His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 781 I can be your only friend

When they finished eating, Bella set down her cup and looked at Winter. Her brown eyes were soft, hopeful, a little nervous. Her fingers were wrapped around the empty cup, her knuckles slightly white.

"Can we be friends?" she asked shyly.

Winter blinked.

Her dark eyes widened just a fraction. Her lips parted, just a little. Her expression, usually so cold and unreadable, flickered with something that might have been surprise or confusion or maybe both.

Bella waited. Her heart pounded so loud she was sure Winter could hear it. Her palms were sweaty. Her cheeks were warm.

Winter’s eyes were cold and unreadable. For a moment, a long, terrible moment, Bella thought she might say no.

Then Winter spoke.

"If you want to become my friend," she said slowly, her voice pleasant, "you have to be only my friend."

Bella’s eyes widened. "What? That’s not possible. I have many good friends."

"It is possible," Winter said, her voice matter of fact, like she was explaining a simple equation. "And very simple." She held up one finger. "First, you make all your guy friends your brothers." She held up a second finger. "Second, you make all your female friends your sisters." She lowered her hand. "That way, I can be your only friend."

Bella stared at her, speechless.

Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again.

Winter watched her, waiting, her dark eyes patient and unblinking.

"But that’s not possible," Bella finally said, her voice rising slightly. "I have other friends. Karl, Lily, Scarlett, Jason, Dom. I can’t just... turn them into siblings overnight."

Winter tilted her head, her ponytail swaying. "Why not?"

"Because—" Bella sputtered, gesturing helplessly with her hands. "Because that’s not how relationships work. You can’t just declare someone your brother because it’s convenient."

"Why not?"

"Because—" Bella stopped. Took a breath. Tried again. "Winter, friendship doesn’t work that way. You don’t get to own someone just because you’re friends with them."

Winter’s voice was calm and reasonable. "I’m not saying I own you. I’m saying I don’t share."

Bella’s brow furrowed. "You don’t share friends?"

Winter’s dark eyes were deep. "I don’t share anything."

Bella shook her head, but she couldn’t help smiling. Winter was so serious. So sincere. She actually believed what she was saying. She wasn’t trying to be difficult or controlling. She just didn’t understand.

"Winter," Bella said gently, "friendship isn’t about owning or sharing. It’s about caring about someone. Wanting them to be happy. Being there for them when they need you."

"I can do all those things," Winter said. "I just don’t want you to have other friends."

Bella’s voice was soft. "That’s not how caring works."

Winter’s chin lifted. "It’s how my caring works."

Bella laughed, surprised.

Winter watched her, her expression unreadable.

Bella shook her head, still smiling. "I can’t be your only friend. I have too many people in my life who matter to me. But I can be one of your friends. Is that okay?"

Winter was silent for a long moment. Her dark eyes searched Bella’s face.

"I’ll think about it," she said finally.

Bella’s smile widened. "That’s all I ask."

She stood up and started packing her bag. Her chain of bags were open, all the zippers undone from pulling things out earlier. She quickly zipped them, one by one.

Then something fell.

A small envelope fluttered out of her bag and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

Bella bent down and picked it up. It was the ticket. Dominique’s last ticket.

Winter’s eyes followed the envelope.

Bella looked up and saw Winter staring at the ticket. Her dark eyes were lit up, glowing with an interest Bella hadn’t seen before. The cold, expressionless girl suddenly looked like a child on Christmas morning.

Bella held up the envelope. "You want this? It’s for a racing competition. My friend Jason’s racing competition. He’s a professional driver."

Winter nodded once. Her eyes never left the ticket.

"It’s fast cars," Bella continued. "Loud engines. Lots of screaming fans."

Winter nodded again.

Bella tilted her head. "You like racing?"

Winter’s voice was low and deep. "I like speed. I like machines that move fast. I like the precision. How humans control those machines while risking themselves. It’s... beautiful."

Bella smiled. She held out the envelope.

Winter took it. Her fingers closed around the paper like it was something precious. Her dark eyes sparkled.

"Thank you," she said.

"You’re welcome."

Bella’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. Jason.

"I have to take this," she said. "Goodbye, Winter. I’ll see you tomorrow."

Winter nodded, already turning back to the ticket, her attention completely absorbed by the small envelope in her hands.

Bella walked out of the lab, answering the phone as she stepped into the hallway.

"Jingle bell~~jingle bell~~Bella Bell~~ Bella Bell~~" Jason’s voice sang through the speaker.

Then she heard a bell ringing and jingling. Like someone was shaking a small bell right next to the phone.

Bella stopped walking. She puffed out her cheeks, her lips pursed in annoyance.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked. "JaSON?"

"No, no, my dear Bella Bell," Jason said, his voice nervous, a little too high. "I just like collecting bells. You know. For ambiance. It’s a new hobby."

"Uh huh."

"I have a whole collection. Little bells, big bells, medium bells—"

"Jason."

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

He laughed. "Hehehe."

Bella shook her head, smiling as she walked. The hallway was quiet, her footsteps echoing on the floor.

"I heard Dom gave you the last ticket," Jason said, his voice shifting, growing more serious. "Who did you give it to? Did you find me a fan?"

Bella could hear the excitement and hope in his voice. Racing was a niche sport, unlike modeling or acting. It didn’t have the same glamour, the same fame, the same endless stream of adoring fans.

Finding someone who genuinely loved racing, who wasn’t a friend or family member obligated to cheer, was rare.

Bella thought about Winter. About the way her eyes had lit up when she saw the ticket. The spark of interest. The hunger for speed. The wonder in her voice when she talked about fast machines.

"I guess I found you a fan," Bella said. "I gave the ticket to my friend. She looked at it with sparkling eyes."