Bella giggled shyly. "O-Okay..."
"Well, I’ll stop grilling you now. I just wanted to check in. You sound happy."
"I am," Bella whispered honestly.
"Good. Call me if he acts stupid again," Lina said warmly before ending the call.
Bella sighed, letting out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. She put the phone down, cheeks still a bit red.
"Huff..." she muttered, puffing her cheeks as she flopped gently onto her bed.
Then, with a small smile, she sat up and decided to get back to work. It was time to finish her task list.
Bella logged onto Hackerverse, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. She fixed a few small security tasks, tweaked some backend systems, and responded to a couple of quiet requests from clients—just simple things to keep her skills sharp. No fame, no noise, just her and her laptop.
After that, she turned to Bella Zone, her little online store. She opened a blank project and began designing something new cinematic LUT filter pack for photo and video editing.
She adjusted color tones, contrast, lighting effects... everything that would turn ordinary video clips into something dreamy and dramatic. Her laptop hummed softly as she tested the LUTs on different clips—warm sunset tones, soft vintage filters, moody blue evenings. She was lost in the beauty of how even a dull frame could look like a movie scene.
She bundled the LUTs with a few light flares, grain overlays, and some of her custom-made cinematic presets. Then, she created a neat PDF guide explaining how to apply them, using simple words so even beginners could follow easily.
After uploading them to Bella Zone, she composed a gentle email for her past customers:
[ Hey there, it’s Bella from bella Zone
I just finished a new cinematic LUT pack—soft, moody, and dreamy. If you ever wanted your videos to feel like a film, this one’s for you.
Love and light,
—Bella]
She clicked send.
After a deep breath, she leaned back and stretched her arms. Her body was a little tired, but her heart felt light. She looked at her dashboard one more time—and just then, a new purchase alert popped up.
[Purchase Confirmation] — JayM098 has bought ’Bella’s Cinematic Pack Vol. 1’
Her lips parted in surprise. "Jay Jay...?"
Another ping.
[New Review Submitted]
She opened it.
"No idea what LUTs are, but I know who made it. Instant 5 stars. Buy from Bella or you’re blind. —Jay Jay"
Bella let out a laugh—soft, surprised, and warm. Her cheeks flushed as she whispered, "Idiot..."
She saved the review in her "Happy Things" folder, hugged Moonbeam and Berry close, and smiled so wide her eyes turned into crescents. "He really bought it even though he doesn’t need it..."
Then finally, Bella closed her laptop with a soft sigh, rubbed her tired eyes, and looked at the new plushie sitting beside her.
Her seal plushie.
Round.
Fluffy.
Hopelessly cute.
A smile crept onto her face as a spark of excitement lit up her eyes. "It’s time," she whispered dramatically, grabbing her phone and playing soft, emotional background music. She even dimmed the lights in her room slightly and cast a spotlight from her desk lamp onto the center of her bed.
She carefully placed Berry and Moonbeam side by side on the pillow like proud family members. Berry leaned slightly to the left, and Moonbeam flopped lazily to the right, but she gently adjusted their posture with the seriousness of a royal butler.
Then she picked up the chubby seal plushie and held it above her head like it was a royal heir.
Clearing her throat, she straightened her back, put on her most dramatic announcer voice, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen... thank you for attending this sacred moment. Today, we gather to celebrate the naming ceremony of our newest family member."
She glanced at Moonbeam and Berry and nodded seriously. "You two have been excellent plushie citizens, and now you shall welcome your little sibling."
She lifted the seal plushie a little higher and continued, "From this day forward... he shall be known as..."
She paused for effect, even letting the music swell a little.
"...Snowball."
The moment she said it, she clapped her hands lightly while giggling, and patted the seal’s head.
"Welcome to the family, Snowball! You’re officially one of us!" she said, then quickly turned and whispered to Moonbeam, "You better not bully your new brother."
Moonbeam, of course, remained in his usual happy slouch, and Berry looked like it might fall forward any second. But to Bella, it was perfect.
She sat there for a moment, admiring her trio of plushie babies, feeling a strange warmth in her chest.
"I’ll take care of you forever," she whispered, giving each of them a small forehead kiss before pulling the blanket over them and turning off the spotlight.
After that cozy little name ceremony, the rest of the evening slipped by peacefully.
Eventually, the maid gently knocked on her door and said, "Dinner is ready, ma’am." Bella nodded and walked to the dining room.
But again... he wasn’t there.
Leo didn’t join her.
She sat at the long table alone, her plate steaming in front of her, the clink of cutlery sounding extra loud in the quiet dining room. Still, she didn’t mind. She’d gotten used to his absences.
Not like I expected him to sit and chat anyway... she thought with a small smile, finishing her meal in peace.
Later, as the night deepened, she returned to her room and changed into her soft nightdress, her hair tied in a loose bun. But her calm heart began to flutter again when her eyes fell on the calendar beside her desk.
Tomorrow.
Wedding photoshoot.
Her palms suddenly felt a little sweaty.
She sat on the bed, clutching Snowball in her arms, whispering, "What if I trip on the dress? Or what if the veil falls off in front of everyone? What if I blink in every photo and I look like a sleepy seal like you?"
Snowball, Berry, and Moonbeam didn’t answer, but somehow, just hugging them calmed her a little.
She lay back slowly and stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow she’d have to stand so close to Leo again...
Her heart thudded at the thought, and she quickly rolled over, hiding her red face in the pillow.
"...Just pretend it’s a normal photoshoot," she mumbled to herself, clutching Snowball tighter.