A week after her father's surgery went smoothly and without any complications, Arrabela could breathe a sigh of relief because her efforts to save her father's life had not been in vain, even though she had gone about it the wrong way by selling her dignity.
"Dad, eat some more, there's still plenty of food left," said Bella as she handed him a spoonful of rice and side dishes.
"But I'm full, Bella," replied the middle-aged man with a gentle smile.
"Okay, then take your medicine first."
Arrabella put down the plate and took a glass of water and the medicine her father had to take after the surgery.
"How are you feeling now, Dad? Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, dear, although sometimes I still feel tightness, but it's much better now," replied Arya weakly.
"Bella, where did you get the money for your father's surgery, dear?"
Arrabella was startled to hear her father's question. She was not ready to answer and did not want to explain what had really happened, so she chose to lie as the best option.
Wa wa
"I-it's just that, Bella has a friend who is willing to lend her the money, and Bella will work at his restaurant to pay it back in installments."
Arrabella stammered a little when she answered because she was nervous. She didn't want her father to become more anxious and fall ill again.
Arya frowned in surprise, "Your friend is very kind, Bella. Isn't the surgery very expensive?"
"Yes, it is, Dad. Don't think about it too much. It's better if you just rest for now."
Arya actually didn't quite believe what his daughter said, but because he was tired and weak, he decided it was better to just stay quiet.
After her father fell asleep, Bella left the hospital room and walked to the balcony, leaning her tired body against a sturdy pillar.
"I'll look for a rental house for now because Dad can go home in a week," she muttered to herself. Then she opened her phone and searched for rental houses on a special property app.
Towards the afternoon, Bella was at a house that she thought would be suitable for her and her father to live in.
"Can the price be reduced any further? It still feels too expensive," Bella turned to the owner of the house, trying to negotiate.
"Well, 20 million is already quite cheap, miss," replied the woman who owned the rental house.
"Hmm... okay, if it can't be negotiated," Bella's face looked a little disappointed because she was thinking about all the other things she still had to buy besides renting a house.
After a few days had passed and her father's health had improved, Bella was happy. This time, her father was able to get out of bed and walk around the room, even though he was still weak.
"Well, after we leave the hospital, Bella has prepared a house for us, because the old mansion we used to live in is no longer possible for the two of us to live in," said Arrabella with a gloomy face, her heart very sad.
Arya took a deep breath and looked intently at his beloved daughter.
"I've only caused you trouble. Everything is gone. That snake woman, Selina, I never thought she was so cunning. I was completely deceived by her."
"Bella, will you forgive me? Right now, I don't know what else to do. Just being given the chance to recover from this critical illness is already a great miracle from God," said Arya, his voice hoarse as he held back the pain in his chest, remembering what he had gone through. He had lost everything, including his house, his company, and the rest of his assets. His life had changed drastically from always having everything to eventually losing everything.
***
The luxurious mansion that once belonged to Arya Atmajaya, Arrabela's biological father, had now changed hands and belonged to Selina and Ares.
"Finally, I can take control of everything that belongs to you, Arya. You are so stupid... haha," said Selina with a smirk as the glamorous woman sat on the large sofa with her legs crossed.
Not long after, Selina turned her gaze to the young man who had just entered the house. It turned out to be her son.
"Where have you been, Ares? Don't just wander around. You'd better start learning how to manage the company and help Mama," Selina grumbled as she stared at the young man sitting on the sofa with an annoyed look on his face.
"You know, I was at the hospital. Did you know that Uncle Arya's heart transplant surgery was successful and now his condition is improving," said Ares.
Actually, Ares had gone to the hospital because he wanted to see his step-sister, who was beautiful and charming. He had been harboring feelings for Arabella for a long time.
"What? How is that possible? Didn't he run out of money? I drained him completely," Selina said curtly, frowning in surprise.
"How should I know? Maybe that pretentious beauty Arrabela sold herself or became the mistress of a rich old man... ugh."
Ares snorted in annoyance, hiding his feelings for the girl.
Selina narrowed her eyes, curious as to why her son would think that.
"Is that so, Res?"
"I don't know, Mom, that's just my guess," replied Ares with a shrug.
"Never mind, we'll think about that later. The important thing is that we have succeeded in taking control of Arya Atmajaya's wealth," said Selina with a sly grin.
***
A month had passed since Arrabela and her father had been trying to live comfortably in a small rented house with a fairly simple life.
The amount of money Arrabella had received from the check Arvel had given her was still enough to live on, after deducting the cost of her father's medical treatment.
But Arrabella still wanted to continue her studies at the medical faculty, which she had started after graduating from high school.
This morning, Arrabella was preparing a simple breakfast of fried rice for her father and herself because she was about to leave for college on the motorcycle she had bought secondhand but was still in good condition.
"Dad, let's have breakfast first. Bella has prepared everything."
While waiting for her father to come out of his room, the beautiful woman combed her jet-black, slightly curly hair, her aura of beauty shining brightly.
Suddenly, Bella felt an urge from her stomach that she needed to get rid of immediately. Yes, the woman was experiencing severe nausea, so she immediately ran to the bathroom.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Bella immediately vomited the contents of her stomach, which had been empty since she woke up.
"Hoekk... hoekk."
"Akkhh... my stomach feels twisted and my head is spinning," Bella complained, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.
It didn't stop there. A second later, her stomach felt nauseous again.
"Hoekk..."
After vomiting a second time, Arabella staggered out of the bathroom and headed to the living room where she would have breakfast with her father.
Arriving at the dining table, she found her father staring intently at her.
"Arabella, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly vomit in the morning like this?"
"I-I... just feel nauseous and very uncomfortable in my stomach," replied Bella.
Arya felt uneasy when he heard his daughter vomiting and feeling nauseous, especially seeing her pale face.
"I'll make some hot tea first, Dad, you go ahead and eat breakfast," said Bella, then she took a cup from the cupboard and some tea from the table nearby.
Arya took a breath and exhaled slowly. The middle-aged man pulled out a chair and sat down. Before filling his plate with rice, he drank some hot tea first.
Shortly after, Bella clutched her stomach again, feeling uncomfortable, then ran to the bathroom to vomit once more.
"Ugh..."
"Oh no... what's wrong with me? Did I eat something bad?"
Arya, worried about his daughter, followed her to the bathroom.
"Bella, these symptoms are signs of pregnancy. Are you pregnant!?"
***