Chapter 189 The Handkerchief

Charles went after her and tried to stop her. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“I need to go to the office,” she said without looking back at him.

“No need to hurry. You’re already late.”

How could that be? Bella stopped and gazed at her watch.

Charles was right!

It was ten o’ clock! How could that be possible? Then it occurred to her that she had not heard the alarm when she woke up.

“You had better not go to work today. Better stay home and rest,” said Charles.

“Is it paid leave?”

“Certainly,” said Charles.

“Well, I guess I need a day or two to recover after what happened yesterday but I’m afraid my clients will not be happy.”

“If you go to work, I will not be happy,” said Charles.

“But if I stay, someone else will not be happy,” said Bella.

“Who are you talking about?”

Bella pointed somewhere behind Charles’s back. He turned around and saw Katherine leaning against the wall.

“I’m hungry and I want to eat!” she said with her kitten-like voice.

“Why don’t you go ahead and I will join you in a few minutes,” said the always-elusive Charles.

“I want you to eat with me,” said Katherine and tried to pull him in the dining room.

“We all need to eat,” said Charles. “You too, Bella.”

Before Bella had time to protest, Charles had dragged her back into the dining room. Roy pulled a chair on one side of the table and made her sit. Now she was face to face with Katherine while Charles sat at the end of the table.

A real royal breakfast!

Bella bites her lips nervously. She didn’t know how she would react if Charles started showing his love to Katherine in front of her. It was now clear to her that Charles had made her sit because he wanted to humiliate her. Watching Bella lose every trace of self-respect, made him happy.

At least that’s what Bella thought.

Roy put a plate in front of her with toast, butter, and jam. Bella took the knife in her hand and began spreading the butter of the crusty slice of bread.

Katherine looked up at her. She was eating a bowl of cereal in her usual uptight manner.

“You need some of this if you want to get back to your feet,” said Katherine and pointed to the bowl in front of her.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” said Bella.

“You don’t like cereal?”

“I can’t stand it,” said Bella. “It reminds me of puke.”

“Yeah? What you’re eating reminds me of SHIT!”

Katherine pushed away from the bowl and started eating a waffle. Bella also pushed her dish away and grabbed a French croissant.

Charles was staring at the two ladies in amusement. He wanted to see their argument reach new heights.

“You’re having a good time?” asked Katherine. She was talking to Charles.

“Huh?”

“Must be nice to bring someone to the table who talks about puke. It makes you want to eat more.”

“Stop being too edgy. If you’re eating puke, then I must be eating puke too,” he said and pointed down to the bowl of cereal he had in front of him.

“Oops,” said Bella. “I didn’t see that…”

“If you think about it in technical terms,” said Katherine, “it’s better eating puke than eating shit.”

“I love it when the two of you speak dirty,” said Charles and laughed.

Katherine noticed that Charles wasn’t eager to put the blame on Bella. This pissed her off. One way or another she would find a way to humiliate Bella in front of Charles. The best way to do this, she reckoned, was to be pampered by Charles in front of Bella’s eyes.

This would show that bitch who was the real Lady of the house!

“Feed me!”

“What are you talking about, Katherine?”

“I want you to feed me.”

“Why should I do that? Can’t you feed yourself?”

“I want what’s on your dish,” she said. “Some of that bacon.”

“Roy can bring you some bacon,” said Charles. “Maybe he can bring some for Bella as well.”

Bella almost spat out what she was eating upon hearing those words.

She looked at Charles as if something was wrong with one of the screws in his head and rolled her eyes at him.

Charles suddenly thought her expression was very cute. His hand reached out for the napkin, which he used to wipe the corner of her mouth. He decided that from now on he ought to become more patient with Bella.

“Do you want one more waffle?” he asked.

“I am full,” Then she fled out of the dining room. All that she wanted was to go back to her room and sleep for a few more hours.

Katherine was so angry that her face turned red. She had just seen Charles using a napkin to wipe Bella’s mouth. He had never done this to her before. Her tears fell on the table and her expression got sad.

Charles looked up at her and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

He could not help wonder why Katherine always cried, but Bella never cried in front of him.

Katherine took Charles's hand and placed it on her chest. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“Darling, my heart hurts so badly.”

Having lost his appetite Charles pulled his hand away and looked at her with eyes full of pity.

“You should let Elsa check you after breakfast.”

“I don’t want Elsa! I only want you.”

“…”

Katherine bit her lips in a nervous manner and gazed into his eyes.. “Darling, have you fallen in love with Bella?”

“I’m not sure about the answer,” he said tactfully.

“I insist on you giving me a reply,” insisted Katherine.

“How can I when I myself am not sure about it? I can’t say yes or no. All I can say is ‘maybe.’”

Katherine was shocked by these words and her heart felt painful. Just a few days ago, he held her hand and confessed that he did not love Bella. Now everything had changed.

Katherine almost cried herself to death. “What am I supposed to do? You once said that you would marry me. I have waited all these years for that day to come, and now you’re telling me you’re in love with someone else?”

“I think you need a handkerchief,” said Charles.

A handkerchief lined with light blue lace and embroidered with a small circle of tiny flowers. He would never forget the little girl that wiped the blood off his face and offered him this handkerchief.

“You will always look beautiful,” he said to her.