Chapter 118 The Unpursued Car Accident
Zoey truly thought that Bella and Sterling just couldn't get along well.
Bella, on the other hand, couldn't sleep a wink after hitting the sack. Maybe it was because she and Sterling had a blowout that night, and she was too worked up to catch any Z's.
It was super late, but Bella was still stewing over what Zoey had said. Her mind kept wandering to Sterling and Nia hanging out together.
What were they up to? Were they getting cozy, or worse, shacking up in some hotel?
Lost in her thoughts, Bella suddenly heard Sterling's car pull up. A wave of relief washed over her.
She didn't expect him to come back so late.
When Sterling walked into the room, he found Bella wide awake, sitting on the bed with a frosty look on her face.
Sterling didn't say a word, but Bella broke the silence, "Why are you back?"
Thinking she was still mad, Sterling shot back, "I can't come back to my own house?"
Bella turned away, silent for a moment, then asked, "What were you doing with Nia?"
She couldn't believe she was asking this, and Sterling was even more taken aback. It sounded like a wife grilling her husband for coming home late.
After she spoke, Bella's face turned a bit awkward.
Sterling looked at her, smirked, and stayed quiet.
After a bit, he took off his watch and tie, then said, "I had some work at the office tonight, had to jump on a video call. Did you think I was up to something else?"
He paused and added, "You mean Nia? She insisted on tagging along, and I couldn't just ditch her. Got any thoughts on that?"
Bella kept her icy demeanor and said, "No, just asking."
But Sterling knew she didn't mean it. He said, "Alright, get some sleep."
Bella lay down and soon drifted off.
The next morning, Bella woke up feeling weird. Was it because she couldn't sleep without Sterling next to her?
This was really odd. She used to want to get away from him, not wanting to share a bed. But now, why couldn't she sleep without him there?
When she turned her head, she saw Sterling was still asleep. Bella thought, 'It must be the weekend; otherwise, with his routine, he'd never sleep past seven.'
A sleeping Sterling looked so different—calm, gentle, and approachable. He seemed like such a gentleman, so why did he always torment her so much?
Bella stared at his face, not blinking, when her phone suddenly rang.
She picked it up and saw it was Anna calling. To avoid waking Sterling, she took the call on the balcony.
Anna's voice came through, "Bella, I found out where James is staying. Want to go with me today?"
Bella glanced back at Sterling and said, "Sterling won't let me go out. Can you check on him for me? Is he seriously hurt?"
Anna chuckled and said, "Nah, it shouldn't be too serious. I called him yesterday, and he told me not to tell you. But he did break off the engagement with Amara. The car accident was probably the Gray family's doing. James said someone deliberately hit him. I think the Grays couldn't stand Amara being wronged, so they sent someone to do it."
Bella was a bit shocked by Anna's words but then thought, 'Could it really have been Amara?'
She glanced back at Sterling. Could it really not have been him? Thinking about the argument she had with Sterling yesterday because of James, she felt a pang of guilt.
Bella quickly asked Anna, "Are you sure it was Amara?"
Anna replied, "It seems like it. It was just a small punishment. James wasn't seriously hurt, so it was probably her."
Bella responded, "Got it, but I can't go out now. Please check on him for me."
In the afternoon, Anna called Bella again, saying she had visited James in the hospital.
At that moment, Bella was sitting next to Sterling, reading a book, while he was on the sofa, looking at his tablet.
When Bella heard Anna mention James, she felt a bit guilty and didn't want Sterling to know she was talking about James, so she took the phone downstairs.
Every time she talked about James, it felt sneaky, like she was doing something wrong. But she had to because she was really afraid of Sterling losing it.
So Bella took the phone to the downstairs bathroom and talked to Anna.
Anna said, "James seems to be in good condition. He doesn't want to pursue the car accident, probably because he knows it is the Gray family. He wants to let Amara vent her anger, so he doesn't plan to take it further."
Bella sighed and said, "Alright, if he doesn't want to pursue it, there's nothing more to say. Tell him to rest well. I can't go see him now."
Anna laughed and said, "You're like a bird in a gilded cage, trapped by your husband. Sterling really keeps a tight leash on you. He doesn't let you interact with other men, but isn't that because he cares about you? Why else would he have sabotaged things between you and James?"
Bella sighed inwardly and thought, 'He doesn't like me; he just wants to torment me. He can't stand to see me happy. Even if it wasn't James, he would act the same way with any other man.'
There were some things she didn't want to tell Anna because Anna's life was already troublesome enough.
Bella didn't want to add more negativity to Anna's life, so she said, "Care about me? Seriously? Does he look like he cares about me at all? Forget it; let's not talk about Sterling. How have you been lately? Has your mom been forcing you to go on blind dates?"
Anna said, "We haven't spoken much since our big fight last time. Anyway, my bank card is with Qiana, and she's been spending my salary. She probably doesn't have time to force me to go on blind dates."
Bella breathed a sigh of relief and said, "As long as Qiana isn't forcing you to go on blind dates, that's good."
Anna laughed and said, "By the way, Bella, about the money last time. Thank you so much. I'll pay you back slowly."
Bella said, "No need to thank me. I used Sterling's card for that money anyway. He doesn't care about that amount."
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