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Chapter 3 The Supporting Man in Life

Snow dumped all night, so the next day was gonna be a freezer. Bella dragged herself outta bed for school, still rockin' that old cotton coat she'd had forever. Zoey really wanted to tell Bella to suck it up and ask Sterling for a new down jacket. It'd make winter way easier. But knowing how stubborn Bella was, she kept her mouth shut.

Bella waved goodbye to Zoey and pedaled away from Windsor Villa.

With all that snow from last night, biking was a total pain. After a few minutes, Bella was wiped and decided to walk her bike the rest of the way.

On her way, she spotted a familiar black Rolls-Royce, which was Sterling's ride. Bella knew it, but she couldn't figure out why he was driving so slow, barely faster than she was walking.

'Does he think driving in snow is risky? But Ryan Brown's been driving forever. He shouldn't be crawling like this; it's weird.' Bella shrugged it off and kept pushing her bike.

Ryan peeked at Sterling's grumpy face in the rearview mirror and asked carefully, "Mr. Windsor, you really not gonna let Ms. Grey in?"

Sterling scowled, annoyed. "Ignore her."

Ryan sighed internally. 'You made me drive like a snail just so Bella would get in the car herself. She doesn't want to, and you won't ask? Both of you are so stubborn.'

Out of nowhere, Sterling said, "Get someone to clear all the snow along the way from home to school later."

After a small jump, Ryan nodded, relieved. 'Phew, thought he caught me complaining.'

Bella finally made it to class just before the bell.

After Bella took her seat, Anna asked if Bella had bought the paint the teacher wanted. Bella shook her head. Even the cheapest paint was outta her budget right now. But she was too proud to take help, so she'd just save up.

"What does your brother do, anyway? He seems even poorer than you," Anna grumbled.

Anna knew a bit about Bella's family. Her dad was gone, her mom was missing, and her older brother was taking care of her. But Bella rarely talked about him, and even Anna didn't know what he did.

Suddenly, a hand reached over from behind Anna and touched Bella's forehead. Then a sunny, handsome boy popped into view.

"You feel like ice. I saw you pushing your bike today. Don't catch a cold." The boy wrapped his scarf around Bella's neck and smiled warmly.

His name was James Savoy, the best friend of Bella and Anna in class.

James' rich family background, good looks, and kind nature made him super popular at school. Sometimes Bella wished James was really her brother.

Where there were fans of James, there were also haters, like Sterling, who was standing at the door right then.

Sterling watched Bella smile at James, and anger bubbled up inside him. Bella never smiled at him like that.

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