Chapter 145 Love, Jealousy, and Misunderstandings
"Master?" Bella suddenly realized something was amiss.
Alice had come over so early, calling out "master." If it wasn't referring to William, then who could it be?
William remained silent. Bella stared at Alice, her face full of confusion, mixed with a bit of shock.
She had previously created a group chat with Alice and Lila.
Although the three of them hadn't chatted much in the group, in Bella's understanding, Lila and William should have had more interactions. As for Alice, hadn't she never even met William?
"Why are you here?" Alice faced Bella confrontationally. The smile that had filled her face moments ago suddenly turned cold.
It was well known that William was fond of Evelyn; being his apprentice, she had no right to object to that. However, she couldn't tolerate other women coming over to her master's house so early, possibly even having arrived the night before.
"I obviously came to see William on an errand," Bella raised her eyebrows, realizing the situation was not straightforward. Among the younger generation, Alice's achievements in the medical field were undoubtedly top-notch. She referred to William as her mentor? Did this imply that aside from his astonishing alcohol tolerance, William was also an expert in medicine? If this was true, it would explain why her grandfather valued William so much. A young medical prodigy indeed deserved his favor.
"What are you here for?" In front of Bella, Alice no longer needed to play the role of William's distant cousin. Even if she did, Bella wouldn't believe it given her intelligence.
William said, "She invited me to dinner tonight."
"Don't go, I'll take you out," Alice didn't want any other woman getting close to her master.
William responded, "She has already paid, and invited me to dinner, why shouldn't I go?"
Puffing her cheeks, Alice said, "How much did she give? I'll pay double!"
Frowning, William said, "Why would a master take money from his apprentice? Besides, I have already agreed to it; I can't go back on my word."
"Oh, fine." Alice pouted, clearly unhappy. But she quickly recovered, her eyes lighting up as she said, "Then can I come along? At most, I will pay for whatever I order."
Alice couldn't understand it; William was not someone short of money. It was evident from the Pewter tea cup he sold previously. So why did he agree to have dinner with Bella?
Could it be that her master had been seduced by Bella's beauty?
Ridiculous!
Beautiful appearances were not eternal; in a few years, she would have sagging breasts and a distorted figure!
William had no idea that Alice would think so much about it, and said, "We are going to that charity gala at York Brimstone tonight, aren't you also attending?"
"Heh!" Alice sneered coldly at Bella, "The food at the gala is free, does that even count as you inviting my master to dinner? I have tickets too; there's no need to go with you."
Bella huffed, "Your master has already agreed to help me deal with the date arranged by my parents; he naturally has to accompany me in the afternoon."
Alice paused for a moment, then leaned in close to William and whispered, "Master, don't forget we had an appointment with Evelyn. Are you sure about going with this woman and even helping her deal with the date arranged by her parents? Aren't you afraid Evelyn will misunderstand?"
"What is there to misunderstand? I am open and aboveboard in my actions; there's nothing to it, just a dinner." William was genuinely unconcerned. He and Evelyn were not even a couple yet; what was there to fear about misunderstandings?
"Yeah, yeah, you are a straightforward person, master. If you want to go, just go. Can I, as your apprentice, stop you?" Alice was clearly dissatisfied. Was William really short of money?
He was already quite wealthy.
And yet he agreed to have dinner with another woman!
Wasn't this because he was enticed by someone else's beauty, harboring greedy thoughts?
Most importantly, Bella looked like a seductive little demon, with a great figure, clearly someone who specialized in luring others. This older woman chose such an unreliable shield. Out of everyone she could have chosen, she chose William. Was there any need to explain what intentions she harbored? For a moment, Alice's gaze towards Bella became even more hostile.
She was already at that age and still wanted to use her wealth and beauty to seduce young people!
Absolutely shameless!
Bella could clearly feel the resentment emanating from Alice. She smiled and glanced at the vegetables in Alice's hands, asking, "Alice, how come you took William as your master? And coming over so early in the morning with vegetables?"
Alice let out a cold laugh, "Do I need to report to you when I come to eat at my master's house? On the other hand, Bella, you are here at my master's house so early, could it be that you slept here last night?"
William shot Alice a deep glance, and Alice immediately shut her mouth, daring not to say more. However, she turned her head away, unwilling to show weakness.
Bella was an adult, and of course, she wouldn't blush from such a provocative comment. Her smile vanished as she remarked, "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"
Alice's face grew hot, but she still glared at Bella, replying, "Is there something wrong with your eyes? Would you like me to check it for you?" Surprisingly, she put down the vegetables and casually pulled out a magnifying glass.
Bella met her gaze again and detected strong hostility in Alice's eyes.
"I think I'll drop it," Bella said, realizing she must have angered Alice. Although she didn't believe Alice would really do anything, she understood that people, when angry, might do anything. If she kept going and Alice got angry, creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere and initiating a conflict, it would be bad.
William calmly stated, "Alright, Alice, put the vegetables in the refrigerator; we need to take a trip to the store."
"Okay." Alice didn't want to keep arguing with Bella on this topic and walked towards the house carrying the vegetables.
Once Alice had gone inside, Bella finally said, "William, your apprentice is indeed obedient, but I wonder what kinds of things you are teaching her?"
William didn't answer her; instead, he looked at Bella with a cold gaze.
Bella felt her heart flutter in panic, the stare making the pressure around her seem to multiply, and she felt restless, unsure of where to place her hands and feet.
Lifting his eyelids slightly, William turned and said, "Forget it, I won't interfere in the affairs between you girls, but don't bully her."
Bella nearly burst into tears. Where had she bullied Alice? Considering Alice's confrontational personality, who would dare to provoke her?
William didn't want to elaborate further. Generally, he was a person with a good temper, but he indeed had a tendency to be biased towards others, feeling that some words Bella said earlier were somewhat insulting. Alice was his student, and Bella's words seemed to imply an improper relationship between them.
Although William wasn't overly concerned with these so-called moral norms, what if Alice cared?
It must be understood that some girls take their reputation very seriously, even more than their lives.
He couldn't tolerate anyone bullying his student!
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l