Chapter Thirty-Eight

Originally, Bella's mood this morning wasn't great, and it worsened as soon as she arrived at the company and encountered Pearl, who always seemed eager to pick a fight with her. Bella wanted to ignore and pay no attention, but in Pearl's eyes, Bella appeared to be nothing more than a clueless fool, which fueled Pearl's arrogance.

Pearl showed no remorse for deceiving her friend for the past few years, and her audacity towards Bella increased day by day. Bella wondered if Pearl was triumphant because she was loved by Max and because he was willing to betray his wife for Pearl.

Bella felt ridiculous but just shook her head slightly not to pay attention anymore. If she had known that Pearl was such a friend, she would definitely never have become friends with Pearl.

But if it weren't for Pearl, Bella would never have realized that the husband she loved for so many years was such a terrible and vile bastard. Bella also did not realize that in the eyes of the two of them, she was just a pawn in their plan, which could be thrown away at any time.

"Why do you look so lost?" Lauriel approached and inquired and sighed, saying, “Did you just meet Pearl in the lobby and get scolded by her? Ugh, who does she think she is to be so arrogant? Luckily, I arrived a little late but didn't meet her otherwise she would have cursed me in the middle of that large hall. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

Bella chuckled at Lauriel's frustration. It seemed that Lauriel had been pressured by Pearl for a while, explaining her discomfort. However, Lauriel's attitude was understandable, given Pearl's excessive arrogance, making everyone in the company uneasy and dissatisfied.

"I don't understand why she has so much money. Isn't she just an executive secretary? From what I know, her bonuses can never surpass those of the department managers," Lauriel expressed her annoyance.

Bella, not understanding Lauriel's point, asked, "What do you mean?"

“Didn't you notice when you met Pearl? I saw her wearing a diamond jewelry set. According to my many years of experience learning about jewelry, that jewelry set was definitely very expensive. An ordinary person like her cannot afford it. Even really rich people hesitate when they see its price.” Lauriel is confident in his judgment.

It was only now that Bella paid attention and recalled the jewelry set Pearl wore this morning. Normally, Bella wasn't one to notice outward appearances, so she had unintentionally overlooked it. Lauriel might not know why Pearl had such things, but Bella knew the reason very well. However, thinking about it again, she felt a slight bitterness. Her husband has never bought her any expensive jewelry, but he bought her best friend a set of jewelry at a sky-high price.

Although it was a bit heartbreaking, Bella felt satisfied witnessing the entire process of Max successfully auctioning off that jewelry set for Pearl.

"Hey, did you hear me talking?" Lauriel asked. "What do you think? I'm sure Pearl is being sponsored by some big shot. Could it be Director Cooper? Unlikely, though; I think he's married if I remember correctly."

Bella raised an eyebrow, deliberately showing surprise, and asked, "You know Director Cooper is married? Isn't Pearl very close to him?"

"I assume if your husband pointed out a large sum to buy jewelry for another woman, wouldn't you be suspicious?" Lauriel gave an example.

Bella, hearing this, could only smile lightly because Lauriel had no idea that Bella was Max's wife and Pearl's so-called 'best friend.' However, if Lauriel didn't know, it was even better for Bella. "You're right, but who do you think would be willing to spend money to buy such expensive jewelry for her?"

Lauriel thought seriously for a moment before saying, "I don't know, but it could be a high-ranking leader in this company, or maybe some rich person who likes her. There are many possibilities, so it's hard to say for sure."

Bella just listened, she didn't want to talk too deeply about this because what Lauriel was wondering, Bella knew like the back of her hand.

After successfully auctioning off the vacant land on the outskirts, Max began implementing the commercial center project in that area. Looking towards the near future, with the population increasing, there would be a tendency for people to move to suburban areas. The completion of the project might take a long time, but at this point, there were already many people living in the suburban area. However, no investor had truly invested heavily in this suburban area yet.

Therefore, as soon as Max presented this project, many people agreed and were satisfied. They praised Max for acquiring the piece of land at a good price. Through this, Max earned the approval of senior leaders, making him feel pleased and even more favored.

To demonstrate his capabilities, Max quickly implemented the project, leaving no time to care about Pearl. Pearl, clinging to his arm, spoke in a delicate and sweet tone, "Lately, you've been so busy that you don't seem to care about me at all. Isn't the project going to be carried out sooner or later? Why rush like this? No one is competing with you for it."

In a cheerful mood, Max lightly stroked Pearl's back and said, "We need to move quickly to showcase my capabilities. That way, everything will be easier in the future. Those high-level leaders are actually useless, only enjoying the benefits and assigning tasks to others without any leadership skills like me."

“So aren't all your efforts to benefit them? That doesn't seem fair," Pearl remarked, feeling frustrated for Max.

Max became more enthusiastic as he spoke, pulling Pearl closer and letting her sit on his lap. "I need to prove my capabilities to gain their trust and gradually push them out of those high-level leadership positions."

That was also the original purpose of the two of them. Although Max was the company's director, he was only working for senior leaders. It's just that his status is more special than those hired to manage the company, because he is the husband of Bella, the son-in-law of Mr. Williams - the owner of this company.

Some high-level leaders, upon learning about this, openly showed disdain for Max, thinking he lacked capability and only achieved his position through his marriage to Bella. If Max hadn't married the chairman's daughter, would he have the same position and affluent life? The answer was undoubtedly no.

Max isn't that bad to Bella, but as a man, Max doesn't want to have to look at his wife's and father-in-law's faces to live, nor have to run after someone all his life. That makes him look very cowardly. If he had the opportunity to change his life, of course Max would have to take it.

Only when he was with Pearl did Max feel like a true man who could stand above others. What he detested most in life was being looked down upon by others.

"After completing this project, those people will have to look at me with different eyes. But how long will it take for us to have everything?" Pearl gently stroked Max's face, her voice soft.

Max understood what Pearl implied—proving one's capabilities was essential for recognition from high-level leaders. However, if they continued at this slow pace, achieving their ultimate goal would be challenging.

"I understand. Bella's father is getting old, and he has only one daughter, Bella, whom he dearly loves. In the near future, the majority of the company's shares and assets will be transferred to Bella. At that time, I just need to persuade her to transfer everything into my name," Max smirked, pleased with the thought of the future.

Pearl immediately added, "After you have everything, you'll divorce her, right?" Her voice carried a visible excitement. Pearl couldn't hide her joy when thinking about it.

But when Max heard the term "divorce" with Bella, he hesitated. Indeed, in their plan, Bella was just a pawn, a tool to achieve their goals. However, during their more than three years of marriage, Bella had treated Max exceptionally well. Besides the fact that the two have never had sex, Bella was a great wife—beautiful, charming, a fantastic cook, always caring, and, most importantly, Max felt the genuine love she had for him.

The two fell in love for two years while still in college and then got married for three years. Bella has never been arrogant or treated Max poorly because she was the company president's daughter. On the contrary, Bella treats Max very well, wholeheartedly being a dutiful wife, always standing behind him. Even if Max were blind, he would still recognize these things.

"Max? Are you listening?" Pearl didn't see Max responding and asked.

Max chuckled it off and said, "Of course, I'll divorce Bella and marry you. We've worked hard for this for so many years."

Pearl was delighted to hear this; she always dreamt of their relationship being public and acknowledged, rather than secretive as it currently was. It was Bella who caused her and Max to endure such a situation, but just wait for Pearl to firmly believe that the things she wants will definitely belong to her, including the things that belong to Bella will also be hers.