Chapter 132: An unpleasant encounter
"Work?" Gina scoffed, folding her arms across her chest in a stance of blatant disdain. Her lips curled into a mocking smile as she surveyed Bella with an air of superiority. "Do you even know what kind of place this is? How could someone like you, with no background in the fashion industry, possibly have worked here?"
Bella’s lips twisted into a bitter chuckle. "For your information, I am Miss Willow Taylor’s assistant," she said with quiet defiance. "Of course, I’m here to carry out my boss’s commands."
She deliberately left out the fact that her own design dresses had been stitched at Joshua’s studio. It was a closely guarded secret that she would reveal in public at the right time.
Gina’s eyes widened in disbelief, the name clearly catching her off guard. "Willow Taylor?" she repeated with incredulity.
The thought that Theodore’s haughty sister would employ someone like Bella as her assistant seemed too far-fetched for Gina to comprehend. She assumed, perhaps, that Theodore had pulled strings for Bella.
"Hmph!" Gina snorted, her disdainful expression deepening. "Do you even have the qualifications to be her assistant? If it weren’t for Theodore, you wouldn’t have had a chance to step into her office."
Bella’s smile widened into something almost smug, the satisfaction of keeping her real story hidden giving her an edge. She didn’t reveal that she had met Willow long before Theodore entered her life, or that she had earned her merit position alone, not through anyone’s influence.
"Yes, it’s because of him," Bella confessed with a calculated calm, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that." She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a whisper that was chilling. "He is my husband, after all, and he’ll do anything to fulfill all my wishes."
The words struck Gina like a slap, and her eyes flared with anger. "You, shameless bitch!" she spat.
Bella’s expression hardened, her eyes turning icy cold. The memories of Gina and Theodore standing too close for comfort flashed through her mind, fueling the anger that simmered just beneath the surface.