Chapter 50 I Am Your Only One
Sterling finally made it back to Windsor Villa, shivering from the cold. Bella was practically draped over him, and Zoey's jaw dropped when she saw them.
Bella never acted like this. But when Zoey caught a whiff of the booze on Bella, she got it—Bella was totally hammered.
Zoey jumped into action, grabbing a hot towel and handing it to Sterling. "Mr. Windsor, you got this. I'll be downstairs."
Zoey's look was all kinds of suggestive as she headed down. She was already plotting if she should get Bella drunk again when Sterling wasn't around.
Sterling gently wiped Bella's face with the towel.
Bella tilted her head up like a bratty kid. "Hurry up, clean it!"
Sterling paused, a smirk creeping onto his face.
But it didn't last long. Bella shoved him away. "You're too slow! When are you gonna finish? I wanna take a bath. I wanna have sex with Sterling! I'm sick of him always bossing me around!"
Sterling was floored by Bella's drunken rant. He just stood there, dumbstruck, as Bella clambered off the bed and started stripping right in front of him.
Sterling reached out but didn't stop her.
As Bella strutted naked towards the bathroom, Sterling trailed behind, worried she'd fall. Sure enough, she slipped on the wet floor, but Sterling caught her just in time.
"I haven't bathed yet. I need to bathe. You know Sterling's a clean freak. If I don't bathe before getting into his bed, he'll be grossed out," Bella slurred.
Before she could finish, Sterling scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. "I don't care."
She kept struggling, insisting, "I wanna bathe!"
Sterling sighed and carried her back to the bathroom.
After filling the tub with hot water, Sterling gently placed Bella in it. Her body was like a piece of art, mesmerizing.
Sterling held Bella's head to keep her from slipping under. Up close, he could see her long, curled lashes casting shadows on her eyelids, and her lips glistening, making him instinctively rub them with his thumb.
Maybe feeling a tickle, Bella frowned and turned her head away.
Sterling's face hardened, his mood darkening. He still hated her rejection, no matter what.
As the water cooled, Sterling wrapped her in a towel and carried her back to bed. Looking at her face, which reminded him of her childhood self, Sterling thought, 'Bella's mine, no one can take her away.'
As Sterling was tucking her in, she suddenly grabbed his hand.
Sterling saw Bella's lips moving, like she was saying something. She was mumbling softly, and he had to lean in close to hear.
"James, James..."
Sterling's face went dark as night. He didn't stick around to hear more, just shook off her hand and stormed to the bathroom.
If he'd had the patience to listen, he would've heard Bella mumble, "James never slept with me back then. I'm still a virgin."
Next morning, Bella woke up to an empty room. Sterling was nowhere in sight. She only remembered celebrating their anniversary, drinking way too much, and then... blackout.
As she headed downstairs to freshen up, Zoey was waiting by the bathroom door. "Why'd you drink so much last night? You were all over Mr. Windsor, wouldn't let go."
Hearing Zoey recount her drunken antics, Bella's face turned beet red with embarrassment.
Zoey mentioned Sterling had stormed out of the villa last night. Bella figured it was probably because she puked on him. Knowing Sterling's mysophobia, that made sense.
Bella didn't see Sterling all afternoon. She went out to grab some art supplies and arranged to meet up with Anna.
Since the hotel fiasco, they hadn't had a proper catch-up, and Bella didn't want things to get awkward between them.
Bella and Anna met at a café. Anna showed up alone, which made Bella curious. "Where's Caleb?"
Anna sighed, "It's because of that news. My dad thinks we should lay low until the buzz dies down. So, Caleb's keeping a low profile."
Bella felt a mix of emotions and went quiet.
Anna gave her a knowing look. "I know what you're thinking. I don't believe you and Caleb have anything going on. But don't you think it's weird there's always a reporter around when stuff happens?"
Bella shook her head. "I don't know."
Anna shrugged. "But Sterling seems to care about you. I've never seen Caleb so attentive. He doesn't even ask when I hang out with other guys."
Bella smiled but was more worried about the proposal. "Did Caleb propose to you? Are you guys okay?"
Anna tried to play it cool, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Caleb's been acting weird. I told him I didn't doubt him, but he thinks I'm being sarcastic. We're giving each other the silence treatment right now."
Bella felt a pang of guilt. If Sterling hadn't shown up out of the blue, Caleb and Anna might've been engaged by now.
Just as Bella was about to say something, she heard Debra's voice behind her. "If I knew you were here, I wouldn't have come with my mom."
Bella turned to see Debra and Mira, a look of disgust flashing in her eyes.
As Debra and Mira approached, Anna snapped, "Who are you?"
Bella grabbed her hand. "Anna, let's go."
Seeing Bella's expression, Anna didn't argue. She left money for the coffee and stood up.
"Bella," Mira called out, but Bella didn't stop or even glance back.
When Debra blocked her path, Bella frowned. "Debra, move."
Debra crossed her arms and smirked. "Beg me. If you beg, I'll move."
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