Chapter Seventy-One

Chapter Seventy-One

By now, Bella had guessed who had been constantly calling Max, but his confused and hurried departure made her feel unusual. What could make someone, as composed and calm as Max, rush like this?

"Well, it's good anyway. At least I don't have to sleep with that jerk. I need to take a shower." Bella rubbed her lips hard with her hand; the passionate kiss with her husband made her feel sick.

The thought of Max's lips touching Pearl's, of him having sex with Pearl, then turning around and kissing her made Bella shiver with disgust. Not to mention her husband's betrayal, if he had cheated with a woman she didn't know she wouldn't be this disgusted.

But adultery is still adultery. Bella glanced at the empty glass Max had finished and secretly smiled, knowing she had added a large amount of sleeping pills to it before Max showered. Initially, Bella hadn't intended to do this, thinking she could use another excuse to avoid him, but Max gave her no chance to leave.

Because she knew that Max would ask to have sex with her, after all, he wanted to have a child, so before leaving the house, Bella brought sleeping pills and... emergency contraceptive pills. Although Bella has calculated her safe date, nothing is certain, so she still has to prepare herself.

Perhaps Max thought Bella was interested in intimacy and closeness, so he showed his intentions openly before coming here. Moreover, in the past three years before Bella discovered her husband's infidelity, she had constantly tried to find ways to make Max happy and close to her, but her awkward methods didn't capture his attention.

After showering, Bella locked the door from the inside because she knew Max had gone out in such a hurry and definitely didn't have his room card with him to open the door.

"Sleeping alone feels so good," Bella sighed with relief, her mind racing with thoughts of how to leave the next day, and soon she fell asleep.

...

Pearl stood in front of him in a red lace nightgown, very short and incredibly alluring. The room smelled sweet, with warm lighting setting a romantic atmosphere. But Max was angry, having no time to pay attention to any of these details.

"Pearl, what did you say to me before? You said you wouldn't bother or interrupt when I'm with Bella!" Max shouted angrily, more upset that Pearl had the nerve to threaten him.

Pearl didn't feel any remorse. She thought she could endure, but after Max kicked her out of the restaurant, she couldn't take it anymore. All these years, she'd stood in the shadows, being Max's secret woman, not allowed or qualified to publicly stand beside him.

Max always pampered her and did everything she wanted; she thought he truly loved her and wanted to make up for the suffering she endured because of him. But now Max not only ignores her, even though he says he does it because of a plan, but how can she stand the fact that Max wants to have a child with Bella?

"Why are you angry with me? You want a child, right? I can give you a child," Pearl looked at him with teary eyes. She didn't believe that Max wanted a child with Bella just for a plan.

Pearl sensed there was nothing secure about their relationship, feeling she could be discarded at any time. Even if she spoke up, Max would have ways to silence her.

Ultimately, Pearl couldn't shake Bella's words from her mind.

Hearing Pearl, Max's face turned gray, glaring at her. The truth is, Max never thought he would have children with Pearl, even if he betrayed his wife for Pearl, the child he wanted was still his and Bella's. The child Bella is born with is valuable and is the best 'insurance card' for his career in the future.

If he'd known Pearl would be this troublesome, he'd have been firmer and sent her back to her home country rather than letting her disturb him and Bella.

"Pearl, I don't want a child," Max sighed.

Pearl immediately embraced Max, saying, “You're lying. You clearly said you wanted to have a child with Bella. I know everything now. If you want a child, I can have one for you; Bella isn't better than me.”

Max pushed Pearl away, looked her straight in the eye with a serious expression, and said, “I want the child to be born from Bella. You must understand that her father is very old, about to die. If we only rely on those projects, when will we succeed? When will we take over his company? Do you think Bella would willingly hand over her father's company to me? Even if we underestimate her, she's not so stupid as to give everything up to me.”

Halfway through speaking, Max felt his head start to hurt and felt a bit dizzy, but he didn't think much of it and just thought he was tired. Max walked closer to the bed and sat down. He looked at Pearl, who was still standing there bewildered, then continued.

“If Bella gets pregnant and has a child, she will have to return to being a housewife and caring for the child. This way, Bella will participate less in company activities, and she won't be able to grasp everything happening within the company. Do you get it?” Max knew that Pearl was worried that he would abandon her. Although he had no thoughts of abandoning Pearl, Pearl was gradually making him feel annoyed and uncomfortable.

Pearl could guess this, but could she be sure that Max wouldn't change his mind in the near future? Would he really stay with her and eventually divorce Bella after taking over her father's company? But Max had never mentioned divorcing Bella.

Seeing Pearl's silence, Max assumed she understood and was about to return to his room, but before he could stand up, Pearl spoke up.

“If that's the case, you don't necessarily have to have a child with her.”

Pearl stood in front of him, intentionally positioning herself between his legs, her ample chest nearly touching his face, just a few centimeters away.

This time, Max didn't push her away. He put his arms around Pearl's waist, unsure of her point, and asked, “What do you mean?”

“As you said, you want to have a child with Bella to bind her, so she can't participate in company matters, right? Her father is too old to continue managing the company, and besides Bella, he doesn't have any other children. Why not take advantage of this opportunity and show him you're the ideal, trustworthy son-in-law?” Pearl smiled, her sweet voice easing Max's anger.

But the problem was, how could he get Bella's father to trust him and hand over the company? Though his current position was given to him by his father-in-law, Max knew it wouldn't be easy to get a higher position, let alone take over the company. Max has also never been allowed to touch important and confidential documents of the company

Despite being married to Bella for four years, Max and his father-in-law weren't close; their relationship could be described as distant. Moreover, since his father-in-law was also his boss, Max had to always show respect.

Seeing that Max still didn't understand, Pearl smirked and said, “Think about it. Bella's father only has one daughter, Bella, whom he dearly loves. He will still leave everything to her even before he dies, and you can't force her to give you the company. Plus, if you approach Bella for the company's sake, it might take longer. Why not make her can't get pregnant?”

Max was startled when he heard that. Pearl's idea was to make Bella unable to have children anymore? But what's the use of doing that? Obviously, he wanted to have a child with Bella, but Pearl advised him to make it impossible for Bella to get pregnant. He really didn't understand what Pearl was thinking.

“Calm down, let me finish,” Pearl said, giving Max a slight push down onto the bed and sitting on him without hesitation. “If Bella can't get pregnant, it could be a quicker and more efficient solution. Think about it: if her father finds out she can't have children, and you, as her husband, don't blame her but continue to stay by her side and take care of her, showing that you only care about her and not about having kids, it might soften both her and her father. We all know Bella is easy to manipulate and stupid. Besides, she loves you so much. If you can move both Bella and her father, then he might just trust you with the company.”

Max feels that the way Pearl said it is also possible. Currently, Bella seems to be resistant to having children, even if Max wants to force her, she can't force her.

“But what if he still doesn't trust me enough to hand over the company?” Max asked.

Pearl confidently said, "You don't have to worry about that problem. You not only made Bella and her father trust and move her but also had to think of ways to attract key leaders in the company. You also know that besides Bella's father, the key leaders in the company are not happy with you. What if Bella has a child but she doesn't go back to being a housewife like before? What if she continues to return to work and receives support from the company's important partners and senior leaders who have close relationships with her father?”

Of course, Pearl couldn't predict whether Bella's father would completely trust Max and hand over the company to him, but it's not impossible.

The senior leaders in the company have close relationships with Bella's father, and they have known Bella since she was just a child. If Bella has any issues, they will definitely help; helping Bella is also a way of showing respect and helping Mr. James, Bella's father. However, from the beginning, they have not been happy with Max because his position as general manager wasn't earned through Max's abilities, but rather through his marriage to Bella.

Gaining Bella's trust or preventing her from participating in company activities wouldn't solve the problem because, apart from Bella, there are other senior leaders in the company. They won't easily stand by and watch Max take everything from Bella or her father. What he needs to do is become a reliable son-in-law in Mr. James's eyes. If he gains the trust of the person with the most power, then even if those in the company are unhappy with Max, there's nothing they can do about it.