Return to Monharvest

Ch 03: Accompanying Bella

Bella let out a disappointed sigh. She tried to hide it, but Leon saw it clearly. 

"For a moment, I thought you were an old friend of mine. Your face and voice are quite similar to his," Bella explained.

In her heart, she felt a small sense of relief seeing a man who somewhat resembled Leon—though the man in front of her was, in fact, the one she meant. 

Ten years had passed, and sometimes she still thought of her close friend from that night. As Grasella had said, ever since Billy Vint died, Leon had run away from home and was rumored to have jumped off a cliff in despair.

Bella didn’t fully believe it. Even though everyone knew Leon was dead, in her heart she hoped he was still alive somewhere. She just didn’t know where.

Leon gave a faint smile and said, "Is that so? Other people have said the same thing, that my face looks like someone they know. Maybe my face is just too common, so I resemble the person you’re talking about."

Bella was silent, staring for a long moment at Leon’s handsome face. If the man in front of her really was Leon, she might have jumped for joy and hugged him tightly by now.

After a while, she shifted her gaze to Vander and said, "Just let him wait. I’ll handle it if he causes trouble again."

Vander’s eyes widened slightly. He was already furious at Leon for acting arrogant and beating up two of his men. But since this was Bella’s request, he could only accept it reluctantly. 

"Yes, Miss," Vander said.

After that, the lobby slowly returned to normal. Some guests and employees resumed their activities, though a few of them were still uneasy with Leon’s presence.

The man in the brown suit stared at Leon for a moment before finally leaving, carrying questions about the fear he’d felt toward Leon.

Not long after, Bella walked out of the Pirette Group building, about to get into her maroon car. But she was startled when someone grabbed her left wrist.

"You?" Bella blurted, furrowing her brow slightly.

"Ah, sorry."

Leon immediately released his grip on Bella’s wrist.

"What is it?"

"Are you close with CEO Chloe?" Leon asked.

"Yes, of course. But I can’t help you meet her directly. Rely on yourself. I have other business."

"No. That’s not what I meant."

"Then?"

Leon was silent for a moment, then said, "Can I come with you?"

Bella’s expression changed instantly upon hearing that. Her brows sharpened, as if uncomfortable with what she’d just heard. 

"What do you mean? Why should I bring you? Remember, just because you look like an old friend of mine doesn’t mean you can act however you want with me. Get lost!"

"Um, I mean... no. Wait. I don’t have any bad intentions. I just want to offer my services. I just came from the village and I’m low on cash. These days, it’s really hard to find work in the city. The staff here said you’re going to meet a client. If you want, maybe I could be your bodyguard. Just for today."

In truth, Leon had more than enough money to live in this city for two to five years. He even had a magical storage pouch whose capacity could hold dozens of mountains. Carrying gold coins was easy for him.

He was insisting on going with Bella because with his Heavenly Eye Technique, he saw a black aura surrounding her body—a sign that danger was lurking around the beautiful woman.

Bella was silent for a moment, observing Leon from head to toe. She then narrowed her eyes slightly, growing suspicious of the man in front of her. 

Leon, realizing this, immediately raised his right hand to his ear, fingers pressed together, and said, "I swear by heaven and earth. If I break it, may I be struck by the lightning of the Nine Nether until my soul is destroyed and I cannot reincarnate."

For a moment, Bella was stunned. Then she couldn’t hold back a small laugh, finding Leon’s expression funny. Not to mention his words sounded incredibly archaic for people these days. 

Leon looked confused seeing Bella suddenly laugh at him.

"What is it?" Leon asked, innocently. 

"Forget it." Bella then tossed her car keys toward Leon. "You can drive, right? Sit in the driver’s seat. I’ll show you the way."

Bella opened the middle door and was about to get in. But she stopped when she realized Leon hadn’t moved an inch. 

"What is it? Let’s go!"

Leon gave an awkward smile. "I can’t drive."

Hearing that, Bella really wanted to facepalm. She let out a long sigh and immediately walked over to Leon to take back the car keys. 

After that, Bella walked to the driver’s door. When she saw Leon walking over and about to open the middle door, she immediately scolded him. 

"Hey? What are you doing?"

"Getting in the car," he answered.

Bella sighed in annoyance. "You think I’m your chauffeur, huh? Sit in front!"

Leon smiled faintly seeing Bella look like she wanted to eat him alive. He was actually just teasing her. It had been ten years, and for once he could feel close to his old friend again. 

"By the way, I’m Bella Lavozo. Just call me Bella. I’m the marketing manager at Pirette Group. What about you?"

"I’m Leon."

"Just Leon?"

"Yup."

"Huh. Even the name’s the same. My old friend was also named Leon. He came from one of the most respected families in Monharvest."

"Is that so? How close were you with him? You seemed really excited to meet him when you thought I was that guy."

Bella was quiet for a moment, then looked at Leon with a flat expression. "We just met. Are you trying to dig up my personal information?"

Leon was startled instantly.

"Ah, no. I didn’t mean it like that. My bad."

Bella didn’t comment and refocused on the road. There was no conversation after that. Only the sound of engines and car horns from outside filled the awkward atmosphere inside.

Some time later, they arrived at one of Monharvest’s luxury restaurants.

On the third floor, right in front of the VIP room, Bella asked Leon to stay outside while she went in alone.

Leon didn’t mind. He leaned against the wall, not far from the side of the door, arms crossed over his chest. His left leg bent slightly, crossed over his right.

With his spiritual sense, it was easy for him to monitor every movement inside.

At the large round table, there were at least five men dressed in luxurious suits. One of them looked familiar to Leon. He recognized the blond man with a flat top hairstyle there. That man was Shaun Murph, the sole heir of the highly respected Murph family in Monharvest.

The friendly smiles of the men there lit up when they saw Bella arrive. But Leon knew what was in those men’s minds, just by seeing the greedy glint in their eyes.

"It’s an honor to meet Miss Bella, the belle of Pirette Group. I’m Brian Rakka, founder of Neopolis Data Center."

Another man cut in. "I’m Felix Huge, from the Huge family, owners of Hotel D’Ocean."

Bella only smiled politely at the men there.

A few minutes later, the dinner slowly turned tense when several of the men asked Bella to drink with them.

"Come on, Miss Bella. One glass won’t hurt you," Felix said, his tone pressuring as he grinned widely.

The other men urged Bella to drink. Because this was a business meeting, she had no choice but to act professional. She picked up a shot glass nearby and filled it with wine. 

The men looked at each other and laughed together. The drinks they’d consumed were starting to cloud their judgment. 

Bella’s face immediately scrunched up as she downed a shot of wine. She really couldn’t handle it, she felt like throwing up. But to keep up her image, she forced herself to hold it in. 

"One more glass! One more glass!"

Bella was forced by the situation to drink more than one glass. Leon, who was monitoring from outside, couldn’t stand watching the scene. 

"One more glass!"

"Sorry. I can’t anymore," Bella answered, slightly out of breath. "I drove here. I can’t drink too much."

"Come on, Miss Bella." Shaun gently draped his arm over Bella’s shoulder, looking at her with meaningful eyes. "The last time we met, you seemed so cold. Now, I have a chance to pay my respects to you. Don’t waste my sincere intentions."

"But Mr. Shaun, I have to drive."

Shaun seemed to not care about Bella’s excuse. Just by the aura emanating from Shaun’s body, Leon could see the man’s malicious intent. 

"You don’t need to drive tonight. I’ve already booked a room."

"Mr. Shaun? Isn’t this a bit too much? Besides, your face is too close."

"Huh, who cares. Come on, just one sip. I promise, after this I won’t force you anymore."

Brian then cut in. "Come on, Miss Bella. It’s an honor for you that the young master of the Murph family is offering you a drink."

Bella’s chest was beating fast, making her uncomfortable. Her emotions were nearly out of control. Fear slowly crept in.

"Uh... but—"

Shaun instantly gritted his teeth and gripped Bella’s shoulder hard, making her flinch. 

"I said drink, so drink!" Shaun barked. He then whispered in a threatening tone, "Remember, Bella. This project is very valuable to Chloe. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be the one to bear the consequences. Most of Monharvest is my territory. Even Chloe Pirette has her limits."

Hearing that, Bella’s heartbeat raced even faster. The hairs on her skin stood on end. What should she do?