Maria was always nice and sought attention from her father-in-law, but William remained cold towards her. Money already hurt him, making some people act wildly like animals.
William ordered more things for Belle, such as getting the menu she wanted and asking her to sit right next to Lionel, which made Maria look sarcastically at Belle, but the nanny smiled.
"Daddy, there's a bit of a different scene. Why is your nanny coming to dinner with us? Can't she enjoy her dinner with the other servants?" Maria spoke up again after failing to get William's attention, while her husband acted casual.
William cleared his throat, momentarily turning to Belle, who looked awkward responding to Maria's question.
"Didn't you also hear I asked her to sit next to Lionel? I want that, so let Belle be here. She's not someone else for me," William emphasized.
"Looks like Dad has something we don't know about." Tomy opened his voice after paying more attention.
The father nodded. "Of course, I had to call my whole family to let you know."
"About what, Dad?" Tomy took a sip of mineral water without taking his eyes off William, an intimidating aura surrounding Tomy as he stared at the other person without blinking.
"I want to marry Lionel off to Belle."
Lionel sniffled and immediately gulped his drinking water when he heard the grandfather's frontal sentence.
"Marry Lionel off?" Maria was surprised, and she turned to Belle. "To your nanny?" She laughed softly. "How is that possible? What's going on? Did Lionel do something bad to this girl that he should marry her ?" Maria's words seemed condescending, and she disliked Belle's presence at the dinner table even more.
William cleared his throat again. "It's best to speak after I finish. No provocative sentences are coming to my ears, so be wise when speaking in this house."
Maria closed her mouth after receiving the sarcasm, but she did not stop paying attention to every little detail Belle did as if being a spy for the nanny.
"I should finish my meal before explaining everything."
Belle could only snort resignedly. She had to make the best decision for the continuation of her life, or how she had to be the decider of the future of Grandfather William, who was always the target of bad things from his youngest son and daughter-in-law.
Belle felt her legs become very weak trembling, and her body temperature began to rise since sitting next to Lionel. The desires between William, Lionel, and Belle were opposed. Should Belle regret that she had been Grandpa William's nanny for the past ten years and thus got involved with this family's cold war?
Everyone had finished their food, and Belle's heart beat faster. She felt frustrated waiting for the second William was about to explain the important point of the dinner invitation in this house.
For a moment, Lionel looked at the girl; the look in his eyes showed doubt, and did Lionel also feel the madness building up in his head like the euphoria in Belle?
"I plan to marry Lionel to Belle even though other people's responses will differ, but I have thought about it long enough. It is a wise desire to realize that I trust Belle very much, even more than my own family." William began to speak, and he looked at each person in turn because the man sat on a chair at the end of the dining table, so everyone was visible to him.
"Belle is not another person to me, and she is like Lionel, Darwin, and Monroe. I don't have a granddaughter, and seeing how Belle has sincerely cared for me over the years makes me need her even more. I don't want Belle to leave me, so the best way for her to stay here and become a real granddaughter to me is to marry her off to Lionel." He spoke very casually while the expressions of the people around him became very tense. "You can ask about anything."
"Lionel agrees to it?" tomy became the opening of the unrest of several parties.
William smiled wryly. "Agree or not, I'm his grandfather, and I've been caring for him all this time. Although it is very selfish, Lionel's refusal is unimportant."
Lionel felt very depressed, and he was deliberately silenced into silence. He had no right to decide even though this matter was important. Lionel pinned his hopes on the girl who showed so much calm—without knowing that Belle's head was in turmoil, trying to fight logic and fear that had sprung up.
"Does Belle approve?" Maria looked at the nanny across from her, and it wasn't unusual for any doubts to arise. They had every right to respond to a surprise of this magnitude.
Everyone was looking at Belle, including William, this being a defining moment in their survival.
"How about it, Belle? Did you accept grandfather's offer to marry Lionel?" William smiled warmly, his shaded eyes showing great hope for her.
Belle swallowed. The blood flowing in her body seemed to rustle hot. She had never felt this anxious about something. Throughout her life, Belle could still get through every problem, but for something this big—she felt better fainting in front of them.
"I-I ...." Her voice trembled. She looked at everyone. The fear was mounting, and the conversation between Maria and Tomy began to buzz repeatedly in her ears like a reminder that Belle had to hear for the rest of her life.
"Belle, you've made up your mind, haven't you? Answer." The voice sounded quite soft, the girl beside her looking at Lionel using an expression that made the man frown. "If you're still too indecisive, you can ask Grandfather for some time. Isn't that easy?"
Time?
Belle would go crazy if she had to face the same situation twice. The woman's heart seemed to be on the verge of an avalanche as it beat faster and faster.
"Grandpa." Belle suddenly got up and tried to neutralize her breathing and her heartbeat, even though she was only sitting while she was there. However, what happened was terrible turbulence, much so that Belle physically went through it with a messy feeling.
"Yes, Belle. Can you answer now? Grandpa will accept whatever you decide."
William was still smiling warmly, making Belle want to cry and hug him. At the same time, the couple there showed their ruthlessness—seemingly showing that they were willing to do anything to fight against everyone who could block the path to success, even if they used devious means.
"My decision is ...." Belle inhaled as much air as possible, then exhaled slowly. She did this repeatedly until she felt calmer. "I AM WILLING TO MARRY LIONEL."
The smile on William's face grew wider, but the expressions of the other three people were different, especially Lionel. The man's hands were clenched tightly with emotion. Hadn't he convinced Belle to refuse the offer? Why did she agree to it? What made Belle dare to do this?
"I-I'm going back to my room, Grandpa. I feel like my body is suddenly feverish."
"Yes, Belle. Take a rest. Thank you for your answer."
The nanny nodded, and she hurriedly left the dining table. Belle could feel that her body was trembling violently and became weak when she walked out of the kitchen. She was surprised to see several other servants standing by the door. They deliberately listened to the family's conversation out of curiosity—why did Belle sit there?
Now that Emma and the others were staring at Belle with inexplicable feelings, Belle also didn't have any more energy to respond to anyone, and she just smiled slightly as she continued to walk towards her room. Belle needed to recover energy after being drained, even though she had just filled her stomach with food.
"Who would have guessed Mr. William would make such a crazy offer to Belle?" Emma folded her arms across her chest as she stared at Belle's departure.
"I'm so surprised. If something like that came to me, I would have fainted for days."
"That's right. Moreover, marrying Lord William's grandson wouldn't be a great advantage. Belle should indeed accept it. That girl's future is guaranteed."
***
