novelraw Chapter 249: Broken Girl Needing Comfort
Chapter 249: Broken Girl Needing Comfort
The bathroom was modern and simple. It was all slate-grey tiles, brushed nickel hardware, and zero personality.
Bella locked the door with a sharp click and leaned over the sink, bracing her hands on the cold marble. She stared at her reflection in the brightly lit vanity mirror.
It was a disaster.
Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Her "waterproof" mascara had flaked, leaving dark, smeary streaks down her cheeks. Her hair was frizzy from the humidity of the parking garage. She looked a mess.
"Pull it together, Bella," she whispered to her reflection.
She turned on the warm water, aggressively scrubbing the ruined makeup off her face.
Lucas was officially dead to her. He was a broke, pathetic coward who couldn’t even stand up to his own uncle. And Damien? Well...screw Damien!
But Leo...
Leo was rich. Filthy, old-money, European boarding school rich. And more importantly, he was incredibly gullible and sitting right outside that door.
If she could secure Leo, she would be securing an elevated spot in the exact same social stratosphere that Aria had clawed her way into.
She turned off the faucet and patted her face dry with a plush white towel.
"Okay," Bella murmured, assessing her bare face. "We need to pivot." But bare faced was too risky. She needed a little bit of glamour. She needed mascara to make her eyes look big and doe-like.
Bella opened the top drawer of the vanity, praying to find a stash of Sephora products. Instead, she found cotton swabs, toothpaste, and a small, black velvet jewelry box.
Bella frowned. ’Who stores jewelry in a bathroom drawer?’ she scoffed internally.
Her curiosity got the better of her. She popped the little velvet lid open.
Resting on a bed of black satin was a silver pendant on a delicate chain. It was shaped like a coiled snake—a viper, to be exact. Its tiny, intricate scales gleamed under the vanity lights, and its eyes were crafted from two glittering, blood-red rubies.
Bella rolled her eyes.
"God, money really can’t buy taste," Bella scoffed, picking the pendant up by the chain and letting it dangle from her finger.
It was so gaudy. It looked like something an edgy teenager would buy at Hot Topic. In fact, it looked exactly like that hideous, cheap-looking snake necklace her mother has. Bella tossed the necklace back into the box and shoved the drawer shut.
She opened the second drawer. Nothing.
She opened the bottom drawer.
Bella froze.
Lined up neatly in plastic organizers were over a dozen orange prescription bottles. Bella leaned down, her eyes scanning the labels. Some were in Leo’s name, some in Jade’s. Most were standard things—antibiotics, allergy medications, a muscle relaxer.
And then, she saw it.
’Zolpidem!’
Sleeping pills.
A grin spread across Bella’s face as an idea bloomed in her mind. She picked up the bottle, shaking it lightly. She popped the cap off, tapped a single, small white pill into the palm of her hand, and quickly slipped it deep into the pocket of her midi skirt.
She shoved the drawer closed.
She still hadn’t found any mascara, but Bella Vale was nothing if not resourceful.
She dug into her pocket and pulled out a tiny tube of clear, high-shine lip gloss. She applied a generous layer to her lips, making them look plump and begging to be kissed. Then, she dabbed a tiny amount of the sticky gloss onto her index finger.
Carefully, she blinked her eyelashes against her glossy finger, coating the tips. It was a classic makeup hack. The gloss separated her lashes, giving them a dark, wet, slightly curled look that mimicked the aesthetic of someone who had just finished having a very delicate, beautiful crying session.
"Perfect," Bella whispered.
Now, for the outfit.
The beige, cashmere cardigan she had worn to play the "sweet caretaker" for Diana was entirely too modest for what she needed to accomplish tonight.
Bella unbuttoned the cardigan and slipped it off her shoulders.
Underneath, she was wearing a tight, ribbed white camisole that ended just above her belly button. Because it was originally meant to be an undershirt, she wasn’t wearing a bra. The thin, white fabric clung to her chest like a second skin. Her nipples were visibly pressing against the cotton. Below the hemline, the glittering diamond barbell of her navel piercing caught the light.
She looked at her reflection. She looked perfect.
Bella tossed the cashmere cardigan onto the vanity counter intending to leave it there until morning. She was that confident that she was going to be staying the night.
She took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and stepped out of the bathroom.
The air conditioning hit her exposed skin instantly. It was freezing, causing her nipples to pebble even harder against the thin white cotton, but she completely ignored the chill. She was on a mission, and success required sacrifices.
Hell, now she had an excuse to be close to Leo.
Bella turned the corner, treating the short hallway into the open-concept living room like a Paris runway. She rolled her shoulders back, putting a slight, sultry sway into her hips.
Leo was sitting on the edge of the plush sofa, the TV remote in his hand, aimlessly scrolling through the Netflix homepage.
Jade was standing at the marble kitchen island, her back partially turned, pouring dark soda into three plastic cups.
Jade was the first to look up, her eyes locked onto Bella’s chest for a moment then to her face. She plastered on a smile so sugary sweet that it bordered on venomous.
"Oh, Bella!" Jade called out. She walked around the island, stepping directly into Leo’s line of sight for if he was to turn around. "What happened to your lovely cardigan?"
Bella crossed her arms tightly under her chest, subtly pushing her cleavage up, and offered a soft, little pout.
"It got completely soaked while I was freshening up," Bella lied smoothly. "I had to leave it on the counter to dry." She tried to step around Jade to make eye contact with Leo, but Jade moved each time.
"Oh, no!" Jade gasped sympathetically. "I could lend you one of my shirts to cover up?"