Arnold was silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "But I believe he will choose the former. A man who has reached the pinnacle of his life cannot tolerate falling back into the depths, especially a man like him—so much pride and self-respect."

"Justin nearly gave half his life to build Salvador Corporation... I was his wife for three years, and no one understands better than I do what he went through to get here." Bella shook her head in frustration and continued, "Even if it means exhausting himself completely, he will never give up on Salvador Corporation."

"Drug addiction has no cure. The only solution is to endure it with sheer willpower. All I can do is help him alleviate the symptoms. Bella, I'm sorry." Arnold's restrained voice carried a hint of bitterness.

"Please don't say that, Arnold. You've already done so much for Justin. It's enough." Bella's eyes stung as she blinked back tears. "By the way, Aunt Mila and I visited Uncle Alvin the other day. He asked me to pass on a message to you. He wanted me to say sorry on his behalf."

There was a long silence on the other end of the call.

"It's all in the past. Apart from his strong opposition to my relationship with Asher, I've never really hated him, not even for a moment, from childhood until now," Arnold said as he took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to hold back some emotion, and laughed with a sense of relief.

"Though now that I think about it, I really should've listened to my father. If I hadn't gotten involved with Asher back then, I think I would've lived a much happier life than I do now."

After the call ended, Bella's heart felt as though it had been trampled by a thousand horses. She felt an indescribable weariness and sorrow.

She could tell that Arnold still had feelings for her brother.

But how could the deep wounds that lay between them ever be mended and healed?

Just then, her phone buzzed, and a WhatsApp message popped up on the screen.

[Asher: Bella, I have a lead on Arnold's whereabouts. I'm flying to Meridan tonight to replace him.]

Bella's chest tightened, but she remained optimistic and cheered him on.

[Bella: Make sure you bring Arnold back! Ash, you can do it!]

[Asher: If you get tired, don't push yourself too hard. Aunt Mila and the others can help you.] Steven approached with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and placed it on the desk. "Ms. Bella, the weather isn't great today. The roads are a mess and slippery. It might be best to hold off on visiting the project site until tomorrow."

"Alright, that's fine." Bella took a sip of the coffee, pausing in thought. "For today, I'd like you to come with me to see Grandpa Nigel."

After lunch, Steven drove Bella to the villa at Crescent Bay.

"Grandpa Nigel, I'm here to see you!"

As soon as Bella stepped inside, she saw Nigel dressed neatly and sitting in a wheelchair, with his secretary, Matt, behind him.

"Bella, you're here!" Nigel greeted her with a kind smile, but there was a trace of unease in his eyes, clearly not expecting her sudden visit.

"Grandpa Nigel, are you heading out?"

"Yes, I'm going to visit an old friend."

"The weather outside is terrible, Grandpa Nigel. Let me drive you," Bella offered immediately.

Before Bella could finish speaking, Nigel swiftly declined her offer. "Don't worry about it, Bella. Matt will accompany me. It's freezing out there. You should either go home and come back in the next few days or stay here and wait for me to return for dinner."

A sense of suspicion arose in Bella's heart as she watched them leave.

Nigel had always been open with her, never hiding anything. She had met all of his remaining old friends before. There was no reason for him to be so secretive.

The moment she heard the luxury car leave the courtyard, Bella rushed out of the villa, jumped into her car, and instructed Steven urgently, "Steve, follow them!"

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