Chapter 3 The Gold Digger

"Bella, I will never stop until I make your life a living hell!"

These words echoed in her ears for a long time like a curse. It was as if someone begged the devil to torment her mind and soul. She almost considered that death would have been a sweet gift.

When Bella woke up again, she found herself alone in the hotel suite. Sleep sobered her up a little bit. She realized that the stranger she had mistaken for Russell was actually the man she was looking for. She messed up, again. The man she had longed for so many years had left. He abandoned her once more.

She was damp from her encounter with Russell earlier and she felt a burning pain all over her body. She crawled to the bathroom and hoisted herself up using the door knob. She slipped into the bathtub filled with cold water. She hoped that the cold would numb her sore body, and her heart. Without a warning, tears fell down like rain.

All she could think about was that man. He haunted her dreams for all these years. He would cast her a look as though she had done nothing good in her life. His eyes and his voice were always full of contempt. She cried herself to sleep.

The next day, she looked at the mirror, only to find a different woman staring at her. This version of Bella had puffy eyes and sunken cheeks; she looked several years older. She couldn't believe what she saw.

She left the hotel, went to Louise's place, and apologized for the trouble. She went home with her son and prepared for work. Even though she didn't feel well, she couldn't afford to miss work. The bonus pay for perfect attendance was at stake.

She was unaware that Randy had already been waiting for her in his office for quite some time.

As soon as she rushed into the building and clocked in, the manager's secretary, Ingrid Liang, whispered to her, "Hey, Bella, the general manager is looking for you. Did you do something to upset him yesterday? Why did he look pissed off when he arrived here? His expression scared me to death!" Ingrid Liang couldn't help but clutch her chest after recalling what happened that morning.

"Nothing serious," said Bella, remorselessly.

If anyone did something wrong, it was Randy. He encouraged her to get drunk. He gave her the card key. Everything turned into a mess because of him.

If he was angry, then she was angrier. She was not his servant. She already humored him by coming with him to the party, despite it being a weekend.

The more she thought about the reason for his anger, the more confused she got. She reached his office and knocked. She heard Randy yell, "Come in!"

She took a deep breath and opened the door. She was astonished to find the bulky figure of Mr. Wang inside the office.

She remembered how Mr. Wang made inappropriate advances to her last night. She began to feel uncomfortable.

Randy's voiced boomed in the office. "Bella, what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to go straight to Room 886 last night? Where on earth have you been all this time?" Apparently, Mr. Wang scolded Randy in the wee hours of the morning. That was the reason why the general manager went to his office in a very foul mood.

"I went and stayed in that room last night. Is there any problem?" Bella was confused.

"Of course there is a problem! I asked you to go to Mr. Wang's room and apologize to him for your rudeness!" Randy couldn't contain himself and blurted this out.

He was already in panic. If he couldn't secure this deal, the board of directors would take this against him. He was already warned several times this year due to his lackluster performance. His position as general manager was on the line.

"Wait, you expected me to go to Mr. Wang's room?" Bella realized the truth; her unnecessary presence in the party, the harassment she suffered, and the strange wine were all suspicious. She was sold to Mr. Wang in order for the deal to push through.

She realized that due to her drunkenness, she went inside the wrong room last night. Randy's act of generosity and thoughtfulness was just a trap!

Deep inside, she was relieved to have taken the wrong room. Despite all that happened, she believed herself as lucky. She stared straight at the two men standing before her.

"Hey! Why are you glaring at us? Bella, do you understand that I could fire you this instant?" Randy was fuming mad. He had to show Mr. Wang that he was in control.

"Well, you don't have to fire me. I quit!" Bella unceremoniously took off her company uniform and threw it hard at Randy. It was the final straw. She had been holding back her anger and frustration for a long time.

Randy was stunned when the clothes hit him. He couldn't believe that this normally submissive woman could show such fierceness. He was enraged by her utter rudeness and disrespect towards him, the general manager!

"Bella! You must apologize to me and to Mr. Wang!" After barking that order, Randy nervously turned to his guest. Mr. Wang, who had retreated to the couch, seemed to be amused at what was going on. Randy fawningly said, "Mr. Wang, this woman is too uncivilized and ungrateful. I'll find a more suitable woman for you tonight. I assure you that you'll be very satisfied!"

"You're an animal!" Bella screamed. She couldn't stand this crap anymore.

Just then, Mr. Wang pushed Randy aside and lumbered towards Bella. He grinned and coaxed her, "Miss Song, please don't be angry. Let's have a nice talk. If you don't want to stay in this company any more, then come with me. I promise I can give you a very comfortable life!" When he finished talking, Mr. Wang had closed the gap between them significantly. She could clearly hear him breathing. He was licking his lips like a wild beast. He reached for her hand.

Bella noticed this and darted away. She flashed a very disgusted look at the two men and ran out of the room.

As she was furiously packing her things, the news about her being a gold digger spread throughout the company like wildfire.

Ingrid Liang, who was a good friend of Bella's, came to break the news to her. She said in a worried voice, "Bella, Randy called a special meeting just now, and announced that you had been romantically involved with a rich man. He said that you're a gold digger. Is that true?"

"I don't care if you believe it or not!" She was absolutely appalled at Randy's behavior.

"Bella, how could you say that? I thought we were good friends!" Ingrid Liang was hurt by her friend's response.

"I'm sorry about that. I really don't mind what they say about me; besides, I'm leaving this place!" She packed her things faster. She was even more fired-up to leave this hellhole immediately.

But before she could leave the building, an announcement was made to all company staff to proceed to the ground floor lobby to welcome the new president, who would be arriving shortly.

It was just bad timing to move out. With a suitcase in tow, she inched her way through the parade of office workers. The building lobby was already packed with people so it was impossible to push her way out. She stayed inconspicuously at one corner of the lobby and waited for her chance to leave.

She reminded herself that she was no longer an employee so there was no need for her to bow and lick the feet of the new president.

A few minutes later, the hall erupted with cheers and applause. The female employees were especially thrilled and their shrieks overwhelmed the rest of the noise. 'I thought the new president was coming. Why does it sound like a famous celebrity has arrived?' Bella mused to herself.

Surrounded by his group of bodyguards and personal staff, Russell walked in the building and stopped in the middle of the lobby. He glanced at the large crowd around him.

From somewhere in the throng of employees, Randy came out and obsequiously addressed the new arrival, "Welcome, Mr. Su!"

Russell didn't say anything. He polished his watch with a neat handkerchief. Nathan Mu, his assistant, inquired, "Are you sure you have gathered everyone in the company?"

"Of course!" Randy had already ordered his secretary to perform a head count. Despite the overwhelming number of people in the hall, he was impressed at Russell's powerful aura and commanding presence. He was soon covered in sweat.

He had never expected that the handsome gentleman at the banquet last night would become the new company president. He was also surprised that he came to inspect the company, today.

To everyone's surprise, Nathan Mu produced a tablet containing the list of employees and read out a name, "Bella! Bella!" Silence. "Bella isn't here?" Nathan asked Randy coldly after his calls went unanswered.

Randy was so frightened that he almost fell on his knees. He discreetly glanced at Russell's face. Fortunately, the president's expression remained unchanged.

"Bella has been recently fired from the company because she is a gold digger and her actions hurt the company's image. Everyone here could attest to the fact!" Randy suddenly felt confident, and his action, justified. It was a good thing he made the announcement about Bella's dismissal earlier.

By this time, the employees had begun discussing Bella in hushed voices. They didn't expect her to be a wily woman and a gold digger. It was really shameful.

"I received the list this morning and Bella was still on it. She must still be in the building. Find her as soon as possible!" Deep inside, Nathan Mu was also anxious. He didn't expect that Bella got dismissed from work. He didn't dare look at Russell's face. Fortunately, his boss had been focused on polishing his watch.

Nathan Mu had been working for Russell for many years. He knew how much Russell hated Bella.

He had just received the order to buy Clouds Group last night. When he acquired the employee list and saw Bella's name, he immediately realized something. Five years had already passed, but Russell still hadn't moved on.