Bella smirked. Her emotionless face started to reflect annoyance.
She felt a rush of blood in her head.
Justinâs obvious bias toward his ex-wife was a death sentence for Zoe.
Zoe thought, âWhy? Justin could have a talented and beautiful woman like me, but he still went back to
the slut he dumped.â
Besides, Bella was surrounded by men. She was involved with Ryan, a nobody like Christopher, and
other men. Justin should at least be irked by that fact.
âI only made time out of my busy schedule to see you because I heard that Mr. Hoffman had brought
Ms. Hoffman to apologize. You should know that Iâm not just the heiress of KS Group but also the
renowned jewelry designer, Alexa. My secretary is bombarded with phone calls for a chance to meet
with me. I donât have time to waste on unnecessary things and people.â
Bella flicked her hair back and crossed her arms while sitting with poise on the sofa. âIf I had known
that Mr. Salvador would be here, I wouldnât even show up.â
âWhy?â
With his heart sinking, Justin asked gloomily, âWhy do you rather meet Ryan than see me?â
Raising his brow, Ryan thought to himself, âFuck me.
Even though Bella favored Ryan, Justin targeted him for ridicule.
âIâm only willing to meet under two conditions: it must be for personal or business purposes.â
Bella put two fingers up and wiggled them in front of Justin. âMr. Salvador, you and I have no personal
or business relationship. I have no reason to meet someone who isnât even a stranger to me.â
Justin was not even considered a stranger.
The glum on Justinâs face was the tip of the iceberg of what he was really feeling inside.
Ryan pursed his lips while thinking to himself, âAt least Iâm more than a stranger, I suppose.â
âNow, out with it, Mr. Hoffman. I have a meeting later. I donât have time to waste here.â Narrowing her
eyes, Bella appeared haughty with her legs crossed. The red bottoms of her stilettos added to her flair.
She looked like an elegant and beautiful villainess out of a comic book.
Justinâs eyes fell on Bellaâs slender ankles under her pants.
His jaw clenched as his throat went dry. He was tempted to swallow.
He was too blind to dump this woman.
Now, everything about her drove him wild.
Zoe played the victim, her face pale, and her lips trembling as if Bella were the bully.
âAhem. Bella⦠I mean, Ms. Thompson.â
Picking up on Bellaâs facial cues, Ryan addressed her differently and said, âMy sister and I are here to
offer our apologies.
âThe necklace Bethany, had given to Ada at the auction was supplied by my sister. She asked an
individual in Inalia to forge the necklaceâ¦â
Ryanâs words trailed off as he continued to observe Bellaâs expression.
âOh, I already knew that.â Bella remained indifferent.
Ryan and Zoe were shocked.
Justin merely pulled a frown. He was not too surprised
Zoeâs cunning plan would not stand a chance against B resources.
âW-When did you find out?â Freaked out, Zoe asked.
Bella grinned cheekily. âI knew the day you reached out to Tyler paid him handsomely to forge my
necklace. â
âWhat?â Zoe burst out, breaking her character.
âI get why you sought Tyler to make the necklace, Ms. Hoffman. I did teach him everything I knew. You
probably assume Tyler started his own business because we had a fallout. Youâre narrow-minded to
think that. Divorced couples canât be friends, but that doesnât mean mentors and apprentices going
their separate ways canât.â Bella lifted her chin.