Bella squirmed as she woke up from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, she found the atmosphere in the room to be unfamiliar compared to what she usually saw.
For a moment, Bella carefully assessed her surroundings, convinced that the room and the bed she was lying in weren’t hers. She quickly turned to the side and indeed, at that moment, Bella’s eyes landed on Edward, lying on the sofa wrapped in a thick blanket.
Reflexively, Bella peeked under the blanket covering her body, relieved to see her clothes still intact. At least, the incident that she and Edward had experienced before didn’t repeat itself.
Then, Bella took a deep breath and sighed softly. She remembered helping Edward with a report last night. Perhaps due to fatigue and the lateness of the hour, she must have fallen asleep.
“Bella… why do you always manage to get yourself into trouble? How could you fall asleep in the master’s bedroom?”
Bella scratched her head while grumbling softly. She felt both uncomfortable and guilty for making Edward sleep on the sofa.
Assuming the owner of the room was still fast asleep, Bella slowly crawled down from the bed. She tidied it up first, then stealthily moved like a thief, intending to leave Edward’s room.
“Where are you going?”
Bella was 100% sure she had been very cautious. Moreover, her footsteps made no loud noise whatsoever. But why did it wake Edward up from his sleep?
“I-I’m going out, Sir.”
Bella replied sheepishly. She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even bring herself to look.
“Your Hello Kitty sandals are near the table. Don’t forget to take them out.”
Bella briefly closed her eyes. How could she forget to take out her own belongings? Nodding, Bella quickly grabbed her sleeping sandals, said thank you, and promptly left Edward’s room.
She couldn’t figure out what sins she had committed in the past. Why had her life been so unlucky ever since she moved into the Cullen family’s residence? There was always some trouble or mistake she made that caused her to endure embarrassment.
Still feeling guilty for eating the cake Edward had bought yesterday, Bella decided that after breakfast today, she would make cheesecake. After all, rather than being bored and confused about what to do, she thought it would be best to spend her time expressing her talents.
Assisted by Clara, who bought all the ingredients at the supermarket, Bella looked serious in the kitchen. She processed all the ingredients, trying to make the cheesecake as delicious as possible to give to Edward as a replacement for the cake she had carelessly eaten yesterday.
“How about I help?” Clara offered again. It was her duty to ensure that Bella didn’t overexert herself during her pregnancy.
“No.” Bella seemed to refuse. Turning around, she shook her head. “It’s almost done, Clara. You don’t need to help at all. Besides, making cheesecake is very easy.”
Clara smiled. “From what I observe, Miss Bella seems to be very happy when she’s in the kitchen. Whether cooking, baking, or doing anything else.”
Bella nodded in agreement. For her, the kitchen was heaven. The best place to indulge her hobbies.
“Since I was a child, I’ve always loved the kitchen. There are so many lessons I’ve learned here. My late father used to be a pastry chef, and my mother was naturally good at cooking as well. Even since I was 10 years old, they taught me many things. Whether it’s making simple cakes or dishes from around the world.”
“So, because of that, you love the kitchen.”
“Exactly,” Bella nodded as she took out an aluminum tray from the oven. Making sure that the cake she baked was cooked and ready to be eaten.
“Hmm, it smells really nice,” Clara praised, rising from her seat. She was curious about the cake Bella had made. “It looks delicious.”
“Of course,” Bella replied confidently. Then she handed a medium-sized cup to Clara for her assistant to taste. “Try it. Then, give me a worthy score.”
Clara agreed, nodding. Taking the small spoon Bella offered, she cut a piece of the cheesecake and quickly tasted it.
“Oh my God… I’m not exaggerating. But, it really tastes good. You could open your own bakery.”
Bella laughed. It wasn’t the first time she had received praise like Clara had just said.
“In that case, I’ll give another cake to Mr. Edward. Since he’s not working today.”
Clara helped Bella move several cups of cheesecake onto a tray. Then, she let the beautiful woman go upstairs to meet Edward, who was in his office.
“Excuse me.”
After knocking on the door and being welcomed in, Bella approached Edward slowly. Seeing him relaxed, Bella dared to offer the cake she had painstakingly made.
“What’s up?” Edward asked curiously.
“Sorry to disturb you, Sir. I came here to bring a replacement cheesecake for the one I ate yesterday.”
Then Bella placed the tray containing several cups of cheesecake on Edward’s desk. She invited him to try it.
“Please try it. I’m sure it’s just as delicious as the one you bought yesterday.”
Wanting to appreciate Bella’s gesture, Edward took a cup and tried it. A little hesitant, he chewed slowly on Bella’s homemade cheesecake.
“How is it?” Bella asked, curious.
“Well, it’s not bad,” Edward replied. Bella nodded in relief. At least her cake was still acceptable and edible to Edward.
“In that case, please enjoy it. I’ll excuse myself now.”
“Wait,” Edward stopped her as he saw Bella turning around.
“What’s up, Sir?”
Edward remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t clear what he was thinking. But, not long after, his expression clearly showed he felt awkward.
“I want to thank you for your help last night.”
“Help?” Bella’s eyebrows furrowed, processing the word ‘help’ Edward had just said.
“Yes. About the report last night. Thank you for helping to solve the problem that I was having trouble finding a solution to.”
Bella nodded in understanding.
“Ah, you’re welcome, Sir. I just did what I could.”
“As a token of appreciation, you may ask for anything. If it’s easy, I’ll grant it right away.”
Bella didn’t expect what Edward said. It had never crossed her mind to receive a gift just because she had casually helped out last night.
“No need, Sir. You don’t have to give anything. I just helped.”
“No. I don’t want to owe you. You can ask for anything. I promise to give it.”
Bella became confused. Therefore, she thought for a moment about what she should ask Edward for without appearing to take advantage. Until finally, she remembered something.
“Well, actually, since yesterday I’ve been wanting to go to the movies. Coincidentally, one of my favorite Marvel movies is showing, and today is the last day. I—”
“You can go watch it,” Edward said confidently. Without hesitation, he immediately gave permission to Bella. After all, he didn’t think it was a problem for a pregnant woman to go to the movies. “I’ll ask my assistant to book the tickets. You can watch it tonight with Clara accompanying you.”
Bella cheered inwardly. Remembering Renata’s words that golden opportunities don’t come twice.
Moreover, she was so bored always staying at home without doing anything. Bella missed her previous life, where she could go anywhere, do anything, without any restrictions like now. Besides, Marvel movies had always been her favorite.
“So, are you giving permission?”
“Yes,” Edward nodded confidently.
“Thank you so much, Sir.”
Bella couldn’t hide her happiness. She never expected Edward to allow her to leave the house. Now, she just had to rest for a while. Before getting ready to go out with Clara later in the evening.
Later that afternoon, when Edward had just finished swimming, he found Bella sitting watching TV in the living room. She should have been getting ready. He remembered giving permission and preparing VIP tickets so she could go to the movies tonight.
“Why are you still here? Aren’t you going to the movies with Clara tonight?”
Edward asked immediately, making sure Bella hadn’t forgotten her schedule.
“It seems I’m not going to watch it, Sir.”
Edward pulled a puzzled face. He seemed confused by what Bella said. After all, earlier in the afternoon, she seemed enthusiastic about watching her favorite movie.
“Not going? Why? Didn’t I already give permission?”
Bella nodded. Her face looked sad.
“Just now, Clara received a call saying her son is sick and was taken to the hospital. She also asked me to convey to you that she’s currently heading to the hospital to make sure her son’s condition is okay.”
“Ah, I see.” Edward seemed to understand. So that’s why Bella was still at home.
“It’s okay if I don’t go today,” Bella said again. “There will be other chances.”
“But isn’t today the last day?”
“It’s okay. I can—”
“Let me accompany you to the movies tonight.”
Bella was startled. She was sure she didn’t mishear. For what reason? Just now, Edward offered to accompany her to watch the movie.
“You must be joking.”
“No,” Edward shook his head. “Get ready now. I’ll drop you off and accompany you to watch the movie tonight. Consider it my thank you to you. Besides, I promised to grant all your requests.”