Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Forty-Nine

Max noticed Pearl's silence and sighed, "If you understand, don't overthink it. We're in a situation where you need to be clear-headed. Don't let selfishness make everything messy. Alright, I have to go home now. Good night!"

Pearl reached out as if to hold onto Max, but then withdrew her hand, feeling confused and uneasy. She turned back to the bed and put on her nightgown lying on the floor. Max had left, and she couldn't muster the mood to sleep anymore, pacing around the bedroom and incessantly biting her nails. Nail-biting seemed to be Pearl's habit whenever she felt stressed and anxious.

"Damn it! What is Bella up to? Why would Max want to go back to her? It's infuriating!" Pearl vented her anger aloud.

But she didn't know what to blame Bella for because Pearl knew very well the nature of her relationship with Max - one that couldn't be public. If Max didn't quickly acquire the company and divorce Bella, then a third party like Pearl could only continue this relationship in the shadows. This was what Pearl detested the most; she had her own limits and couldn't continue like this forever.

"What if... Max doesn't want this with me anymore..." Pearl dared not think further; she couldn't bear the thought of Max abandoning her. The one who deserved to be abandoned was Bella. "Bella has taken too much already, why does she always take away what's important to me? Damn it! Bella, you're despicable!"

Leaving Pearl's house, Max seemed much relieved. Being around Pearl, who demanded so much, made him very uncomfortable, especially with his busy schedule lately, which only made him more exhausted and disinterested in intimacy with Pearl.

In the car, Max silently reproaches Pearl for not understanding him and demanding so much from him. They were no longer the young lovers immersed in a world of love. Pearl should have understood these things; she was very intelligent, or had Max misjudged her?

"Come to think of it, Bella is still more suitable for me as a woman, but I don't have many feelings for her." Max murmured softly in the car, picturing Bella welcoming him home with a smile. It had been a long time since he came home at midnight like this; usually, after making love to Pearl, he would stay at her place and text Bella that he was busy and couldn't come home.

"I wonder if she's asleep or waiting for me at home?" Max eagerly anticipated seeing his wife's cheerful face. He thought it was time to rekindle the affection and this marriage.

But as soon as Max got out of the car, his hopes were dashed. The house was dark with no lights on, and the door was locked. Max thought Bella might be asleep, so he tiptoed to her bedroom, but there was no one inside.

"Bella? Bella, are you home?" Max called out loudly, puzzled why Bella hadn't returned home yet; she had never done this before.

Immediately, Max called her, but it took five attempts before someone picked up.

"Bella, where are you? Why haven't you come home?" Max interrogated her, but the other end remained silent, which only made him angrier. "Bella! What are you doing? Why aren't you answering me!"

Seeing Bella still not responding, Max was about to question her further but heard her voice.

[Why are you yelling? I'm not coming home tonight, stop calling!] Bella said coldly, her tone dripping with disdain.

It was the first time Bella had spoken to her husband with such annoyance and contempt, which surprised him a little, but he quickly regained his composure. "Do you know who you're talking to? Come home right now, where are you?"

[I'm out having drinks with some old friends. It's been a while since I saw them. Aren't you busy with work tonight? I thought you had to work late at the office, why are you home now and why are you suddenly calling me to come home?] Bella found Max's attitude amusing; almost every night he stayed out with Pearl and spent the night with her, yet he was interrogating his wife outside at night.

Bella knew that Max had gone to Pearl's house, but she didn't understand why he was back home now. This was unprecedented because usually, he would stay overnight with Pearl and go to the office the next day.

Max couldn't refute his wife's words because every time he stayed out overnight, he used the excuse of urgent work or documents that needed immediate attention. Because Bella didn't question him much, he often used that reason to the point of not knowing what other excuse to use anymore.

"He just finished his work and had just arrived home but couldn't find you, so he called you. Where are you now? He will come to pick you up." Max knew he was being unreasonable, so he deliberately lowered his voice.

[No need, we'll meet at the company. Tonight I'll stay at a hotel... ummmm... hey, let me go.]

Max heard Bella's groans and furrowed his brows, asking loudly, "What's going on? What are you doing? Are you really drinking with your friends? Hurry, let me hear your friend's voice."

"…We're just playing a truth or dare game, I chose to dare and was forced to drink. Don't shout like that, my friends don't have time to talk to you. Max, I also need my own space. Whenever you stay overnight outside or do anything, I respect you, so you should respect me and give me my own space too. Don't act selfishly like that.] Bella finished speaking and hung up without waiting for Max's response.

Max clenched the phone tightly but couldn't bring himself to call her back.

...

“Wow… I didn't know you were that good at lying, and I didn't expect you to actually lie to your husband?” Levi had just finished showering and overheard the phone conversation. He approached her and hugged her from behind, making her startle.

Bella pushed him away and set the phone aside, looking at Levi indifferently. "I almost got caught. Not only did I lie to my husband, but I'm also having an affair behind his back. If I'm a criminal, you're an accomplice, Levi."

Bella spoke boldly to Max, as in her mind, she saw images of her husband and friend in the parking garage. What made Bella more uncomfortable was Max questioning her loudly. Fortunately, Bella quickly came up with an excuse about drinking with old friends to quell her husband's curiosity.

"What right does he have to interrogate me?" Bella lay down on the bed uncomfortably.

Levi sat beside her, looking at her meaningfully. "Why is he suddenly at home? Didn't you say he had gone to your friend's house?"

"I saw them doing it in the car. Surely Max went to Pearl's house or somewhere only the two of them could be without being easily discovered. But I don't know why he's home now." Bella sighed and said.

Levi noticed Bella's calmness and lack of worry, thinking she should be very uneasy and restless after receiving the call from her husband. "You seem very calm. Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what?" Bella asked casually.

"Being caught by your husband."

It dawned on Bella then that she should feel anxious and guilty for deceiving her husband. She thought she would feel that way, but in reality, it was quite the opposite. She not only felt no worry or guilt but also remained calm as if nothing had happened.

"Maybe it's because of you."

Levi raised an eyebrow, asking, "Because of me?"

"Yes, maybe because I'm used to this, so I don't feel anxious if I'm caught." Bella asserted she wouldn't let her husband find out. By the time Max knew, he would have lost everything.

Today, Levi had witnessed many of Bella's emotions, from anger, sadness, and drunkenness to indifference and seriousness. "So what do you want me to do next?"

"You asked at the right time. I need your help with something. I want you to help me set up an investment fund." Bella came up with an idea.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "You want to swindle all of Max's money?"

"Yes, I know Max won't be easy to deceive, but it's different if it's you. For now, I want Max to put a lot of money into that investment fund. I don't need to know what to invest in, I just need Max to invest in it. The more money we can get from him, the better. Can you do it?" Bella glanced at Levi. Unlike her, Levi was very knowledgeable about these matters. Most importantly, Levi is also her husband's friend. In Max's eyes when she looked at Levi, she could also see her husband's admiration and jealousy for Levi.

Bella understood her husband quite well. Max was obsessed with money and power. Currently, the commercial center project was about to be completed and was reportedly progressing very well. The leaders also praised him, but Bella knew that wasn't enough for him.

The position and power Max has are all given to her by her father. Besides the title of director, the money Max earns is not considered rich, it is only considered more outstanding than other ordinary people.

Therefore, if there's a place where he can earn more money, he will undoubtedly not overlook it. But Max is a very vigilant person and is not easily fooled by cheap tricks.

Bella glanced at Levi, only to see him lost in thought. She thought her request was too difficult. Not impossible, but if he were to establish an investment fund under his name, it would definitely involve his reputation and honor, making it not something to be taken lightly.

Contrary to Bella's thoughts, Levi simply said, "Is that all? I thought you'd ask me to do something much bigger. If it's just that, then I don't need to get involved."

"What do you think I would ask for?" Bella asked, feeling that asking Levi to establish an investment fund under his name was already quite demanding.

Levi chuckled mysteriously, his smile becoming mischievous and twisted. He leaned close to Bella's ear and said, "Like... hiring someone to kill him, for example."

Upon hearing this, Bella immediately glared at him, pushing him away forcefully as she exclaimed, "Hey, I'm not ready to go to jail yet!"