"Do you know him?" Selena asked as she approached Philip with a warm smile, carefully placing a plate of cookies and a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
"We just met a few days ago," both Philip and Bella said in unison.
Then they looked at each other and laughed.
Selena looked surprised but pleased. "So, you two have met before."
"Just for a while," Bella replied with a grin. "I was visiting Willow’s new house, and we happened to cross paths there."
"Yes, I was there overseeing the inspection," Philip added, nodding in agreement.
"I see." Selena nodded understandingly. "You are an engineer."
Philip smiled but said nothing.
Bella jumped in to clarify, "No, Mamma. He is the boss of the construction company that is building the residential complex."
"Ah, I understand now," Selena said, her expression softening with understanding. "Well, you two go ahead and talk. I have some customers to attend to." With a final smile, she walked away, leaving the two alone.
Bella took a seat across from Philip, her eyes playfully curious. "So, you’re Philip Walton, the CEO of the Walton Group."
"Unfortunately, yes," Philip responded, his lips forming a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The title was something that never truly meant for him. Rose had been the one meant to take on this role. She was smarter and far more capable than him. But her untimely death had shattered that future, and with their father Alan frequently ill, Philip was forced to step in.
Unaware of the deep-seated pain behind his words, Bella chuckled, thinking he was merely joking. "And this unwanted responsibility has brought you here, I’m guessing?" she teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Her light-hearted remark, coupled with the way her eyes glinted, struck Philip hard. Bella was so much like Rose—not just in appearance but in her vibrant, carefree spirit. For a moment, he couldn’t help but stare at her, lost in the memory of her. It was as if Rose was sitting across from him, her laughter echoing in Bella’s every movement.
"So, what are you building here? Another residential complex?" Her question pulled him out of his reverie.
He chuckled, amused by her question. "What if I told you I’m here for more... personal reasons?"
Bella narrowed her eyes at him, and she thought he wasn’t willing to share the information yet. She played along with a grin. "Quite possible. Maybe you’re here to find a missing family member?" she quipped, half-jokingly, yet curious about his real motives.
Philip’s heart clenched at her words. She had hit closer to the truth than she realized. "How did you know?" he blurted out.
Bella’s playful expression shifted, sensing the sudden seriousness in his tone. She had just had fun, but she didn’t know he was actually in town to look for his missing family member.
"Is someone in your family missing?" she asked worriedly.
Philip hesitated, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He wanted to tell her everything—the connection she unknowingly had with the Waltons. But fear held him back.
He had no idea if she was even aware of her biological father, or worse, hated Alan for abandoning her mother. He couldn’t risk it, not yet. After all, Selena had stayed hidden for years, raising Bella on her own without ever reaching out to Alan.
There was clearly a pain in the past, and she might hate Alan for abandoning her.
Deciding against revealing the truth for now, Philip chose a different approach. He’d be patient, get to know Bella, and learn more about her life before saying anything.
"My family is... in a bit of a messy situation," he said, his tone light but laced with irony. "But enough about that. Tell me about yours. What does your father do?"
Despite knowing that her stepfather was dead already, he deliberately asked that question. He wanted to hear her thoughts, and her emotions regarding her family.
"My stepfather is dead," Bella replied in a flat tone.
Philip feigned sorry, pausing before offering a brief, "Oh, I’m sorry." After a beat, he carefully ventured, "What about your biological father?"
The moment the question left his lips, Bella’s expression changed. Her displeasure was evident, which didn’t go unnoticed by Philip.
"He is not alive either," she replied, her tone clipped and indifferent. "I don’t know anything about him. Since childhood, Lionel was my father."
Philip could sense the underlying resentment Bella harbored for her biological father. Despite all the suffering Lionel had caused her and her mother, she still referred to him as her father, something that tugged at Philip’s conscience.
"You seem quite close to your stepfather," he said, trying to get deeper into her thoughts.
Bella shook her head. "It’s not like that. I wasn’t close to him. But I am grateful to him for supporting us when we had no one else."
There was a coldness in her voice. Lionel had been a gambler and a drunk, yet he still held a place in her life. Philip felt a twinge in his heart, his resolve to tell her about Alan crumbling. The walls she had built around her past were too high, too firm.
"Anyway, tell me about yourself. How do you know Willow?" Bella grinned, trying to steer the conversation into lighter waters.
Philip smiled, feeling the shift in mood. The mention of Willow brought a warmth to his face. "We met at a bar and had some drinks. That’s all," he said, keeping the details vague. Then, picking up a cookie, he took a bite, pleasantly surprised by the flavor. "Mmm... these are good."
As he ate, he realized he couldn’t stop, one bite after another until the plate was cleared.
"If you like them, I’ll pack some more for you," Bella offered, watching him with amusement.
"Thanks." Philip couldn’t refuse. "I really liked them. I’ll come by again as long as I’m in town."
"You’re always welcome," Bella smiled. "By the way, Willow is a good friend of mine. If you ever want to meet her, I can call her here."
Bella had her own selfish reason for saying that. In reality, she was missing Theodore. Since she couldn’t meet him, she thought she would meet with Willow and get some news about him.
"I’ll think about that and let you know," Philip replied with a small smile, not pushing the conversation further.
In the meantime, Selena approached with a warm smile and a box in her hands. "Here are your pastries," she said, handing him the box.
"Thank you," Philip accepted the box gratefully and reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. But before he could offer any payment, Selena raised her hand, stopping him with a kind but firm gesture.
"You’re new in town and already a friend of my daughter," she said. "How could I possibly take money from you?"
Philip blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. His heart swelled at the unexpected kindness, Selena’s generosity reminding him of his mother. The simple gesture touched him deeply.
"I..." He hesitated.
"Don’t hesitate. You can come back again, and the next time, when you order something, I’ll take your money then."
Philip smiled and put the wallet back into his pocket. "Thank you." His gaze moved from Selena to Bella. "Nice to meet you. See you soon." With a nod of goodbye, he turned and walked toward the door, feeling a strange but comforting sense of belonging.
Philip’s expression turned solemn as he came out of the bakery. As soon as he got into his car, he called back his father.
Alan, who had been waiting for his call eagerly, picked up the phone instantly. "Hello, Philip! Did you speak with them? Did you tell them about me? What did they say? Are they willing to come with you?"
Philip paused, unsure how to respond. He hadn’t told them anything—hadn’t even hinted at the truth. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
"Things are complicated here," he said with disappointment. "Bella... she seems to hate you. Even after everything she and her mother went through with her stepfather, she’s still grateful to him. For all the times he failed them, she still sees him as the one who was there when no one else was."
Alan’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. It was all his fault. The years of absence, of not searching for them, now felt like an unforgivable betrayal.
Philip sighed, his voice softening. "I couldn’t tell them the truth. Not yet. I don’t know how they’ll take it. Dropping this on them... it feels too sudden, too risky."
Alan realized he himself had to go there and meet with them. It was his mistake, and he had to apologize to Selena on his own.
"I understand," he said solemnly. "This is my mess, and I’ll deal with it myself. I’ve been hiding from it for too long, thinking it was too late. But it’s my fault, and I have to face it. I’ll come there myself. I need to apologize to Selena, to make things right."
"Are you sure?" Philip asked skeptically.
"I’m sure," Alan said firmly. "I owe it to them. I’ll come and try to fix what I’ve broken, no matter how hard it is."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
