Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

The air was quiet, and Bella neither spoke nor wanted Levi to speak. Just a few words from him would make her sigh and instruct him to keep quiet, focusing on driving instead.

As Bella looked at the night scene outside, she was unsure of what she was doing, questioning the accuracy of her actions and wondering when this situation would end. And when it did, what would she do next? Many questions swirled in Bella's mind, making it impossible for her to escape despite her desire to do so.

The only certainty Bella had was that she needed to seek revenge against those who had betrayed her. However, as she contemplated the aftermath of revenge, uncertainty clouded her thoughts.

The more she thought, the more Bella felt unable to understand herself, sighing softly. Levi glanced at her, wanting to ask, but considering that she didn't seem interested in talking, he refrained.

"What do you want to say?" Bella asked directly, noticing the thoughts written all over Levi's face, making it hard for her to ignore.

Levi smiled, ready to speak, but Bella immediately cut him off. "It's best if you don't say anything. My mood is not good, and being in the same car with you is uncomfortable enough."

Hearing this, Levi hesitated, his lips pursed. He looked ahead, realizing that the woman had become sharper with her words day by day.

Bella, who was casually observing the scenery outside, felt something amiss and turned to ask Levi, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to my house."

"Hey, did you hear me, Levi?"

"I'm talking to you. Are you pretending not to hear me now?"

No matter how many times Bella spoke, Levi remained indifferent, smiling and looking forward as if he hadn't heard anything, irritating Bella but leaving her helpless. Bella suddenly realized that perhaps he was silent this time because she didn't want to talk to him after getting her revenge.

What a cunning man.

"Fine, I want to talk to you. I hope you cooperate with me, Levi." Bella lowered her voice, speaking gently and forcing a reluctant smile.

Only then did Levi turn to her, grinning mischievously, his eyes fixed on Bella. "Alright, I'm honored to have a conversation with you. I thought you didn't want to talk, so I kept quiet."

"Isn't it because you want revenge on me? Truly a petty man!" Bella complained as Levi often teased and managed to turn the situation around, leaving her at a disadvantage.

Levi didn't answer but shrugged, admitting to his own pettiness.

"Okay, I want to talk to you. I hope you don't show discontent like this with me. Don't forget that we have a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship. Did you forget who helped you get into tonight's party?" Levi glanced at Bella, his subordinate subtly moving.

Bella immediately turned to him. "What do you mean? Aren't you the host of that party? This has nothing to do with helping me." She didn't think Levi was right. Levi was the party host, and with a word from him, even a gatecrasher could attend. Meanwhile, although she didn't have an invitation, he had previously stated that he would invite her to the party.

"These two things are unrelated. I am the host of the party, and my help allows you to participate without an invitation. See, they're different." Levi turned to smile playfully and mischievously, finding it increasingly challenging to suppress the desires stirring within him every time he looked at Bella, especially tonight when this woman was exceptionally beautiful, mysterious, and alluring.

Throughout the party, his attention was solely on Bella. He could hardly stay away from her for a moment, immediately searching for her if she was out of sight.

Bella sighed softly, thinking about the cold and lonely house that awaited her, making her reluctant to go home alone. She couldn't pinpoint when everything had turned out this way; she couldn't remember how it used to be, but she remembered Max. Even when he used work as an excuse to come home late, he wouldn't stay out overnight like he had been doing recently.

"Where are we going?" Bella sighed again, asking once more, but then she didn't really care where they were going; she just knew she didn't want to go home right now.

Levi chuckled a bit and said, "Let's see... I don't want to say right now."

Bella didn't want to bother with him anymore. If he didn't want to answer, she wouldn't ask further. The gentle breeze through the car window did nothing to lighten Bella's heavy mood. She thought that coming here, witnessing everything, and getting evidence, would make her happy to go home. However, she hadn't anticipated feeling this miserable.

The car stopped by a large lake, a refreshing and impressive place to relax. Bella looked outside and furrowed her brow, puzzled, as she looked at Levi. She had thought he might take her somewhere like a hotel.

"Don't look at me like that," Levi said when he noticed Bella's suspicious gaze. He found it amusing how she looked at him as if he were a pervert suddenly transforming into a good person.

Before attending the party, Bella didn't remember to bring a coat, so she shivered slightly as soon as she opened the car door. But just as she exited the car, a warm coat was put on her, and Bella turned to look.

She was still arrogant and wanted to throw off her shirt, "I'm not cold."

Levi held Bella's hand and didn't let her take it off. He smiled, "But I'm hot."

Bella said nothing, got out of the car, and randomly chose a seat before sitting down and staring in the direction of the large lake. The place was quite deserted, perhaps because it was late at night, and there was no one else around there.

Levi returned to the car and came back with a bottle of wine. "Have a drink with me."

"Ha... I thought you would take me to a hotel or something. Turns out, I overthought it," Bella said her thoughts in front of Levi without hesitation. After all, their relationship wasn't that of friends who could talk to each other.

Levi burst into laughter at Bella's straightforwardness. He had never seen a woman so blunt. The more he got to know this woman, the more he found her intriguing.

“Why do you think I might be so lascivious?” Levi poured wine into a glass and offered it to Bella, but she didn't take the glass, instead taking the whole bottle from Levi's hand.

Bella shook the bottle in front of Levi and laughed, “If you're drinking to drown your sorrows, no one drinks from a glass, young man.” With that, Bella drank straight from the bottle without any reservations, a stark contrast to her usual elegant and graceful demeanor.

Bella didn't like wine, especially not this kind, but maybe due to her bad mood, she wanted to drink, and once she started, she didn't want to stop.

"Hey, Levi, have you ever been in love?" Bella's gaze began to wander dreamily toward the man beside her.

Levi didn't answer, just smiled as if he didn't hear what she was saying. Levi's silence didn't bother her; she continued, "You probably investigated my past, right? Max and I were in love for a long time. You know, before we got married, we loved each other for three years, and now we've been together for seven."

Levi wasn't surprised; he had thoroughly investigated her and her family. Everything about Bella was meticulously scrutinized.

"Seven years, and he never touched you? Is it because he's impotent, or are you not attractive enough?" Levi spoke contemptuously.

After Levi's words, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Bella took another sip of wine and sighed, "You know the reason, there's no need to ask me like that." Bella pursed her lips, clearly aware that Levi was mocking her, and her eyes looked at Levi with a hint of tears. Due to the alcohol, her vision was unclear and her body began to heat up.

Of course, he knew but still wanted to hear Bella say it herself. After all, the reason Max wasn't close to Bella was Pearl. After the investigation, Levi knew very well about the troubled relationship between these three people.

Levi contemplated for a while, then turned to look at Bella, who had been looking at him for who knows how long. Bella's eyes were misty, and the soft streetlights highlighted her curves. Her long, soft hair added to her natural allure. The reddish face reflected the light from the streetlights, accentuating the eyes hiding secrets and curiosity.

Bella chuckled softly, feeling that drinking wine was indeed good for her mood. Despite the images of her husband and best friend flashing in her mind, her mood was better now.

"Hey, Levi... if you ever fall in love, you must... be sincere with her. It'll happen soon. I'll end things with Max and Pearl... and you too." Bella took another sip of wine, she didn't know what she was thinking right now, but her mood was definitely better.