"Good, good!" Bella replied with a smile.
Later, Bella brought up the topic of dividing the family assets. Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat.
She had assumed her sister-in-law knew nothing about it, and that everyone was keeping it from her. She had worried that Bella would overthink things once she found out, so she had avoided the subject entirely.
She never expected her sister-in-law had known all along, and seemed completely at peace with it.
"I told Ethan that money should be earned by oneself. Only then can it be spent with confidence. No matter how much property you inherit, if you don't manage it well, you'll squander it all. It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go from extravagant back to frugal," Bella sighed.
"Yes, self-reliance is better," Evelyn echoed. "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Our family won't split up. We'll stay just like before. We're all together."
"Sooner or later, we have to divide things. If we don't, some people will get jealous," Bella murmured.
"Who would get jealous?" Evelyn blurted out.
As soon as she asked, she regretted it.
She felt like she had been saying more and more foolish things lately.
She had no choice but to steel herself and continue.
"Sister-in-law, no matter who gets jealous, we're all family. No matter what happens within a family, we need to look out for each other and care for each other."
"Yes. No amount of money can buy a family's well-being," Bella nodded, then seemed to drift into thought.
Evelyn worried her sister-in-law was thinking about her late husband, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Sister-in-law, this osmanthus cake is delicious."
"If you like it, eat more," Bella said with a smile.
Evelyn nodded and ate two more pieces. She was starting to feel a bit full.
"Evelyn, you have a good life with Alexander. Even if you started from nothing, with his abilities, you'd still live well," Bella said with emotion.
"Sister-in-law, I understand," Evelyn replied with a smile.
But deep down, she couldn't help but sigh.
Some things were easier said than realized.
When she was with Alexander, she wasn't worried about money. She was worried about emotions.
"Evelyn, what's wrong?"
"Ah? Nothing!" Evelyn looked up and replied awkwardly.
"Is it a conflict with Alexander?" Bella asked.
"No!" Evelyn shook her head.
"If something's bothering you, tell me. It doesn't matter. Others think I'm in a bad state of mind, but the truth is, I see things more clearly than they think," Bella said lightly.
Evelyn nodded. The next second, she felt it was inappropriate, so she quickly shook her head. Then she felt shaking her head was also wrong, so she could only smile awkwardly.
Bella looked at Evelyn's reaction and smiled.
"You're so adorable. No wonder Alexander likes you so much."
"He doesn't like me!" Evelyn blurted out.
"Why wouldn't he like you?" Bella asked.
Evelyn was embarrassed for a long time and didn't know how to answer.
"It's inevitable for a husband and wife to have misunderstandings and conflicts. It's good to talk things out."
"Yeah," Evelyn nodded.
"Alexander used to have a girlfriend. My mother-in-law didn't approve of her. I met that girl once. She was beautiful and excellent back then. Not long after, I heard they broke up," Bella said as she poured tea.
"Sister-in-law, how did you know I was worried about this?" Evelyn asked in dismay.
"I didn't know. I guessed," Bella looked up at Evelyn and replied. "There are several reasons for conflicts between husband and wife. This kind of reason is the most likely and the biggest problem."
"Oh," Evelyn replied, admiring her sister-in-law in her heart.
Who said she was in a bad state of mind? She really saw things thoroughly and accurately.
"Does Alexander still have contact with that girl?" Bella continued to ask.
"It's not about contact. He can't let her go," Evelyn replied.
"It's normal that he can't let go. They were forced to separate. It's inevitable that he feels regret.
People are like that. What they can't have always feels like the best. What they have, they often don't know how to cherish," Bella sighed.
Evelyn gave a bitter smile.
"Alexander can't be with that woman."
"I understand," Evelyn replied in a low voice.
"But you still mind that he has her in his heart, don't you?"
"Yeah," Evelyn didn't deny it.
"I would mind if it were me," Bella replied. "However, some people can do a good job. They can make the other person completely let go of the person in their heart and fall in love with them wholeheartedly."
"Oh, who?" Evelyn asked curiously.
Bella looked at Evelyn with a smile, but didn't answer her question. She just said.
"Evelyn, you can do it too. Maybe Alexander isn't missing that person, but that time. If you can take him out of that time, Alexander will be yours, heart and soul."
"But I don't want to force him. I don't want to embarrass him. Maybe I have my pride too," Evelyn muttered.
"Sometimes it's hard for people to see themselves clearly, unless they are stimulated by special circumstances. If Alexander is still hesitating now, you should make him suffer a bit. If he only has eyes for you, then give him a chance," Bella continued.
"Actually, I'm a mess. On one hand, I'm not willing to give up on Alexander. On the other hand, I can't accept his past feelings," Evelyn said frankly.
"After falling in love with a person, it's normal to want to have all of them."
Evelyn nodded.
"Evelyn, you are the one he loves now," Bella added at this time.
"I don't know," Evelyn shook her head hesitantly.
"If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have gotten you pregnant. He wouldn't look forward to your child," Bella explained.
"Why?" Evelyn looked at her sister-in-law in dismay and asked.
"Maybe if you understand the state of Alexander's life from childhood to adulthood, you'll understand what I mean by this sentence," Bella smiled and replied.
Evelyn looked at her sister-in-law, puzzled. But Bella didn't seem to want to continue explaining. She just told Evelyn to eat more fruit, so Evelyn couldn't ask any more.
Later, Evelyn talked with her sister-in-law for a long time before leaving Rose Garden Villa.
Her sister-in-law seemed to be in a good mood. Her mental state was good. Evelyn felt relieved.
She thought about what her sister-in-law had said. There was some truth to it.
Maybe the normal people who cared about their families were the elder sister-in-law. And she and the others were the ones who were sick.
Evelyn and Lily Thompson went back to Sterling Manor together. She asked Lily to go back to rest early and went upstairs.
Alexander hadn't come back yet. Evelyn was a little worried, but there was nothing she could do except wait.
Alexander arrived at the club's private room where he was meeting with Scarlett Sterling.
After some time, Scarlett had changed a lot. She seemed more fashionable, but she couldn't hide the traces of time.
"Third sister—"
"Sit down, Alexander," Scarlett said.
Alexander sat down opposite Scarlett.
"I ordered you a cup of coffee. You shouldn't have trouble sleeping at night," Scarlett said half-jokingly.