Up ahead, Scarlett Sullivan, who had walked some distance away, looked back and saw Bella Jefferson with Nancy Monroe.
She deliberately provoked, “Mason, don’t you think Assistant Monroe is a little too respectful toward Bella?”
“What do you mean?”
Mason Sinclair paused in his tracks, a flash of suspicion darting through his eyes.
Scarlett said with a thinly veiled sneer, “Meridian Group has so many technical professionals, yet the Xavier family specifically chose Bella to report on the work.
“Over the past six months, she has been constantly dealing with the Xavier family and must have had quite a bit of contact with Assistant Monroe.
Do you think the two of them might be…”
“She wouldn’t!” Mason cut her off with absolute certainty before Scarlett could finish.
“She loves me more than her own life.
It’s absolutely impossible for her to be inappropriately involved with other men.”
Scarlett continued, “Even if they didn’t sleep together, every time Bella comes back dead drunk, can you honestly believe no one has touched her?”
Mason thought back to that morning when Bella, in a terrible mood, said she was quitting.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He wondered if something had happened during that business dinner.
Mason’s temples throbbed, and his breathing grew slightly heavier.
“I said she wouldn’t, and that means she wouldn’t.”
She loved him so much.
She had gone out and hustled for business for his sake, completely without complaint all these years.
How could a woman so loyal to him ever betray him?
Seeing him so utterly determined to protect Bella, Scarlett ground her teeth in secret resentment.
She wanted to say more, but upon looking up, she spotted several familiar figures in the crowd.
She immediately linked arms with Mason and walked over with a bright smile.
Regardless of whether Mason believed it or not, she would absolutely never let Bella have an easy time.
The birthday banquet was incredibly grand, attended entirely by prominent and powerful figures from across the country.
Bella recognized quite a few of the faces.
Besides the mayor of the capital, several high-ranking government officials were also present, along with a few titans of the scientific research community.
Although Bella had never interacted with them personally, she had heard plenty about them within research circles.
Nancy Monroe led Bella to a seating area and said, “Miss Jefferson, please take a rest here for now.
Mr.
Xavier will come find you in a moment.”
Bella offered a faint smile.
“Alright, go ahead with your work.”
Nancy turned and left.
Having barely eaten anything for lunch, Bella was starting to feel weak from pushing herself for so long.
When she first walked in, she had noticed a buffet table up ahead laden with pastries and snacks.
She was just about to go grab a bite when she ran into Scarlett and Mason, who were walking arm in arm, chatting and laughing.
And standing right in front of the couple was none other than the Jefferson family.
Ever since she cut ties with the Jefferson family, Bella hadn’t had any contact with them for four or five years.
Although she knew in advance that the Jefferson family would be attending, seeing the picture-perfect scene of their harmonious and warm family still felt like a small pebble being tossed into the calm lake of her heart, stirring up inevitable ripples.
Where did you buy it?
It couldn’t have been cheap, right?”
“Mason picked it out for me.
It cost a full five million,” Scarlett’s boastful voice rang out clearly.
Bella looked up at Scarlett, finally realizing why the dress looked so familiar.
It turned out that it came from the exact same boutique as the one she was currently wearing.
She had initially set her sights on that very gown, but the shop owner told her it was already reserved, leaving her no choice but to pick something else.
She never expected that the person who reserved it was Mason.
Bella couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Scarlett.
Scarlett had a voluptuous figure, and the strapless design accentuated her proud cleavage; the alluring curves were incredibly eye-catching.
At that moment, Mason had his arm around her, his face brimming with deep affection.
“As long as Scarlett likes it, any amount of money is worth it.”
Bella recalled that the compensation he gave her each time was usually just one million.
But for Scarlett, he effortlessly dropped five million on a single evening gown.
The dividing line between being loved and unloved had been drawn a long time ago.
She had simply woken up to the truth far too late!
“I’m so sorry, Miss!
I didn’t mean to!”
A waiter carrying drinks had accidentally bumped into her while walking past, spilling wine all over her gown.
He apologized in a panic.
The group chatting up ahead turned their heads in unison to look over.
Under the dazzling and magnificent crystal chandelier, Bella stood in her off-white evening gown, which perfectly complemented her snow-white skin.
Due to the sudden accident, a look of sheer astonishment hung on her face.
Mason was the first to react.
A fleeting look of panic crossed his eyes as he immediately let go of Scarlett and strode over to Bella, quietly berating the waiter.
“Why are you so clumsy?
If you ruin her gown, can you even afford to pay for it?”
At home, he was always calling her “wife.” But on the outside, he simply referred to her as “her.” Just to prove his loyalty in front of his sweetheart’s family, he wasn’t even willing to put on an act anymore.
Bella didn’t give Mason a single glance.
She turned to the waiter and said flatly, “It’s fine.
Go back to your work.”
“Thank you, Miss!
Thank you, Miss!” the waiter thanked her profusely before turning and hurrying away.
A large patch on her chest was soaked and stained with wine.
The off-white fabric had become slightly transparent, faintly revealing the alluring curves underneath.
Mason took off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders, but she suddenly raised her arms to block her chest.
“I’m going to the restroom to clean this up.
Excuse me.” With that, she turned to leave.
Mindy’s voice suddenly rang out, dripping with malice.
“Oh, who could this be?
If it isn’t my dear older sister.”
She deliberately dragged out the word “sister,” her feigned sweetness so cloying that it was completely nauseating.
The Jefferson family must have spent a fortune for tonight’s banquet.
The gown Mindy was wearing had to be worth at least a few million, and the jewelry adorning her was equally valuable.
Paired with her exquisite makeup, she truly exuded the standard aura of a high-society socialite.
It was just a pity that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
She sounded exactly like a black crow that had somehow infiltrated the socialite circles!
Bella stared at her expressionlessly for a few seconds before suddenly breaking into a smile.
“I don’t recall my mother ever giving birth to a younger sister this old.
It would be best if Miss Jefferson didn’t go around casually claiming relatives.
Otherwise…”
She shifted her gaze to Gregory Jefferson, her smile growing even more radiant and mocking.
“Otherwise, the story of Mr.
Jefferson bringing his mistress and illegitimate daughter into the house and driving his legal wife to her death might just become public knowledge tonight.”
Gregory’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
He angrily rebuked her, “You ungrateful wretch!
Your mother died of an illness on her own.
What does that have to do with us?”
“Yes, she died of an illness.
But if she hadn’t been driven mad by you all, how could she have passed away so early?!”
There clearly had been a chance for her to recover.
It was only because she heard the news of Gregory bringing Charlotte Channing and Mindy Jefferson home that her mother suffered a fatal heart attack from the overwhelming anger.
And now, these murderers were actually putting on a grand display, claiming it had nothing to do with them!
“Stop throwing dirty water on us.
Your mother was already on her last breath.
Even if we hadn’t come home, she would have died sooner or later anyway,” Mindy sneered, crossing her arms over her chest with a look of pure arrogance.
Bella’s fingers slowly curled into tight fists.
Her nails dug deeply into her palms, sending sharp spikes of pain through her hands.
She looked at their faces, every single one of them completely devoid of guilt or empathy.
The hatred buried deep in her heart began to grow wildly, like a sapling violently bursting through the soil.