Chapter 206 Give Me Some Time
Alexander looked at her with somewhat pitiful eyes. Arabella glanced over at Vera and Marvin not far away. The couple was huddled together messing with their catch.
By comparison, Alexander working alone looked pretty lonely.
Since she'd come here with him, no matter how much Arabella wanted to keep her distance, she couldn't ignore her conscience. She nodded. "Okay."
She grabbed a chair and sat down, expecting him to need help gutting the fish. Instead, Alexander just had her sit there. After he'd cleaned each fish and tossed it in the bucket, he'd say, "Can you rinse this one?"
After a moment of silence, Arabella asked, "You want my help... just to rinse the fish?"
Scaling them, removing the guts, none of that required her assistance.
Rinsing already-cleaned fish in water—what skill did that take?
Alexander's expression was completely sincere. "You know these wild fish carry bacteria. You definitely can't touch raw fish guts directly. I cleaned them, but I'm worried about cross-contamination. If you rinse them in clean water, that's perfect."
Arabella didn't know how to respond. She wasn't stupid, Alexander obviously just wanted to spend time with her.
Saying he needed her to rinse fish was really just an excuse to keep her company.
But she didn't say anything in the end. She just nodded, put on gloves, and started washing the fish.
After Arabella finished rinsing them, Vera took the fish away. Marvin seasoned them, skewered them on metal rods, and placed them on the grill.
Before long, the delicious smell of grilling fish filled the air.
Vera brought the first freshly grilled fish over to Arabella like she was presenting a treasure. "Try it! It's amazing."
"Thank you," Arabella said.
She took a bite. The fish was tender, perfectly seasoned, and had a subtle sweetness to it.
It really was delicious.
Alexander was still working on cleaning fish, his head down. "Is it good?"
Arabella nodded. "It's good."
Alexander's tone was casual, like he was commenting on the weather. "Let me try a bite."
Arabella froze.
Both his hands were occupied. Clearly he wanted her to feed him.
She held the skewer without moving. Alexander naturally looked up at her. "You don't want to share even one bite with me?"
Arabella reluctantly brought the grilled fish to his mouth. Alexander ate a bite from her hand and nodded. "Really is good."
Arabella chewed her fish mechanically, distracted.
It wasn't until Alexander had finished cleaning all the fish and handed them off to Vera that he finally washed and sanitized his hands. He sat down next to Arabella and handed her one of two fresh skewers of grilled fish.
"I heard everything you said yesterday."
Arabella instinctively straightened up and looked at him.
Alexander gave her a helpless smile. "But I've loved you for so many years. I can't just walk away in an instant. So... can you give me a little time?"
Arabella opened her mouth, then asked to confirm, "You're agreeing, right?"
Alexander nodded. "I understand your concerns and I'm willing to respect them. But I need a little time."
"How long?" Arabella asked.
Alexander thought for a moment. "A month at most. Is that okay?"
Arabella looked at him. "You promise? You won't drag your feet when the time comes and refuse to go through with it?"
"I won't do something that shameless," Alexander said with a bitter smile. "Do you really think I'm that untrustworthy?"
Arabella shook her head.
Though she thought to herself—if it were the old you, I'd believe you without hesitation. But lately... he'd been getting handsy and acting like a rogue.
Who could trust that?
But she didn't voice any objections. She knew that for someone in Alexander's position, agreeing to this was already a major concession.
Since he was willing to cooperate, she couldn't push too hard. That might backfire.
It just meant that instead of filing for divorce tomorrow when they got back, she'd have to wait another month.
---
Meanwhile, in Majestic City.
Becky came out of the school gates and looked around for Moris.
Not seeing him, she called him on her phone watch. "Mr. Brown, where are you? School's out."
Moris sounded apologetic. "Sorry, Becky. Wait for me by the security booth. I'll be there soon—just hit some traffic. Ten minutes tops. Wait for me and don't wander off."
Becky readily agreed. "Okay, don't rush. Drive safely."
After hanging up, she was about to head toward the security booth when a familiar voice called from behind her. "Becky."
Becky turned around, her expression changing. "Mr. Watson, what are you doing here again?"
Anthony smiled gently. "That thing I gave you the other day—did you put it in her water?"
Becky said impatiently, "No! I would never hurt Ms. Bourbon. Stop coming to find me. I'm not going to help you!"
Anthony's expression darkened. "You didn't give it to her? Aren't you worried that once she has her own children, she won't care about you anymore? What if she sends you back to the orphanage? What will you do then? Maybe if you'd never experienced this life it would be fine, but you have. Can you really stand going back?"
Becky didn't feel like explaining that Mr. FitzRoy had already made comprehensive plans for her future. "That's none of your business anyway. Leave me alone."
Anthony frowned and grabbed her arm. "How about this, you give her the drug and I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars. That's a lot of money. The drug is colorless and tasteless. Even if you use it, no one will know it was you. You'll secure your position and get all that money. Not a bad deal."
Becky shoved him away hard and shouted, "Can you please just leave me alone? Why do you keep trying to make me hurt Ms. Bourbon? I like Ms. Bourbon! I'm happy she's pregnant. I would never hurt her! Stop coming to find me!"
She ran toward the security office.
Anthony started to follow, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Moris parking by the curb. He clenched his fists and walked away.
That idiot Becky actually believed Arabella would still treat her well after having her own children.
Clearly he couldn't count on that moron. He'd have to think of another way.
He could accept Arabella again. But he absolutely could not accept her carrying another man's child.
The thing in her belly had to go.
After walking some distance, he reached his parked car and got in. He dialed a number.
"You said you wanted to repay me, right? The time has come."
---
At the Watson Villa, Jennifer had spent days deliberating before finally deciding to test Anthony.
If Anthony really had killed Bruce, her son was too terrifying.
She couldn't just sit around waiting. What if one day he turned on her... Jennifer didn't dare finish the thought.
Finally, she heard the sound of a car pulling up. Jennifer jumped to her feet. Moments later, Anthony walked in. Seeing her on edge, he frowned. "Mom, what's wrong?"
Jennifer suppressed her fear and tried to sound calm. "Anthony, is there any news about Bruce? I haven't seen him in so long. I can't find him anywhere."
Anthony's expression showed no irregularity. "No, but don't worry. I've got people looking. I'll let you know if I hear anything."
He strode toward the stairs. Jennifer watched his retreating back and couldn't help saying, "Anthony, please look hard, okay? I really love him."
Anthony paused mid-step and turned to smile at Jennifer. "Mom, you think I don't know how important he is to you? Don't worry. As soon as I hear anything, I'll tell you immediately."
Jennifer couldn't detect any deception in his face, but she didn't dare push further. She could only give up for now, smiling awkwardly. "Okay. Go ahead then."
The moment Anthony turned his back on her, the smile vanished from his face completely. He was perceptive enough to notice something off, no matter how well Jennifer hid it.
Jennifer was suspicious.
She probably was wondering if he'd done something. After all, there was surveillance footage showing Bruce getting into his car.
He'd explained that was fake, but whether she believed him was another matter.
But so what if she suspected? He'd been careful. Even if she had doubts, that's all they were—doubts.
Without evidence, she wouldn't dare confront him directly.
---
At Marvin's estate in Europe, after returning from fishing, it was already late afternoon. Alexander had planned other activities, but Arabella saw through his intentions. She firmly refused to stay longer, insisting on returning home with work as her excuse.
Alexander had no choice but to agree.
Vera and Marvin drove them to the airport. Before they left, Vera pulled Arabella aside. "Arabella, don't be scared. Just divorce him. I've got your back—Alex won't dare do anything to you. And that ex-husband of yours? Don't worry about him either. Even after you divorce Alex, I'll protect you."
Arabella was touched. Vera had never particularly liked her, but now she was willing to support her. Arabella didn't want to overthink Vera's underlying motivations. At the very least, Vera's concern and support were genuine.
She nodded. "I know. Thank you."
On the other side, Marvin called Alexander over. "I can tell you two are having relationship problems. Am I right?"
Alexander paused, his voice low. "I'll handle it."
Marvin smiled. "I'm glad you said you'll handle the problem, not run from it or avoid it."
He paused, and for the first time in his life, took on the role of father with genuine gravitas. "You need to respect her. Not giving up is your business, but you can't make her life difficult. That's not persistence—that's harassment. Understand?"
Alexander smiled. "Don't worry."
He turned and pulled Arabella toward the airport entrance.
Once inside, Arabella gently but firmly pulled her hand from his. As if remembering something, she said, "Oh, by the way, tomorrow night my team is having dinner with everyone's partners. If you have time, could you come with me?"
Even though the dinner was really about Faye's situation, she'd already told Gillian and Faye she was married. If she suddenly announced a divorce, she was worried they'd read too much into it.