Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)
Chapter 178

Chapter 178 Not a Joke to Make

Bella despised being led by the nose and mindlessly following him into one trap after another. She was beginning to lose her ability to differentiate between reality and drearms.

When she awoke, the sky had already darkened. As she sat up, she noticed Pudding lying next to her bed. She smiled and patted her head. "Have you been accompanying me the whole day? You're such a good girl!"

Pudding licked the back of her hand. Her obedient behavior, tinged with the longing for approval, made Bella sad. She assured her, "You don't have to be so careful. We won't leave you behind. Nobody will. From now on, this is your-"

Suddenly, the sound of a car came from downstairs, and Pudding knew Dominic was back. After getting Bella's approval, Pudding immediately opened the door and dashed downstairs. Despite being a dog, her movements were graceful and not at all clumsy. Meanwhile, Bella deliberately remained in her room until dinner time before slowly walking downstairs.

Just as she sat down at the dining table, Dominic slid a glass of chamomile tea in front of her

that looked delicious.

She resisted and pushed the glass aside. "Let's end this, okay? Let's get back to how things used to be. After all, we've been living together for 20 years. Give me a way out."

However, he remarked casually, "What are you thinking about? Sylvia made it for you. It's entirely up to you whether you drink it or not."

For a moment, Bella was dumbfounded. She pursed her lips and added, "I'm not talking about just this. I give up, okay? Let's pretend I never liked you because you really don't have to do this. If you want to get back at me, replace another way." Suddenly, Dominic's expression grew serious as he questioned, "Why did you take care of me when I was injured?"

"That's because I owe you. I did everything I could to compensate you to make things event between us. No matter how kind I am to you, it's because I should be. But I'm begging you not to be kind to me because I can't take such a joke.

After hearing her words, a cold sneer formed on his face. "I don't need your compensation. You should accept my kindness and suck it up when I'm not being kind to you. Bella, stop. being ungrateful. I don't have the time or energy to play games with you." Then, with a sulky expression, he placed a piece of meat on her plate.

Chapter 170 Nor

Bella couldn't understand what he was thinking. She had laid everything out clearly in front of him, yet in the end, she was the one who ended up bewildered.

Since the dinner ended with their unpleasant conversation, neither of them said a word when they bumped into each other in the garage the next day. They simply drove off into their separate cars.

At that moment, Bella was utterly helpless. If she hadn't addressed the situation and simply went along with him, she'd ultimately fall for him. But now that she had been frank, they were in an awkward situation. It seemed like no matter what choice she made, all that was left was

torment.

Upon reaching the hospital, she could hear people discussing lan's matter. Steven had invited the media to attend his wedding, and now, everyone knew about lan's identity as Steven's son. When Steven announced his remarriage previously, he didn't reveal his bride's identity, which explained why lan only found out the truth at the last minute. It all seemed like a perfectly staged skit, and no one could guess what was going through the thoughts of the father and

son.

Yet, people were more interested in lan's family background as he was already a talented and admired professor. The news of him being revealed as the heir of the Clarke family stirred people up more than anything else.