With the heavy weight of their misunderstandings left unresolved, Belle and Eli hadn't been able to bridge the massive chasm from their previous fight. To make matters worse, because they had already promised Jillyanna that they would visit her family estate together, Belle had no choice but to don a flawless mask and pretend that everything was perfectly fine between them.
Originally, she had approached Eli about borrowing Hapi to watch over Neon for the day, intending to compensate her out of pocket. But after their blowout, she let the subject drop entirely, refusing to owe Eli any more favors. Instead, she turned to Jackson, who eagerly stepped in to watch her brother.
