Chapter 169 Old Acquaintances

The boy lowered his eyes. He wanted to say something, but he started coughing instead. To Bella this was a sign for them to leave. First, they would buy some bottled water and then they would return to the office. Even if Charles was not present today, she still needed to be there in time.

Just a few minutes before she was off work, she received a phone call from Nick. He told her that he had designed some new products and that he wanted her to be the first to see them. For this reason, he urged her to come to his company right away.

Bella did not care about such news but she didn’t want to displease her client either. That’s why he asked her to wait for him.

“You can grab a cab and don’t worry about the fee. It’s on me.”

“All right. Thanks.”

At half past five, she rushed out of the building with Brandon by her side and stopped a cab.

“Where are we going?” asked Brandon.

“I need to meet a client,” she told him as she fastened his seatbelt.

“Are you short of money?” he asked her.

She rolled her eyes when she looked at him. “What a strange question,” she said.

“You live in a big villa where many servants take care of you. I still don’t understand why you need to go to work.”

Bella let a bitter laugh escape her mouth. It still surprised her that in the eyes of others, she was the wife of a rich and powerful man who lived in a majestic villa. Would this boy be able to understand the truth if she explained it to him? He did seem smart, so she might as well give it a try.

“Do you think the place I live now is a good one?”

Brandon paused and did not reply. How could he tell her that he himself had designed the Williams Mansion?

“Believe it or not, we’re on the same boat. I’m also a guest there and I don’t know how long it’s going to last. I may be kicked out of there any moment. It’s not up to me to decide.”

Seeing that he did not reply, Bella rubbed his hair. She believed that Brandon was smart enough to understand her words. Because they had to depend on others for their own well-being.

“You don’t need to worry,” she said. “If that happens, I will be there by your side to protect you.”

If the worst happened, at least she had someone who could understand her awkward and hard situation. Until she found Brandon, she didn’t have anyone else to speak to, not even Dora. Brandon had nowhere to go just like her. She felt they were the same and could share their thoughts.

Charles put his hand over hers.

“You are such a nice person.”

Bella rubbed his hair and smiled bitterly. “Not everyone thinks I am a good person. In some people’s eyes I am a cruel and horrible witch full of jealousy.”

Brandon gulped nervously. These were words that Charles had told Bella in the past.

At this moment, he did not know what to say to comfort her. He was pride and rarely apologized for his mistakes. Now the apology was stuck in the throat and he was unable to let it out.

“Here we are,” she said to the driver. “Please stop here.”

The driver pulled over in front of the two-story building and put his hand over the meter.

“How much is it?” asked Bella.

“Fifty dollars.”

She handed him three twenty dollar bills and waited for the change and the receipt.

“Thanks,” said Bella and opened the door to get out.

Nick was waiting for her at the main entrance. He was wearing a white cotton shirt and black trousers. The moment he saw Bella he took his hands out of his pockets and approached her.

“Here you are,” said Bella and handed him the receipt from the taxi. He gave it a quick glance before he shoved it in the breast pocket of his shirt. Then his eyes fell upon Brandon and shot a strange glance at Bella. He certainly wasn’t expecting Bella to show up with a little boy by her side.

His hand reached and pinched Brandon’s cheek but Brandon tried to push him away.

“What do we have here? A little fighter?”

“Leave Brandon alone, will you?”

“Brandon?” 

Nick looked at Charles’s failed transformation and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“That’s a good one…Brandon…Ha ha ha.”

He was laughing so hard he could not keep straight. All the time he was pointing at the boy and laughing his face off. As a result, Brandon’s face turned to red. If he knew that Bella was going to meet Nick, he would never have gotten in the cab with her. He clenched his fists in fury. Now he knew why he was not able to sense the presence of Bella sometimes. During those moments, she was with Nick.

Nick was once the Patron Saint of the Sea Kingdom and a member of the Royal Family. He knew very well how to keep out of Charles’s radar.

Nick’s reaction to Brandon must have puzzled Bella and made her think there was something else behind his strange behavior.

“Have you seen this man before?” she asked Brandon.

“Nope,” said the boy.

By the way they were looking at each other, she was convinced that Brandon was not telling her the truth.