Chapter 188

Chapter 188

A week flew by in the blink of an eye.

After visiting several cities, Bella and Wallace decided to stay in Oceancrest City for a while before getting engaged.

They hadn't gotten married yet because the custom in Seaside City was to get engaged first and then handle the marriage paperwork.

Bella frowned as she looked at the information about the crashed plane on her phone.

[There were 163 passengers on board when it took off. The plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, and only 34 bodies were recovered...]

Out of over a hundred people on the plane, only 34 bodies were found. What a tragic contrast.

What bothered Bella was that she hadn't heard anything about the Watson family holding a funeral for Emily.

Her phone rang, and she answered the call. It was Scarlett.

"Bella, I found out what you asked me to look into. It seems like the Watson Group is really going under, and even the chairman has been replaced."

Bella was surprised. "Replaced by who?"

Scarlett teased her before revealing, "It's one of Emily's distant uncles. Can you believe it? I didn't see that coming either."

After hanging up, Bella felt a mix of emotions, especially thinking about the things Emily had told her.

If it was all true, then the Watson Group's downfall couldn't be separated from Edward. But that had nothing to do with Bella; she wasn't about to sympathize with her enemy.

Bella just thought Emily's death was too suspicious.

A week later, Fallon was discharged from the hospital. Hearing that Bella and Wallace had settled down and might hold an engagement party in Oceancrest City, Fallon immediately sent over a wedding dress.

Wallace was holding the exquisite dress, examining it. "We picked out two dresses. Let's use this one for the engagement and the other for the wedding."

Bella was momentarily stunned, subconsciously thinking about her unexpected encounter with Edward last time.

Wallace continued dreaming about the future. "Once we're engaged and have the marriage paperwork done, we'll go back and have the wedding. By the end of the year, we could have our own little family."

For some reason, Bella felt a strong resistance in her heart.

It seemed that deep down, she didn't want to start a family with anyone else.

Bella nodded. "Whatever you say. Let's invite your colleagues from the hospital too."

That evening, Wallace had something to do and told her he needed to go out.

Bella thought about making something to eat.

But she overestimated herself and nearly set the kitchen on fire, so she resigned herself to going out to eat.

On the way, Bella couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

She deliberately went into a store and asked the clerk to check if there was anyone suspicious outside.

The clerk saw no one.

Bella wondered if she was mistaken. "Really, no one?"

The clerk suggested, "If you don't believe me, maybe you should call the police."

Bella thought about it but decided against it. She gave up on eating out and bought some food to take home.

When Wallace returned, Bella told him about the incident, which immediately caught his attention.

Wallace opened the curtains on the third floor and looked outside.

"I didn't see any unfamiliar cars when I came up, but I believe you. You need to be careful."

Bella knew this was serious. She had already been tricked and nearly burned to death once.

If it happened again, she didn't know if she'd survive.

But Wallace didn't want to keep her cooped up at home. "We're here on vacation. It's not realistic to keep you inside all the time."

Wallace added a tracker to her phone so he could find her if anything happened, making Bella feel more at ease.

A couple of days later, Wallace had to go to the local hospital to handle some matters, leaving Bella alone at home.

That evening, Bella went out to take out the trash and noticed someone following her.

She immediately took out her phone to contact Wallace, but someone suddenly tackled her from behind. "Hey, caught a pretty lady."

The strong smell of alcohol hit her nose.

Just as Bella was about to fight back, the weight on her lifted.

The drunk man was pulled away, and she heard several pained grunts in the dark.

From Bella's angle, she could only see a man holding the drunkard, his fists landing repeatedly.

But that figure was too familiar to be mistaken."Edward?" she called out.

Edward stopped, kicked the drunk man, who limped away.

Then Edward sneered, "Why is it that every time I run into you, you're in some kind of trouble?"

Bella frowned. "It's not like I want this."

They both fell silent, the atmosphere growing tense.

After a long pause, Edward spoke again. "Walking alone at night without Wallace—are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Even after all this time, Edward's words were still harsh.

But he had just helped her, so Bella didn't want to say anything mean.

Just as Bella was thinking of how to respond, Edward turned and walked away.

Seeing Edward leave so abruptly, Bella was surprised and incredulous. She thought he would stick around to bother her, but he didn't.

Bella returned home with mixed feelings.

When Wallace came back, looking visibly exhausted, Bella didn't mention what had happened.

He was already busy enough; there was no need to burden him with this.

Bella thought the stalker had been dealt with.

But after only a day or two of peace, the person started following her again, keeping a consistent distance.

Every time Bella turned around, she couldn't catch them, growing more anxious by the day. One day, while walking by the artificial lake, she jumped in.

With a splash, Edward pulled the soaking Bella out. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Bella stared at him, stunned.

After a long silence, she finally asked, "Have you been the one following me all this time?"

Edward's shirt was soaked, clinging to his muscles.

He quickly pulled Bella out. "If you want to die next time, do it far away from me. At least don't make me waste my energy saving you."

Bella didn't respond.

It was clear now that Edward had been following her.

The drunk man from a few days ago might have been a setup by Edward or just a coincidence.

Bella's lips were pale. "Why are you doing this?"

Edward was about to answer when her phone slipped from her pocket.

He instinctively caught it, then felt a pang of irony.

"With all this happening, you didn't think to call your boyfriend? He's really doing a great job, isn't he?"

Bella's eyelid twitched, knowing Edward was up to no good.

She pulled her phone from Edward's hand and walked towards the shore. "Thanks for saving me. Let's leave it at that."