After recognizing Tristan, the guard saluted, apologized for the interruption, and waved them through the gate.
The car moved forward, entering the Golden House grounds. Tristan drove along the empty road lined with tall cypress trees. He looked relaxed as if he knew the place well.
Bella still felt nervous. This was her first ti visiting here, even though she had seen it often on television.
Despite her nerves, the scenery amazed her. The garden lights illuminated the area, making its beauty even more visible.
"Do you know where we’re heading?" Bella asked, glancing at Tristan. "Do you co here often?"
"Yeah, almost every week," Tristan replied, smiling before focusing on the street. He continued, "Jayson Spencer is quite a lonely soul. He doesn’t have many friends he can trust. Unfortunately, I’m one of the few he does, so he always calls to accompany him for a drink." A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
Bella was amazed to hear that.
"How did you beco friends with him? He’s twenty years older than you, right?"
"Seventeen years. He’s fifty-three now, the sa age as his wife, Emily Stearn," Tristan explained. "I t him before he entered politics while actively managing Spencer Group. But now, he’s no longer involved in the family business; that’s handled by his little sister, Amanda Spencer."
"I see," Bella responded. She didn’t ask further questions because she knew about Amanda Spencer. Hearing Amanda’s na now made her heart tighten. She felt nervous.
Soon after, they passed through the garden leading to the main building, the Golden House. However, Tristan’s car continued driving, passing the building.
The car headed toward another building where the president lives, behind the Golden House.
After a few minutes, the car finally stopped and parked in the yard of a two-story, white-painted building. Like the area surrounding the Golden House, the building was heavily guarded.
"I’m sorry—" Tristan’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
It surprised Bella, who imdiately looked at him.
"Sorry? For what?" she asked, confused.
"Sorry, this is the first ti I’ve brought you to et my friends or business partners. I feel terrible thinking about our past—"
Tristan’s voice slowly faded as he rembered he wasn’t supposed to talk about their dark past again, as he had promised her.
Bella stifled a laugh when she saw his guilty expression. She lifted her hand and stroked his arm, trying to cheer him up and lighten his low mood—she could feel his sadness and self-bla.
"Hubby, you should compensate because you broke your promise. Again!" Bella pretended to be annoyed, narrowing her gaze at him.
Tristan let out a deep, long sigh as he turned to Bella.
"I know. That’s why I’m ready to accept my punishnt, my lady," he said, leaning closer to kiss her lips.
Bella slightly pushed him.
"Geez, Mr. Sinclair, you ruined my lip gloss!" she protested, causing him to chuckle. "I want to accept assets as compensation, not your body, sir," she cheerfully continued.
"No worries, dear. I will call my lawyer tomorrow and ask him to process the handover of all my assets to you, ma’am!" he playfully replied.
Bella giggled as she reapplied her lip gloss.
But a few seconds later, she glanced at him when sothing crossed her mind.
"Oh, right, hubby. I don’t want to et your lawyer. What’s his na again...?" Bella tried to rember the unlikable lawyer she t five years ago.
Tristan’s face turned stiff as he said, "You an John Turner?"
"Hmm, yes, him. I don’t like him," Bella said as she placed her lip gloss back in her small Birkin bag.
"No worries," Tristan smiled at her. "I know how he treated you that ti after I watched the CCTV footage. His conduct when he t you was disrespectful toward you and unprofessional. That was not sothing I expected from any lawyers representing the Sinclair family. So, I fired him right away."
Bella turned to face him, her eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected Tristan to watch the CCTV footage of her eting with his lawyer, let alone follow up the eting by firing his lawyer. She wanted to say sothing, but no words left her lips—still shocked to learn about John Turner’s unfortunate fate even though he deserved it.
Tristan affectionately fixed Bella’s hair, trying to check her mood. He could see she was no longer nervous.
"Dear, are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes, I’m ready," Bella replied, trying to refocus. Whether ready or not, she still had to get out of the car and et Spencer’s family.
From the car, Bella could see soone waiting for them in front of the main door: Jayson Spencer and Emily Stearn.
Bella tried to stay calm as she followed Tristan, approaching the main entrance a few ters ahead.
At this mont, Bella felt her heart beating faster than usual. Still, she felt relieved because she hadn’t seen Sean or Amanda Spencer there.
Sensing her nervousness, Tristan gently squeezed her hand before he greeted Jayson Spencer warmly.
Bella could tell how close they were by observing how Tristan embraced Jayson Spencer and greeted Emily Stearn. It seed like Tristan was talking to a close friend, not the number one person in the country.
She stood awkwardly, smiling at Emily Stearn, the slender woman with bob-style hair who looked graceful in her blue knee-length gown.
Bella rembered Emily as a psychologist still active at Spencer Family Hospital. Despite being in her early fifties, Emily looked like a woman in her early forties.
"It’s nice to et you again, Bella," Emily Stearn said as she approached, extending her hand for a handshake. "I hope you still rember . My husband and I attended your wedding a few years ago."
"I’m glad to et you too, ma’am," Bella said, feeling her throat beco dry as she spoke to Sean’s mother. She smiled slightly before continuing, "Of course, I still rember you, ma’am."
"Oh, please, Bella, call by my first na, Emily. There’s no need to speak formally to ," Emily said with a smile as she patted Bella’s hand before releasing it.
"Yes, sister Emily," Bella shyly said, feeling nervous and awkward addressing her by na only.
"Alright, sister. Sounds good," Emily Stearn chuckled before glancing at Tristan and her husband.
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