Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Oliver crossed his legs, acting like he didn't notice her cold shoulder. He flicked his hair back and flashed a charming smile, "Hey, I'm your new neighbor. Just moved in today."

Bella didn't see that coming.

The place next door had been empty for a while. The landlord was thrilled to finally have a tenant, so why not make some money?

Bella ignored him, parked her car, and headed straight to her room.

Oliver watched her go inside and shut the door, a slight smile on his face.

He thought, 'No rush, there's plenty of time.'

The next morning, Bella came back from grocery shopping and saw Oliver stepping

out in casual sportswear.

Oliver waved, "Morning!"

She figured he was going for a run, but he started working out right there in the yard.

Bella still ignored him, grabbed a basin to wash her veggies, only to find the water was off.

Since moving in, she had never had a water outage, so she hadn't stored any water. The neighbor next door came over to get water and asked, "Why's there no water?" Oliver glanced over and saw Bella standing by the sink, looking troubled, holding a basin.

Just then, the landlady came out in her pajamas.

"Just a heads up, the area's water pipes are being repaired, so no water for the day. There's a well at the end of the street; if you need water, you can get it from there."

Bella quickly went back to her room, grabbed a bucket, and headed to the well the landlady mentioned.noveldrama

The well was easy to find; lots of people were already heading that way with buckets. She just followed them.

When she was about to draw water, her bucket was snatched away.

Oliver pointed to the basin beside her. "I'll draw the water, you wash the veggies."

Turns out he had quietly followed her and brought her veggies and basin to the well. Bella asked, "What are you doing?"

She didn't want to accept Oliver's help so easily.

Oliver bent down, lowering the bucket into the well. "You need several buckets of water to wash the veggies, right? If you wash them here, you save the hassle of carrying water back and forth."

He had a point. She was in a hurry and hadn't thought of that.

Oliver had already drawn a bucket of water and poured it into the basin, squinting at her with a smile.

"Don't feel embarrassed. It's only right for neighbors to help each other," he said with a faint smile.

So, he drew the water while she washed the veggies, and soon enough, they were all clean.

Back home, as Bella was loading the veggies onto her cart, Oliver, now in a different outfit, walked up to her.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

Bella paused for a second before continuing to load the cart. "I can't afford such an expensive helper like you," she replied.

Suddenly, Oliver grabbed her hand. Bella tried to pull away but couldn't. He stared at her hand for a moment, his smile fading.

"Once, your hands never had to do any hard work, but now they're doing all these rough tasks. What can't I do? I was always just a simple guy anyway," Oliver said.

Bella pulled her hand back, ready to push the cart out. "With my small business, I can barely support myself, let alone a helper."

Oliver smiled, hands in his pockets, and followed her. "I don't care about the pay. Just feed me three meals a day."

Bella thought the harsh words she said in the rain that day would have driven him back to Starlight City, never to bother her again. But to her surprise, Oliver was still there, just as he said he would be.

She knew no matter how much she tried to drive him away, he wouldn't leave, so she stopped trying. But she wouldn't be nice to him either.

Since that rainy day, Oliver seemed to have changed. No matter how cold Bella was to him, he always responded with a smile.

When Bella was too busy, he would help her with the grilling, packing, and collecting money.

This barbecue stand served countless customers daily, and no one knew that the two people serving them were once a rich heir and a bar owner.

At mealtime, Oliver would go home to cook, pack the food in a thermal container, and bring it to Bella, also giving a portion to the old lady selling vegetables.

Bella was reluctant to accept these gestures, but he always patiently persuaded her with a smile, "You might not want to eat, but maybe your baby does. You don't owe me anything; I was going to eat anyway. I'm just sharing with you because we're neighbors."

He added, "And you can pretend you never knew me. I don't expect anything else. Just treat me like a neighbor. Also, I'm your helper. If you're unhappy, you can scold me."

Every evening, Oliver would go home a bit early to cook, so by the time Bella returned, the meal was almost ready.

He wasn't much of a cook, learning most things from Google or asking neighbors for help. Eventually, his cooking became quite decent.

It seemed he was determined to stick with her to the end.

However, with his help, things became much easier for her. Meals were on time,

nutrition improved, and she felt much better.

Bella no longer gave him the cold shoulder all the time; it felt too harsh. But she kept

her distance, not wanting Oliver to hold onto any hope.

Because there was no hope left between them.

On that rainy day, Bella took advantage of not having to set up her stall to visit Zachary.

Zachary said she had lost weight and told her not to overwork herself. She didn't tell him the truth about her situation, only saying she was fine and that he shouldn't worry.

On the way back, the necklace she always wore around her neck broke, and the secret hidden in it was finally discovered by Bella.

She was distracted all the way home, thinking of many possibilities.

When she got home, Oliver had already prepared dinner.

She picked at her food with her utensils, having no appetite, and finally couldn't help but ask, "How's Emily? Is she okay?"

Bella rarely initiated conversations with Oliver, let alone mentioned people or things from the past. This was the first time.

Oliver was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Emily left Ethan."

Bella was stunned. She had always thought Emily and Ethan were a blissful couple. She envied them, even felt a bit jealous, but she never expected them to break up. Bella asked, "Why?"

Oliver shrugged, saying, "I don't know."

"Why can't people who love each other be together?" Bella spoke from the heart, and after she said it, the air suddenly became very quiet. She looked up to find Oliver staring at her intently.

Bella lowered her eyes and continued eating, but there was a slight bitterness in her mouth.

"Because of fate's tricks," Oliver finally replied after a long pause.

After dinner, Oliver took the dishes to wash. When he came out, Bella had already

gone back to her room. He didn't know if she was asleep.

Oliver quietly left her room, closed the door, and returned to his own room.

He lay on the bed, wide awake, unable to sleep.

"Why can't people who love each other be together?" Oliver had always wanted to ask that question too.

Back when they fell from the high building together, he kissed Bella hard, and she called him a fool but held him tightly. At that moment, he felt Bella loved him.

But later, fate played its tricks. Bella married someone else, had someone else's child, and now she lived such a hard life, yet she still persisted.

Oliver no longer dared to say she loved him.

But his love for her had not been extinguished by her indifference; instead, it grew deeper with pain and separation.

When Oliver decided to live next door to her, he even had an impulsive thought. Oliver felt that even if he had to watch over her for fifteen years, at least she would be in his sight, and he could help her a bit, so she wouldn't have to struggle so much. Oliver might still hold a bit of hope that maybe she would be moved by him over time. Maybe he would eventually win Bella over?

The next day, they set up the stall together as usual.

Bella accidentally got splashed with oil, and the pain made her shake her hand. Oliver dropped what he was holding and immediately took her hand in concern. She pulled her hand back and whispered, "It's nothing."

Actually, Oliver had already seen that her hand had many burn marks, indicating she had been burned more than once.

Oliver grabbed her and pulled her aside.

"I'll do it. I've been watching every day; I have learned by now. You take a break," he

said.

Bella said it wasn't necessary, but he insisted. In the midst of their tugging, a man suddenly rushed over and forcefully pushed Oliver aside.

"Who are you?" the man shouted. "Bella, is he bothering you? I'll help you deal with him."

Oliver got angry. He raised his chin, his tone faintly provocative, "Who I am is none of your business."

Seeing the two about to fight, Bella quickly intervened.

"Don't fight at my stall; it affects my business," she said.

She glanced at Oliver, saying, "You leave."

Then she looked at the man, saying, "Inferno, you leave too. I don't need help from

either of you."

Of course, Oliver wouldn't leave. Seeing Bella's slightly angry profile, he added a heart- wrenching explanation after a while.

"I'm her server," Oliver said.

The man called Inferno had seen Oliver holding her hand from a distance. He didn't

believe Oliver was just a server. But Bella didn't say anything, and her tone wasn't good, so Inferno didn't dare say more.

Inferno knew Zachary loved Bella deeply, even went to prison for her. If she wronged Zachary, he would really feel it was unjust for Zachary.

Inferno stood for a while and then left.

"It's already burnt," a customer reminded, bringing Bella back to her senses. She

quickly took the skewers off the grill.

Just now, when Oliver said he was her server, she was momentarily lost.

She knew, given Oliver's temperament, he didn't need to explain that. He still considered her situation and feelings, so he explained.

The term "server" coming from Oliver himself carried a bitterness that both of them

felt.

A few days later, Inferno came to Bella's stand again and asked to speak with Oliver in

private.

If he didn't go, it would seem like Oliver was afraid of him, so Oliver went.

Under a big banyan tree not far from the barbecue stall, Inferno said to him, "Zachary

wants to see you."