Chapter 142 Anna's Part-Time Job
Right after Zoey finished chatting with Bella, Nia swooped in and dragged Bella into an all-night online shopping spree.
Nia was moving to a new place and had a ton of stuff to buy. She claimed she needed Bella's help picking out things for her new pad, but they ended up buying clothes, bags, jewelry, food, drinks, and entertainment—nothing for the house.
In the end, Nia insisted on getting Bella a bag. Bella was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open, so she just picked one at random for Nia to order.
After Nia happily placed the order, she turned to Bella and said, "Bella, I'm moving to my new house in a few days. I won't be living here anymore, so you'll be bored by yourself."
Bella was a bit surprised and said, "So soon? Can't you stay a few more days?"
Nia laughed and teased, "What, are you not afraid I'll steal Sterling from you?"
Bella chuckled and replied, "If you can steal him, then go ahead."
Nia grinned and reassured her, "I wouldn't steal him from you. My new place will be ready in a few days, and you and Sterling have to come over."
Bella smiled warmly, "Definitely."
Looking at Nia, Bella felt like their argument was just yesterday. 'Back then, Nia was really annoying,' Bella thought.
But now, she realized Nia was just a bit mean with her words and hadn't really done anything to hurt her.
So, Bella decided to get Nia a housewarming gift and planned to pick it out with Sterling.
When Bella finally got back to bed, she was so tired she fell asleep immediately. But in the middle of the night, she vaguely felt her leg being lifted. She was internally frustrated.
Too tired to open her eyes, Bella mumbled, "Knock it off, I want to sleep."
Sterling whispered in her ear, "You sleep."
Then it was another night of wild antics. Bella didn't even know when she fell asleep.
In her daze, she felt a tickling sensation on her ear and neck, and then she was being held in a warm embrace. She never opened her eyes the whole time.
This caused Bella to sleep until the afternoon the next day.
When she woke up, she found out they were going out for dinner.
Colin had invited Sterling and Micah to go to Whitewater Bay in the evening. Sterling and Micah discussed it and, since they didn't have any other plans, Sterling decided to drive to Whitewater Bay, dragging the still-groggy Bella along.
As Bella got in the car, she asked why they were suddenly going to Colin's for dinner.
Sterling hadn't planned to bring her, but Colin had said on the phone to bring her along, since a friend of hers would be there.
Sterling immediately knew who that friend was. Who else could it be but Anna?
After driving for a while, Sterling said, "I'm taking you to meet a friend."
Bella glanced at him, who was being mysterious, and didn't say anything, assuming it was one of Sterling's friends.
Actually, Sterling didn't want to say anything because he remembered Bella had told him to keep Colin away from Anna. Now that Anna had shown up herself, he didn't want to bring it up, so he let Bella find out on her own.
When Bella arrived, she was floored to see Anna there. She couldn't believe the friend Sterling mentioned was Anna.
Bella thought that after what Anna had told her last time, she had distanced herself from Colin. She didn't expect Anna and Colin to still be hanging out.
"What are you doing here?" Bella quickly pulled Anna aside and asked.
Anna shrugged and said casually, "I needed money, so I took a part-time job here cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning for Mr. Rivera."
Hearing this, Bella noticed Anna was still wearing an apron, and a wave of sadness washed over her.
Anna had come from a wealthy family and could have lived a comfortable life like everyone else here, not needing to work so hard.
Anna seemed to know what Bella was thinking and said, "It's no big deal. I'm earning money with my own hands; there's no shame in that."
Bella smiled and said, "Right, no shame at all."
They hadn't talked much before Colin called Anna to the kitchen.
She patted Bella's shoulder and said, "You go ahead and have fun. I'll be right back."
Watching Anna go into the kitchen, Bella felt a pang of sadness. The once-pampered Anna, who used to have someone to even wash her face, now had to cook. But Anna didn't even know how to cook.
As Anna went into the kitchen, Colin came out.
Micah and Sterling were in the living room making coffee and joking around. "Colin, I saw a pair of sneakers at the door when I came in. Don't you usually like high heels? When did your taste change? And it's an old acquaintance?"
Sterling chuckled, "This guy doesn't turn anyone away. What's so surprising?"
He had just finished speaking when Bella gave him a hard slap on the arm. His comment clearly implied that Anna was a woman who threw herself at men, which made Bella unhappy.
Knowing he had misspoken, Sterling smiled and held Bella's hand, pouring her a cup of coffee. "My bad, I apologize."
He pushed the coffee cup towards Bella, his eyes full of affection, and Bella finally let out a small huff.
Then Bella heard Colin say, "What are you guys talking about? I just gave her a part-time job because I felt sorry for her and wanted to help her make some money. What are you thinking?"
She noticed that Colin's words didn't carry any hint of mocking Anna; he genuinely seemed to want to help her, which made Bella feel a bit relieved. As long as Colin wasn't playing with Anna, it was fine.
So she sat quietly on the side, listening to their conversation, behaving well. Sterling glanced at her and slowly smiled.
But Micah wouldn't let it go and said, "Just don't mess around. Anna is Bella's friend. If things go wrong, it'll be awkward. Besides, your cooking skills are as good as a five-star chef's. Why do you need a cooking assistant?"
Micah seemed to be doing it on purpose and continued, "You wouldn't be using the cooking job as an excuse to do something bad, would you?"
He usually seemed like a serious person, but in front of friends, he could say anything.
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