Chapter 35 Forgotten
Bella caught wind of "The Brilliant Corporation" while eavesdropping on Colin and Micah's chat, and it got her all curious since it was Anna's family biz.
She pressed her ear against the office door, trying to catch more. But Micah's voice, sounding like a hoarse Donald Duck, was so soft she couldn't make out a thing.
Frustrated, Bella bailed on the eavesdropping and decided to hit up Anna to see if something was up with their company.
Back at her desk, Bella whipped out her phone and dialed Anna, but no dice—couldn't get through.
‘Is anything happening to Anna's family?’Bella started to worry.
Just then, the security guard from downstairs showed up and said, "Ms. Grey, there's a dude downstairs looking for you. Says his name is Caleb."
Bella was floored; she didn't expect Anna's boyfriend Caleb to come looking for her.
"Thanks, I'll head down right now." Bella thanked the guard and bolted downstairs, needing to get the lowdown from Caleb.
A silver car was parked by the curb, and the window rolled down. Bella quickly spotted Caleb inside.
She hopped into the passenger seat, looking at Caleb anxiously. "Why can't I reach Anna? What's going on with her family?"
Caleb's face showed a hint of worry. He sighed and said, "You know, Anna's family runs a jewelry company, but a batch of raw materials got jacked. These custom pieces were supposed to go to a company under Sterling. If the cops don't find the stuff soon, Anna's dad will have to pay a huge penalty, enough to bankrupt them."
Bella was stunned; she didn't expect Anna's family to be in such deep trouble.
"Anna isn't answering your calls 'cause she doesn't want you to stress. She knows you're having a rough time at Sterling and doesn't want to burden you," Caleb said, looking at Bella.
"Where's Anna now?" Bella asked Caleb.
"Anna's at the police station. She's practically living there, hoping the cops crack the case soon," Caleb sighed, knowing it was almost hopeless.
Caleb looked at Bella seriously and said, "Even though Anna told me not to come to you, I know you're the only one who can save her now. If Sterling agrees to extend the penalty payment date, Anna's family will be saved. It's a small thing for Sterling."
Bella nodded, knowing that unless the stolen jewelry materials were found pronto, this was the only way out.
"I get it. Take good care of Anna for me," Bella said, getting out of the car.
The penalty was chump change for Sterling. But Bella had no clue how to bring it up to him.
The only plan Bella could think of was to butter up Sterling, hoping he'd help her out of their rare marital bond.
This time, Bella didn't work late. She hit the supermarket and bought a ton of fresh ingredients to whip up a meal to show Sterling she meant business.
Zoey was stoked to see Bella whipping up something in the kitchen. "Mrs. Windsor, you finally got it! This is awesome; Mr. Windsor's gonna be so happy! I've always said, if you just tell him you love him, there wouldn't be so many mix-ups between you two."
Bella's smile froze. She turned to Zoey and said, "Zoey, don't get it twisted. I'm cooking for Sterling 'cause I need a favor."
Zoey's smile stiffened, and her face twitched. She thought Bella had finally come around, but nope, she was way off.
"Let me give you a hand," Zoey said, rolling up her sleeves to help out. Based on her past experience, Bella's plan was a long shot.
And Zoey's hunch was spot on.
When Sterling got home and saw the table loaded with dishes, especially knowing Bella had made them all, he sat down and looked at her.
"If you got something to say, just spit it out," Sterling guessed Bella needed something.
Bella didn't beat around the bush and told Sterling about Anna's family's mess. "I've checked it out. The penalty in your contract is around fifty million bucks. That amount isn't a big deal for you. Can you help Anna by extending the penalty payment date?"
Sterling looked at Bella coldly, staying silent.
As time dragged on, Bella felt her heart sinking, like all her efforts were for nothing.
"So, you made this meal just for this?" Sterling suddenly asked.
Bella instinctively nodded but quickly felt a sense of dread.
Sure enough, the next second, Sterling stood up from the table. He looked down at Bella and said coldly, "You should know I don't like talking shop at home. And why do you think fifty million bucks is chump change? Do you have that much? If you do, why not help Anna pay the penalty directly?"
Bella heard the sarcasm in Sterling's words. She wanted to snap back, but Sterling didn't give her the chance.
"Do you think I'll let them off because of this meal? Or do you think our pitifully small marital bond will sway me?" Sterling said coldly, then turned and went upstairs.
Bella sat at the table, feeling utterly defeated.
Zoey, even though she saw this coming, couldn't stand seeing Bella like this and decided to comfort her, "Mrs. Windsor, you're first Mr. Windsor's wife and then Ms. Powell's friend. Using a meal to get Mr. Windsor to agree to your request is basically using love to twist his arm, and no guy would be cool with that."
Bella looked up at Zoey. "Is that so? But I don't get love."
'If you did, we wouldn't be in this mess,' Zoey thought to herself.
Just then, Owen came up with a gift box. "Mrs. Windsor, I think you should give this to Mr. Windsor. Maybe you forgot today is his birthday. That might be one of the reasons he's ticked off."
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