“The Lynch family is really lucky to have caught Mrs.
Xavier’s eye.
If Miss Lynch becomes the young madam of the Xavier family, the entire Lynch family will soar to new heights.”
“Yeah, Mr.
Xavier never attends this kind of banquet, but he showed up tonight.
He must be quite satisfied with this fiancée.
Who knows, maybe a few days after this birthday banquet ends, we’ll be attending their engagement party.”
“Come on, let’s go check out the excitement.
Maybe we’ll get to see Mr.
Xavier’s true face tonight.”
“…”
A marriage alliance?
No wonder Nancy Monroe had been gone for so long without returning.
Adrian Xavier was probably busy coaxing his fiancée and had no time to see her.
As for this Miss Lynch…
Could she be Sarah Xavier’s biological mother?
Bella Jefferson felt there was no need to wait anymore.
She sent Nancy a message and then contacted Hailey Lynch to come pick her up.
Before leaving, she went to the restroom.
On her way out, she passed a corner and bumped into Adrian standing there with a woman.
He had his back to her, his spine slightly bent.
The woman opposite him had her arms wrapped around his waist, standing on her tiptoes.
Their actions were overly intimate.
It seemed…
they were kissing.
Bella’s footsteps halted, her breath catching slightly.
She clearly had nothing to do with Adrian anymore.
Who he was with was none of her business.
But for some unknown reason, her heart suddenly tugged, and her mind went blank for a split second.
Perhaps her footsteps had ruined their moment, because Adrian suddenly turned his head to look at her.
Bella was caught red-handed.
She awkwardly turned her face away, then quickened her pace to walk past them, swiftly disappearing into the distance.
*
Hailey arrived very quickly.
Bella had only been waiting at the entrance for a short while when the car pulled up.
Just as she was about to get in, she inadvertently looked up toward the exit.
She saw Adrian walking out of the VIP channel.
Besides Nancy, Miss Lynch was nowhere to be seen beside him.
Hailey saw him too.
She lifted her exhausted eyes and said, “I thought he would arrange for someone to take you home.”
Bella retracted her gaze and said evenly, “He’s very busy.” He was busy being intimate with his fiancée; he didn’t have time to care about where she went.
“By the way, how did your chat with those experts go?” Hailey asked, tactfully changing the subject after clearly catching her unhappiness.
“Yeah, it went pretty well.
During the discussion with a few scientific experts, I managed to solve some minor issues I encountered in my research.”
“Then it looks like tonight wasn’t a wasted trip.” Hailey stepped on the gas pedal just as their car brushed past a low-key, luxurious Rolls-Royce.
The window of the luxury car’s backseat was rolled down, and Bella happened to look over.
Adrian was leaning against the seat, on the phone with an unknown person.
His expression looked very gentle.
Bella figured he must be talking to Miss Lynch.
Otherwise, who else could please the heir of the Xavier family so much?
She quickly looked away and rolled up her window, completely shutting out that noble, aloof, and handsome face.
The next second, the luxury car accelerated past them, swiftly entering the main road and blending into the flow of traffic in mere moments.
*
Bella originally thought Mason Sinclair wouldn’t be coming back tonight.
After all, Scarlett Sullivan had sprained her ankle.
No matter what, he would have had to stay behind to accompany her.
Unexpectedly, Mason arrived home right on her heels.
“Honey, are you still mad?” Mason changed into his indoor slippers and walked in, reaching out to hug her.
Using the motion of setting down her bag as an excuse, Bella took a step back to avoid him.
“What do I have to be mad about?”
Mason missed his target, his expression showing a hint of astonishment.
However, seeing that she could still talk to him calmly proved she didn’t know about his affair with Scarlett yet, and he let out a sigh of relief.
He continued to coax her patiently.
“I was in the wrong tonight.
If you’re angry, don’t hold it in.
Hit me, scold me, vent it all out.
I promise I won’t talk back or fight back.”
Bella looked up at him, her voice laced with probing.
“Do you dare to say there’s really nothing going on between you and Scarlett?”
Mason’s expression grew unnatural, but he moved quickly, raising his hand high to swear.
“I promise, we are completely innocent.” After saying that, he immediately lowered his hand, grabbed her wrist, and asked anxiously, “Did Miles Sinclair say something to you?
“He just can’t stand seeing us happy and wants to destroy our marriage.
Don’t believe a word he says.”
Bella suddenly chuckled.
“Who is he to me?
Why would I believe him?”
Hearing this, Mason let out a long exhale.
He knew Bella’s heart was with him.
She had only helped Miles at the banquet out of sympathy.
His phone kept vibrating incessantly.
Lacking patience, Mason picked it up and hung up the call.
Bella had sharp eyes and saw the caller ID, but she deliberately asked, “Was that Scarlett?”
Seeing that her mood had calmed down, Mason didn’t hide it.
“There was a little accident during the birthday celebration tonight, and Scarlett sprained her ankle.
“After all, I brought her there.
This kind of thing can be considered a work injury, so I’m responsible.”
“Mhm.” Bella spoke lightly.
“You should go check on her.”
Mason froze.
He thought she would make a huge fuss when she got back.
But she didn’t.
She was so calm, it was as if nothing had happened at all.
He clearly should have been rejoicing, but for some reason, he felt a little uneasy.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Bella had been acting far too strangely lately.
“No need, she’s fine now,” Mason said, pulling off his tie and hugging her from behind.
“I’m staying home with you tonight.”
Enduring the intense discomfort washing over her, Bella gently pushed him away.
“I’m a little tired.
I’m going to wash up and go to bed.”
“Honey.” Mason watched her walk away without looking back, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness in his chest.
It felt as if something was about to slip away from him forever.
Before she entered the master bedroom, he explained again, “Scarlett is the backbone of our new tech R&D, and she’s also your friend.
I was just taking extra care of her for your sake.
Don’t overthink it.”
Bella’s footsteps paused.
His words sounded so nice, but she didn’t believe a single syllable.
She merely offered a faint smile.
“I know.”
She was being far too reasonable and understanding.
A streak of guilt flashed through Mason’s heart.
“I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to spend with you.
Once I’m done with this busy period, I promise to make it up to you.”
As soon as his voice fell, his phone screen lit up again.
Bella was just as sensible as he thought she would be.
“She probably has an emergency.
You should answer the phone.”
Mason coaxed her a little more before taking his phone out to the balcony to answer.
Once he left, Bella’s eyes turned cold.
She thought, “It’s a good thing I didn’t eat much tonight, or else I’d be throwing up last night’s dinner.”
But just as she entered the master bedroom and grabbed her clothes to take a shower, Mason came back inside.
“Scarlett fell while taking a shower just now.
I’m going to go check on her.”
Bella nodded generously.
“Mhm, go ahead.”
Mason left in a hurry.
He thought he was putting on a flawless act, but in reality, it was full of holes.
As for whether Scarlett had really fallen, or if she was deliberately declaring her sovereignty…
That remained unknown.
Late at night.
Bella was awakened by the urgent ringing of her phone.
She was not a morning person and had a terrible temper when woken up abruptly.
Fumbling for her phone on the nightstand, she swiped to answer based on pure feeling.
Just as she was about to curse out the person on the other end, a deep, hoarse voice came through the receiver.
“Sarah is feeling unwell again.
Come over to Cloudcrest Villa.”