Chapter 15
Every word he spoke became a dagger piercing Jeffrey’s heart.
1
Jeffrey’s face had turned visibly gloomy at some point, with a growing sense of darkness. Before finishing the introduction of the young couple, he interrupted and said, “I also have urgent matters to attend to at noon, let’s have this meal another day.”
“Okay, Mr. Castro, take care.” I just reminded him, “After you finish your work, don’t forget to send me the requirements for the photos, and I will forward them to Ms. Arnold.”
They thought that today was their first meeting.
Jeffrey either didn’t hear or deliberately refused to respond, as he didn’t even turn his head and walked at a very fast pace.
We had a pleasant conversation earlier, but now he suddenly seems like a completely different person. Besides being puzzled, I am also confused because there was clearly no one who offended him on the scene.
Meanwhile, Liam, who was driving, also had a similar question, but the person he asked was Bella: “What’s wrong with you? You don’t look too good on your face.”
Bella didn’t answer directly and relaxedly said, “Probably because the weather has been changing a lot recently, it’s a bit cold”
Liam didn’t hesitate: “How about we have something hot for lunch today? Mr. Weber just mentioned that he wants to have a barbecue, so let’s bring some ingredients and go to his place for a barbecue. Maybe after eating, you won’t feel cold anymore.”
This was a seasonal proposal.
Bella didn’t want to disappoint him, so she accompanied him to the supermarket to buy groceries. When they arrived at James‘ house carrying their things, it happened to be mealtime.
James was naturally happy when he saw two students bringing their own ingredients to have a meal.
“You came just in time,” he took the things and carried them to the kitchen, not forgetting to smile at Bella a your brother also came, it’s rare for everyone to eat together, please stay a while.”
and said, “Coincidentally,
Liam instinctively glanced at the person beside him.
“Okay.”
Bella’s expression remained unchanged, and she smiled in response to James. Then, she went into the kitchen to help tidy up the Ingredients. After everything was ready, she went to the dining room.
At this moment, Liam and Jeffrey had been ignoring each other as if they were air for quite a while.
The barbecue on the table was steaming hot, but the people sitting around the table were extremely quiet, and no one spoke voluntarily.
The only sound left was the sizzling of the grilled meat.
Bella sat in between Liam and James, originally intending to avoid jeffrey, but when she looked up, she realized they were sitting across
from each other.
Jeffrey stared at her for a moment and then politely initiated a conversation with James, saying, “Mr. Weber, I wonder how Bella has been doing during her time abroad. Has her work and life been going smoothly?”
He could have directly asked Bella, but he chose to beat around the bush in front of her.
James didn’t think much and picked up a piece of fish with his fork. As he ate, he truthfully recalled, “Bella is doing well. Everyone who has had dealings with her has nothing but praise for her. Now, my group of friends all say that I am very lucky to have been able to teach such a talented student.”
“Did she not cause any trouble for you?
James shook his head quickly, “Of course not, thanks to Bella and Liam coming to see me from time to time, otherwise my days would
have been so boring”
He spoke, his gaze sweeping over Bella and Liam who were sitting next to each other, and his smile became even brighter.
“Mr. Castro, this is Liam, also my student. Bella must have already introduced him to you, I won’tsay much more, but out of all the
students I have taught, they are the most outstanding. What I mean is, why not?”
The intention of playing matchmaker between the two of them couldn’t have been more obvious in front of jeffrey, the “parent“.
Jeffrey didn’t even let him finish his sentence, politely but firmly interrupting, “Mr. Weber, I understand what you mean, but they were
not suitable.”
James’s expression froze slightly.
Jeffrey glanced at Liam and nonchalantly said, “I happened to have something to discuss with Bella during this trip, and I have already chosen her future husband for her.”
“Really? But I’ve never heard Bella mention him before,” James couldn’t help but ask, concerned. “Who is he? Do I know him?
“Well, I guess you could say we met.”
“What was the general situation on the other side?”
Jeffrey pondered for a moment and said, “He ran his own company, had a prosperous financial situation, and could afford to let Bella do whatever she wanted. He was well–regarded in public and he also really liked Bella”
Bella could certainly tell who her fiancé was from his words, and she couldn’t bear it any longer, so she interrupted, “Enough!”
This sound attracted everyone’s attention.
James watched as Bella, who had always been gentle, suddenly erupted. Finally realizing that something was wrong, his gaze shifted back and forth between her and Jeffrey, suspecting that there was a conflict between the siblings.
Bella realized her outburst and took a shallow breath to steady herself before saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t have much desire for money. I’m very happy with my current job, and the salary 1 receive is enough for me to do the things I want to do. So, there’s no need for you to worry!”
Jeffrey sighed and said, “If I don’t worry about you, who else will?”
“I was already an adult, able to make decisions for my own life, without needing anyone to be responsible for me, let alone the so–called “control“!”
15
