Bella furrowed her brows. It felt like she chewed on a sugar-coated lie, and the sweetly cloaked
monstrosity was just awful to swallow.
The air had gone quiet.
The pair said nothing.
Moments later, Justin cleared his throat and ended the conversation abruptly. âI guess that is all.
Goodnight.â
âHey, you-â
The call ended before Bella could finish talking.
âWhat the hell was that?â Bella stared at the dimmed screen in a daze and shook her head.
Meanwhile, Justin realized after the call that his palms were clamming, his throat was dry, and his heart
was thumping out of his chest.
Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath and murmured, âThe ones who walk away arenât here to stay,
but the ones who mess with my head? Heck, thatâs a whole ânother set of worries.â
Xena fell into a coma after the horrible car crash.
Bethany learned from the doctor that the chances of Xena ever regaining consciousness were slim to
none.
God was on her side.
Otherwise, Bethany would have trouble covering her tracks for bribing Xena to get details on the KS
World Hotelâs contract.
Even with that taken care of, Bethany did not make any progress with Ada.
Ada made it clear that she would not sign with the Salvador Hotel unless Justin was involved. Besides,
Adaâs team had been looking at other hotels, so she was not limiting her choice to the Salvador Hotel
and KS World.
That afternoon, Bethany went to the Hoffmansâ residence.
In contrast to Bethanyâs anxiety, Zoe remained composed. With a steaming cup in hand, she settled in
for a relaxing afternoon tea.
âWhatâs your plan for sealing the deal with Ada?â
âThe woman demanded Salvador Corporation and KS Group sear for the finest gem before. Justin has
been trying to seek help fro Alexa, but he didnât manage to secure one of her pieces despite hi trip
abroad.â
Zoeâs eyes flickered.
âFor that reason, Bella managed to win Ada over with a brooch during the welcoming party.â
Bethany stamped her foot. âDamn it, Iâm fuming just thinking about it. If only I owned one of Alexaâs
jewelry pieces. That would save me all the trouble.
âYou do. What makes you think you donât own one?â Zoe made an
Intriguing comment.
Bethany was stunned. âWhat do you mean, Zoe? Did you manage to get your hands on Alexaâs jewelry
pieces?â
âAs far as I know, Alexa stays out of the limelight. She never showed her face in public before, so no
one knew whether she was alive. No. one had actually seen her masterpiece before.
âWhy donât you get a copy and give one to Ada?â Zoe spoke nonchalantly.
âWhat? You expect me to give Ada a knockoff?â
Bethanyâs eyes widened in surprise. âI would be disgraced when found out.â
âTsk. How would you be discovered? Itâs hard to determine the authenticity of a painting at an auction,
much less a gemstone. No one could tell it was a fake except Alexa.â
Zoe leaned forward and whispered, âBesides, I knew a jewelry designer when I was studying in Inalia.
You might not believe it, but he was an apprentice to Alexa. I can get him to copy one of Alexaâs pieces
for you so that you have something for Ada. Iâm sure the woman would be glad to collaborate with you
after that.â
Bethany was skeptical.
Nevertheless, she did not have much time left. At this point, she had to throw the dice and fake it until
she made it.