Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

It seems that Max handled this mess quite well, even better than Bella had expected. She knew that these issues were just ants to Max, with his communication skills, ability to please the leadership, and his sweet-talking tongue that could easily sway any opponent.

If it weren't for Max deceiving and having an affair with Pearl, Bella wouldn't have gone to such lengths. She also wanted to know to what extent her husband would protect his little lover. In Bella's mind, she silently contemplated the next steps to create distance in their relationship.

In the company, Bella rarely met Max as they held different positions. Neither of them wanted their colleagues to know that they were married, to maintain professionalism.

As usual, Bella arrived home first. Her mood today was great because Max had successfully resolved the company's honor issue. This also meant that everyone in the company now knew about Pearl's incompetence. Because being the daughter of the company's founder, Bella never wanted to negatively impact the company.

She only wanted to embarrass Pearl, making her aware of her current position and making her to be humble.

"Max, why do you look so down?" Bella thought sarcastically, fully aware of why her husband was feeling down. Yet, she still asked, feigning innocence and concern.

Max looked up at Bella, and for some reason, he felt warm and comforted. A sense of security washed over him when facing his wife. "You know, the issue with Pearl at yesterday's product launch event. I had to stay at the office overnight because of that, and I forgot to text you." Max explained, suddenly remembering that he hadn't messaged Bella last night.

Bella shook her head lightly, smiling affectionately at him, a smile that hadn't changed since they fell in love. "You don't need to explain to me. I understand. But is Pearl really just referencing the works of the VB artist?" Bella glanced at the tired Max, probing the issue.

Both of them knew clearly that Pearl had no reference VB, but because of the company's honor, Max said that.

Max wanted to tell the truth to Bella, but after thinking for a while, he said something similar to what was posted on the company's website. Bella didn't pursue further, just chuckled and continued with dinner.

To avoid affecting the atmosphere at dinner, Max shifted the conversation to another topic, and Bella cooperated happily.

"I've received an email from Lisa. I'll meet her tomorrow, so I'll prepare dinner in advance. You just need to warm it up when you come home." Bella casually mentioned.

Max nodded, if Bella became Lisa's exclusive model, Levi might consider selling the suburban land to him. This was not only beneficial but also helped Bella pursue her modeling career.

For Max, having Bella as a model would divert her attention from work at the company, making it easier for him to execute his plans.

Although Pearl's actions troubled him, thinking about the bright future ahead made him more comfortable. After this incident, Max was determined to 'educate' Pearl so that she wouldn't disrupt their original plans.

"Max. Did you hear what I said?" Bella noticed her husband lost in thought. Max immediately nodded, "I know, but I might be late tomorrow, and I might not have dinner at home. You understand, with the recent busy schedule and Pearl's issues."

Bella nodded lightly, understanding without complaints. She had never questioned or complained about anything, whether in the past or now. To Max, Bella's opinions were something he had never paid attention to.

To outsiders, the couple was incredibly admirable as they never had any conflicts. Bella always compromised and cared for her husband, while Max was a successful man who always spoke sweetly.

Not only outsiders but even Bella's father never expected their married life to be so harmonious. However, no one knew that everything was not accidental; there was a plan that no one expected.

"If you say so, I won't cook tomorrow night. I'll just eat out. It's convenient for both of us." Bella said while having dinner. The atmosphere became more harmonious, as long as Pearl and work-related issues weren't part of the conversation, the couple seemed almost unchanged from before, chatting happily like a newlywed couple in love.

But only Bella knew that both she and Max were wearing masks to face each other. Bella went to work at the company as usual, and she heard some interesting news. The product launch event was almost ruined, and it reached the ears of the leadership, resulting in Pearl being disciplined. However, people in the company didn't know to what extent Pearl was disciplined. Some said Pearl would lose her year-end bonus, others said she received a warning, and some even speculated she might be fired.

Bella listened to the gossip and laughed. In reality, Pearl wasn't disciplined as they claimed. If she had been, the company's website wouldn't have corrected the misinformation yesterday. Lauriel entered happily from outside, humming a song. Bella asked, "What's going on?"

"Just after the new product launch, Pearl can no longer be arrogant and meddle in others' affairs. Do you know, I just delivered some documents that Ms. Diana gave to Pearl? Every time I went to Pearl's office, she was so arrogant, scrutinizing every detail and even forcing me to buy drinks during working hours. But today, she hesitated and didn't dare to act like that anymore," Lauriel excitedly shared.

Bella nodded slightly upon hearing this, considering it ordinary. However, Lauriel continued, "I took this opportunity to tease her a bit, and she blushed instantly. She deserves the leadership's discipline, or better yet, being fired. That would make me really happy. But getting revenge for the troubles she caused me before is satisfying enough."

Bella, upon hearing Lauriel's story, recalled the presentation about design in front of the leadership. She remembered how arrogant Pearl had been and how she provoked her. However, Bella didn't think someone as arrogant as Pearl would be afraid of just her own mistake. Perhaps she had overestimated her 'best friend' and 'little lover' status with her husband.

In the director's office, Max was talking to someone in leadership, looking extremely tired and bored, massaging his temples.

"Max, are you tired? Shall I make coffee for you?" This was the first time Pearl felt awkward in front of Max like this, and she was extremely uncomfortable. However, her issues couldn't be solved on her own.

Max sighed deeply, visibly exhausted, but he agreed. Pearl, in her distressed and pitiful state, made him feel even more tired.

Taking a sip of the hot coffee, feeling a bit more comfortable, Max finally spoke, "Have you found the person who harmed you? I intended to help you with this, but I'm too busy..."

Indeed, Max was too busy to 'clean up' the mess that Pearl had created. He spent almost the entire day explaining to the leadership. Pearl knew this and didn't dare to demand his help during this time. Despite their ongoing plan, Pearl's desire to assert dominance over Bella made her bear the unexpected consequences.

"It's okay; I know. I've found out who harmed me. But that person was just hired to do the job and followed the request. He's not an employee of the company or someone hired to work on that exhibition day. I found out by asking and bribing some members of the organizing committee that day," Pearl explained to Max.

"I also found out that those committee members were bribed by someone. I don't know who it is, and they don't know either."

When Max heard that, his eyes widened in surprise. After hearing Pearl's words, the first thing he thought was what Pearl had done and who had enmity with him to make things turn out like this. But as soon as the words reached his throat, he couldn't say them.

"Do you know why?" Max asked.

Pearl, of course, didn't know who wanted to harm her and why. While she sometimes acted a bit too much with other employees, it was a minor issue that no one in the company paid attention to.

After thinking for a while and not figuring out who would want to harm her and the reason behind it, she looked up at Max. Seeing Max looking at her, she remembered how Bella looked at her the day before.

"Max, could it be Bella who harmed me, maybe?"

Max, not pleased with her words, thought Bella was a gentle and somewhat dull woman who wouldn't do such a thing. Nevertheless, he wanted to hear Pearl's reasoning.

Pearl noticed Max's change of expression but continued, "I know it's uncomfortable for you to hear this, but do you remember that day? Bella's words prove that she isn't as oafish and dull as we think. Also, the consideration of her design by the leadership proves she's not someone who would stay still."

Max frowned slightly, realizing Pearl's words made sense. He became even more convinced when he noticed Bella's strange behavior recently. Although Bella seemed unchanged on the surface and still performed household tasks as before, even while working during the day, Max now realized he didn't really understand Bella.

After Pearl's words, Max fell into contemplation, not saying anything and avoiding eye contact with Pearl. He was unsure whether to believe Pearl or not. In the past, he would have immediately trusted Pearl's words, but this time was different. Everything was clear before him, making him a bit confused.

"Max! Why are you silent? Don't forget, she's just a tool for us. You have to trust me!" Pearl was not pleased to see Max's perplexed and doubtful expression. Normally, Max should have been angry like her and helped her investigate Bella.

Max furrowed his brows slightly, feeling annoyed and spoke loudly, "Stop talking. This is your mess. If you hadn't copied the works of the artist VB, no one would be able to harm you."

Pearl stared at Max with resentment, not expecting him to speak to her in such a way. Pearl was angry, but she also felt fearful, fearing that Max might truly have feelings for Bella and wanted to abandon her. If Max indeed changed his feelings and turned towards Bella, wouldn't she have to leave empty-handed? The thought of being left with nothing made Pearl turn pale, and her hands and feet trembled even more.

Pearl tightly clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. At this moment, she couldn't let go, nor could she be as angry as before. However, she also didn't want to admit that she was at fault.