’s birthday banquet finally arrived.
That afternoon, Bella received an evening gown sent by Adrian, along with a set of highly valuable jewelry.
Assistant Monroe passed on his message: “Miss Jefferson, Mr.
Xavier said that he fears President Sinclair will be too busy accompanying his lover to pay any attention to you.
The birthday banquet is a grand occasion, and he doesn’t want you to embarrass him.”
Smiling, Bella shoved the items back into Nancy’s hands and said through gritted teeth, “I cannot accept such an expensive gift.
“Oh, and please pass on a message for me as well, Assistant Monroe.”
Nancy signaled for her to speak.
Bella wagged her finger, her smile completely harmless.
“Tell Mr.
Xavier that my husband has already prepared something for me, so there’s no need for him to worry.”
With the gown rejected, Nancy could only take it back to report her failure.
Bella didn’t care how Adrian would react.
After finishing her work, she changed into the gown she had prepared in advance, applied delicate makeup, and stood before the mirror to examine herself.
She had a naturally cool and fair complexion; even without makeup, she easily outshone those women caked in heavy cosmetics.
Coupled with her tall figure, the cream-white, tulle-cinched evening gown accentuated her gentle elegance, giving her an aura as refined and understated as a chrysanthemum.
Even Hailey couldn’t help but praise her upon seeing it.
You will absolutely be the most dazzling focal point of the entire venue tonight.”
Bella smiled warmly.
“It’s all thanks to your good taste in picking out the dress.”
In all the years since she married into the Sinclair family, the number of times she had attended such occasions could be counted on one hand.
Every time there was a business event, Mason would bring Scarlett along.
His excuse was always the same—Scarlett was the Director of R&D, well-versed in research, and suitable to accompany him in dealing with clients.
As for her, the supposed “Mrs.
Sinclair,” even if she had the chance to attend alongside him, she was merely left trailing behind, unable to get a word in.
In the past, she only wanted to support Mason’s career, so she didn’t mind it too much.
Thinking about it now, it was truly ironic.
“That’s just because you’re pretty.
You look good in anything,” Hailey was generous with her compliments, then asked, “Do you need me to give you a ride?”
“No need, I can go by myself,” Bella said, waving her hand since she knew how busy Hailey was.
“Call me anytime if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Bella grabbed her handbag and turned around.
No sooner had she stepped out of the research institute than a loud HONK sounded from behind.
She subconsciously looked back to see a black Rolls-Royce pulling up beside her.
“Miss Jefferson.” The window rolled down, and Nancy poked her head out.
Bella instinctively glanced toward the back seat.
It had fully tinted windows; she couldn’t see anything.
Assuming Adrian was inside, Bella tried to step away and leave, but Nancy quickly called out to stop her.
“Mr.
Xavier is still in a meeting.
He asked me to take you there first, and he’ll join you shortly after.”
Since Adrian wasn’t there, Bella got into the car without any reservations.
Nancy wasn’t a talkative person, and the two of them rode in silence the entire way.
Upon arriving at the banquet venue, Bella opened the door and stepped out, only to hear someone calling her name.
She looked up to see Mason and Scarlett.
Mason was dressed in a navy-blue suit, his broad shoulders and narrow waist exuding a commanding presence.
As for Scarlett, she wore a high-end crimson evening gown with intricate embroidery.
Her large, wavy curls cascaded over her shoulders, and she stood in eight-centimeter heels, her heavy makeup making her look sexy and charming.
It was just…
why did that gown look so familiar?
Bella was just trying to recall where she had seen it before when she heard Mason’s questioning tone, “Why did you follow us here?
Didn’t I tell you…”
Before he could finish, a dark gray Bugatti sped toward them from ahead, tearing past Mason so quickly that it forced him to halt in his tracks.
The car door slowly opened, and an overwhelmingly powerful aura hit them right in the face.
As a pair of long legs stepped onto the ground, a tall, handsome man emerged from the vehicle.
Seeing that familiar face, Mason froze completely in his tracks, his pupils reflecting visible panic and disbelief.
He thought, “How could this be?!
It’s him!”