Gregory Jefferson was shocked.
When did Bella Jefferson latch onto a powerhouse like Adrian Xavier?
He turned to Mason Sinclair for help.
Mason had been too anxious earlier, which was why he had rushed to catch Scarlett Sullivan.
Now, his mind was completely consumed with how to explain himself to Bella.
He had no time to worry about the Jefferson family.
Scarlett couldn’t speak up for the Jeffersons either.
If she opened her mouth, it would only confirm her relationship with Mason.
Isolated and without support, Gregory tucked his tail between his legs and scurried away with his wife and daughter before the bodyguards could throw them out.
The moment they left, Mason hurried over to Bella and leaned down to help her up.
He deliberately lowered his voice.
“Honey, I’m sorry.
Scarlett was closest to me just now, and I panicked in the moment.
That’s why I caught the wrong person…”
“You know full well whether you caught the wrong person or if you had ulterior motives,” Bella said.
She slapped his hand away coldly and endured the pain to stand up on her own.
She used quite a bit of force, leaving the back of Mason’s hand bright red.
He froze in place for a long time, knowing he had truly angered her this time.
He anxiously explained, “Even if I had ulterior motives, they would only be for you.
It really was a misunderstanding just now.
Please don’t be mad, okay?”
For her?
He had told so many lies that he probably didn’t even know which of his words were true and which were pure hypocrisy anymore.
Bella knew this wasn’t the time to press the issue, but she just couldn’t swallow her anger.
“Maybe what just happened was an accident, but how do you explain laughing and chatting with the Jefferson family?”
Mason was clearly guilty, his eyes completely avoiding hers.
“I just happened to bump into them here.
I figured they are your birth family, so I greeted them out of politeness.
If you don’t like me interacting with them, I promise to avoid them from now on.”
Her birth family?
The night her mother passed away, she had suffered a massive emotional blow and stormed into the Jefferson family’s home to cause a huge scene.
She had even publicly severed her father-daughter relationship with Gregory Jefferson.
Mason had been right there when it happened.
Over the years, she had never interacted with the Jeffersons again.
He knew perfectly well how much she hated the Jefferson family.
Yet he still used the excuse of them being her “birth family” to fob her off!
All just to cover up his ugly deceit!
“Bella, it’s all my fault for being so useless.
If I had pulled you out of the way faster, you wouldn’t have fallen,” Scarlett said, coming over with a hypocritical apology.
Her eyes were red, perfectly mimicking genuine remorse.
“But you have to believe me.
President Sinclair and I really have nothing going on.
Please don’t let this ruin your marriage or affect our relationship.”
Bella didn’t want to look at their hypocritical faces for another second.
“I’m going to the restroom to clean up,” she said coldly.
With that, she forced herself to ignore the pain in her body and turned to leave.
“Miss Jefferson, why don’t you go rest in a room on the second floor for a bit?
I’ll bring up a new gown for you.”
Bella knew better than anyone that Nancy’s timely appearance was Adrian Xavier’s arrangement.
She also knew that the man was currently standing in the crowd, witnessing her humiliation with a condescending gaze.
Watching her crash and burn over and over again.
Then, when she was helpless and desperate, he would step in and bail her out like he was dispensing charity.
He must be feeling pretty smug, wasn’t he?
After all, the once-despised adopted son of the Sinclair family was now the untouchable heir of Capital City.
Everyone racked their brains trying to curry favor with him.
Standing at the absolute pinnacle of power and wealth, he looked down on everyone as if they were a bunch of clowns.
And she was just one of those clowns.
It was only because he needed to use her medical books and research to save his daughter that she had received his merciful “protection.”
Nancy noticed her limping and was about to help her when she heard Bella say, “I’m fine.” Clearly trying to prove her point, Bella quickened her pace significantly.
Knowing it would be inappropriate to keep following her, Nancy turned and went to find Adrian.
The moment she arrived, the man’s chilling voice drifted over.
“When did I ever say those things?”
Knowing he had overheard her earlier, Nancy shuddered violently, overwhelmed with guilt.
“Miss Jefferson is a guest you invited.
Bullying her is equivalent to disrespecting you, don’t you think?”
Adrian shot her an icy glare.
“You’ve grown bold.
Now you even know how to tell me what to do.”
“Mr.
Xavier, I wouldn’t dare.” Nancy kept her head bowed, her legs trembling uncontrollably.
“Is there anything you wouldn’t dare to do now?
From this moment on, get out of here and go stand at the front desk.”
“Mr.
Xavier…” Nancy was just about to make an excuse when the man coldly tossed out another order.
“Find a doctor to take a look at her.
If she’s fine, tell her to come down and find me.”
Shortly after Bella arrived in the second-floor room, Nancy knocked and entered with a female doctor.
That fall hadn’t been light.
Fortunately, no bones were broken; it had just left a large bruise.
The doctor massaged the area with some ointment, and the pain eased considerably.
“It’s nothing serious,” she said.
“Just rub this ointment on it a few more times after you get back, and the bruise will fade in a few days.”
Bella offered a quiet word of thanks.
Once the doctor left, Nancy brought over a familiar gift box.
“Miss Jefferson, please change into these clothes.
Mr.
Xavier is waiting for you downstairs.”
Bella glanced at it nonchalantly, noticing the packaging was identical to the gown delivered at noon.
“There’s no need.
The dress I’m wearing will still be wearable after a little cleaning.” She smiled very coldly.
The curve of her lips was slight, but she couldn’t hide the self-deprecation in her eyes.
Nancy maintained a polite expression on her face.
“Mr.
Xavier will be taking you to meet several VIPs later.
They are all very important guests, so it’s best if you change into this outfit.”
After speaking, Nancy placed the gown on the bed, turned, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Bella stared at the box for a long time before reaching out to open it.
Inside lay a burgundy evening gown encrusted with diamonds.
The fabric was incredibly soft, and it clearly cost far more than a few million.
Next to it was a set of jewelry.
Although she hadn’t studied jewelry, she could tell at a glance that it was the work of a top-tier master jeweler—a limited-edition luxury item.
It seemed the people she was going to meet were indeed heavyweights whom Adrian took extremely seriously.
In the end, she changed into the evening gown.
To her surprise, it fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for her.
Compared to her off-white gown, this one beautifully accentuated all the best features of her figure.
The design looked heavy, but it felt incredibly light to wear.
The chest featured a cutout design, but thanks to the diamond embellishments, it wasn’t the least bit revealing.
Instead, it created a uniquely stunning allure.
She had to admit it—Adrian had good taste.
Her phone rang at that moment.
Bella picked it up and saw it was a WhatsApp message from Mason.
[Honey, where are you?
I can’t find you anywhere.
Are you okay?]
As Bella read those words, a layer of frost settled in her eyes.
Only trying to salvage things after overstepping the line—that really was his typical modus operandi.
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she locked her phone and slipped it into her handbag.
When she stood up to head downstairs, a slight sting still radiated from her hip bone, but it was much better than before.
Nancy hadn’t actually left.
As soon as Bella stepped out, she saw Nancy waiting by the staircase.
Nancy stepped forward, her attitude as respectful as ever.
“Miss Jefferson, please follow me.”
Bella followed her downstairs.
They bypassed the banquet hall entirely, taking the VIP corridor to the entrance of a high-end conference room.
Adrian was inside.
Sitting across from him were three or four middle-aged men in formal suits and glasses.
Nancy knocked twice on the door.
“Mr.
Xavier, Miss Jefferson has arrived,” she said.
“Mhm,” he responded indifferently.
Nancy opened the door for Bella and made an inviting gesture.
Bella walked in and approached Adrian’s side.
Adrian swept his gaze over her, a flash of utter amazement flickering through his eyes.
“To be honest, your husband’s taste is quite poor.”