Chapter 221:
With that, she took the gift box from Cayson and opened it, revealing the diamond necklace’s stunning brilliance. There was no denying its value.
Yelena felt a deep warmth in her heart from Cayson’s affection. After more than a decade without the comfort of family love, she finally felt like she belonged again.
Meanwhile, Bella, standing nearby, watched with widening eyes, her face flushed with envy. She couldn’t believe how favored Yelena was—Cayson always showered her with such extravagant gifts. Before Yelena’s return, Cayson would bring Bella gifts too, but they were nothing like this.
Though Cayson had brought her a gift as well—a luxurious watch—it paled in comparison to the priceless necklace Yelena had just received.
The stark difference left Bella seething with jealousy.
Bella felt a growing storm of resentment swirling within her.
Was all this just because she wasn’t truly part of the Harris family by blood? Sometimes, in her most secret fantasies, she wondered about her real parents. Were they powerful, influential, perhaps even wealthier than the Harris couple?
She clung to this hope like a lifeline. But alongside that hope lurked a darker fear—the possibility that her biological parents might be nobodies. Poor, desperate, or worse… gamblers who had abandoned her in the throes of poverty.
The idea was unbearable. To think she might have been discarded like trash was a wound she couldn’t bear to reopen. Resolving to leave the past buried, Bella decided against searching for them.
Life with the Harris family wasn’t perfect, but it was far better than some imagined alternative. And as long as Yelena wasn’t around, Bella remained the Harris couple’s cherished daughter. That was what mattered.
So, she reminded herself to wait, to be patient. A calculated smile spread across Bella’s face as she gently offered, “Yelena, you should give it a try. That necklace really suits you.”
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Yelena seemed oblivious to the undercurrent beneath Bella’s words. “You’re right. Cayson always knows what suits me best. He has impeccable taste,” she said, her voice warm with affection.
Bella felt the sting of those words like a slap, though her face betrayed nothing. Inside, her jealousy raged like wildfire. She cursed Yelena silently, her mind seething with spite. She masked her venomous thoughts with another polished smile, but her eyes betrayed her—a flicker of something dark and unkind.
As the Harris family enjoyed their moment, full of genuine warmth and connection, Bella watched from the sidelines, her envy festering into something far more dangerous.
At the Barton Group’s branch office, Austin sat behind the imposing mahogany desk in his CEO’s office, a stack of documents laid before him, each demanding his undivided attention.
As the head of the Barton Group’s operations, Austin had recently been shuttling between the branch in Eighfast and the main headquarters in Kheley, a demanding routine that left little room for respite.
Today was no exception. With Leonel circling the company like a predator, Austin couldn’t afford even a moment’s lapse. Signing off on another report, he leaned back, rubbing his temples. The endless hours of reading had left his eyes dry and his mind clouded. Still, he pushed through, knowing that rest was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
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