Next day.
Finally, the long-awaited day had arrived. Bella and Tristan would have dinner tonight at the Golden House, the official residence of the president of this country, Jayson Spencer, and his family.
Bella couldn’t hide her nervousness. This was the first ti she’d officially gone out with Tristan to et his friends or business partner.
When she t the designer a few days ago, Bella asked her to design a dress that wouldn’t reveal her body’s curves because she didn’t want others to know about her tiny baby bump.
Now, Bella stared at herself in front of the mirror, dressed in a black knee-length dress with a round neck—a simple, classy dress.
As usual, Bella didn’t wear makeup; she just applied colorless lip gloss to look fresh. She let her wavy black-ink hair flow down to her back. But she still felt like sothing was missing from her appearance.
She moved to the jewelry table in the middle of the walk-in closet, and her eyes landed on a white gold necklace with a small, round pink diamond pendant. She decided to wear it.
However, another dilemma arose when she stood before the massive shoe cabinet. She suddenly felt she was starting to get exhausted looking at the many amazing pairs of shoes she could choose to wear.
’Gosh! I feel like staying ho rather than going out!’
She couldn’t wear sneakers to this dinner; it wouldn’t be polite. But if she wore high heels, she wouldn’t be able to stand for long.
’Sigh!’
"Darling, what’s wrong?" Tristan asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He looked at the row of shoes before them and knew what was troubling her now.
He tilted his head to see her face more clearly as he asked, "Do you not like your shoe collection? Want to buy you other pairs? I can have them sent here tomorrow," he offered.
Bella smiled and shook her head.
"No, I’m just confused about which pair to wear," she said.
"I see. Wear sothing simple and the one you like," he suggested. "Ah, don’t wear sothing high; you are pregnant now. Worry you will be uncomfortable."
After a few monts of silence, Bella finally decided to wear black flats with gold accents. She put on her flats and turned to face Tristan.
"How do I look? Is it decent? I’m worried I might be too casual for this formal dinner."
"You look beautiful, dear. Don’t worry, this is a family event, not a formal dinner," Tristan explained, showing her his attire. "As you can see, I’m only wearing this black slim-fit shirt and trousers. I’m not wearing a suit tonight."
Bella felt relieved.
"Okay, we must go now, dear, or we’ll make them wait. Oh, and don’t forget your coat; it’s getting chilly outside," Tristan said, grabbing his black coat.
She also took her light coat, similar in color to Tristan’s beige trousers, before following him out of the bedroom.
They t Dax and the others in the living room but didn’t stay long to chat with them because they didn’t want to be late for their dinner.
As they walked outside, Bella was surprised that Tristan would be driving himself.
"Tristan, why are you driving?" Bella casually asked while putting on her seatbelt.
Tristan quickly glanced at her. "Well, I want to drive with my pretty wife. Just the two of us, no driver or guard," he said, smiling at her before starting the engine.
Bella slightly shook her head, doubting his answer. She knew Tristan would never leave the house alone without a guard.
He chuckled at his wife’s doubts, "I don’t want to stay there too long. If they ask to stay for a drink, I’ll refuse because I’m driving."
The car slowly moved out of the yard. Bella didn’t ask further; she tried to enjoy the scenery.
After they left the gate, Bella quietly smiled when she spotted two black SUVs following their car. Her suspicions were confird, but she decided to set aside her curiosity about Tristan’s plans.
She refocused on the scenery outside as they sped towards the city center.
After a few minutes, sothing bothered her. She glanced at Tristan, who was focused on driving, eyes on the road ahead.
"Tristan, you said earlier that this isn’t a formal dinner, but it’s a Spencer family dinner, right?"
"Yes, that’s correct," Tristan replied, still focused on the road.
"Will Sean be there?" Bella wanted to ask him, but the words remained stuck in her throat. She kept her lips sealed and tried to act casually to calm her nerves.
Bella felt anxious because she hadn’t spoken to Sean since they t at her house a few weeks ago. They hadn’t exchanged greetings via phone or text ssage.
The boundaries Sean had drawn between them were still firm. Now, about visiting his parents’ house, Bella was nervous about eting him again. She feared Sean would be even more hurt if he saw her coming with Tristan to et his parents.
As they approached the Golden House, Bella beca increasingly anxious. She felt awkward and worried about running into Sean or Amanda Spencer. She could only hope they wouldn’t join them that night.
She didn’t enjoy social events like this and would’ve preferred staying ho.
Since she was young, her tolerance for socializing hadn’t changed. She preferred staying ho over eting new people. In the past, when she was in New York, Harper would always drag her out of the apartnt to socialize, et new people, and make connections.
"Dear, don’t be nervous," Tristan’s voice snapped Bella out of her thoughts. She looked at him and managed a slight smile.
"I’m fine. I’m just a little worried about eting so many new people. I feel nervous about everyone knowing ."
Bella looked away, trying to hide the worry still glimring in her eyes from Tristan.
Later,
About 30 ters from the gate, the car stopped briefly at a checkpoint post, and the guard in a green camouflage army uniform at the checkpoint gestured to Tristan to lower the window for inspection.
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