CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35 WANT TO LEARN NEW SKILL

Isabella let out a soft sigh as Her eyes scanned the now-stable code one last time, fingers moving with practiced ease as she made final adjustments.

"It was just a small issue," she thought, watching the simulation run perfectly. A broken loop and a missing variable tag. That’s it. They really missed this?"

But as she dove deeper into the code, her expression grew more serious. Her brow furrowed. There were more bugs hidden beneath the surface bandaged patches stacked on top of each other, lazy fixes that only delayed the real problem.

This app wasn’t crashing from just one error—it needed a full rewrite of its architecture.

Still, for now, she cleaned up the mess. She packaged the patched file, tested it twice, and uploaded the fixed version.

With a slight smirk, she dropped the link into their group chat.

Bellatrix_019: Fixed. But you’ll need to rework most of the backend later. Just a warning.

The reply came in within seconds.

@SyntaxQueen: "YOU GIRL—ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Far across the city, in a glass-walled luxury apartment, a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties stared at her monitor, lips slightly parted. Her long nails hovered over the keyboard as she scrolled through the code Isabella had just cleaned up.

"Eight years," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "Eight years and this girl still surprises me."

She had been Bella’s online friend and teammate for nearly a decade. Never once had Bellatrix failed to fix something—always quiet, always polite, and always scarily efficient.

@_F4ngs: "I knew it! I told you she’d solve it! Pay up, @BlackKnight! I said she’d do it in under twenty minutes!"

@BlackKnight: "Tch. I knew you were smart, but damn, Bella. You shocked me again. You’re like some sort of digital goddess."

@ZeroVoid: "CUTIE! You’re AMAZING! I’ve been trying to kill this bug for 8 hours! T__T"

@K4ne404: "YOU ARE THE GREAT MASTER. BLESS MY CODE WITH YOUR TOUCH."

Isabella laughed softly, one hand covering her mouth as her face glowed with quiet joy.

Isabella’s fingers danced across the keys as she typed her reply, her smile soft and content.

@Bellatrix_019: "It was just a small problem. But hey—can you guys rewrite the full code later? It really needs a fresh start. Someone’s definitely tampered with it."

A second later, the messages popped in one after another.

@ZeroVoid: "Yeah Okay, cutie! I already sent the fixed version to the studio. They’re super happy... and you’re getting the full payment, hehehe!"

Isabella giggled softly, cheeks a little pink as she leaned back and typed again:

@Bellatrix_019: "*Happy face emoji* Thank you! I honestly would’ve done it for free... but sadly, I owe a certain Big Guy some debt right now."

@SyntaxQueen: "Girl, don’t you dare feel sorry. You’ve been saving some people’s butts for free for almost a decade."

@SyntaxQueen: "It’s about time you got paid properly. And don’t worry—we’ll help you pay off your Big Scary guy loan or whatever. Hahahaha."

Isabella laughed out loud this time, covering her mouth with her hand.

If only they knew the "Big Guy" was very real, very rich, and currently living under the same roof with her!

She smiled to herself, heart light.

And even though they didn’t know who she was in real life, they always made her feel like she mattered. Like she belonged.

A gentle knock echoed against her door just as Isabella was replying to another message. She quickly closed the laptop, hugging it to her chest for a second before placing it aside. Her eyes widened a little, nervous as always when someone visited her room unexpectedly.

She opened the door and relaxed immediately upon seeing Lina standing there.

"How are you feeling?" Lina asked, her voice calm, eyes soft as she stepped forward and gently placed the back of her hand against Isabella’s forehead. After a few seconds, she gave a slight, satisfied nod. "The fever’s gone down."

A rare, graceful smile appeared on her face.

"Dinner is almost ready. Let’s go downstairs."

Isabella nodded quickly, her heart warm, and followed her down the hall. Even though the house was grand and the hallways long, walking beside Lina made it feel less lonely.

At the dining table, the setting was simpler than usual likely because of her recovery. Warm soup, soft bread, and a few lightly seasoned dishes filled the table. The moment they sat down, Isabella’s eyes instinctively scanned the room. But Leonardo’s seat was empty.

Lina caught the glance and smirked lightly. "Looking for Leo?"

Isabella flushed instantly, shaking her head too fast. "N-No, I was just—just looking at the table."

Lina chuckled softly, resting her elbow on the table like a graceful queen. "He’s busy. Something urgent came up. He’ll be back very late tonight."

Isabella just nodded, trying to hide the tiny flutter of curiosity she felt.

Dinner passed quietly but warmly. Isabella found herself eating more than usual, realizing halfway through that no one was rushing her, yelling at her, or watching her every bite with cruel judgment. Even the maid near the door offered her a soft smile.

After Lina excused herself, saying she was tired and heading to bed early, Isabella quietly wandered outside. The night air brushed against her skin like a soft blanket, cool and clean. She walked barefoot to the garden, where the scent of jasmine lingered gently in the wind.

Moonlight poured over the garden like silver paint, and as she followed the soft path past the trees, she found herself near the small lake behind the mansion.

The water shimmered like stardust.

She sat near it, legs crossed, chin resting in her palms, her gaze distant but calm.

For the first time in years, she wasn’t worrying about survival.

She could breathe. Think. Dream.

"Now that I’m free..." she thought, watching the fish ripple the surface gently, "...I want to learn something new."

She already knew how to cook...a skill forced upon her by her uncle. She knew how to hack...an escape, a lifeline.

But now, maybe...

She wanted to learn something softer.

"Maybe the guitar?" she whispered to herself, cheeks puffed slightly in thought.

"Or... singing?"

She’d never even touched an instrument before. Never dared.

But now she had the chance.

***

The next morning, the villa felt a little quieter—emptier.

Isabella stood near the front entrance, hands clasped in front of her dress as Lina adjusted the strap of her elegant handbag. Her face was calm as always, composed and graceful, but Isabella couldn’t help the sadness pulling at her chest.

"You’re leaving already?" she asked in a soft voice.

Lina gave her a small smile and gently touched her shoulder. "I have some things to handle at the main estate, dear. But I’ll be back soon. And you can call me anytime."

Isabella nodded, forcing a smile, but her eyes shimmered a little.

Lina leaned in, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Be good. And don’t skip meals."

With that, she turned and walked out, flanked by guards, the car already waiting to take her away.

As the door shut behind her, Isabella stood still for a moment.

She hadn’t realized how much warmth Lina’s presence added to the villa. With her gone... it suddenly felt too quiet.

She wandered to the kitchen, where Aunt Clara was organizing fresh fruits, and stood nearby, fidgeting with the sleeves of her dress.

"Aunt Clara..." she said shyly.

Clara looked up and smiled warmly. "Yes?"

"I... I’m feeling really bored," Isabella admitted, her voice small. "And I was thinking... maybe I could learn something new?"

Clara raised her brows curiously. "Like what, dear?"

"Guitar," Isabella said quickly, cheeks tinting pink. "I... I’ve never played, but I want to try."

Clara’s eyes softened. She knew how rare it was for Isabella to ask for anything.

"Well, Master Leonardo left very clear instructions," she said gently, placing down a pear and dusting her hands. "If you want something, we make sure it’s done."

"Really?" Isabella’s eyes lit up like stars.

Clara chuckled. "Of course, sweetheart. Would you like me to hire a teacher for you too?"

Isabella nodded eagerly, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Yes, please!"

"Then consider it done," Clara said with a wink. "You’ll have the best teacher in the city by tomorrow."

Isabella almost jumped from excitement. For the first time, she was learning something not to survive or escape but just for the joy of it.

And it felt wonderful.

The entire day, Isabella felt like she had a secret balloon of excitement floating around her.

She kept thinking about the guitar. What it might feel like to hold. How her fingers might stumble over the strings. Would it hurt at first? Would she be good at it? Even if she wasn’t—she didn’t care. She just wanted to try.

While the household bustled quietly around her, Isabella skipped her way to the third floor, humming under her breath. She settled down with Berry and Moonbeam, her laptop already glowing beside them.

After logging in, she opened her dashboard for Bella Zone...her own little digital shop.

Ping!

[You’ve made a sale!]

Ping!

[New download completed.]

Ping!

[Customer left a 5-star review!]

Isabella hugged her laptop screen like it was a warm pillow.

Her cheeks glowed with happiness watching sales notifications.

She opened a new product draft and started designing again.

Maybe a dreamy mountain preset? Or a fantasy-themed animation starter kit?

She wasn’t sure.

But she was excited.