Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Three

Pearl didn't want things to spiral out of control. She was a woman who understood very well that no man could resist being near his wife without touching her. Not to mention, since Bella started working at the company, she had developed a sense of style and fashion that was very modern, making Pearl's eyes burn but she couldn't do anything.

Max would surely find it difficult to resist a beautiful and gentle woman like Bella. Currently, Max still came to Pearl, indicating that she still held an important place in his heart. But nothing lasts forever, and Pearl was increasingly unwilling to continue accepting herself as the third party. If things continued like this, she would forever remain in the shadows.

Pearl gently kissed Max on the lips, her tone sweet and gentle as she said, "Don't be angry... I like this because I miss you too much. Do you blame me just because I miss you?" She knew Max preferred softness over hardness; as long as she was gentle and sweet, no matter how angry Max was, he would relent.

As Pearl expected, Max sighed softly and kissed her back. "Alright, from now on, don't be like this anymore. I also need my own space," he said.

Despite feeling deeply frustrated, Pearl had to appear gentle and sweet in front of him. After all, arguments at this point would only make their relationship worse.

Meanwhile, Bella received a message from Max saying he couldn't back home because there were some issues at the company that needed to be resolved. However, Bella was already fast asleep, long past caring about such messages. If Max ever asked why she didn't read or reply, Bella would often claim her phone was dead or that she was too busy to respond, always finding excuses to avoid confrontation.

So, the messages were solely from Max over the past few months.

Seeing Max engrossed in his phone, Pearl hugged him from behind and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Bella hasn't replied to any of my messages for months. She wasn't like this before," Max frowned, looking at the unanswered messages.

Pearl also glanced at Max's phone and sighed softly. “Why are you worried about that? Look, it's already very late. She must have just gone to sleep so she didn't answer him. Bella has gone to work now, so she needs to rest too."

Max found her reasoning logical, but the problem wasn't just about today; Bella hadn't been responding to his messages for a while now. Even if he messaged her at three in the morning before, she would reply instantly.

Seeing Max so fixated on his phone made Pearl uncomfortable. She took his phone and set it aside. "Do you want Bella to pay attention to where you are? I'm sure she's just asleep now. Don't worry about her."

Max sighed softly. He didn't know why, but tonight, he truly didn't feel interested in being with Pearl. He wasn't worried that Bella would discover their relationship; he believed he was good at hiding it and even if she did find out, she wouldn't have any evidence.

The rumors at the company were just rumors; threatening the employees a little would put an end to them, so Max wasn't worried about being bothered by such things.

Perhaps it was because Bella had become more beautiful since the change, and Max wanted to be closer to her, especially since they had been married for some time now. Bella's father had also mentioned wanting a grandchild and urged them to have a child.

The next morning, Bella woke up refreshed, ready for a new day. The first thing she did after waking up was check the weather forecast for the day, something she seemed to do every day while conveniently checking the morning news.

Bella saw Max's messages but ignored them. What surprised her was the number of messages and missed calls from an unfamiliar number. Bella glanced at the phone and guessed it was Levi because to avoid Max detecting their relationship, Bella had suggested Levi use a non-official number.

"Is he angry because I kicked him out last night?" Bella read Levi's message and sighed, finding his behavior too childish.

But Bella didn't reply after reading the message, she turned off the phone and went into the bathroom to clean herself. Choosing a new outfit to change into and eating breakfast alone, Bella did not feel empty at all, but on the contrary, she felt much more comfortable. She didn't know why before she felt so empty and so quiet when she was home alone without Max. At that time, she was always sad and alone without Max by her side. She was too dependent on Max and trusted him absolutely. If it weren't for that fateful day when she witnessed her husband and her best friend having an affair, she probably wouldn't have known that she had been betrayed for the rest of her life.

After being betrayed, Bella forced herself to become more independent, at least in her thoughts, so as not to rely on Max anymore. And so, she practically did everything alone, the food in the fridge was all her favorite dishes, the food that Max liked, she had long stopped buying.

"With my husband's best friend taking care of him, I feel relieved not to have to please him anymore," Bella relaxedly enjoyed her breakfast and coffee, feeling extremely good in the morning.

Early in the morning at the company, Bella met Max. Max cheerfully approached her but also seemed uneasy, saying, "I'm really sorry, Bella. I couldn't stay at home, it's because of the sudden work that I had to come to the office. I worked tirelessly at the office all night."

Bella smiled gently, showing herself to be very understanding, but when she looked down at the new suit Max was wearing, she couldn't help but smirk inwardly. Max seemed to notice her gaze and explained, "Luckily, I always prepare a few outfits for such cases. You know I often have to deal with unexpected work at the office."

"You must be very tired... you should take care of your health more, otherwise, I'll be very worried," Bella said, gently stroking his chest, her eyes showing clear concern for him.

Bella's gentleness and concern made Max feel warm and familiar. At this moment, he wanted to hug her tightly, but just as his hand was about to reach out, Bella said, "It's time to go to work, I'll go ahead. Remember to take care of your health."

Max regretfully watched Bella leave. He returned to his office without knowing that Bella had just taken a few steps away and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the hands that had just touched her husband.

"You have to take care of your health because if you get sick, I'll help you die faster," Bella muttered softly to herself. Does Max think he can deceive her forever with the excuse of late-night work like that?

Even if she hadn't discovered the relationship between Max and Pearl yet, the excuse of late-night emergencies would still arouse suspicion in her. Suspicion is just a matter of time. What's amusing is that Max can't use any other excuse besides that to go out late at night.

Max is a man who cares a lot about his appearance, so he always meticulously prepares his appearance whenever he leaves the house. Indeed, Max had prepared new clothes for himself so he wouldn't wear the same clothes as the day before. Bella was sure that there were still many of Max's clothes at Pearl's house.

"I envy you, Bella."

Bella heard the familiar voice and looked up, Pearl was leaning against Bella's department door. Unlike other employees, Pearl always wore very revealing and provocative clothes but managed to exude the least sense of discomfort. Bella, on the other hand, dressed very conservatively, usually a white shirt with a formal skirt or trousers.

Bella smiled friendly, knowing for sure that Pearl came here to provoke her. Last night, Bella deliberately posted a picture of herself and Max having a romantic dinner at a luxurious restaurant just for Pearl to see, that's why even late at night, Max still wanted to leave the house, surely to comfort his little lover.

"What are you jealous of?"

Pearl laughed, showing great admiration for Bella. "You're really lucky to have such a caring and romantic husband. I wonder when I'll ever get a man like that."

Others might think that the conversation between the two friends about their husbands is very normal, a common topic among women. But only Bella knew they were silently competing and provoking each other.

Bella also smiled back, "I am indeed very lucky. He even promised that after this project succeeds, we will go on a long vacation. I don't know where we'll travel to, he said that as long as it's where I want to go, he will agree. Just thinking about it makes me really look forward to it."

As Bella spoke, she secretly observed Pearl's expression, just as she predicted, Pearl's face immediately lost its arrogance and challenge. Pearl reluctantly smiled and said, "Well then. Congrats... I have something to attend to now."

After saying that, Pearl hurriedly left, Bella looked at Pearl's anxious figure and couldn't help but feel triumphant. "Want to provoke me? You don't have enough skills. You're just a third party lurking in the shadows, so you have no right to provoke me." Bella pushed open the door and entered her office, feeling refreshed.