Chapter 378:
When Bella returned home, Bernice greeted her with an enthusiasm that felt jarring against Bella’s exhaustion. Clutching her phone like a trophy, Bernice beamed and hurried over.
“Bella! I just posted about your allergy to Moda Style’s clothes online! You wouldn’t believe the attention it’s getting. Everyone’s tearing Moda Style apart now!”
“What?” Bella froze, her mind reeling. A crushing wave of dread washed over her, suffocating and relentless. It felt as though the ground beneath her had disappeared, leaving her flailing in darkness.
Bernice was often clueless, but Bella usually didn’t mind — it made Bernice easy to manipulate when needed. But this? This was a disaster.
Bella had hoped that, for once, Bernice’s efforts might actually prove useful. Instead, Bernice had created an even bigger mess.
Bernice’s eager smile faltered as she noticed Bella’s face darken. Even someone as dense as Bernice could sense the shift in Bella’s mood.
“Bella?” she asked cautiously, her voice soft now, testing the waters.
Bella snapped out of her spiral of frustration and forced herself to breathe. Though her anger simmered just beneath the surface, she knew lashing out wouldn’t fix anything. “Thanks, Bernice.”
Although Bella didn’t express anger, her expression spoke louder than words. Her jaw was tight, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes burned with poorly concealed frustration. Anyone with a shred of awareness would have realized she wasn’t pleased.
Seeing this, Bernice tilted her head and asked cautiously, “Are you… upset?”
Sometimes, Bella found herself imagining ways to strangle Bernice with her bare hands — though, of course, she kept such thoughts tightly locked away behind a composed exterior.
𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 @ 𝙜ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗼𝗺
“No, not at all,” Bella replied curtly, her voice cool and controlled. After a brief pause, she added, “But I wasn’t planning on taking things this far, this fast. The test results aren’t even out yet. What if there’s a mistake?”
Bernice blinked, stunned into silence as Bella’s words hit her. She hadn’t meant for things to spiral like this. It had been an impulsive act, one she could barely explain even to herself.
She fidgeted with her phone, mumbling, “I don’t know how it happened.”
The truth was, Bernice hadn’t intended to post the video so soon. But in the chaos of conversation, her fingers had moved without thinking, and suddenly, the video was live.
To her shock, her seemingly insignificant dummy account had blown up. Within hours, comments flooded in, and a wave of attention swarmed her post.
“I guess I was just trying to help. I’m so sorry,” Bernice murmured.
From the staircase, Yelena leaned against the railing, quietly watching the exchange. Her lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk.
How did it all happen? That was her doing, of course. Satisfied with what she had overheard, Yelena stepped off the stairs, her footsteps slow and deliberate.
Bella and Bernice froze as soon as they saw her approach. A tangible tension settled over the room.
No matter how long Yelena had been around, to Bella and Bernice, she was still the outsider—the unpredictable element they couldn’t entirely trust. Upon realizing something, Bella’s gaze flickered toward Yelena, a mix of unease and suspicion flashing in her eyes.
Innocent
“Yelena, have you finished the proposal Miss Lancaster asked you to work on last time?”
Before Bella discovered Yelena’s true identity as a designer, she was confident that she could surpass her and showcase her abilities to everyone. But now, Bella was beginning to feel uneasy, knowing that Yelena was a designer for Moda Style.
Although Bella wasn’t sure if Yelena was genuinely talented or simply holding the position by name, she chose to believe in Yelena’s capabilities rather than underestimate her.
.
.
.