Running around recklessly was not going to help the situation.
Justin decided to ask Bella to stop standing in the cold wind and return to the villa to warm up.
In the meantime, he got his people to begin the search and contacted Ryan to send reinforcements.
The two of them sat side by side on the sofa.
This time, it felt different. They were much closer than before, no longer separated by another person.
It felt natural, like two magnets drawn to each other. Neither knew who leaned toward whom first. But at the moment, Bella had no interest in romance.
She sat curled up on the sofa, her arms wrapped around herself, her damp jacket still on as a chill crept through her body.
Bella sat quietly and listened as Justin made calls, directing the search efforts with his usual calm and meticulous manner.
In the past, his presence would have been enough to ease her mind. But this time, her thoughts were in chaos.
The anguish in her heart felt like it was being torn apart by relentless, sharp claws, the piercing pain radiating through her chilled body and leaving her struggling to breathe under the weight of her emotions.
“Young Madam, please take off your jacket, or you’ll catch a cold!” Wilma hurried over with a cup of hot tea, holding it out to Bella with both hands. “Drink this while it’s hot. It’ll warm you up.”
Bella hesitated. “I’m fine. Give it to Mr. Salvador instead.”
“He’s as tough as steel! When he was a kid, he rolled in the snow and swam in frozen lakes during winter training. Stop worrying about him!”
Justin continued his call with Ryan, but his intense gaze shifted toward Bella upon hearing this.
Bella’s elegant, pale features revealed her inner turmoil.
Despite her efforts to mask her emotions, her body trembled beneath the snow-white jacket, like a fragile ice sculpture on the verge of shattering at the slightest breath of wind.
After finishing the call, Justin’s voice had a gentle tone. “Ryan’s on his way. Don’t worry. Ms. Smith’s a tough one.”
Bella handed him the cup with both hands. “Thank you, Mr. Salvador.”
“No need for that,” Justin said, waving off the tea.
As he lowered his gaze, his eyes landed on Bella’s hands. Once flawless like porcelain, they now bore faint scars from the frostbite.
A pang shot through Justin’s chest.
His thin lips moved slightly, as though he wanted to ask if her wounds still hurt.
Before he could speak, Bella beat him to it. She asked, “Is Ryan on his way?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Divorced Heiress’s Revenge (Anna and Justin)