Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty

Although Max continuously used sweet words to coax Bella, what she wanted was not to hear empty words of consolation like this; nevertheless, Max's words were truly soothing to her ears. Clearly, Bella was Max's wife, but when someone else spoke ill of his wife, he didn't react with anger or annoyance. Instead, he simply comforted Bella, advising her not to think too much and reassuring her that Pearl had no bad intentions.

Bella secretly smiled sarcastically, of course, Max and Pearl were not simply superiors and subordinates, they had unclear and very emotional relationships with each other.

"I also think Pearl means no harm. It seems that she's been feeling upset lately, so she said those things to me... But..." Bella spoke while looking up at Max with watery, sparkling eyes, causing Max to stare at her, unable to look away.

Max asked, "But what?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you this. Perhaps not, but Pearl's words really confused and puzzled me... Does she really just have a bad mood?" Bella didn't speak directly; instead, she hinted, making Max even more impatient.

Max hastily asked, "What did Pearl say to you? Just tell me straight, stop beating around the bush."

Seeing Max's impatient demeanor, Bella continued, "Pearl said... you often spend the night out, she asked if I had any suspicions? Max, tell me, why does she know you spend nights out? How?"

Max's face turned pale, his eyes widened in astonishment. He hurriedly explained, but seemed unable to articulate clearly due to fear of being exposed, "Don't listen to her nonsense... I spend nights out entirely because of unexpected work... sometimes it's just entertaining business partners..."

Bella suddenly slammed the table and stood up. "So, did you take her with you? You often go out at night for work, I haven't said anything, but you've never mentioned that Pearl accompanies you. A man and a woman together, you better explain to me why Pearl knows, why she tells me these things."

Max's hands and feet were trembling as he saw Bella angry like this for the first time. He was confused and started to panic. "I didn't... Bella, you have to trust me... I don't know how she found out about me spending nights out. I never went with her, don't believe what she says."

Bella looked at Max's pitiful face and his pleading words, feeling an urge to burst into laughter. In fact, Pearl hadn't said anything about Max spending nights out; Bella had fabricated it to see Max's reaction. Moreover, initially Max might not have believed that Pearl would speak ill of his wife, but when Bella presented the audio recording, Pearl's clearly mocking and provocative words made Max's face turn grim, making it impossible for him to disbelieve.

And while Max was confused, Bella fabricated that Pearl knew about Max's nights out. As she guessed, Max immediately panicked and became flustered by her words.

Bella sighed and sat down, tears falling freely. "I really want to believe you, Max. If I had any doubts about you, I would have suspected you long ago, but Pearl's words make me very worried."

In his heart, Max secretly resented Pearl, but outwardly, he hurriedly comforted and explained to Bella to reassure her. "Bella, I've told you, Pearl must be jealous of you, that's why she says things to try to drive us apart like this. From now on, don't interact with her anymore; a scheming woman like her doesn't deserve your friendship."

Unaware that Max was calling Pearl a scheming woman, Bella internally sneered, but she still appeared pitiful and kind. "Max, you can't say that about Pearl. Regardless, she's my close friend; maybe she's been feeling bad lately, so she said such things. Don't blame her, after today, I'll be fine."

Max felt guilty and embarrassed by Bella's saintly and kind demeanor, tightening his grip on her hands, unable to look her directly in the eyes. "I know, but please keep your distance from Pearl to avoid her spreading rumors. Don't be too kind, Bella."

"I understand. But because of this, it does cause trouble for her work. Anyway, she's your personal secretary." Bella smiled gently and generously. She pretended to be the understanding and merciful wife, and Max would surely not realize that what she said was wrong, as he always saw her as a gentle and naive wife.

After finishing her work, Bella stretched and breathed a sigh of relief. When she went to the kitchen for water, she realized her husband wasn't around. She went outside and didn't see his car at home, assuming Max was spending the night out again.

"Could it be that what I said at dinner wasn't enough to make him angry?" Bella silently pondered, but she knew that Max must have come to see Pearl because he truly paid attention to what she said during dinner.

...

Max stood somberly at Pearl's doorstep, slowly knocking until Pearl opened the door. She was very surprised to see him without prior notice, but her beautiful face showed clear delight and excitement. As soon as the door closed behind them, Pearl couldn't contain her joy, embracing Max tightly.

"Darling, why did you suddenly come tonight without letting me know beforehand?" Pearl spoke sweetly, her sparkling eyes and innocent gaze looking up at Max.

Although Max had come unannounced, Pearl always prepared, even when getting ready for bed, she remained beautiful and seductive in her red spaghetti strap nightgown, her curves enticing, her chest brushing against Max's firm arms. Under normal circumstances, Max would have surely seized her and passionately enjoyed a wonderful night with her.

But tonight, he was not here for that. Max gently pushed Pearl away, his eyes and demeanor dark as he looked at her, leaving her puzzled.

"Max, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Is everything okay with you tonight?" Pearl still showed gentle concern.

Max sat down on the couch in the living room, casting a glance around the room before asking, "Have you had dinner?"

Although she didn't understand Max's attitude, Pearl still replied, "Yes, I have."

"Did you cook it yourself?" Max inquired again.

"No, you know I can't cook. I ordered takeout. Are you hungry?" Pearl thought Max was hungry so she planned to help him order food and both of them ate together. It's always been like that because even though Max had dinner with his wife, he ate very lightly and superficially just because he didn't want to make Bella suspicious.

But Max replied, "No need, I've already eaten. Pearl, where did you go this afternoon?"

"I... just went shopping at the mall, what's wrong?" Pearl said, but she started to feel that Max's mood was not good.

The atmosphere between them became tense, particularly as Pearl sensed that Max was not his usual self tonight.

"Max?"

"Isn't there something you want to explain to me? Bella told me everything, you met her this afternoon. Tell me, what did you say to Bella?" Max furrowed his brows, trying to contain his anger because, despite everything, he still wanted to hear her side.

Only then did Pearl realize that Max had come here to question her about this afternoon. She was still angry because Bella had provoked her, but Max didn't come to comfort her but instead questioned her, making her even more upset.

"She's only been working at the company for over half a year and she's already splurging on such an expensive dress. I just said a few words to her and she rushed to tell you, huh?" Pearl shrugged, feeling she had done nothing wrong.

Facing Pearl's indifferent and unapologetic attitude, Max exploded in anger, shouting, "What did you say to her, say it clearly!"

“Why are you yelling at me? I told her she's the type of woman clinging to you, only relying on you, a rustic woman who's of no help to you. Women like her are useless, I didn't say anything wrong. She probably knows I'm right, so she didn't refute it. Besides having a wealthy father, she has nothing else."

Max glared at Pearl, he clenched his hands and asked back, "Did you really say that to Bella?"

"Yes, I did. What's wrong with me saying that to her? Isn't it because of her that we have to sneak around like this in the dark? And you're here interrogating me, too. I didn't say anything wrong. Moreover, she even said that if it weren't for her marrying you, the CEO position wouldn't belong to you for sure. What right does she have to be so arrogant and arrogant towards me? She's just a stupid woman that we took advantage of. I'm just angry—"

Before Pearl could finish her sentence, she was slapped straight across the face, causing her to turn away, her eyes wide in shock, her trembling hand touching the slapped area on her face.

This was the first time Max had been so angry as to strike someone, so it turned out that what Bella said was completely true. Lately, he couldn't understand why Pearl had been acting and thinking so thoughtlessly. She wasn't like this before; she always understood him and the boundaries of their relationship.