Chapter Eighty-Seven

The atmosphere in the room began to feel strange, and Bella was confused by his question.

"Are you asking about the nature of our relationship? What are you talking about? Of course, our relationship is mutually beneficial. You help me get revenge on them, and in return, I fulfill your sexual needs." Bella said casually because it was the truth, an obvious truth. She didn't understand what Levi was implying.

Levi didn't show any particular reaction as if he had already guessed Bella would respond that way. He sighed softly.

"But I feel that in this relationship… I'm not getting any benefits."

Bella didn't understand, but she knew his words carried a hidden meaning. She frowned slightly, "What do you mean? Speak clearly, you’re not someone who likes to be vague."

Levi's gaze was cold and dangerous. Bella couldn't look into his eyes for too long, so she took a sip of tea to calm herself. She didn't know why Levi was angry, but since she needed his help now, she couldn't afford to anger him. Levi's attitude showed he wasn't joking with her; he was actually serious.

Bella thought she was good at hiding her emotions, but everything on her face was carefully noted by Levi. He stared at her, observing her confused expression and her awkward, evasive gaze.

Levi's silence made her even more tense. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she felt he could see right through her thoughts. Since she wasn't looking directly at him, Bella didn't know his expression.

Bella was thinking of what to say next to persuade Levi to help her as usual when she heard him say.

"Alright, tell me, what do you want me to help with?"

"Huh?" Bella looked up at him, surprised at his sudden change in just a few minutes.

Seeing Bella's bewildered face, Levi patiently repeated, "Didn't you say you needed my help? Go ahead, say what you want to say."

It was then that Bella began to speak. "A few days ago, you know I was hospitalized for abdominal pain. I found out the cause of my pain—it was the milk Max gave me every night. I had the doctor who examined me last time test the milk's components, and he found… ingredients similar to emergency contraceptive pills…" Bella recalled the doctor's words, feeling a chill as she recounted them. She paused before continuing, "In other words, the drug in the milk was to prevent pregnancy and damage the uterus."

After Bella finished, silence enveloped the room. Bella lowered her head, looking at the tea in her cup, trying to anticipate Levi's reaction. She expected him to be shocked and surprised, but contrary to her expectation, Levi simply raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "I knew."

His calm reaction, as if he knew everything already, confused Bella. She had just told him today, yet he seemed as if he had known all along, just waiting for her to discover it herself.

"You knew? But… I just told you, how…?"

Levi didn't answer her question but asked, "You don't need to know that. So, what do you want to do now?"

Bella came here precisely waiting for this question from Levi. She smiled slyly because a very interesting plan had formed in her mind. She said softly, "Although I don't want to end this game so soon, perhaps ending my marriage with Max now is too early. I still want to play a little longer."

Hearing this, Levi, who had been very calm, felt displeased, but he only frowned slightly without showing any other expression.

"I didn't think you were the type to be playful."

Bella shrugged and continued, "But you know, even the most enjoyable party must come to an end eventually. But before it ends, I want to play a bit more with them, and of course, you have to be involved, Levi."

"So, how do you want me to help you this time?" Levi asked, genuinely curious about the "game" Bella was talking about.

"I will pretend to be pregnant. I want you to help me fake a pregnancy certificate and a pregnancy test and keep everyone in the dark." Bella said. Pretending to be pregnant was something she could act out herself, but to make the act more convincing, she needed someone to cooperate with her.

However, faking a pregnancy certificate wasn't something money could buy, and Bella didn't have enough money or power to do such things. She wanted not only to deceive Max and Pearl but also to hide this from her own father.

Levi raised an eyebrow, finding Bella's words intriguing.

"Instead of pretending to be pregnant or faking a pregnancy certificate and hiding it from everyone, I can help you actually get pregnant. After all, you're going to divorce Max eventually, so why not get pregnant with my child now?" Levi said with a twisted and sinister smile, his eyes shifting from her face to her belly.

Bella was still talking about her plans, so she didn't notice the increasingly strange and unusual look in Levi's eyes as he gazed at her. She also didn't think much about Levi's words.

What Bella wanted Levi's help with was that he would be the one behind the scenes, using his power and influence to silence everyone. Because she knew, perhaps now, Max was feeling very smug that he had made her lose her ability to conceive with the glasses of milk he brought her every night.

Just wait until tomorrow, after the comprehensive health check is over, then the play will begin.

...

The comprehensive health check for both Max and Bella was held at Mr. James's house. The doctors had prepared everything from equipment to medical tools early, just waiting for the two to arrive and start the check-up.

Bella arrived first, calmly and relaxedly drinking tea with her father, while her father was extremely angry and annoyed because his son-in-law was too late.

"Why didn't you come with Max?" her father asked. He had expected his daughter and son-in-law to arrive together, but unexpectedly, the son-in-law arrived later and was late, which made him very uncomfortable.

Bella responded lightly, "He had to stay at the company last night to handle work. I didn't want to disturb his work, so I didn't call to rush him." Bella spoke very casually, but in fact, she hadn't gone home last night either. She had stayed at Levi's house; more precisely, Levi hadn't allowed her to leave his house, and of course, they had made love all night.

Since she hadn't gone home, Bella didn't know if Max had come home last night. Max hadn't sent any other messages besides the text message when she finished work last night at the office, so she thought he hadn't returned home.

Before leaving, Bella had to wear a high-collared shirt to cover the dark red hickeys Levi had left on her body.

"Sir, Miss Bella, Max has arrived," an elderly maid announced as she entered.

Mr. James, already displeased with Max, became even more angry and disgusted when he saw him arrive late. As soon as Max stepped into the living room, Mr. James raised his voice, "You were so busy with work that you arrived this late? Do you think Bella and I have all the time just to wait for you?"

"I... I'm sorry, I was busy handling work, so I was late." Max said, glancing at Bella. But seeing that Bella had no intention of speaking up for him in front of her father made him unhappy. Bella should have defended him; after all, he had texted her last night saying he was busy and might be late this morning.

Mr. James raised an eyebrow and said, "Busy with work? I told you about the health check-up last week, yet you couldn't manage your time to be here. Besides being your father-in-law, I'm also your superior, and you ignore my words like this? I can't imagine the irresponsibility my daughter has endured from you over the past four years."

As if Mr. James had hit a sore spot, Max's face turned pale, and he hurriedly explained, "Father, it's not like that. Please don't misunderstand me. I was really busy with work, that's why I was late. I would never dare to ignore or disobey your words." Seeing that his explanation didn't calm his father-in-law, Max turned to Bella, seeking help, "Bella, tell your father. I did text you last night saying I was busy with work."

Bella didn't look at Max. She said to her father, "Father, enough blaming. I want to finish quickly so I can go home and rest. Lately, I've had frequent stomach pains, cramps, and sometimes even bleeding."

Bella wasn't trying to defend Max; she just didn't want to stay here any longer and argue with a despicable man like Max. She had never felt so disgusted having to face her own husband.

Hearing his daughter say that, Mr. James panicked, "What did you say, you've been having stomach pains and even bleeding? Why didn't you say so earlier? Hurry up, check her health. I want to know her condition now." After speaking, he turned and glanced at his son-in-law with disgust.

Upon hearing that Bella had severe stomach pains and bleeding, the two men's expressions were completely opposite. While Mr. James was worried, pale, and concerned about her, her husband, who always pretended to care about her, showed no worry at all.

Bella and Max were taken to a private room, already prepared for their health check-up. Doctors and nurses began examining each of them, the atmosphere in the room was so silent that the sound of the machines could be clearly heard.

Bella glanced at Max as they sat close together, noticing the visible part of his neck. His skin wasn't fair, but at this close distance, one could still see it.

"You should buy some insect repellent; there's a bug bite on your neck," Bella gently reminded him.

Max hurriedly covered the red mark on his neck with his hand and laughed it off, "R-Really? Maybe it's a bug bite."

Bella sneered inwardly. She knew what had happened to Max last night, but of course, she chose to ignore it. She had experienced the same thing as Max last night.

The difference was that Bella knew how to hide the marks on her body, while her husband did not. Perhaps her husband still thought she was the foolish wife who hadn't discovered his infidelity.

After the check-up, Max made the excuse of being busy with work and left first. Naturally, he wanted to escape quickly to avoid directly facing his father-in-law.