Its Too Late To Forgive

Chapter 18: 18. THEY ARE NOT SAME AS BELLA

Claire doubted her own ears, and she stared at Henry Jackson in shock.

"W- what did you say Boss? I didn't quite catch that?"

An attendant! an escort!! this Bella Evans!!!

"I must have heard him wrong" she thought. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

"I said, since Miss. Bella is such a diligent and model worker, she should be promoted to a better position."

Henry put his legs down as he said that, standing up with his long and well- built body and giving now the semi-conscious Bella a cold look.

His lips curved tauntingly.

" Claire , you should understand all of your subordinates' capabilities before you assign them a position....

You probably don't know how skilled performer this Miss. Bella Evans actually is."

The man's voice seemed to hold some suppressed anger.

'wants to walk naked ha!! - I will surely break your arrogance Bella.'

Henry's eyes were blood red and had some killer instinct as he thought about Bella kissing Jason few hours back.

This time Claire Jones heard Henry Jackson loud and clear - her boss really wanted to transfer Bella to the P.R Department.

LAS DEUX 's P.R.Deparment included their best and most execute attendants, hostess, escorts and gigolos. The list to define each and every one's beauty was endless.

"Um..." Claire looked at Bella. Her only thought right now was , how will Bella survive in this department? She was sure that after seeing and hearing her, no costumer will go for her. She will surely become a laughing stock amongst the other beautiful swans.

"Understood boss." Her years of experience in this field told her that Bella and Mr. Jackson shared some special connection.

She had never seen her boss getting involved with any of LAS DEUX 's operations before. To put it bluntly this club was one of the Jackson's negligible unit. He actually never cared much about it's working pattern , as far as there is no illegal business involved, he was ok with anything else.

Henry gave a harsh look to Bella and planned to leave and go to his private floor. But before he could do so, there was a soft knock of the door and Mrs. Potts came in.

Mrs. Potts along with a waiter entered Claire's office after obtaining her permission. She respectfully yet gracefully bowed to Henry Jackson with a warm smile. Henry also nodded her back.

Mrs. Potts looked at Claire and said, "Manager Jones, here is the hot chicken soup you had ordered."

She took the soup bowl from waiter's hands and placed it carefully on a tea table. When Sophia had come to order for soup, she accidentally said that the Boss was also there in the office and they must make it quick.

Sophia purposefully acted as if she said this with slip of tongue but actually she just wanted that Bella should get a hot soup as soon as she wakes up. She knew that, that girl requires nutrition and something to keep her and her tummy warm.

Mrs. Potts heard this, and she tagged along with the waiter as she didn't wanted any kind of mishap to occur. But soon Mrs. Potts will thank god that she came along.

Mrs. Potts placed the soup on the tea table along with freshly baked soup buns with set of clean cutlery.

She was about to turn and leave when suddenly her eye sight caught glimse of a girl who was lying unconsciously on the office's couch.

She glared her carefully and couldn't stop herself from yelling as soon as she recognised her.

"Oh my lord.. Bella.. my child... Bella..

What happened to her??"

Everyone present were shocked to see Mrs. Potts reaction as she came running towards Bella and yelling her name.

She asked again in some what trembling manner,

"What happened? What happened to Bella?"

With motherly love, she touched Bella's forehead and said ,

" I am here my child, wake up. Don't scare your god granny like that!

Claire has never seen Mrs. Potts like this. Even though Mrs. Potts was a well and soft spoken lady but as far as Claire remembers, Mrs. Potts hardly came in contact with the other staff of the club, apart from food and beverage department. She was the manager and chief chef of the club.

Before Claire could ask, Henry spoke.

"Do you also know her? "

Henry asked Mrs.Potts with a strange looks and frowned eyebrows. Henry happens to know Mrs. Potts quite well. And she has always taken good care of him, like a mother, whenever he was in the club building.

Without any signs of denial, Mrs. Potts spoke in a soft voice,

"Ofcourse I know her! She is Bella Evans from the cleaning department. We all know her."

She said while looking at the waiter, who was carrying the empty tray in his hands.

The waiter nodded in affirmation and said, "She often visits us."

To others this sentence seemed to be normal but for Henry , it meant something different.

"She often visits you!!" He repeated with anger.

"How often??" Henry asked while clinching his teeth.

The waiter actually never liked Bella, as Mrs. Potts always used her name as a role model for others' to learn from. He thought it's a good opportunity to show that Mrs. Potts favours a particular employee of the club and get both in trouble.

"She comes atleast three to four times to the canteen... per day" he added after a short pause.

"And for what, May I ask?"

"Meal sir" waiter immediately answered without any delay.

Mrs. Potts got nervous and immediately got up, looked at Henry, who was giving her a confused look and said,

"It's not like what you are thinking sir!"

"Kindly explain this Mrs. Potts! You know it's against the club rule to favour any particular employe on others.

"Sir, It's true that Bella comes to canteen very often but not always for meals."

Mrs. Potts spoke in confidence and without any trace of nervousness.

" Yes, this is also true that I have allowed her to have canteen meal twice a day rather then once, like others."

"What? Why? I know you are the namager of food and beverage department but you surely can't do this!

What if other girls also starts demanding for the same?" Claire spoke in a little disappointed tone.

"Oh manager Jones, you know they are not same as Bella."

Mrs. Potts said while looking at Bella with love and care.

"Sir, if we compare, then the diet that we, any of us, eats per meal is equal to Bella's 3 - 4 days diet."

Everyone present was surprised by hearing this.

Mrs. Potts wanted to say something else but suddenly stopped and said in a panicking manner.

"Manager Claire, did you send Sophia to order the hot pepper chicken soup for Bella?"

Claire didn't find anything wrong in doing so and simply nodded in yes.

"Oh Lord, It's good that I came along!

Lu take this soup back to the kitchen and get some cold soy milk and cold water." she said to the waiter.

But Lu was reluctant to do anything for Bella. When Mrs. Potts realised that he was not moving, she glared at him and angrily said, "NOW".

Lu picked up the plate of soup and left. As soon as he left, Sophia , who was very angry on Mrs. Potts at the time, couldn't stop herself from asking,

"Mrs.Potts, I know you are a very experienced person but seeing Bella nearly frozen to death just now, don't you think that hot soup will be more appropriate then cold milk?"

She looked at Claire and then her boss and both looked equally confused by Mrs. Potts decision.

"Manager Potts, I think Sophia is absolutely right." said Claire.

"Ofcourse, she is right. In a situation like this, ofcourse hot soup is the best choice, but... "

She looked at Henry Jackson who has not spoken for a long time and was staring at everyone.

"but..." after a pause Mrs. Potts said, "only if that person is not Bella."

Claire and Sophia were even more confused now. Suddenly the man spoke,

"Mrs. Potts, please stop running around the bush, and speak clearly. "

Even though he was angry on Bella but he felt something is a miss and even he wanted to know about this matter.

"Sir, actually Bella doesn't drink soup." Mrs. Potts started to explain.

'Bella doesn't drink this soup' since when , he thought. He knew Bella since childhood. They used to meet daily and atleast shared one meal everyday. Irrespective of the time of the meal, Bella would shamelessly order for chicken pepper soup and drink it boiling hot.

Suddenly hearing Mrs. Potts sound, Henry returned to reality.

"What I meant is, she doesn't eat or drink anything, hot or cold. Ya, especially hot and food with pieces that has to be chewed."

"What she takes daily in her meal , in our canteen, is a bottle of cold soy milk and nearly 1 liter of cold water."

Mrs. Potts said with sadness in her voice.

"Say what again!!" Sophia was shocked to hear this.

"No wonder she never comes with for food outtings and matter of fact, she never goes to canteen with us."

Sophia said while pouting her lips.

"May be Sophia but most importantly, does she have time to go out?"

Mrs. Potts asked Sophia mockingly.

"After finishing her cleaning work, Bella will come to the canteen and help me in my canteen work."

Mrs. Potts seemed to be really happy to talk about Bella but at the same she had sadness in her eyes for this poor humble girl.

"Bella works in the kitchen??"

Henry asked with a surprise. As far he knew her, the most hated place for her was kitchen.

"Yes sir"

Mrs. Potts replied softly and then continued.

"When she 1st came to ask me for some job, I was surprised to see that she was a cleaner at such a young age. Her eyes were crystal clear with no signs of scheming.

She asked me with she can do cleaning of the kitchen and canteen and get payed!"

That day Mrs. Potts and Bella spoke for a long time.

"She is short of money and I didn't mind a little helper either, so I agreed. But I gave her a job of cutting vegetables. But , hehehe, this poor girl she couldn't do it."

'Ofcourse an arrogant rich brat like her surely can't do the kitchen work.' Henry spoke to himself.

"Why? Was it something beyond her dignity?" Henry spoke with arrogance and confident.

"No... no... ofcourse not..." Mrs. Potts immediately refuted.

"Take a closer look Manager Jones, you see her hands, there are no nails on her fingers. It seemed as if someone has plucked them out mercilessly.

And you see her fingers, the callous are gone, they are so rough to touch and more importantly they are not in a line. They are disfigured.

You remember the other day when she was hit by the bike on her way home?

I took her to the hospital. They got a X-ray done for her and later the doctor said that she has multiple malunion and nonunion fractures in her hand and that's why she can't do fine work plus he also said

that she must be suffering from unbearable pain during cold."

"As far as her food is concerned. She told me that if she takes hot and solid food her throat hurts and she can't swallow it , thats why she only drinks one soya milk and cold water."

Saying all this, Mrs.Potts go

up and bowed to Henry Jackson and turned to Claire and said,

"Mrs. Jones, whenever Bella wakes up, give her the soy milk and water. She will surely feel good.

And if you don't mind inform me also. Thanks."

When she was about to open the door and leave, suddenly she heard her Boss's voice.

"Mrs. Potts did she tell you how this all happened?"

"Yes, ofcourse I asked her alot of time as I didn't believe in jer answer."

"And that was?" Claire asked

"Accident" Mrs. Potts said and walked outside.