Chapter 111 Dominant as He Is
Sometimes, Sterling just couldn't wrap his head around it; maybe there was still a long road ahead for them. He glanced at Bella, then climbed into bed, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and drifted off to sleep.
When Bella woke up the next morning, she saw Sterling fixing his tie. With his tall frame and handsome face, Bella had to admit, Sterling was the most attractive guy she'd ever laid eyes on.
If Sterling kept his mouth shut, he always had this vibe of a refined gentleman, but the pressure he exuded was something she couldn't ignore.
Seeing Sterling look over at her, Bella quickly shut her eyes, unable to shake off the memory of last night's scene in the study.
Sterling smirked, clearly in a good mood, and said, "Don't pretend you're asleep, I saw you wake up."
Bella huffed, "So what if you did?"
Finding her annoyance amusing, Sterling replied, "How's your recovery going? If you're not fully better, take another month off. I've already talked to Micah about it. You won't lose any pay."
Sterling knew this was what mattered most to Bella.
Bella got up and said, "You told Micah? I was planning to go to work today."
Sterling snapped, "No, you can't go out until you're fully recovered."
Bella protested, "But..."
Sterling cut her off, "No buts. Stay at home."
Sterling was back to his bossy self, completely ignoring Bella's feelings.
Bella fumed inside and said, "This is my job; you don't have any right to interfere."
Sterling sighed, "Why can't you be more gentle and agreeable with me? All you do is yell at me and get angry."
Bella glared at Sterling, saying, "You mean like Debra or Nia?"
Sterling's face darkened instantly. He stepped closer, his voice carrying a warning, "Bella."
Bella turned her head away, not saying a word. She knew her words had hit a nerve.
Sterling finally walked over and ruffled Bella's hair, saying, "Just stay home. Rest up first."
Bella was ultimately ordered to stay home, but she didn't want to be around Nia.
Bella was feeding Sunny some fish snacks when Nia approached and said, "Bella, Sterling has already told me about you two."
Bella really didn't want to deal with her. She picked up Sunny and prepared to leave.
Nia blocked Bella and sneered, "I've been with Sterling since childhood, and you just showed up out of nowhere. Sterling is kind enough to take you in, and you have the nerve to stay at Windsor Villa with him for so many years."
Bella, angry and wanting to hit Nia, but unable to because she was holding Sunny, retorted, "If you've got something to say, take it up with Sterling. Don't bother me with it. Whatever happens between you and Sterling is none of my business, and what happens between Sterling and me is none of yours. If you could have married Sterling, you would have done it by now. No need to tell me all this."
Bella took a deep breath and continued, "Nia, I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'm the mistress of this house, not you. If you want to keep living here, you'd better not provoke me. And by the way, half of this house is mine, and I can kick you out anytime. Got it?"
Nia was caught off guard. She hadn't expected Bella to say something so bold.
Nia glared at Bella. She had thought Bella was a pushover with no backbone. Clearly, she had underestimated her.
Seeing Bella stand up to Nia, a spark of satisfaction lit up in Zoey's eyes. She thought, 'Looks like Mrs. Windsor is finally finding her voice.'
Zoey felt a sense of pride and walked over, saying, "Mrs. Windsor, Mr. Windsor just called. He said he won't be home for dinner tonight."
Bella nodded, and then went upstairs.
Hearing that Sterling wouldn't be home tonight, Nia's eyes lit up. She told Zoey, "I'm heading out for a bit, no need to prepare dinner for me."
Nia figured Sterling was probably at the office, so she headed straight to the Windsor Group. Sure enough, she saw the light in Sterling's office was still on.
When Nia walked in, Sterling was about to shut down his computer. He had a dinner party that night and was surprised to see Nia.
Sterling asked, "What are you doing here?"
Nia smiled and said, "I had nothing to do today. Sterling, are you going out for dinner? Can you take me with you?"
Sterling thought, 'They're all business partners, and they all know Xavier, so it won't be a problem to bring Nia along.'
Nia made another request, "Sterling, now that I'm back in the country, I don't want to leave again. Can you let me work at your company? Just give me a relaxed position without any real responsibilities. Otherwise, I'll be bored here, and I don't want to go back to my dad."
Sterling laughed and said, "What's wrong? Is Xavier forcing you to go on blind dates again?"
Nia laughed, "Yes, my dad is forcing me to go on blind dates again. If you weren't married..."
Before Nia could finish, Sterling interrupted, "Nia, don't say that again. My marital status is none of your business."
Nia pouted, "Fine, I won't say it again."
Nia thought to herself, 'There's still plenty of time. How much genuine affection can Sterling have for the daughter of the person who killed his parents?'
With that thought, Nia happily went to the dinner party with Sterling.
Although Sterling said he wouldn't be home for dinner, he didn't say he wouldn't come home. When Nia followed Sterling back, Bella was still awake.
Hearing Sterling's car, Bella drew back the curtains to take a look. She saw Nia helping Sterling out of the car, supporting his arm on her shoulder as she helped him inside.
It looked like Sterling had drunk quite a bit. Bella felt a wave of discomfort as she watched the scene unfold.
Bella thought for a moment and went downstairs.
She saw Nia trying to help Sterling upstairs.
"Let me do it," Bella offered.
"Sterling drank a lot tonight. You're not well, so let me take care of him," Nia responded.
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