Scarlett avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.
“Mason, I didn’t.”
Mason gripped her shoulders firmly, warning her again, “The new technology still requires her to coordinate with the Xavier Group.
Now that Miles Sinclair is back, we absolutely cannot let her leave.
“You need to behave yourself.
If you let her find out about our relationship, I won’t forgive you.”
“Mason Sinclair, I am your wife!” Scarlett’s tears fell on cue.
“I’m the legal wife, yet I have to hide in the shadows like some mistress.
“Do you have any idea how it feels to watch you call her your wife, to see you act so intimate and gentle with her?”
Mason had never been able to resist her tears.
Seeing her cry, he stroked her head to comfort her.
“This is only temporary.
Once the new technology is successfully developed, I promise I’ll make our relationship public.
I’ll never let you suffer like this.
“Bella is soft-hearted and naive.
Just go apologize to her later and act a little submissive; this whole thing will blow over.”
“You want me to apologize to her?” Scarlett asked in disbelief.
“I won’t do it.
What gives her the right?”
Losing his patience, Mason tugged at his collar.
“Just do it for me, and for the company.
Be a good girl.”
With that, he pulled out a black card and handed it to her.
“Buy whatever you want.
Don’t worry about saving me money.”
Scarlett took the card, gripping it tightly in her palm as the resentment in her eyes deepened.
Not caring if anyone saw them, she threw herself into his arms and choked out, “Promise me you won’t be soft on her, and you absolutely won’t fall in love with her.”
In the past, whenever this topic came up, Mason had always been able to brush it off easily.
But at this moment, the image of Bella’s wronged expression flashed through his mind, and he suddenly hesitated.
When she didn’t get an immediate response, Scarlett panicked internally.
In the past, Mason would agree to whatever she asked.
But now, he had hesitated!
He really was softening toward Bella.
At this rate, he would develop genuine feelings for her sooner or later.
She would absolutely never allow that to happen!
She had to find a way to deal with Bella.
Bella had just finished her work and walked out of the inner lab, happening to catch Scarlett speaking.
Mason saw her first.
He hastily pushed Scarlett away and hurried over to her.
“Are you done with work?”
“Mhm.” Bella waved the progress report in her hand.
“I’m heading to the Xavier Group first to report on our work.”
Mason immediately gave Scarlett a pointed look.
“Bella, I’m sorry.
I just had an argument with my boyfriend and was in a bad mood, which is why I said those harsh things.
I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Bella gave Mason a fleeting glance before turning to Scarlett.
“Your boyfriend is really something.
Doesn’t he know how to be more accommodating to you?
“But as a friend, I have to give you a word of advice.
“If a man truly loves you, he could never bear to see you sad or heartbroken.
Once he starts making you feel insecure, it simply means he doesn’t love you enough.”
With that, she flashed a sweet smile at Mason.
“Right, Hubby?”
Mason’s Adam’s apple bobbed, a flash of guilt crossing his eyes.
“Bella is right.”
Bella didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.
But Mason called out to stop her.
“The bag I gave you this morning—do you like it?”
Bella paused and looked back.
“I love it.”
“I’m glad you like it.
If there’s anything else you want next time, just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you.” He played the role of a good husband perfectly, generous and gentle.
Bella suppressed her disgust and offered a sensible, understanding smile.
“I don’t really need anything, so there’s no need to waste money.
But thank you for going to such expense anyway.
I’ll be sure to use the bag.”
It was a bag worth several million.
Why wouldn’t she take it?
She could easily sell it online and make a tidy profit.
Seeing her act so sensible, Mason’s heart softened as if something had gently brushed against it.
As he watched her slender figure walk away, his guilt toward her deepened.
In truth, if he hadn’t been forced by circumstances, he truly wouldn’t have wanted things to come to this.
Seeing his lingering gaze, a wave of jealousy surged in Scarlett’s heart.
Thinking back to Bella’s passive-aggressive remarks, she was so furious that her tears spilled over again.
“Mason, do you love me?”
Her words pulled Mason back to reality.
He turned to her and said, “What are you talking about?
If I didn’t love you, why would I fake a marriage with her just to turn around and get officially married to you?”
Biting her lower lip, Scarlett said, “Fine, then promise me one thing.”
“Name it.”
“Mindy also has a medical background.
I plan to have her come over to the R&D department to help me.”
Mason’s expression changed drastically.
“Are you crazy?
“Bella is at odds with the Jefferson family.
What is she going to think if you bring Mindy over now?”
Scarlett couldn’t care less about that.
She had originally intended to use Madam Xavier’s birthday banquet to arrange for Mindy to get close to Adrian Xavier.
But Adrian hadn’t even shown up, and the Jefferson family had been publicly kicked out of the venue. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Because of this incident, the Jeffersons had become the laughingstock of the entire city.
And after offending the Xavier Group, their family business had taken a massive hit.
Now that the Jefferson family was in a critical situation, her mother had come to her for help.
The only solution she could think of was to get Mindy into the Meridian Group.
First, it would take Bella down a peg.
Second, they could find a way for Mindy to replace Bella’s position.
And of course, they could also use the Meridian Group to give the Jefferson Family a chance to catch their breath.
Mason refused.
“This is not up for discussion.
If you want to help the Jefferson Family, I can give you money.
But bringing Mindy here?
Don’t even think about it.”
“Mason Sinclair!” Scarlett looked at him in absolute despair.
“You keep saying you don’t love Bella, yet you protect her at every turn!
Is it really that you don’t love her because you’ve known her too long, or have you already fallen for her without even realizing it?!”
Mason stood frozen in place, speechless for a long time.
Scarlett cried her heart out.
Feeling increasingly irritated and knowing she would never drop the issue unless he agreed, he ultimately compromised.
“Fine, I can give her a chance,” he relented.
“But she has to go through the regular hiring process herself.
You are not allowed to interfere.
Whether she succeeds or not is entirely up to her.”
With that, Mason turned and left.
Scarlett stopped crying, wiping away her tears as a smug smile crept onto her face.
Then, she took out her phone and made a call.
“Mason agreed.
Come out shopping with me, and I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”
That afternoon, Bella had just finished her work at the research institute and was preparing to head to the Xavier Group when she happened to see Scarlett’s latest Moments post.
It was flaunting today’s shopping haul.
The screen was filled with photos of exorbitantly priced luxury goods.
In the center of the nine-photo grid was a picture of two hands holding up coffee cups in a toast.
The left hand belonged to Scarlett, sporting an exquisite, luxurious manicure.
Around her wrist was a custom diamond-paved Cartier bracelet inlaid with a full row of diamonds, easily worth at least a million.
The right hand was slender and fair, clearly belonging to another woman.
It seemed Mason had coaxed her back into a good mood, and she had gone out shopping with a friend.
Amused by the absurdity, Bella liked the post and left a comment.
“Made up with your boyfriend?”
Not caring whether Scarlett would reply, she put her phone away, started her car, and drove off.