Chapter 7
Felix's eyes flashed with anticipation, and his face turned to disappointment as he saw the name on the screen.
Bella's cheerful voice came through immediately, "Felix, my grandpa's birthday is coming up, and my parents have entrusted me with the invitation. Are you free later? I'll be passing by Sirius Trading, so I think I can drop off your invitation and maybe grab some lunch together?"
Felix responded with a nonchalant, "Sure."
"Great, we'll meet there."
He did not expect that Gianna would be so determined this time, and he couldn’t believe she wouldn't contact him anymore.
Knock, knock, knock!
There was a knock on the office door and Sophia walked in with a paper. "Felix, I've just got the news that the plot of land in the east end is going up for auction sooner than expected!"
Felix's face changed, and he immediately said, "Notify the project lead and the stakeholders. We'll have a meeting in five minutes."
When Bella arrived, Felix was still in the meeting, and Sophia greeted her.
"Miss Bella, Mr. Clinton just started a meeting, and he asked me to take you to the office to wait for him."
Bella smiled. "Thank you."
After ushering Bella into Felix's office and reminding her that she could call on her if needed.
When the door closed, Bella walked over to Felix's desk. She was about to put the invitation on the table when she saw a red box.
Bella realized that her birthday was coming soon.
‘Could Felix have prepared a gift for me?’
After a moment's hesitation, Bella picked up the box.
‘Felix bought it for me anyway, so it's okay to sneak a look, right?’
Bella opened the box and saw the necklace Felix had bought at the Seattle auction.
An hour later, Felix returned from his meeting. He noticed Bella and apologized to her. "Sorry about that. I had to another meeting."
Bella smiled and said gently, "It's okay, I understand. I already ordered some food, and it should be here shortly."
"Great."
"By the way, I put the invitation on the table. My grandfather's birthday is next Saturday. Are you free to come?" Bella's eyes lit up.
Felix frowned, "I have to go on a business trip in two days. I may not be back on Saturday. I will try my best."
"All right... Have you heard from my sister lately? Her phone is always busy. Do you know where she is now?"
At the mention of Gianna, Felix frowned more profoundly, and his voice turned low, "What do you want from her?"
Bella pressed her lips and looked worried. "You know Gianna didn't get along with the family very well. She came back when she was 16 years old, and she thought our parents were partial to me. We argued recently, and with Grandpa's birthday coming up next Saturday, I thought it could be a good chance for her to come home."
After a few seconds of silence, Felix replied, "I'll talk to her about it."
Seeing that Felix didn't want to talk about it anymore, Bella switched to another topic.
...
Gianna had just finished a project proposal when Julian's call came in.
"It's Grandpa's birthday next Saturday. You should come back home."
Gianna pursed her lips and said in a calm voice, "I've started a new job recently, and I might be too busy to make it."
Julian sounds angry. "What could be more important than Grandpa's birthday?! No matter what, you need to be there next Saturday, and best come with Felix!"
The Redstone family had changed. A month ago, Henry told Julian to make sure Felix came to his birthday party to assert their dominance and discourage others from plotting against them.
After a pause, Gianna, thinking about her divorce from Felix, decided it was better to inform them in person to prevent future troubles.
"Okay, I got it. I'll try to make time," she relented.
Julian ended the call without further discussion.
Lauren frowned and said, "You already had Belle deliver Felix's invitation. Why did you ask Gianna again?"
For this daughter who has not grown up around her, even if she looks seven or eight times like Bella, Lauren still can't like her.
Not long after she gave birth to Bella and Gianna, a witch whom the Redstone family had always trusted showed up in person, telling them that Gianna would destroy the family if she stayed with them.
After a long deliberation, the Redstone family finally decided to abandon Gianna at the door of the welfare home.
Who would have thought that at the age of 16, Bella would suddenly fall ill, and the Redstone family would have no choice but to find Gianna?
Because they are twins, Gianna and Bella have high genetic similarities. Gianna donated bone marrow to Bella, and they accepted Gianna to the Redstone family.
But every time they see Gianna, the whole Redstone family still thinks of the witch's words. That had been a thorn in their hearts so that they couldn't treat Gianna like Bella.
Especially Lauren, knowing that a rural family adopted Gianna in a remote area, felt that Gianna had a smell on her body. She felt uncomfortable when Gianna stood with Bella, who had been precious for more than ten years.
Lauren, especially, had her grievances. She knew Gianna was raised in the backwaters by rural folks, and to her, Gianna seemed to carry this unsophisticated, earthy air about her. Standing next to her beloved Bella, the contrast was visibly unsettling.
Gianna also had this stubborn streak and she often obeys her. They would have a massive argument while speaking fewer sentences.
Now Lauren can't help but hate Gianna.
Julian cast her a sharp glance. "Remember, Gianna is Felix's wife now."
Lauren sneered, "She wouldn't even have had the chance with Felix if Bella hadn't gone abroad. But now Bella's back, and Felix clearly isn't into Gianna. We might as well get them divorced sooner rather than later. It's for the best!"
Julian frowned but couldn't help thinking about it.
He had suggested to Gianna to let Felix help them, but she refused. This made him disappointed and angry.
Gianna and Felix have been married for three years, and they still haven't had a child. So, if they divorce and marry Bella, it will be in the best for the Redstone family.
But Julian was careful not to make a move until he knew what Felix thought about Bella.
"Let's leave this matter for later. And I warn you, don't you spread rumors to Gianna without my permission. If you blow this up, I will punish you!" he warned her.
Lauren's face changed, and then they growled, "Fine, they're going to split anyway. There's no need for me to be the bad guy."
After a moment's silence, Julian whispered, "You can be nice to Gianna sometimes. We owe her."
Lauren's eyes flashed with disgust, coldly said "You be nice to her if you want. Leave me out of it! Belle is my only daughter. And don't you forget that witch's words..."
"Lauren!" he interrupted sharply.
"If I hear you mention this one more time, don't blame me for losing my temper!"
Lauren's face turned white when Julian yelled at her until Julian stormed off.
She was a little scared and, at the same time, more disgusted with Gianna. If not for Gianna, there would not have been a series of unfortunate things!
After work, as Gianna was about to leave, Faith burst in.
"Gianna, do you have any plans on tonight?!"
