Chapter 51
<Chapter>Chapter 51: Spring in Full Color </Chapter>
After a tense standoff, Gianna eventually gave in. With everything sorted, she was about to begin cooking when the doorbell interrupted. It was Bella who had gone to the hospital to see Felix, only to find out he had been discharged.
Her expression changed upon seeing who answered the door. "Gianna, what are you doing here?!"
Gianna replied indifferently, "This is my place. Why shouldn't I be here?"
Grinding her teeth, Bella said coldly, "Where's Felix? I came to see him!"
Brushing past Gianna, she stormed into the villa.
Upon seeing Felix in his wheelchair, Bella's eyes narrowed, and she hurried to his side, crouching down.
"Felix, your legs..."
Calm in his demeanor, Felix met her gaze. "The doctors aren't sure if I'll ever walk again."
"No!"
Bella's hand flew to her mouth, shock and disbelief shining in her eyes as they quickly filled with tears.
"It's not true. Felix, I'll find the best doctor for you. You'll be walking again, I promise."
"Bella, let's not talk about this now."
Seeing that Felix didn't want to dwell on it, Bella fell silent, her emotions slowly steadying after some time.
"Felix, considering you and your wife are on the brink of divorce, it might not be appropriate for her to be here. How about I take care of you from now on?"
Three years ago, she had taken Lauren's advice and stayed behind instead of returning to her country, a decision that had opened the door for Gianna to marry Felix. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.
After a brief pause, Felix spoke without much emotion. "No need. We've agreed to hold off on the divorce until my leg heals."
"How can you accept that?! If your leg never heals, does that mean you'll stay with her forever?!"
Realizing Felix's icy stare, Bella quickly clarified, "Felix, that's not what I meant. Your leg will definitely recover. It's just...I'm worried she might fall back in love with you while taking care of you and change her mind about the divorce."
Before Felix could respond, Gianna, who had been silently observing the exchange, interjected, "Don't worry, there's no way I could fall for him again."
The moment her words fell, Felix's expression turned icy cold.
Bella certainly didn't believe Gianna's words. What she wanted was to prevent Gianna from having any opportunity to spend time with Felix!
"Sis, matters of the heart can't be controlled, and Felix is such a catch. It wouldn't be surprising if you fell for him again."
Gianna just fell silent.
Felix looked at Bella, his voice even, "Belle, you stood by the hospital room door for three days while I was in a coma. I'm grateful..."
Before he could finish, Bella hurriedly cut in, "Felix, I was just doing what I should. I'd willingly take care of you for a lifetime!"
Felix frowned. Although grateful for Bella's care, he didn't want Gianna to get the wrong idea about their relationship.
He glanced at Gianna and noticed her downcast eyes, puzzled by what she was thinking. A flash of irritation crossed his mind.
Seeing Bella confess her feelings with such composure was unsettling!
"Gianna, I'm in the mood for some steamed eggs. Would you make them for me?" Felix asked.
Gianna looked up at Bella with a cryptic smile, responding in a sly tone, "Sure, but didn't you just mention Bella..."
"Sis!"
With a forced smile, Bella stepped forward, "Sis, let me help you. Steamed eggs are my specialty."
"Sounds good."
The two of them took the eggs and headed into the kitchen. As soon as the door shut behind them, the smile on Bella's face turned cold.
"Gianna, if you dare reveal the truth, I'll never forgive you!"
Gianna raised an eyebrow and chuckled, leisurely cracking eggs as she teased, "Why should I cover for you? If Felix learns that it was me by his hospital door for three days and nights, your standing in his heart will surely plummet, won't it?"
Teeth clenched, Bella shot back coldly, "If you hadn't driven me away, I would've been the one at Felix's bedside!"
Gianna glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "You left because I told you to? Seems like your feelings for Felix aren't that deep after all."
"You!" Bella glared at her, articulating each word, "What will it take for you to keep this a secret?!"
"You shouldn't be asking me that." Gianna smoothly mixed water into the eggs set the concoction to steam, then faced Bella with a grin. "You ought to think about what you can offer in exchange."
Bella's face turned a furious shade of ashen. She regretted coming here, gifting Gianna leverage over her for nothing!
Ten minutes later, as steam rose from the pot, Gianna smiled. "Five minutes left."
Bella, cool and scornful, retorted, "You've always been jealous of the lavish birthday parties my parents threw for me each year, haven't you?! What if I ask them to do the same for you this year?"
Bella was sure Gianna wouldn't pass up the chance to compete for Julian and Lauren's affection.
But Gianna just laughed lightly. "Ten minutes, and that's what you come up with?"
"Aren't you desperate for our parents' approval?!" challenged Bella.
When Gianna had first returned, she'd often imitated Bella, seeking Julian and Lauren's praise. However, that only made Lauren dislike her even more. Since then, Gianna had grown quieter.
Meanwhile, Bella played the role of the kind, gentle sister to perfection, endearing herself to Julian and Lauren even more while they grew to dislike Gianna.
Gianna shook her head. "You're overthinking it. Their approval means nothing to me now."
Disbelief flickered in Bella's eyes as she hissed, "You're lying! How could their approval mean nothing to you?!"
With a smile, Gianna countered, "Believe what you want, but since you can't come up with a tempting offer, I'll have no choice but to expose you to Felix."
Bella's hand tightened involuntarily at her side, a surge of hatred so intense she could throttle Gianna right there.
‘That witch did it on purpose just to embarrass me in front of everyone!’
Bella's eyes flashed with icy rage as she watched Gianna ready to leave with a plate of steamed eggs. With a swift, calculated move, Bella knocked the dish out of Gianna's hands, sending it crashing to the floor in pieces.
She'd aimed right at Gianna. Had those steaming eggs hit their mark, they could have scarred her, and a face hit would surely be disfiguring.
Gianna swiftly dodged to the side, causing the eggs to smash on the floor and the bowl to shatter into pieces. Despite her fast reflexes, Gianna couldn't escape the splatter. Some of the hot mixture burned her arm, turning the skin red and causing blisters to form almost instantly.
Seeing Gianna evade the bulk of it, a shadow of malice crossed Bella's eyes.
"Sister, I didn't mean to—" she started.
But before she could finish, Gianna’s hand flew up, delivering a stinging slap across Bella's cheek.
