Chapter 261 Finally Leaving
Lisa chose to stay silent, burying her dissatisfaction and anger deep within her heart.
Sterling and Micah were leisurely strolling along a nearby path, quietly discussing their upcoming trip to the villa.
When they returned to the barbecue area, they found three women gathered around the grill, eating with great enthusiasm.
Colin was busy flipping skewers, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead under the lights. It was clear he couldn't keep up with the women's voracious appetites.
Micah couldn't help but snatch two steaming skewers from Anna's hand, laughing, "You ladies always eat like birds at dinner, but now it seems you're the real 'big eaters'!"
Lisa usually didn't handle spicy food well, but today, driven by some emotion, she persisted despite her face turning red and tears welling up. She was determined to keep up with Anna and Bella, vowing to finish every skewer.
Occasionally, Lisa would look up with a challenging gaze, as if silently declaring, 'I can do this. Don't underestimate me.'
When Colin finally finished grilling the remaining food, he sighed in relief, grabbed a bottle of water, and took a long drink.
He then washed his face with some cool water, feeling a bit more awake.
At that moment, Lisa lowered her voice and said to Anna, "Honestly, nothing happened between us. He turned me down. It's the first time I've ever been rejected."
Anna paused for a moment but quickly resumed eating her skewer, her expression showing a mix of emotions.
Soon, a red sun slowly rose, its golden rays illuminating the entire landscape, painting everything in vibrant colors.
Bella stood on the hill, raising her hands and gazing at the rising sun through her fingers, feeling an indescribable sense of awe.
She took a deep breath of fresh air and sighed, "It's beautiful. This is the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen."
Sterling, who had moved behind her without her noticing, wrapped his arms around her and said tenderly, "If you like it, we can come back tomorrow."
Bella shook her head, smiling gently, "Too much of a good thing isn't good."
Then she whispered, "Aren't you supposed to go to the Windsor Villa? How are you still so free?"
"I used to be so busy with work that I neglected all the beautiful things in the world, and I neglected you. If I had known it would make you this happy, I would have brought you here much sooner," Sterling said, kissing her cheek.
In that moment, Bella felt deeply content. It was the first time she and Sterling had so freely and wholeheartedly enjoyed the beauty of nature, filling her with an unprecedented sense of peace and satisfaction.
Micah, also captivated by the scenery, quickly took out his phone and snapped several photos, wanting to capture the moment forever.
After a few days of traveling with them, Lisa finally left alone around noon.
The others didn't seem too bothered by Lisa's departure, but Anna couldn't shake off what Lisa had said before she left.
Lisa had told her that Colin definitely liked her and that no matter how much Lisa tried to tempt him, Colin remained unmoved.
Anna thought to herself, 'What does that have to do with me? Why worry about it?'
Everyone thought they could finally enjoy a peaceful vacation, but their plans were soon disrupted by another unexpected visitor.
"What did you say? Caleb is coming to see you?" Bella asked, her voice rising in surprise.
Bella had a bad feeling about this. Why would Caleb suddenly show up? She didn't believe he was just coming to see Anna.
"Yeah, will you come with me to meet him? I don't want to go alone," Anna pleaded with Bella.
They had planned to go shopping today, but Caleb had called Anna, asking her to meet him. He had come to Oakridge.
"Okay, wait a minute. I'll get ready," Bella said, leaving Anna's room and heading straight to find Sterling.
She found Sterling, Colin, and Micah in the study, all looking serious, as if something important had happened.
Bella didn't see Colin and Micah at first, so she pushed the door open and said, "Did you know Caleb is in Oakridge too?"
Sterling replied, "Yeah, we just got the news."
"How did you find out so quickly?" Colin suddenly asked.
Bella then noticed Colin and Micah were there too. She quickly said, "Caleb just called Anna, asking her to meet him. I don't know what he wants."
Colin immediately stood up from the couch, "He asked Anna out?"
He seemed very agitated.
Bella nodded, "Yeah, I don't know what he wants, but Anna asked me to go with her."
"No," Sterling interrupted, "You can't go with her."
"Yeah, Bella, you can't go. Caleb would love to see you so he can use you to threaten Sterling. Don't be foolish," Micah added.
Bella was taken aback, "What are you guys doing? It sounds dangerous. What about Anna? Will Caleb threaten her safety?"
Sterling quickly reassured her, "No, don't worry. Our people will be watching over Anna. She won't get hurt."
"Then why can't I go with her? Won't there be people protecting us?" Bella asked, confused.
Colin smiled wryly, "Anna is here on a business trip. If you go with her, how will she explain bringing a friend along? It would be like handing Caleb a hostage. He's already targeting us. If he knows you're in Oakridge, he'll know we're here too. So you mustn't show yourself to Caleb."
Bella nodded, somewhat understanding, "How long do you plan to keep Anna in the dark? When will she know the truth about the Powell family's bankruptcy? When will she be done with Caleb?"
"Everything will be resolved in Oakridge. It won't take long," Colin said seriously.
"So what now? Are you just going to let Anna meet Caleb? I heard he proposed to her. If she says yes, things will be irreversible," Bella said anxiously.
Everyone was worried. The Windsor family had just received news that several of their subsidiaries were under investigation.
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