Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)
Chapter 379 What's Wrong With Her

After hanging up the phone, Dominic sat there fuming with rage. Regardless of Bella's situation, she would never come to him for help or compromise with him.

He asked Magdalena for a cup of coffee and savored the rich bitterness as his gaze remained locked on his phone.

Finally, the call came back. Dominic picked it up right away, silently listening to the report.

"Bella resigned from her job at the hospital and moved to the neighborhood where Lia lives. She rented a two-bedroom apartment. Her only visitors are a helper who cares for her and Lia. She's currently unemployed, yet she can still afford a helper, so money shouldn't be an issue.

After hearing the report, Dominic was perplexed. He couldn't understand why she would pawn such valuable stuff if it had nothing to do with Simon. It didn't seem like something she would do. Furthermore, she quit her job and hired a helper. The whole situation was quite suspicious.

From what he knew of her, she could never live without work. Hence, her actions were entirely out of character. He didn't know what happened to her.

Once the call ended, Dominic jumped up and grabbed his coat, ready to learn more. But then, an idea struck him, and he sat back down.

He phoned Leonard and said, "You're in contact with Lia, right? Go figure out what's going on with Bella."

Leonard was clueless about emotions and didn't understand what was going on with Leonard, but he eventually agreed.

He waited until Lia returned from work before going to her house.

As soon as Lia saw Leonard, she tried to close the door as if she had seen a ghost. He had to use his strength to hold it open. "What's with you? This is how you treat me after a long time of not seeing each other?"

She felt guilty about Bella's secret and feared being found out. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see you..." He came up with an immediate response.

Upon hearing his answer, she exclaimed, "Eww!" However, she let him in anyway.

Leonard hadn't forgotten his original purpose. As he glanced about her house, he observed she hadn't cooked in a while, and the house hadn't been cleaned as a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the kitchen countertop. "What happened to Bella?" He got straight to the point.

Lia instantly grew defensive and tried to shove him out the door. "Did Dominic send you? I know nothing. You need to leave!"

He grabbed her wrist. "Calm down. Bellad pawned the necklace my mom gave her, and the pawnshop contacted us about it. I just want to know whether she's experiencing financial problems."

She hadn't expected to be caught off

guard in this manner, nor had Bella

simply denied it since Ste

anticipated this complication. Lia

come up with a convincing justification. "I don't know. But it's best you don't go looking for Bella. She has broken up with Dominic. Can't you just leave her alone?"

The more she denied it, the more Leonard believed something was wrong. So, he decided to tell the truth. "Dominic did send me. If I don't get any answers today, he'll replace out on his terms. You can't hide anything from him. So, tell me, What's going on with Bella?"

Lia couldn't withstand the pressure and realized she couldn't keep the secret any longer. She tried to bargain, and said, "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell Dominic. Bella doesn't want him to know. If you betray us, I'll never speak to you again!"