Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1290

Bella glided downstairs, temporarily pushing the impending $1 billion debt to the back of her mind.

She wasn't in a rush anymore.

Now that she had confirmation Sebastian had seen the package, she knew he needed a little time to process the sheer horror of it all.

Noah's phone call was a godsend. Just when she had been pacing the floors, drowning in paranoid anxiety, the kid had handed her the ultimate reassurance.

Thank God she had played the long game. Raising someone else's child for two years—without enduring the agony of pregnancy or the exhausting labor of an infant—had paid off beautifully. He was practically hers now.

As she stepped into the foyer, Brandon Mercer's gaze immediately zeroed in on her fresh, elegant outfit, a deep scowl etching into his features.

"Miss Ward actually abandoned her desk today and even had time for a wardrobe change," Brandon sneered. "Off to have some fun somewhere?"

Brandon had been poking around lately and suspected Bella might have a new man on the side. He couldn't care less who she was sleeping with—that was her business—but the moment her distractions started impacting her work at the Mercer Group, it became his problem.

Bella completely ignored his biting sarcasm, turning her sweet, innocent gaze directly to Martin. "Dad, Sebastian brought Noah back from overseas. The poor thing called me earlier... I assume Brandon already filled you in?

"Since it's out in the open now, shouldn't the Mercer family bring Noah over for a stay? When the Blake family elders were still out of the country, Noah practically lived here with his grandfather. I bet the sweet boy misses you terribly."

The Mercer family was incredibly useful when the situation called for it. The natural bloodline connecting them to Noah was a weapon Bella wielded with effortless precision.

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