Bella's chest still burned from anger as she deleted Chris's number. She didn't just block him she erased it completely, knowing how easily she might be tempted to unblock him.
When she returned to the living room, Vera noticed the storm cloud on her daughter's face.
"Ella, is everything okay?" she asked gently.
"Yes, Mum." Bella forced a smile.
Raquel leaned forward, her eyes bright. "Unnie, I need to tell you something."
"Alright, baby. What is it?"
"I need to shop for my prom dress."
Bella raised a brow. "Seriously? That's in four or five months. Are you sure you want to shop now?"
"I don't even have a date yet, and my birthday is in January." Raquel pouted dramatically.
"Calm down, baby. One step at a time," Bella said, ruffling her hair.
Vera yawned suddenly. "I'm off to bed."
"Goodnight, Mum," Bella called.
"Goodnight, Aunty," Raquel added.
"Goodnight, girls," Vera said, heading upstairs.
"Want to sleep in my room?" Bella asked Raquel with a grin.
"Yes!" Raquel said at once, jumping up.
Together, they switched off the TV and went upstairs.
The next morning, Bella woke reluctantly to her alarm. She dragged herself into the bathroom for a quick shower, washed her hair, and returned to dry it.
"Good morning, sis," Raquel mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes. Did I snore?"
Bella laughed. "No. And even if you did, I'd have still enjoyed my sleep because you were right beside me."
Raquel smiled shyly and took the dryer from her. "Let me help."
By the time Bella was fully dressed in her uniform an hour later, Raquel gasped. "Unnie, you look amazing. We need pictures."
She pulled out her phone, but one look at her messy hair changed her mind. "Maybe later. Can you drop me at school, please?"
"Of course. I've got time."
They ate toast and juice quickly before heading out.
"Bye, darling!" Vera called from upstairs.
"Bye, Mum! Dropping Catty at school!" Bella shouted back.
"Good morning, Aunty!" Raquel added.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Have a good day, girls."
By the time Bella reached Hampson Airways, she was actually proud of her driving fewer honks, fewer angry drivers. Dylla purred into the parking lot smoothly.
Outside, Alexia waved. "Hey, girl!"
"Boo!" Bella squealed, hugging her. "Hi, Liam."
"Hello, love. But don't pretend you don't have gist," Liam teased, tugging Bella toward the building.
"Gist about what?" Bella asked, feigning innocence.
"Mr Hampson, obviously," Alexia said, folding her arms.
"Spill!" Liam snapped his fingers dramatically.
"You gossip too much for a guy," Bella muttered with an eye roll.
"It's one of my strengths, darling." Liam winked.
Bella opened her mouth to protest, but a sharp voice cut across the lobby.
"She sure looks confident for someone who didn't get the job on merit," a woman sneered. Two others laughed with her, all three glaring at Bella.
Bella clenched her fists but said nothing. Alexia, however, bristled.
"You!" she snapped, stepping forward.
Bella grabbed her arm. "Don't. We're still on probation." She held the other women's eyes, smirking faintly. "One day, I'll treat your nonsense. Not today."
The women brushed past, deliberately knocking into Bella's shoulder.
Minutes later, chaos rippled through the room.
"Mr Hampson is here," someone whispered in panic.
"The last time he came, he fired four staff with just a glare!" another said.
"Are you done gossiping about me?" a cold voice cut through the chatter.
Silence fell. Christian stood there, tall and commanding, violet eyes sharp. The man who had haunted Bella's thoughts the man she had kissed was now walking into the conference room.
Everyone scrambled to their feet. Fear thickened the air.
"I think this is the end for me," Bella whispered to Liam, her heart racing.
Before Liam could reply, a strong hand gripped hers.
"Follow me," Chris said, his tone brooking no argument.
Bella froze, staring at him. His gaze was unreadable, hard as steel. Something in her knew she couldn't disobey him. Not here. Not with everyone watching.
Her pulse thundered as he led her away.
"Let go of me!" Bella squealed, but Chris's grip only tightened.
"You're hurting me, Chris!" she winced, but he dragged her down the hallway without a word, ignoring her protests until they were both out of sight. He shut the door behind them with a sharp click and finally released her hand.
The sudden freedom sent her stumbling, almost losing her balance.
"What was that for?!" she shouted, fury in her voice.
Chris didn't answer. His silence only fanned her anger.
"Are you trying to abuse your power because you own this place? You think because you're Christian Hampson and I work for you, you can just do whatever you want?"
His eyes blazed. "Why did you hang up on me yesterday? And what gave you the right to block my number?"
Bella blinked. This is what this is about? She'd been bracing herself for termination, but no Christian Hampson had stormed into the training centre because she had blocked him.
"So, am I getting fired on my second day?" she asked, lifting her chin, refusing to cower.
Chris studied her. This girl. Too confident for her own good. He was used to people shaking in his presence, but Bella met his stare head-on.
"I'm not going to fire you," he said at last. "If I did, you'd never work as a flight attendant anywhere. You'd be blacklisted for life."
Relief flickered across her face, but she held it together. "Then why drag me out here?"
"Why did you block me?" His voice softened, violet eyes searching her.
Bella smirked. "Well, you called me stupid. I didn't think it was wise to deal with someone who thinks I'm beneath him."
Chris's lips twitched. "Correction — I didn't call you stupid. I said you asked a stupid question."
"And what's the difference?" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
He shrugged. "Semantics."
Bella crossed her arms. "Either way, I deleted your number."
"You what?" His eyes widened.
"I blocked it. Then I deleted it. Gone." She smirked again.
Chris groaned dramatically. "You definitely need anger management classes, woman."
"And you need humility classes. So... fuck off."
"Ouch, harsh." He pressed a hand to his chest in mock pain. His playful tone drew the tiniest smile from her, though she quickly hid it.
"What are you doing this evening?" he asked suddenly.
"That depends. Why?"
"I'd like to take you out. Dinner." He rubbed the back of his neck an oddly boyish gesture for the cold billionaire.
Bella smirked. "I'm busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"My beauty sleep."
Chris groaned. "Why are you so difficult?"
"Practice."
He was about to argue when his phone buzzed. Elliot's voice came through. "Sir, we need to head back to the office now."
"I'll be right down," Chris replied before hanging up. He turned to Bella. "Sorry. I'll call you."
"That's if you can get through." She folded her arms smugly.
"Be ready at seven," he said, ignoring her protest.
"I already told you"
But he was gone, sweeping out like a storm.
Bella knew walking back into the conference room would be awkward. Everyone had seen Chris drag her out, and she hadn't even had her phone to call Alexia or Liam. She growled in frustration, stamping her foot before opening the door.
All eyes snapped to her at once.
"Why are you all staring?!" Liam barked at the other recruits.
Bella forced herself toward her seat, her legs weak under the weight of their whispers.
"Are you okay?" Alexia whispered.
"No. He asked me out on a date," Bella whispered back.
Alexia's eyes widened. "And that's bad because...? Girl, if my boyfriend asked me out like that, I'd be screaming yes."
"This is the first" Bella began, but the intercom cut her off.
"All trainees, move to the tarmac."
Hours later, Bella finally returned home, exhausted. Vera wasn't back yet, so Bella tackled the laundry before collapsing onto her bed. She had barely closed her eyes when the doorbell rang.
She groaned. "Ughhh. Who is it?" No answer. Definitely not her mum Vera had keys.
Dragging herself downstairs, she opened the door to a delivery man holding a large box.
"Package for Miss Christabella Walter," he said.
"That's me."
"Sign here."
Bella scrawled her name, accepted the box, and shut the door.
Back in her room, she stared at it warily. The box was heavy, the wrapping elegant, almost intimidating.
She bit her lip. "What on earth is this...?"