Chapter 139 Testing
Sterling pulled her close and whispered, "I'm your husband, call me darling."
Bella spent the whole night in bed, losing count of how many times he made her say it. She thought Sterling was downright terrifying, while he felt that if it weren't for her injured hand, he could've gone even longer.
In the end, Bella had to take another shower.
During her vacation, Bella stayed home, petting her cat, chatting with Zoey, learning to cook, watering the flowers in the yard, and shopping with Nia. She figured she could keep this up until her break ended.
But Bella didn't expect that on the last day of her vacation, Sterling would want to take her to his company.
"I've got a meeting in the morning," Sterling said. "Come with me, and we can take a walk and get some fresh air afterward."
Bella didn't think much of it and went along. But as soon as she got to the office, she realized James would be at the meeting too.
When they walked into the company, Sterling wrapped his arm around her waist as they passed James.
James saw Bella and smiled. She smiled back and nodded, and of course, Sterling noticed everything.
Bella quickly figured out why Sterling brought her to the meeting. He was being manipulative, and she had no clue what his game was.
She thought Sterling was a walking contradiction. Did he want her to see James or not?
Now that Sterling had brought her in front of James, Bella knew he was doing it on purpose, but she didn't call him out.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit angry. She shot Sterling a cold look, staying silent.
In front of James, Sterling said, "Wait here for me. After the meeting, I'll take you out for a meal."
Then he bent down and kissed her gently in front of James, his actions and tone super tender.
But Bella's eyes were cold. She knew this was all part of Sterling's act, showing off their relationship in front of James.
What really ticked her off was that she didn't want Sterling's tenderness to be just for show, especially in front of James.
Sterling went into the meeting room before James.
James walked over, saw Bella sitting on the sofa, and said with a smile, "Bella, he seems to treat you well. I hope it's not just for show."
Even James could see through it, so what else was there to say? Bella just kept smiling without speaking.
James said, "I'll head in first."
Bella nodded. She leaned back on the sofa, switching between playing with her phone and flipping through a magazine. But halfway through the meeting, James came out.
Bella saw James walking over and asked with a smile, "Is the meeting over?"
James said, "No, I came out for some air. Didn't want to listen to them argue inside; it was giving me a headache."
Bella stood up and walked towards the break room, asking, "What would you like to drink?"
James smiled and said, "Anything's fine." Bella poured two cups of coffee and brought them over. James asked, "How have you been lately?"
"Not bad. I see you're out of the hospital, so you must be recovering well, right?" Bella said casually.
James looked at his leg and said, "Yeah, pretty much fully recovered."
Bella didn't know what else to say, so she asked, "So, is there really no chance between you and Amara?"
James shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about her. Her temper hasn't changed. Let's leave it at that."
They leaned against the coffee table in the break room, chatting like old friends, not bringing up the past.
As they were talking, Sterling suddenly walked over, "What are you two doing?"
When Bella saw Sterling, the panic in her heart seemed to disappear. She was no longer afraid of Sterling seeing her with James.
"Nothing, just chatting. Are you done with the meeting?" Bella said as she poured Sterling a cup of coffee.
Sterling said, "I came out to use the restroom," then ignored her and James and walked away.
Bella thought Sterling was really strange and somewhat neurotic. She didn't know what he was up to. She just told James, "You should go back in, or he might come out to use the restroom again."
James nodded and went back to the meeting room.
The meeting lasted until 1 PM. When they came out, Bella was already hungry. She couldn't help but complain, "You had such a long meeting. Why didn't you think to get me something to eat?"
Sterling looked at Bella, who was complaining and throwing a tantrum, and said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I was negligent. It won't happen again."
Bella huffed and said, "Let's go, I'm starving."
Sterling then took Bella out for a meal. On the way to the restaurant, Bella remained silent.
When they sat down, Bella finally spoke seriously, "Sterling, did you bring me here today just to show off for James? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to get his attention, or are you testing me to see if I still have feelings for him?"
Actually, Bella had been angry since she saw James at the office in the morning.
Sterling didn't expect Bella to bring up the topic directly. He paused and then said coldly, "Yes, I wanted to see if you still have feelings for James. I also wanted to see how you would feel seeing him again."
Bella looked at Sterling coldly, "Are you satisfied now? Are you happy seeing me with him?"
Bella didn't know how to get along with Sterling anymore. She knew that their peaceful days wouldn't last long before they started arguing again.
Seeing Sterling not speaking, Bella softened her tone and said, "Sterling, I don't want to argue with you. You've tested me, and you've seen how I interact with James. What are your thoughts now?"
This time, Sterling genuinely had no idea what to say. Bella saw Sterling's guilty look and suddenly felt justified, gaining confidence.
Bella continued, "Let me tell you, Sterling, don't doubt me anymore, okay? I've told you, I went to the hospital to see him last time. We're just friends. If you keep this up, next time it won't be just an argument."
Sterling probably realized he had crossed the line this time. He poured Bella a glass of water and said, "You've said so much, and you must be thirsty."
Bella knew this was Sterling showing weakness, but she still kept a stern face and said, "Don't change the subject. You can't test James and me again because it is meaningless."
Sterling just kept a cold face and said nothing.
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