She Dated a Powerful Figure after Cancelling her Engagement

Within the elite social circles of Bexwell, one topic never ceased to captivate everyone: the arranged marriage from childhood between Brad Simpson, the playful scion of the Simpson family, and Bella Shaw, the most well-mannered daughter of the Shaw family.

Bella learned to play the piano from a young age and was selected into the national classical dance troupe at ten. She was groomed to become the most elegant young lady.

On the other hand, Brad started racing cars, wingsuit flying, and skydiving without a license by the age of fifteen. He had landed himself in the hospital countless times due to his thrill-seeking, extreme sports antics.

Brad and Bella had totally different personalities, but they were forced to grow up as childhood companions due to the friendship between the Simpson and Shaw families.

Although they had their clashing temperaments, they had been close to each other for over twenty years.

In others' eyes, they were seen as a unique match made in heaven.

Since they were kids, their family members always teased them. Bella always believed that she would marry Brad.

So, on the day of their sixth anniversary, when Bella saw the wordless photo Brad posted on his social media, her mind went blank for a moment.

In the photo, the woman's face was not visible, but her strapless dress revealed an impressive cleavage. The most eye-catching detail was the striking tattoo on her left chest-Drunk.

Drunk was Brad's nickname.

The photo quickly garnered over a hundred likes, and the mutual friends left comments below.

"Wow, Brad, you have the guts to post this. I wouldn't dare look at it. Did Bella really allow you to take such a photo?"

"Brad's got skills to get the model daughter to tattoo herself. Impressive!"

"Did you block your parents, Brad? Bella is the cherished daughter of the Shaw family. Aren't you afraid that her family would come after you?"

Bella's hands trembled uncontrollably. She opened a chat window with Brad and typed out a single line with shaking fingers. "Who is the woman in the photo?"

She stared at the screen for a long while, hesitated, and then deleted the text. She then went to the social media post and gave the photo a like.

Just a second later, a message popped up. Brad gave an emoji of a question mark. "Bella, is it necessary to fuss over this? Kori lost a game and just completed a dare. Do you really need to be so petty? Your like is making everyone awkward. Kori is already being talked about because of you. You are putting her in the spotlight. Is this really what you want?"

The notifications kept flashing on her locked screen, as if Bella had done something wrong and Brad was forcing her to make an apology.

When she finally sat in the back seat of the car, she opened the chat window. "Is the tattoo part of the game, too?"

Brad didn't reply to her message as quickly as just now.

After a while, Brad seemed to be angry, and a curt reply came through. "I've deleted it. Are you happy now?"

Was Bella happy?

There was nothing for Bella to feel happy about.

Ever since Kori suddenly appeared a year ago, she had forcefully inserted herself into the lives of Brad and Bella. They had such arguments more frequently and intensely than ever.

Kori was a woman Brad met while skiing in Switzerland.

Unlike Bella, who was well-educated, Kori was fiery and unrestrained, like a strong drink that burns the throat.

She was passionate about spontaneous travel, addicted to dangerous and thrilling extreme sports, and daring enough to go cave exploring and mountain climbing as a novice.

She was almost a female version of Brad.

Not exactly. She was even more daring and rebellious than he.

Before she even met Kori, Bella knew everything about her from Brad's daily chats.

"You know what? Kori climbed Everest for her eighteenth birthday. Wow, she's more daring than I am. Kori can race cars and give me a kiss on the track. So cool! I asked you several times to chase orcas, but you refused me. Kori and I went yesterday. It was amazing!"

Bella didn't even know when Kori completely took over their conversations.

When Brad excitedly shared another impressive feat of Kori's, Bella couldn't help but type out a line. "Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?"

Brad replied quickly. "What else can we talk about? Talk about you? That's so boring."

Bella couldn't remember what was said later that day.

It marked the first silent standoff between her and Brad in over twenty years, lasting half a month.

Then came the second, the third... many, many more.

There were so many silent standoffs between them that they hadn't spent more than ten days together throughout the long year.

Every time their silent standoff came to an end, it was almost always Bella who, worn down by the emotional frost, would be the one to swallow her pride and extend an olive branch.

She always thought that their two-decade-long friendship and the ties between their families shouldn't be strained over trivial matters.

But her concessions seemed to symbolize victory in Brad's eyes, prompting him to act more recklessly and speak more hurtfully each time.

Before the incident about the photo on social media, Bella declined to go scuba diving with Brad, so he blocked her on all social platforms.

He knew full well that she had a severe fear of water, let alone the vast, unpredictable ocean, ever since she had an accident in the swimming pool at six.

He unblocked her only because of the birthday of Brad's sister, Juliana Simpson. She's Bella's best friend as well.

Just a few hours after he unblocked her, the single photo nearly triggered another silent standoff.

Since it was Juliana's birthday, Bella didn't want to dampen the mood for everyone due to her small issue. She typed a message and then deleted it. In the end, she sent a cute emoji.

When she arrived at the Simpson family's mansion, she was surprised to find Brad already there.

As soon as he saw her, he whistled and called out with a grin, "Bella, we've been waiting for you."

Instantly, Bella felt all eyes in the banquet hall turn towards her with scrutiny, surprise, disbelief, and a hint of subtle mockery.

Bella had barely sensed that something was wrong when Juliana dragged her aside.

Juliana was concerned while gazing at Belly. "Bella, Brad may be acting foolish, but why are you enabling him like this? How can you allow him to take such a photo and post it on his social media? Now everyone knows it, including my parents."

Bella's heart sank.

She had always been the epitome of an elite socialite in Bexwell. She was circumspect, meticulous, and never once stepped out of line. Deep down, she knew she was the face of the Shaw family, and her family was one of the most prominent families in Bexwell. In high society, she was her family's golden ticket.

If others mistook that photo for her, it wouldn't just tarnish her reputation but also the entire Shaw family's honor.

She hurried to explain. "Not that. The photo isn't..."

"Juliana, why are you pestering Bella again?" Brad's voice abruptly interrupted their conversation. Then a large hand firmly pressed down on Bella's shoulder.

Brad wrapped an arm around Bella affectionately and winked at Juliana. "So? Are you jealous of Bella's great figure?"

He sounded playful, but he subtly pinned the social media photo's subject on Bella.

Bella was stunned and glanced at Brad. He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Instead, he gave her a cautionary glance.

"The photo was of..." Bella began to say, but Brad turned her head and cupped her chin.

He silenced her with a deep kiss, completely blocking her from saying anything further.

After the kiss ended, Bella was still catching her breath when Brad raised his chin towards Juliana, who blushed. "I need to talk about our snow mountain adventure with Bella at the end of this month. So excuse us."

With that, he forcefully dragged Bella all the way to the back garden.

Bella struggled to break free from his hold, and just as Brad managed to call out her name, she slapped him across the face.

The slap landed with full force, causing Brad's head to jerk to the side.

"Why did you spread the rumor that the woman in the photo was me?" Bella was both angry and aggrieved. Her eyes turned red as she wrestled with a mix of emotions.

Brad touched the wound in his mouth with his tongue and suddenly gave Bella a light laugh. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Bella was stunned. Before she could respond, Brad stepped closer and said with a teasing tone, "You've always wanted me to make our relationship public on social media. Now that I have, why are you upset?"

Bella stared at Brad. His good-looking face was still adorned with that usual playful grin, but her heart was filled with a new sense of disappointment. "Brad, you know how closely tied my image is to the Shaw Group. If someone with ill intentions uses that photo to stir up trouble, do you know how damaging it could be to the Shaw Group?"

Taking a deep breath, Bella was about to leave. "I need to clarify that the woman in the photo is Kori, and I've never had a tattoo..."

"You can't!" Brad gripped her arm tightly, and his tone was colder than ever. "You know how strongly my grandpa disapproves of Kori. If he finds out about that photo, he might target her more."

Bella was the perfect daughter-in-law tailored for the Simpson family, but Kori was the complete opposite, hitting every sore spot for Brad's grandfather, Martin Simpson.

Kori's rebellious and headstrong nature, along with her penchant for dragging Brad into extreme sports, was enough to earn her an unforgivable offense in Martin's eyes.

Besides, Kori's parents were recently embroiled in an academic fraud scandal. The Simpson family valued reputation a lot and tried their best to avoid such a scandal at all costs.

From the moment Martin learned what Kori was like, he warned Brad to keep his distance from her. He even contemplated intervening personally to separate Brad and Kori.

So Brad had to use Bella as a shield.

The longstanding friendship between the Simpson and Shaw families, coupled with Martin's fondness for Bella since she was a little girl, meant that as long as Bella was mentioned, he would support it unconditionally.

But Bella had long grown weary of being the scapegoat, bearing responsibility and risk. She looked at Brad calmly at that moment. "If you understand Grandpa's intentions, why did you still post that on your social media?"

Brad paused. Then he raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

Bella froze.

Brad seemed to sense he'd found Bella's weak spot. He suddenly pulled her close by the waist and whispered sweetly in her ear, "I've told you that she's just a companion. I'll only marry you, and you will be my bride. There's no need for you to feel insecure."

Bella pressed her hand against Brad's chest and avoided his intimacy. "Brad, I'm not joking. I need to clear up the rumor. I never agreed to go to the snow mountain..."

"I've already agreed to marry you. Why are you still unsatisfied?" Brad suddenly seemed upset, and his tone carried resentment. "I've tolerated your boring personality and promised to take on the responsibility of the Simpson family's business. After marrying you, I'll give up all my passions and interests. I've put up with so much. Why can't you give me just a bit of freedom?"

Bella looked at Brad in disbelief.

What was he talking about?

Was the marriage she had dreamed of so unbearable in Brad's heart?

She said in a trembling voice, "If you don't want to, you can..."

The words got stuck in her throat.

Brad rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder and revealed a scar that ran almost the entire length of his right arm.

Despite undergoing the most precise surgeries and using top-tier medical resources, the scar still couldn't be hidden. It reminded Bella how terrifying the wound had been.

"Bella, isn't this scar from when I was twelve proof enough of my love for you?"

Bella's breath hitched instantly.

She would never forget when they secretly went mountain climbing without being allowed by their families, only to accidentally fall off a cliff due to inexperience.

Brad was twelve back then. He had bravely clung to her arm, and his arm was pierced by a broken branch from the cliff.

Blood dripped from his fingers onto Bella's cheeks, bringing tears to her eyes.

Yet, Brad had smiled to comfort her. "Bella, it doesn't hurt... Just hold on a bit longer. We'll survive..."

When the rescue team arrived, Brad's right arm was severely injured. After they were rushed to the hospital, he almost lost his arm.

Bella had vowed then that she would stay by his side no matter what happened, unless Brad refused.

Bella closed her eyes and sighed as she let go. "I see. I won't say anything. I'll go to the snow mountain, too..."