Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Bella found Max's statement confusing and furrowed her brows, saying, "Huh? I don't have time for that. I also don't have the desire to become a model." She didn't understand why Max would say such a thing, and she disliked his commanding tone. In the past, she hadn't paid much attention because she was still in love with him and tolerated his behavior.

Max was not pleased with Bella's response. Despite his past experiences where any proposal or condition he mentioned would be immediately agreed upon by Bella to please him, things had changed since she started working at the company. Her attitude had become more independent, and she often didn't comply with his requests as she used to. With a bad mood and thinking about his wife's rejection the day before, Max's anger escalated.

"Why don't you understand? If it weren't for Levi wanting to designate you as the model for his cousin's designs, I wouldn't have suggested anything." Bella understood then; in reality, becoming a model for a designer was easy for her, but she needed to know why she had to do it. She wasn't a puppet for her husband to place wherever he wanted.

"Why are you getting angry with me? If you clearly explained, I would agree. Am I just a doll or a pawn for you?" Bella asked gently and casually, but her words concealed mockery and scrutiny.

Max felt uncomfortable at the mention of 'pawn.' Lowering his voice, he explained what he had negotiated with Levi the day before. He didn't want Bella to doubt him, and he certainly didn't want to drift apart from his wife. No matter what, he still needed her by his side.

"Huh... so that's it. You should have said this earlier instead of yelling at me. After introduction and finishing the presentation, I'll talk to that designer." Bella, seeing that Max had lowered his voice to talk to her, didn't want to escalate the tension further.

Max smiled, thanked his wife, and kissed her forehead before leaving for work. After he left, Bella wiped off the traces of Max on her face with a handkerchief, feeling disgusted, as she did every time.

As always, Max never accompanied his wife to the company. Outwardly, he claimed to arrive early to organize documents and mentioned that Bella took a long time to prepare, so it was better for them not to go together. Bella agreed with Max, citing her desire to keep their relationship low-key in the office. However, she knew both reasons were lies. She was sure Pearl didn't want her and her husband to go together, so she didn't let Max go with her.

Today was the day Bella and Pearl stood before the leadership to present their packaging designs. Bella didn't want to appear inferior to Pearl, so she looked at herself in the mirror for a while before smiling.

This was the first battle between her and Pearl.

Despite all the preparation, standing in front of the leadership, Bella couldn't help but feel nervous and anxious. She didn't know if they were aware of her being the chairman's daughter; she secretly hoped they weren't.

"... This is my presentation. I hope to receive your feedback to improve." Bella presented first, and after finishing her presentation, she still felt a bit flustered. Perhaps this was the first time in over three years that she stood before so many people, presenting, making it difficult to hide her nervousness and unease.

Pearl was also in the room, listening to Bella's presentation. Initially surprised that Bella had created the packaging design herself, Pearl was sure that Max hadn't helped. She had feared Bella would oppress her, but Bella's presentation was indeed subpar.

And, of course, with Pearl's excellent presentation skills and her good relationship with the leadership, her design was chosen.

After everyone left the meeting room, Bella was about to leave when Pearl approached. "Don't be sad; your design was quite bad, actually. If not for so few employees participating in this competition, you might not have been chosen at all. But don't be sad, Bella. Keep learning. If you want, I can help you; we're friends, after all."

It sounded like consolation, but it was a sarcastic and condescending remark from Pearl. Bella was no longer unfamiliar with Pearl's way of speaking. In the past, she would have believed what Pearl said and felt insecure, but now she felt a sense of disdain for Pearl.

"If I need to learn from someone, it certainly won't be you. Look, even though you were chosen, we are entering this together. That alone proves that my design is on par with yours and doesn't fall short. I haven't been working for three years, and my design can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with yours, surpassing other employees. I'm sure you understand my capabilities, right?" Bella exclaimed loudly, refusing to be in a position of weakness. She emphasized that not being selected doesn't mean her design is inferior to Pearl's.

Bella wasn't necessarily proud of her design, as she stated, but she didn't want Pearl to belittle her further. As Bella predicted, Pearl's face turned red after hearing her words.

At that moment, Max entered, having heard the results from someone in the leadership team. As expected, Pearl had been chosen.

Since Bella was facing away from the door, she didn't notice Max entering, but Pearl, upon seeing Max, immediately appeared vulnerable and pitiable.

"Bella, I just want what's best for you. There's no need to confront me like this. If you're upset that I was chosen, just tell me, and I'll step back. After all, this is your father's company." Pearl expressed confusion.

Bella chuckled, unable to understand why Pearl, who was so confident earlier, now appeared so pitiful. "That's exactly what you're saying. If that's the case, then step back. Anyway, if your design is introduced to the market, it will undoubtedly damage the reputation of this company!"

As soon as Bella finished speaking, she heard an angry voice behind her. Max approached, expressing his displeasure. "Bella, what are you saying? You've only been in the company for a few months, and you're already arrogant and disrespectful? Quickly apologize to Pearl."

Bella turned to look at Max, realizing why Pearl suddenly appeared so pitiful. It turned out Pearl saw Max entering and wanted him on her side.

"I'm not wrong, Max." Although Pearl's design had issues, Bella wouldn't expose it in front of them. She felt justified in her actions.

Max, angered by Bella's unapologetic attitude, saw a side of her that he hadn't seen before. He couldn't believe that his usually gentle and timid wife would act so poorly.

"Bella, what's gotten into you? Your design wasn't chosen because your skills are not as strong as Pearl's. You can't demand something that doesn't belong to you just for your selfish reasons. Besides, Pearl has more experience, and she's my secretary. You're just a small employee. You should respect others, even if you're the owner's daughter." Max spoke sternly, intentionally raising his voice at the end.

Bella looked at Max, and the ambiguous love relationship between Pearl and Max was evident. Bella felt even more belittled. Max had never stood up for her before.

Pearl quickly grabbed Max's arm, speaking softly to soothe his anger. "Max, Bella didn't mean it that way. Don't blame her. Maybe she's just in a bad mood after her unsuccessful presentation. Please understand."

Bella smirked when she heard Pearl's words, not wanting to continue the drama. "If you know that, then it's best to keep quiet instead of deliberately provoking me, Pearl." With that, Bella left the room, ignoring Max's calls for an apology.

"Bella, come back and apologize to Pearl now! Bella, Bella." No matter what Max called, Bella didn't turn back, maintaining her cold and indifferent demeanor.

Pearl pulled Max back and tried to calm his anger, being gentle and comforting. However, after the conversation with Bella, Pearl sensed something unusual about her 'best friend.' Bella had never behaved like this before. No matter how much Pearl intentionally belittled her, Bella always saw herself as inferior. A person who was originally weak and introverted like Bella couldn't change her personality so quickly in just a day or two. Pearl felt that there was something wrong in this situation.