Chapter 495 Forced Compromise
Nicholas balled up his fists, let out a heavy sigh, and slumped against the wall. He fished out a cigarette and took a long drag.
The smoke swirled around, hiding his good looks.
In the hospital room, Bella watched over a frail Austin. When he saw her, he tried to sit up, leaning on his arms. Bella rushed over to help, "Easy there."
She tucked a pillow behind his head. "How you holding up?"
Seeing him so pale and weak, Bella felt a wave of guilt crash over her.
If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be in this mess.
Austin caught her teary eyes and managed a smile. "I'm good, don't stress."
Bella bit her lip. "I'm so sorry."
Her voice cracked. "I had no idea you were allergic to mangoes. I didn't know that dessert had mango juice. It's all on me."
Austin coughed, a bit of color coming back to his cheeks. "Seriously, I'm fine."
A small smile tugged at Austin's lips. He gently tapped Bella's nose, his voice soft. "I trust you."
Bella's eyes widened, but tears spilled over, landing on Austin's hand.
He flinched slightly.
Her tears were warm, almost thawing his cold heart.
Bella kept repeating 'I'm sorry.' Guilt gnawed at her. Austin grabbed her hand. "It's not your fault. I wanted to try it. I knew it was mango. I haven't had it in ages, just wanted a taste."
The more Austin talked, the worse Bella felt.
She knew Cassidy had set her up.
There was no way to explain it.
Cassidy was Austin's stepmom. She'd been in the Reynolds family for years. She had to know Austin was allergic to mango. The family had banned mangoes ages ago. Cassidy knew.
Bella had turned down Cassidy's request last night and got played for it.
Now, Nicholas thought she was in on it with Cassidy.
She was stuck.
And Cassidy was using this to twist Bella's arm.
Bella knew if she didn't cave to Cassidy's demands, Austin would be in even more danger.
After leaving the hospital, Bella called Cassidy.
She didn't have Cassidy's number, so she called Lucy. "Lucy, tell Mrs. Reynolds I’m in."
On the other end, Lucy chuckled. "Mrs. Reynolds said you're a smart cookie."
Bella said, "I want every share promised to me, not one less."
Lucy replied, "Of course."
Bella looked up at the blazing sun. To protect Austin, she had to play along with Cassidy. This way, she could do something for him.
Natalie was fixing her makeup.
She had a magazine shoot today, promoting a movie.
The mag was backed by a phone brand.
Just an inner page of a second-tier fashion mag.
But for someone like her, who just started out, landing an inner page shoot was pretty sweet.
Natalie wasn't picky.
She was shooting with Samantha.
Samantha was different. She thought once Esme's movie dropped, she'd blow up since she snagged the lead role. Samantha was already a rising star, with some serious backing.
Naturally, she had a bit of an attitude.
"Be careful. That hurts!" Samantha snapped at the makeup artist. "Aren't you from SUMI Styling Studio? I want Cherie Brooks to do my makeup personally!"
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