“Is something wrong?”
Bella asked with concern.
“Let’s meet and talk about it. When can you spare the time?”
“Five o’clock. That’s when we get off work. We’ll meet at the cafe across from your school.”
“Okay.”
Hanging up the phone, Bella also did not think too much. She thought Alice and Louis had some problems. Getting off work in the afternoon, Bella packed up but did not say goodbye to Kevin, directly drove to the cafe across the B School.
When Bella arrived, Alice had not yet arrived. Bella sat at the corner of the cafe waiting for Alice. After about ten minutes, Alice came in a hurry with her bag.
Once seated, Bella saw that Alice’s eyes were red, “Alice, did you have a fight with Louis?”
Alice shook her head, “No.”
“Then what happened to you?”
Alice paused for a moment, looking down and not speaking. After a moment, Alice looked up again and said solemnly, “Bella, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Is Kevin collecting evidence of my mother-in-law’s tax evasion as well as bribing officials?”
Bella gasped, “How do you know?”
“Louis told me that. These days he’s in a very low mood. He’s always worried that something might happen to his mother, and hadn’t slept for several nights in a row.”
“How did he know?”
Bella was a little embarrassed, given her current position.
“My mother-in-law came to see us the day before yesterday and said a bunch of strange things. She said that if anything happened to her, she would let Louis take over from her. She didn’t want the business she founded after she returned home to collapse like this.”
“You’ve eased up with your mother-in-law now?”
“She still doesn’t like me much, but she doesn’t object anymore. Because Louis and I have been married for two years.”
“Why do you look for me today?”
Alice held Bella’s hand, “Bella, can you persuade Kevin to let my mother-in-law go? She is too old to go to jail …”
Bella shook her head in embarrassment, “I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it. Celeste has done a lot of wicked things, and she deserves to be punished.”
“Bella, Celeste goes too far sometimes, but that is because she was abandoned when she was young. She did not do anything evil. If Kevin handed over the evidence, you and I know how serious the consequences will be. I am not looking for you today for the sake of my mother-in-law, but for Louis. I have been married to him for two years but I have never done anything for him. I really do not want to see him worried every day. He may also want to come to you, but he is a man and will feel embarrassed. More importantly, if he comes out to you to help, Kevin will misunderstand, so I think carefully before I come to you to discuss it.”
“Alice, it’s not that I don’t help you, but you don’t know your mother-in-law too well. If Kevin lets her go today, she will definitely get back at him.”
“No, Bella, I promise you she absolutely won’t. My mother-in-law came the day before yesterday when Louis already had a fight with her. Louis accused her of illegal behaviors. She has recognized the mistake and personally promised Louis that if she could be out of the crisis, she would return to live in France. I believe she will definitely not go back on her word.”
Bella did not speak. Alice thought of Louis who was depressed these days and her tears flowed down, “I know you are embarrassed. And we are both embarrassed about our friendship. This is the first time I beg you, Bella. I hope you can promise me. I will definitely remember your kindness.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Bella really couldn’t bear to see her best friend being sad, so she distractedly agreed.
When Bella got home in the evening, Kevin asked worriedly, “Where have you been? Why did you leave work without saying anything?”
“I had some personal matters, and I did not have time to tell you.”
“Why can’t I get through on your cell phone?”
Bella took it out of her bag and looked at it, shrugging, “The battery died …”
After eating dinner, Kevin went into his study to work. Bella struggled in the bedroom for a long time before coming to his study with embarrassment and knocking lightly on the door, “Kevin, can I come in?”
“Come in.”
Kevin answered gently.
Bella pushed the door open and walked in, slowly coming to his side, looking at him with a desire to speak, “Has Celeste’s information been collected?”
“Almost.”
“If you hand in all the information, what will be the result?”
“She’s either executed or given a life sentence. The amount she stole in taxes and bribes is too big.”
Bella fell silent for a moment. Kevin felt puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
“Can you not hand over all of them? I mean you can hand over half of them, such as the part of the bribe, so she shouldn’t get such a serious sentence, right?”
Kevin was curious, “Why are you suddenly speaking for Celeste?”
“Alice approached me in the evening.”
Kevin’s face fell, “Did you tell her after all?”
“No, I didn’t tell her. It was Celeste who had already found out that the accounts were exposed and she told Louis and Alice herself.”
“So you became Alice’s lobbyist?”
“That’s her mother-in-law, after all, the mother of the man she loves so much. Even if no one told Alice to do so, for the sake of the man she loves, she would have done so.”
Kevin sarcastically coldly snorted, “Well, it’s really a great love, but no way.”
“Why?”
“Do I need to say why? Celeste is my public enemy number one. Others are not clear about that, but are you also not clear?”
Bella bit her lips, “I know you hate her, but it’s all in the past. There is never an end to taking revenge. I am now pregnant with a child. We are very happy. I do not want you to live in hatred. Isn’t it good for us to enjoy our happiness together?”
“Do you think others think so too? Celeste won’t be grateful to you. She’ll just laugh at you for being a fool.”
“That’s because you’re thinking too much. If you hand over all the files, Celeste will definitely die. But if you hand over only part of it, it will be enough to make her unable to gain a foothold in B. There’s no need to push her to the edge.”
“Celeste has no way to gain a foothold in B City now, what about later? What if she makes a comeback in the future? Some evils must be eradicated.”
“Celeste is so old. How can she still fight with you? Alice said that as long as you let her go, she and Louis would definitely advise her to settle back in France and never come back.”
“You believe their words that much? Which side are you on? Do you know where you stand?”
Kevin was displeased.
“I am on your side and I know it very well, but also because I know my own position, I will advise you not to do so far. You just imagine Louis will certainly hate you if you send Celeste to prison. Alice is his wife. How can she still befriend me? Are our years of friendship going to be sacrificed innocently in your dark fight?”
“You try so hard to plead for Celeste. Is it because of Alice or Louis?”
Bella was stunned and suddenly pushed him in anger, “What do you mean? If you don’t agree, don’t speculate wildly!”
Bella left his study in chagrin, knowing that Kevin would mistake her pleading for Celeste for Louis’s sake.
The next day, Bella asked Alice out and told her helplessly that she tried her best, but the result was regrettable.
Alice was silent for a long time, and finally got up and said, “Okay, I know, thanks.”
Alice only said this throughout, and after she finished, she got up and left.
Through the transparent window of the cafe, Bella stared at Alice’s fading back. Bella had mixed feelings and felt unpleasant.
Bella was walking down the street in a daze when a man suddenly scurried up to her and asked unexpectedly, “What are you thinking about?”
Jerking her head up and seeing the man standing in front of her, Bella cried out in surprise, “Conrad?”
“What an honor! You still remember me.”
Bella didn’t expect to meet him here. The gloom in her heart flashed away. Bella said excitedly, “Huh, how could I not remember you? We’re good friends and relatives, close to each other. I shouldn’t forget you.”
“Let’s go, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Conrad was still the same as two years ago, optimistic and handsome, carrying a big guitar. But his hair was longer, with the wild beauty of boys in the band.
“Where have you been for the past two years?”
Bella asked hurriedly.
“I’ve been fooling around, running around the world.”
“Singing all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Do you get married?”
“No.”
“Are you dating someone?”
“No.”
Bella felt that there were so many things she wanted to say to him that she couldn’t finish it all day and night.
“You’re not going to leave when you come back this time, right? You are not young. I heard from Kevin that your father is almost angry with you. He only has a son but your family does not even know your whereabouts.”
“It depends. I used to wandering outside. I can’t stay at home.”
Bella timidly asked a sensitive question, “Have you contacted Freya?”
Conrad looked gloomy and quickly shook his head, “No.”
“Then do you know her whereabouts?”
“No.” Conrad added, “I lost track of her a long time ago.”
“Do you still like her?”
Conrad smiled self-deprecatingly, “I like her when I first met her. But I don’t like her anymore.”
Bella sighed with emotion, “What exactly was the previous Freya like? Why could she charm you and Kevin, two men with distinguished families?”
“Two words to sum it up.”
“Which two words?”
“She was an angel before, but later she was a devil.”
“It’s not easy to transform from an angel to a devil. I wonder if she can be like who she used to be.”
“She can’t.”