Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Seeing Bella off, Lisa glanced housemaid as a warning, causing her to shrink back in fear. Bella noticed but waited until she was inside the car to speak, "I don't want things to turn unpleasant. My mood wasn't great earlier, so I was a bit harsh on the maid. Please don't fire her."

Lisa, surprised, chuckled afterward, "Bella, are you genuinely kind or just pretending? Weren't you the one who wanted me to discipline her earlier?"

Bella, unfazed by Lisa's teasing, calmly replied, "Indeed, I wanted you to discipline her because no housemaid should disrespect their employer's guests like that. However, I'm not narrow-minded or mean enough to fire her. Besides, I'm tired of playing the good person."

“You are interesting. The day we meet, I will send you an email.” Lisa smirked, feeling that Bella was quite good with the descriptions she had heard.

Lisa returned to the living room where Levi was patiently sipping tea. The housemaid stood nervously nearby, looking pale and trembling. "I thought the woman you were interested in was just an ordinary pawn, but it seems more interesting than that," Lisa casually said, sitting across from Levi. Although they were only distant relatives, they shared many similarities in appearance.

Levi chuckled softly. Bella might not know, but since she entered the house, everything had been captured by hidden cameras. No one in the house was aware that numerous hidden cameras were monitoring every corner, except for him.

Lisa also noticed the uneasy expression of the housemaid. While she had no authority over her brother's decisions, she had long been displeased with the maid. "I apologize... I'm truly sorry... I know I was wrong. Please don't fire me. I swear it won't happen again," the housemaid urgently begged Levi, as if wanting to kneel down and plead, but she received only cold indifference.

Feeling helpless, the housemaid turned to Lisa, tears streaming down her face, seeking help. "I... I apologize... I didn't know she was your important guest. I know I was wrong. I-"

"Alright, stand up. Doing this is no different from my brother and me bullying you. This is not the feudal era anymore. Levi, you're aware of her arrogant attitude. What do you want?" Lisa asked Levi, gesturing towards him.

Levi took a sip of tea and calmly asked, "What did Bella say?"

"She said not to fire her," Lisa conveyed Bella's message, then realized something and furrowed her brows, “I never said or showed any signs that I would fire her. Why would Bella say that?”

Levi didn't answer but turned to the housemaid and coldly said, "Go back to your main residence. I don't need you working here anymore."

Levi's words sounded like a verdict for the housemaid, making her even more panicked. This time, she immediately knelt down, begging Levi. Lisa, sensing the tension, excused herself to leave. Levi didn't bother to keep her.

“Either you leave on your own tonight or I have to force you to, let alone return to the main house to work, even your life will be difficult to save. Tomorrow morning I don't want to see you in my house anymore." Levi coldly glanced at the maid. His words were like a sharp knife stabbing the maid, causing her to kneel silently on the floor without the strength to stand up.

Levi didn't bother paying attention to her and returned to his room and in the now quiet living room, the young housemaid sat crying, unable to muster the strength to stand up.

The maid was heartbroken because it was very difficult for her to come to Levi's house to work. If she returns to Karter's main house, she will be like before, just a maid and never able to get ahead.

She was always confident that of all the maids in the Karter main house, she was the youngest and most beautiful. When she was assigned to work at Levi Karter's house, she was very happy because in the Karter family, Levi Karter was a single man, with a lot of money and wealth. Not only that, he was also very handsome, there was no other woman who didn't admire him.

She had hoped to capture Levi's attention and transform from a duck into a swan. However, her year-long efforts not only went unrewarded but also left her shattered. Bella still didn't realize that the apartment she had just entered was actually Levi's. She did notice it wasn't Lisa's place but didn't dwell on it too much. Back home, the house remained dark as Bella sighed, knowing Max hadn't returned. As usual, she prepared dinner, but this time, it was for herself.

After returning to her resting room and opening her laptop, she received an email from an unfamiliar address. The email contained no message, only a short video clip. Without surprise, Bella opened and watched it. The video showed a man passionately kissing a woman right in front of a house, both oblivious to their surroundings. The man seemed hurried, carrying the woman into the house without bothering to close the door, heading straight upstairs. The scene in the video became closer, and Bella could clearly hear the heavy breathing and moans of the two.

Bella remained indifferent while watching the video, devoid of any emotions—no shock, no excitement, no anger, no sadness—just complete apathy. The man in the video turned out to be Max, and the woman was Pearl. What unfolded in the video mirrored the events of that evening.

"So, this is your 'job,' huh, Max?" Bella sarcastically remarked.

The sender of the video was the person Bella hired to monitor her husband and best friend. Upon discovering this shocking secret, she felt utterly devastated. Though her exterior had changed significantly, it was all a façade to conceal her bleeding heart. The betrayal by the two people she considered close left her bitter.

After Max successfully secured a new project, Levi showed Bella a similar video at a celebration party. It was then that Bella realized she needed evidence of Max's infidelity, wanting both her husband and best friend to face the consequences. If she could obtain proof of Max's affair, divorce, and with the support of Levi and her father, Max wouldn't receive a penny in the divorce settlement. However, Bella didn't want things to be that simple. Over time, Max had accumulated resources in his position as the director of the company. Even if they divorced, he could easily rebuild everything and be with Pearl openly.

Bella accepting to let go is no different than allowing two terrible people to be openly together. She doesn't want everything to be that easy; she wants them to realize the price to pay for betraying her and underestimating her.

Bella records a video and then deletes that email to avoid detection. She is unsure when Max might check or borrow her laptop. Bella knows Max is not the type of man who likes to control, but he is suspicious and quite vigilant. While Max has never checked her laptop before, there was an instance when he wanted to see her design for verification. Hence, she cannot be complacent that Max won't find some reason to inspect her laptop.

After taking a shower, Bella's phone rings, and she hesitates before answering. She had previously said, "Why do you want me to model for Lisa's designer? What are you plotting?" On the other end, a laughter filled with amusement echoes, [Ha… How could you think so poorly of me? Shouldn't you be grateful for the excellent opportunity I've given you?]

With that mocking and teasing tone, Bella raises an eyebrow and asks, "Fine, I won't bring this up again. But will you really sell the suburban land to my husband?"

Levi doesn't answer immediately; he says, [It seems only after a divorce, you won't call Max your 'husband' anymore, right?]

"That's my business; answer my question." Bella doesn't understand why Levi always mocks her whenever she refers to Max as her 'husband.' Regardless, their relationship is just a mutually beneficial partnership, and she doesn't have any special feelings for this man.

Levi smirks and says, [That's right, didn't Max already tell you? I don't need that piece of land; I just hadn't considered selling it before. Why? Don't tell me you want me not to sell it to your husband. Indeed, I said I would consider selling it to Max, but it doesn't mean I will agree to sell it to him. If Max successfully bids for that land, then I'll sell it to him.]"

This is not untrue; Levi has never promised anything to Max. It's just a consideration of whether to sell the suburban land to Max or not.

Bella doesn't respond but asks, "When is the auction taking place?"

Levi doesn't know what Bella plans, but he doesn't see how knowing the auction date would matter. "[On the 15th, two months later. By then, your husband should have prepared the money, right?]"

"I understand; I'll be there. But please help me keep my identity hidden. I don't want Max to know I'm there." Bella says and immediately hangs up. Sitting on the bed, she feels a bit confused. She didn't know what she wanted to do when she made such a suggestion.

Levi looks at the turned-off phone, and furrows his brows, wondering what Bella is planning. "Does she want that piece of land too? Does she have enough money?"

But Levi was sure that Bella wouldn't have enough money to bid on that piece of land. He also knew that even though she was the pampered daughter of the company president, it would be highly unusual for her to have a large sum of money to buy a piece of land, especially considering that she had not worked for many years.

Nevertheless, Levi was eagerly anticipating Bella's appearance at the auction that day. He wanted to know what she would do.

After sipping on a relaxing cup of tea, Bella received a message from her busy husband. Reading the message, Bella could only feel a bitter amusement and sarcasm. Tonight, her beloved husband wouldn't be coming home due to excessive workload, so he had to stay at the office to handle things.

Bella didn't expose her husband's filthy lies; instead, she replied with comforting and encouraging words, just as she used to do.

In any case, Max wasn't the only one hiding things in this situation; Bella herself was also concealing her own actions. Bella turned off her phone, gazing into the undefined space in front of her, wearing a bitter smile as she muttered, "It's both of them who dragged me into this pain... it's both of them who made me like this. I will definitely... I will definitely not forgive them."