Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Pearl, angrily stomping her foot, declared, "I'm not going! If we don't clarify this today, I won't go anywhere!"

"What do you want to discuss with me?" Max, losing patience, stood up and looked directly at Pearl.

Facing Max's sudden seriousness, Pearl's previously bold demeanor seemed to vanish. She tried to hold back tears and said with a pout, "It's because you spoke to me like that, that's why... I'm sure it's because of Bella that you're so harsh with me. Before, no matter what I did, you never got angry or raised your voice at me."

Max wanted to say that it was because of the limits he set for her, but the more he indulged her, the worse things became. The issues he mentioned earlier had nothing to do with Bella, and he didn't want to involve Bella in this.

The ringing of Max's phone on the table interrupted their conversation. Max looked at Pearl and answered, "What's the matter?"

[Sir, Mr. Karter wants to meet you privately.] the voice on the other end quickly replied.

Max couldn't recall who it was and asked, "Karter? Who's that?"

[It's Levi Karter. Do you have time for Mr. Karter? He's waiting in the lobby.] the voice on the other end continued.

Max quickly processed the information, telling the person on the other end, "I'll be right down. Please ask him to wait a bit." Max then turned to Pearl and said, "Let's stop here for now. Both of us should stop thinking about this after today. Now, come with me."

Although Pearl wanted to say more and have Max clarify everything, she could only suppress her frustration, touch up her makeup, and follow Max. In the elevator, the silence made Pearl uncomfortable, and Max glanced at her, sensing her lingering annoyance from the previous conversation.

"Don't be angry anymore. Buy whatever you want with this," Max handed her a card, lowering his voice as if trying to console and reassure her.

Looking at the card without immediately taking it, Pearl said, "But you have to promise never to touch her. Even if she's your wife, it's just a formality."

Max frowned slightly but eventually accepted her request to end the matter for today. "Fine, I promise. But don't involve Bella in our issues. She's just a pawn, and we shouldn't argue about matters like this because of a pawn."

"That's right, Bella is just a pawn," Pearl muttered softly. It was only because Bella had changed her style recently that Pearl felt uncomfortable and worried. But hearing Max affirm it, she felt reassured and more at ease. She shouldn't let a pawn ruin her good relationship with Max.

Upon reaching the company's large lobby, Max saw Levi waiting nearby. He approached and greeted, "Levi, have you been waiting long? Why did you come here today?"

Levi smiled lightly and glanced behind Max before retracting his gaze, as the person he was looking for wasn't there. "I just settled some matters. Since I had time, I came to the company to see you. You've changed a lot now, Max."

Max was proud of that fact. Previously, he felt insecure when facing Levi due to the differences between them. But now, Max felt more comfortable not having to lower his head when talking to Levi.

"I'm not as free as you, but I warmly welcome you to the company. I've always wondered, what is your job?" Max had never known Levi's occupation; it seemed to be a mystery. He was thinking that Levi's wealth came from his family rather than his own efforts.

Thinking of Levi having so much money but being nothing more than a freeloader on his family made Max feel satisfied, complacent, and a bit disdainful of the friend in front of him.

"I don't have a job, as you know. My family is very wealthy. The family's assets are enough for me to spend a lifetime without worrying about making more money," Levi replied, indifferent.

Even though Max was aware of this, Max wanted Levi to say it himself, boosting Max's sense of superiority. At least Max held the position of director of a large company, acknowledged by many.

"Your wife isn't accompanying you? If I remember correctly, she also works here, right?" Levi asked, looking uninterestedly at Pearl.

Without waiting for Max to respond, Pearl quickly replied, "Unfortunately, though Bella is the director's wife, she currently works as a Marketing employee in the company. Therefore, she can't freely enter during working hours."

Levi raised an eyebrow, glancing at the beautiful secretary with a sweet voice and an alluring smile. While any other man might have quickly noticed Pearl, Levi just glanced and casually said, "I didn't ask her; I was asking Max. Now Max is so famous he needs a spokesperson, huh?"

Levi's cold gaze and disdainful attitude made Pearl stiffen, and her smile quickly disappeared. "I..." Pearl, feeling embarrassed and awkward, looked at Max.

Ignoring Pearl's pleading eyes, Max only smiled and replied, "Bella is just an employee in the company; she is neither a manager nor a department head. So, leaving during working hours is not allowed, except for special cases."

Levi, hearing this, chuckled lightly. "I was just making small talk; no need to pay attention. These are invitation cards I want to give to you, so I came here. Two cards – one for you and one for Bella." Levi handed out two black and gold invitations, each clearly stating the name of the recipient.

Max, intrigued, looked at the invitation in his hand. The host of the party personally delivered the invitation, and Max immediately felt that his status was very high. "But I should tell you first, Bella might not make it. She usually doesn't like attending parties like this."

Whether Bella agreed or not, Max quickly declined the invitation on her behalf. Levi, unfazed, just shrugged and said, "Well, that's a shame. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave now. But I must remind you, even though it's an auction, my rule is that participants must attend with their significant other."

Levi turned and left the company, heading towards the sports car parked outside, speeding away.

"Are you really going with Bella?" Due to the recent things, Pearl spoke more cautiously to Max, inquiring as they rode the specialized elevator for high-ranking executives, eliminating the need for distance.

Without hesitation, Max handed the remaining invitation to Pearl. "Take it; going with you would be more suitable than Bella. The auction is short, mainly a networking party in upper-class circles. Levi has good connections with famous and wealthy individuals, so it's good for us to attend together."

Pearl happily accepted the invitation, realizing that she was invited when Levi handed two invitations to Max. She had thought she would surely be invited, but when Levi mentioned Bella, she felt disappointed and uncomfortable.

"Didn't Levi say this is for Bella?" Pearl pretended to know and be more obedient this time.

Max thought, even though Bella's appearance was truly outstanding and she had recently shown an interest in style, attending such large parties had never been her preference. So, he believed that going with Bella might cause some trouble. "Bella has never participated in events like this, so she probably doesn't know how to handle them. If she goes, wouldn't it embarrass me? You are more suitable to go with me."

Max's words immediately brightened Pearl's mood. She accepted the invitation, which didn't bear her name, with joy. "Max... do you think Levi is too concerned about Bella? Don't get me wrong; I don't mean anything by it, but..."

Pearl didn't want to argue with Max; she just felt that Levi was unusually cold towards her. She had never encountered such a man before, while Levi deliberately brought up Bella in their conversation.

Max nodded slightly but didn't dwell on Pearl's words. "You've been thinking too much. Levi and I are friends, so he often asks about personal matters. Don't pay it any mind. In my opinion, Levi is not the type to actively care about women." Max, with a beautiful, rich wife who loved him unconditionally, thought that Levi's attention was probably due to that. Max was not uncomfortable but rather enjoyed showing off even more that the woman Levi was interested in was his wife.

That's exactly what Pearl wanted to say – a man who didn't actively care about any woman but paid attention to his friend's wife. Isn't that peculiar? However, Pearl couldn't find anything suspicious about Levi and Bella's relationship.