Chapter 251 Encounter with Mira
Bella could tell Anna was feeling conflicted. "Wait, so Caleb popped the question, you said no, but your mom said yes for you?"
Anna nodded, staring at the table. "Yeah, pretty much."
Bella's voice got louder. "Anna, are you serious? How could you let your mom decide something so huge for you? Do you even want to marry Caleb?"
Anna shook her head. "I don't know. My mom keeps pushing me to marry someone rich. Now that Caleb's around, sometimes I think maybe it's not the worst idea to marry someone I know. If I have to get married eventually, marrying someone familiar is better than being set up with a stranger by my mom."
Bella was speechless. Anna could marry anyone, but Caleb was definitely not the right choice.
Just as Bella was about to say something, a familiar face walked into the café. She turned and saw it was Mira.
It had been ages since she'd seen Mira. Despite her divorce, Mira still looked as elegant and radiant as ever.
But seeing Mira always reminded Bella of that awful woman, Debra, so she didn't have much fondness for Mira.
Maybe sensing someone watching her, Mira looked over. Her eyes lit up with surprise. "Bella, what a coincidence! You're here too?"
Mira walked over as she spoke.
Anna quickly wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth with a napkin and greeted politely, "Hi, Mira."
Mira smiled and nodded warmly.
Bella, seeing this, reluctantly moved over to make room for Mira. "Have a seat."
Mira seemed a bit surprised but then smiled pleasantly. "Sure."
Bella let Mira join them because she felt Mira's attentiveness and respect. It made Bella feel less repelled and more at ease.
"By the way, about the money and the house you gave me before, I can't accept them," Bella said firmly.
She added, "Since we ran into each other today, I wanted to tell you. Let's set a time to return them."
Mira's smile faltered slightly at Bella's words. She tried to maintain her smile but couldn't hide a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"It's been so long, Bella. You should try to accept it. To be honest, Debra is still freeloading at my place, asking for everything from food to spending money. If you return the house and money, she'll just waste it. I've given her enough in this lifetime. It's my indulgence that made her so entitled. From now on, I won't give her anything more. So, please keep them."
Bella was shocked by Debra's behavior. She couldn't believe that as an adult, Debra was still leeching off her divorced mother, feeling entitled to everything.
Now that the Foster family was bankrupt, it wasn't just Debra who might shamelessly cling to Mira. Even Dash might try to get more financial support from her.
"Their issues aren't my problem. I won't accept what you gave me. Debra's actions are her own choices, and you shouldn't have to deal with the fallout. I'll return the house and money as soon as possible."
Bella's stance was unwavering. She didn't want this matter to complicate their relationship further.
Mira looked at Bella's determined eyes, feeling a mix of emotions. She knew Bella was a principled person, hard to sway once she made up her mind.
In the end, Mira sighed and nodded. "Alright, Bella. I respect your decision. But remember, you can always come to me for help, anytime, anywhere."
Bella didn't respond.
Seeing Bella's resolve, Mira stood up and left. Bella didn't stop her.
As soon as Mira left, Anna gave Bella a thumbs up. "No wonder you're from the Windsor family. The way you stood up to Mira was like a heroine from a novel."
Bella smiled and gave her a playful glare. "By the way, did Colin mention anything about going to Oakridge?"
"How did you know about Oakridge?" Anna asked, surprised.
Bella laughed. "Silly, I'm the one who asked Colin to take you. Surprised?"
Anna was indeed surprised. "Are you coming too? Colin said it was a business trip for me."
Bella chuckled. "The business trip is just an excuse. I wanted to take you to Oakridge for a few days."
"Really? I thought Colin was serious about the business trip. I've been so stressed with the whole Caleb situation, not knowing what to do. When Colin mentioned the trip, I thought it was a good way to escape the mess for a bit, so I agreed. I didn't expect it was you! Is Sterling taking you to Oakridge?"
Bella nodded. "Yep, and there's a lot of fun stuff to do there. I've planned everything."
Anna was so excited she almost jumped. "When do we leave?"
"The day after tomorrow. Have you packed?" Bella asked.
Anna nodded. "Yeah, Colin told me the same. See you at the airport then."
Before Anna left, Bella added, "Think about you and Colin."
Anna sighed at the mention of Colin. "Forget it. Thinking won't help. I can't even handle Caleb, let alone Colin. If I have to marry someone, at least I know Caleb. Colin is out of my league. You know he's a playboy. No one can stay in his world. I don't want to be another ex-girlfriend or ex-wife. I don't want our relationship to get complicated."
Anna decided to treat last night as a dream.
Bella didn't say more, but she knew the truth would come out eventually. When it did, no matter how Caleb tried to explain, Anna wouldn't stay with him.
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