Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Four

Rarely did Bella receive an acknowledgment from her husband, but he did recognize that what she did primarily helped him conveniently obtain that suburban plot from Levi. Bella just chuckled awkwardly without saying anything.

Max continued, "We've been married for almost four years now. Soon, we'll be celebrating our four-year wedding anniversary."

"You're right. We've been married for almost four years... and before getting married, we were together, so it's been about five or six years altogether," Bella laughed softly, her gentle gaze fixed on the man in front of her.

Max nodded in agreement happily.

The atmosphere between them was incredibly sweet and romantic, with the tender affection from his wife making Max start to feel warm. Even though Bella hadn't changed her clothes and was still wearing her office attire, she exuded a captivating and sophisticated charm.

Taking a sip of wine, Bella then looked straight at Max. "Max, do you love me?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Max nodded firmly. "Of course, I love you very much, Bella."

Max didn't notice anything unusual, just assuming she wanted to hear words of love from him, which was quite normal. Women, sometimes, would ask questions like 'do you love me?' 'how much do you love me?' After receiving an answer from the man, she would demand something from him.

Bella, upon hearing this, didn't show any emotion but just chuckled softly, continuing, "Do you love me a lot?"

"Of course, I love you very much, Bella. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have married you," Max replied casually.

His answer made Bella inwardly smirk; perhaps Max didn't know that she had already figured out his intentions. The question of whether he loved her or not was just a probe. In fact, before discovering her husband's betrayal, Bella had never doubted his feelings because he treated her well. Whether it was fake or genuine, Bella believed in Max's love for her.

Under the candlelight and romantic atmosphere, Bella didn't want to disrupt it.

"I know that," Bella said lightly, smiling.

Suddenly, Max reached out and gently held Bella's hand. "Bella, you also know that we've been married for almost four years. Soon, it'll be our four-year wedding anniversary. Bella, it's time for us to have a child. You don't need to worry about your job. If you want, you can still work, and I won't force you to quit."

Bella wanted to pull her hand back, but Max held it tightly. She tried to calm herself, not to get angry, but Max's words made her want to vomit out the food she had eaten. She couldn't understand why Max could be so disgusting, thinking that she didn't know his purpose was to take over her father's company?

If Bella had a child with Max now, how could she end this deceitful marriage? No, even letting Max sleep in the same bed as Bella was disgusting enough, let alone having a child with him.

"Remember, you didn't want a child before. Though thoughts may change, there must be a reason for your change of mean, I'd really like to know, Max," Bella tried to force a smile.

Max had already prepared for this question, giving the same reason as before. "Before, my career and position in the company were not stable, but now it's better. Moreover, when we first got married, you had just graduated from college, too young to be a mother. I was afraid you would feel pressured to take care of a child. You see, we had many issues when we first got married. Although your father could help us, I didn't want him to underestimate my capabilities. But now it's different. This is the right time for us to have a child."

Max's words surprised Bella, as she hadn't thought he could come up with such a convincing reason, but also made her feel ridiculous. He spoke as if he genuinely cared about Bella, her health, and her emotions, making outsiders believe that Max was indeed a loving husband. But the reason he hadn't touched her in the three years of marriage was because he had Pearl waiting for him every night.

Bella pulled her hand back, her gaze towards Max turning colder. She sighed deeply. "Before, I wanted a child, but you didn't. Now that you want one, you think I'm ready just because you want it? So, I should have a child for you?"

Bella's response left Max both puzzled and uncomfortable. As a married couple, having children seemed like a natural progression, so he couldn't understand why Bella was reluctant. Was it because he had ignored her desires for children in the past? Max silently speculated that perhaps Bella still harbored those thoughts, making his straightforward explanations insufficient to convince her about having children. Furthermore, Bella had started working and become more engrossed in her career, making it even harder to persuade her.

However, Max didn't consider these issues insurmountable. He believed he had a way to make his wife pregnant. Once Bella was pregnant, there wouldn't be much she could do about it.

Max didn't want to dwell too much on the issue of children during this romantic dinner. He reassured Bella, "It's okay, if you're not ready for a child now, I won't push. We're a married couple, and having children is something that will happen sooner or later. Let's talk about where we will like to travel instead."

Listening to Max's words, Bella felt a bit more at ease. They continued discussing their trip for the next day. Bella didn't know that Max had been planning a trip to Hawaii since the construction project at the shopping center began or was it just a coincidence that Max wanted to travel this time?

"In fact, I've already bought the plane tickets. I really want to surprise you, Bella. Lately, I've been so focused on work that I haven't been able to pay as much attention to you. I hope you understand. I just want our future life to be better," Max said softly, though keen observers would notice his attempt to push Bella into a passive position, making it difficult for her not to sympathize with him.

If Bella didn't empathize with Max, she would undoubtedly be considered a bad wife—her husband worked hard, but she didn't sympathize with him because he didn't pay attention to her.

"I understand, you don't need to feel guilty about it," Bella smiled.

The romantic dinner went smoothly, but afterwards, Bella was the one who cleaned up. Max used the excuse of having work to do in his room, leaving Bella alone in the kitchen. Perhaps the only thing Max tidied up was the bottle of wine he cherished.

As soon as she entered the room, Bella smiled triumphantly. She had secretly taken photos of the romantic dinner, deliberately capturing Max's face in most of the pictures, unlike previous times. She then posted them on social media, ensuring only Pearl could view them, as always. Max remained unaware that their dates were always shared online.

Not content with that, Bella deliberately sent Pearl the recording of Max saying he wanted to go to Hawaii with her and have children. After a few minutes, when she knew Pearl could have listened, Bella immediately retracted the message, sending a [Sorry, sent by mistake] with an embarrassed emoji.

Quickly, Pearl called Bella, who cheerfully answered.

"Pearl, aren't you sleeping?" Bella pretended to be surprised.

Bella could hear Pearl's heavy and annoyed breathing on the other end of the line. Pearl seemed very angry, but she tried not to raise her voice, simply asking, [What was that recording about? Max talking about having children?]

Pearl's question seemed genuinely concerned and happy for Bella, but Bella knew she was furious and uncomfortable, unable to accept that her beloved man could have a child with another woman.

Bella replied cheerfully, deliberately recounting what Max had done for Pearl tonight, pretending to be very surprised and happy to have such a wonderful husband as Max. Bella knew the happier and more cheerful she appeared, the more it would infuriate Pearl.

"We've been married for over three years. Max says it's time to have a child. He has always been a good husband, and if we have a child, he will love me and our child even more..."

Bella didn't hear Pearl's immediate response, assuming she had hung up. But then Bella heard Pearl reluctantly say, as if she were trying to suppress something, [Did Max really say that to you?]

"Of course, I even recorded it so I can listen whenever I'm sad. I accidentally sent that recording to you just now. You must have listened, right? Surely you haven't forgotten Max's voice." Bella laughed, feeling amused that Pearl had to suppress her anger and discomfort.

[Bella, do you really think you can bring happiness to Max?... I'm not implying anything, but what if—]

Pearl's words were cut off by Bella's mocking laughter.

"Of course, he said I'm the only woman he loves, that's why he married me. Besides, he's been paying more attention to me lately. You probably know because he often takes me to fancy restaurants. I don't blame him for not caring about me in the past. Pearl, men... they all will change eventually."