Chapter 101: Why Didn't You Tell Me?

Bella’s lower lip turned pale as she bit it, unconsciously. "Lia, it's fine. Just eat and pretend you didn't see anything."

Seeing Amber and Dominic happily chatting, Lia became so upset she couldn't eat or sit still. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, grabbed her drink, and quickly left.

Bella didn't manage to stop her in time. She didn't dare create a scene or follow her, so she could only watch anxiously, feeling helpless.

Felix tried to reassure her, "It's fine. Believe Lia knows how to handle herself."

Bella, however, worried because she knew Lia well.

When Lia approached them, she smiled and greeted Leonard, "What a coincidence. We meet again."

Leonard was briefly startled. "Yeah, it is a coincidence."

Lia turned to Dominic. "Today is Bella's birthday, and we're here for dinner. Dominic, your gifts were thoughtful; the roses are beautiful, and the necklace suits Bella perfectly." Dominic remained silent, his expression unreadable. He glanced in Bella's direction, lost in thought.

Finally, Lia turned her gaze to Amber, who looked displeased. "And who might this be?"

Dominic didn't plan on introducing her, and Amber had no intention of introducing herself. Seeing this, Leonard stepped in and said, "She's a friend. Her name's Amber West. We're just out for a casual meal." Lia smiled and nodded. "Oh, so you're Amber? The one who went to the hospital to give Bella a hard time? It takes some real skill to provoke someone as mild-mannered as Bella into slapping you." [The following sentence appears to be an advertisement and has been removed.]

Amber shot to her feet. "What are you talking about? Do you think this single meal is all this is worth?"

Dominic's expression darkened when he heard Lia's words. "Amber."

Amber's entire body stiffened, and her previous confidence vanished instantly. "Dominic…"

He grabbed Amber by the wrist and made her sit back down. "You know what that means. I'm not going to call you out in front of everyone today. Just eat your meal properly. Lia, you should go back and eat as well." Lia knew when to back off. She raised her glass mockingly toward Amber before returning to her seat.

Bella let out a long sigh of relief. "Lia, you shouldn't have gone over there."

Lia pouted. "So what? Would Amber actually dare do anything to me? If she tried, I'd make sure she'd regret it. She called me a 'commoner'? Well, I am."

"But Dominic doesn't know Amber went to the hospital to give you trouble. Why didn't you tell him? You shouldn't keep that bottled up. It's frustrating to even hear about it."

Bella replied calmly, "What difference would it make if I told him? I don't expect him to stand up for me. After all, this is all because of him. And besides, it wasn't me who got slapped; it was Amber." Felix joked, "Your hand must hurt after hitting her."

Bella didn't deny it. "Probably. Precision and speed are key skills for a doctor."

Chapter 101: Why Didn't You Tell Me?

After a while, she noticed Dominic getting up and heading toward the restroom. Soon after, her phone buzzed with a message from Dominic: "Why didn't you tell me?"

He was clearly referring to Amber going to the hospital. Bella didn't answer directly. Instead, she replied, "Thank you for the gift, but it's too expensive. I'll return it to you later."

She had a good sense of his temper. If she responded this way, he wouldn't reply, and he'd definitely be angry.

Sure enough, when he returned to his seat, his expression was clouded with anger.