Chapter 276

Bella paid attention to every e-hailing cab she saw—she thought that was how Jack would arrive. He smiled and called, "Bella." She turned, and her eyes brightened at the sight of him. They shared a tender moment before Bella held Jack's hand. She led him to a private room. Though she tried her best to hide it, Jack could still tell from the slight dampness of her tightly clasped hand that she was nervous. When they entered the private room, he was surprised to find that Clarice wasn't alone. There were others with her. They all sat around a round table while chatting and laughing. Bella brought Jack to Clarice's side and said, "Mom, Jack's here." Clarice appraised Jack sharply, seemingly wanting to look through his body and into his heart. He was used to being looked at like that, so it didn't bother him. The rest of the people mostly consisted of Clarice's friends and old classmates. They observed Jack curiously, wanting to know what was special enough about him to make Bella b