Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 694

Sabrina continued, crying, "Bella, you don't understand. You came into the Mercer family with me. Marrying Sebastian is, of course, marrying up. When you marry up, you worry that people won't treat you well. Now, if you don't have a valuable dowry to support you, you'll be bullied by your in-laws and looked down on by relatives. The Blake family has a large extended family. In the future, you will become the matriarch of the Blake family. Even with that status, you won't be able to command the respect of the clan's relatives. You'll always be looked down upon and ridiculed."

Sabrina wasn't saying this for Bella's benefit; she was saying it for Martin's. Only if Martin took it to heart would he provide more for Bella's dowry. Only with a substantial dowry would Bella have the respect she needed. That's why Sabrina had to fight for it.

"Alright, I promise. I'll talk to Brandon later and tell him to set aside some money to prepare a dowry for Bella. Didn't Sebastian already buy Bella some jewelry? We'll buy some too, so Bella can bring it with her and keep up appearances."

Sabrina pushed, "What about antiques and decorative pieces? I'm not asking for them to be as expensive as what Lillian had, but we should have a few pieces to make a good impression, right?"

Bella interjected at the perfect moment, "Mom, those things are very expensive. It's okay if we don't have them."

"What do you mean, it's okay? Without them, people will laugh at you. Just listen to your mother. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Bella said, "Alright, if that's the case, then it's up to Dad."

With things having come to this, Martin couldn't really object and could only agree. "We'll buy them. We'll see if there are any suitable auctions and pick up a few pieces. We have to maintain appearances. If it comes down to it, we'll even borrow a few items."

Bella fell silent, her mind spinning with thoughts of Lillian's one-billion-dollar engagement gift and the Blake Group shares. And she, just because the elder Blakes disliked her, got nothing. Not a single penny.

Why? They were both marrying Sebastian, so why did she get nothing?

She couldn't wait a moment longer. She had to get back everything that belonged to her.

It was time for Debbie to be useful.

If she could get Debbie to handle the old Mr. Blake before the wedding, maybe she could still get her one-billion-dollar engagement gift.

"Dad, please drop me off at the intersection ahead. I have something to do."

At this point, she had no interest in going home to scheme with her mother. She probably wouldn't get much money from Lillian's dowry. Her mother had already done her best, fighting for the most she could get. From now on, she had to rely on herself. Helping herself was the most important thing.

Sabrina had been hoping to go home and chat with her daughter, but she was surprised Bella wanted to go out on her own.

"Bella, isn't that your hotel up ahead?"

Bella replied, "Yes. I don't want to go home. Mom, have the driver take you to the hospital later. I'm going to the hotel to meet someone."

Who it was didn't need to be said. Sabrina understood. Perhaps now was the time for Debbie to be useful and give Bella a hand.

"Do you need me to go with you?"

After all, Debbie had been here for some time, and her daughter was footing the bill for all her food, drinks, and lodging. Now, with her status as Sebastian's mother, it was high time she helped her own daughter out.

It was nearly noon, a time when Debbie would surely have just woken up and be preparing for brunch. So, Bella knew this was the perfect time to catch her.

Other than this time, it was nearly impossible to find Debbie. Bella had no idea how many friends she had, but since coming to Northwyn, Debbie had been endlessly busy with all sorts of plans, indulging in the nightlife. Now, with a male model by her side, she was having an even better time.

What was strange was that in all the time she had been here, she had never once suggested visiting her son. Bella couldn't quite figure out what this woman was thinking.

But none of that mattered. That wasn't her main concern anyway.

Back at the hotel, Bella immediately went to knock on Debbie's room door.

The butler answered. When Bella saw him instead of Lucas, she felt a sliver of relief. After all, that night between her and Lucas… although they hadn't crossed the final line, Lucas was Debbie's plaything. For her to have also dallied with him would make for a rather awkward three-person encounter.

After Bella entered, the butler informed her, "Ms. Harris is just getting ready. I've just prepared her meal. Would Miss Ward like to stay for lunch? I can have the hotel add another portion right away."

Bella nodded. "Yes, please."

She was hungry anyway. At Sebastian's villa, she had filled up on water and was starting to feel famished.

The butler immediately went to carry out her request. Bella sat down to wait, and a few moments later, Debbie emerged from the bathroom. She looked a little surprised to see Bella.

"Bella, what brings you here? You didn't even call to let me know. I would have prepared."

Bella said, "Debbie, it was a last-minute thing. I was worried you might still be sleeping and didn't want to disturb you, so I just came directly."

Debbie smiled. "Not at all. I've been sleeping earlier these past two days, so I've been waking up earlier too."

Early? Bella scoffed internally. It was almost noon. It was lunchtime, and she called that early? So much had already happened at the Blake estate.

Honestly, she was a little envious of Debbie's life. It seemed incredibly comfortable. It was this envy that solidified her determination to marry Sebastian. Only by being with Sebastian could she have the life she wanted. In the future, she would have a child, push Noah out of the way, and take over as the head of the Blake family. Only then could she live a carefree life like Debbie's, with no worries, only money.

"Ms. Harris, how are things going with the money from your friend?"

Since it was a loan from a loan shark, Bella was on the hook for high interest payments, so she was naturally anxious. Now that she was face-to-face with Debbie, she had to ask.

Debbie had probably guessed Bella was coming to ask about this very thing. For her, fabricating an excuse on the spot was laughably easy.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how complicated and troublesome international money transfers were. I'm still waiting on it myself.

"Lately, I've had to be careful with my spending, worried that I'll run out of money before my friend's funds come through. Then I'd be done for, wouldn't I?

"You know how busy that boy Sebastian is. He's always been very generous with me when it comes to money."

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