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Chapter 297

Author: Warm Cocoa
Rendell continued explaining, "A large group of investors will be attending, and they’ll be deciding their investments based on our performance.

“We’ll be sending a few senior engineers to participate, but if anyone has recommendations, now’s the time to speak up."

The moment he finished, a hand shot up.

"I nominate Stellar Rivers."

Stellar was caught off guard. "I’m still new. I don’t think I qualify for something like this."

"But your skills speak for themselves! We need to show SA Base what they lost out on when they let you go—that’s their loss, not ours."

"Exactly! I second that!"

More voices joined in, hands raising in support.

Seeing the overwhelming agreement, Rendell nodded. "Alright, we’ll have Stellar join us. No pressure, just do your best."

Stellar felt a wave of gratitude.

Since she was going, she was determined to prepare well.

At 3:00 PM, Stellar arrived at the event venue and immediately noticed Joy on stage, confidently holding a microphone as she spoke about the
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    There was a biting sarcasm hidden in her words. Stellar's expression cooled. So now that Joy had gotten rid of Stellar, she no longer bothered to pretend, letting her hostility show outright."But…" Joy's tone suddenly shifted, her lips curling in amusement. "Starlight Aerospace made the worst mistake by sending a rookie like you to give a speech. “That unrealistic research of yours must have scared off so many potential investors! I bet they’re regretting it now." The glee on her face was unmistakable. Stellar arched a brow and shot back, "I can’t say for sure if Starlight will regret it, but having someone like you, who steals others' achievements, as part of SA Base? Now that is truly disgraceful." Joy’s expression darkened instantly, her jaw clenching. "Stellar, I’d think twice before speaking if I were you." "Did I say anything untrue?" Stellar let out a soft chuckle before adding, "Then again, it makes sense. With your limited abilities, you couldn’t solve the prob

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    On the other end—After persuading the investors, Joy had just returned to the base when someone came running over excitedly to tell her that Christopher had arrived.She lit up at the news and walked into the office area, where she immediately spotted the elite-looking man surrounded by people. She smiled and walked up to him. “Chris, you’re finally here.”Everyone quickly stepped aside to make way for her.Christopher greeted her with a warm smile. “Joy, it’s been a while. You’re getting prettier every time I see you. I heard from our mentor that you’ve hit a bit of a roadblock?”“It’s just some trouble with the aircraft modification,” Joy replied with a smile. “But with someone like you, a world-class talent, any technical problem is nothing.”Her string of compliments filled Christopher with confidence. He patted his chest and said, “So it’s a technical issue? I should be able to fix it. Come on, show me what we’ve got!”The engineers watching were instantly thrilled, their faces

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    "Thank you, Professor."The meeting ended smoothly, and as Stellar stepped out of the research institute, several students spotted her and lit up with excitement."Whoa, it's Stellar! My idol actually came back to campus!""I can't believe I get to see her again. I’m so lucky.""She's a legend in our field."A group of admiring students couldn’t hold back their amazement."A legend? You mean the one who got kicked out of SA Aerospace Base?" a cold, mocking voice cut through the chatter.The crowd instantly fell silent.Stellar heard the comment too. Her gaze followed the voice, and she froze for a second when she saw who it was— Vivian, of all people.Stellar hadn’t seen her since she exposed Vivian’s scheme and forced her out of the research group. She had nearly forgotten this woman even existed."What? You guys seriously don’t know?" Vivian crossed her arms and stepped forward, her voice dripping with spite. "That amazing, untouchable Stellar you’re all gushing over? She was fire

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    “She’s asking for the moon!”“I know who Miss Shaw is—she’s the daughter of the institute director and a senior engineer at SA! Expecting her to follow instructions from someone just starting out? How ridiculous.”More and more people began to speak up on Joy’s behalf.“Stellar’s getting way too full of herself. There’s no way Miss Shaw’s going to agree to that.”Vivian quickly caught on, lifting her chin with a smug look, clearly waiting to watch Stellar embarrass herself.But to everyone’s shock, after a long silence, Joy gritted her teeth and said, “Fine. I agree to all your terms.”She had to swallow every ounce of her pride to say it.The room was stunned.Stellar, on the other hand, smiled in satisfaction.She could feel just how unwilling Joy was.Even now, she still didn’t understand where Joy’s hostility came from, but it didn’t matter anymore.“In that case, let’s go, Miss Shaw.” Folding her arms, Stellar turned and walked out first.Joy quickly followed, leading her back to

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    A glint of calculated coldness flashed through her eyes.…In the days that followed, after witnessing Stellar’s capabilities firsthand, the team began to fall in line, each person quietly carrying out their assigned tasks under her lead.Everything progressed smoothly.During that time, Stellar received a call from Lilian.“Stellar, you really went back to SA Base to help Joy Shaw fix that aircraft? That woman is clearly up to no good—you better watch your back!”It was obvious she’d heard about the incident at school earlier that day, and her tone was thick with concern.“I’ve been involved in this aircraft modification from the beginning,” Stellar replied. “I’ve already poured over a month of work into it. I don’t want to see it go to waste. Let’s just say I’m doing it for the good of the aerospace program.”At first, her voice was generous and noble. But a glimmer of mischief flickered in her eyes, and her tone shifted into something more layered. “Besides, it’s still too early t

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    Stellar didn’t make it home until seven that evening.She stepped out of the car, heading toward the villa, when a shadowy figure in the distance made her stop in her tracks."Percy?"Her expression instantly turned guarded.Even though he was no longer the man he once was—his high status gone, broke and desperate, and no match for her in any sense—she couldn’t forget everything he’d done. She stayed on alert."Stellar…"Percy looked worn down, his face haggard, his voice low and pleading. "I just wanted to see you. That hundred dollars you gave me... it helped me find a place to stay. I’ve started working again, trying to get back on my feet. If you could just give me a little more time… maybe I can prove myself, maybe I can…""That’s enough."Stellar cut him off before he could say another word. Her voice was calm, but firm. "I thought I made it clear last time. There’s nothing between us anymore.”She had long walked out of the shadow he’d cast over her past. He couldn’t touch h

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    He looked a little surprised. “No one else home tonight?”Stellar explained, “Mary had to head back to Southport for something, and my uncles are tied up too…”“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?” Stephen asked, his voice laced with concern.She nodded, just about to say she could whip something up herself.But Stephen cleared his throat and, almost casually, said, “How about I cook for you tonight?”“Sure! Let’s go to my place. I’ve got food ready in the fridge.”A smile tugged deeper at his lips.The two of them walked inside, shoulder to shoulder.Once in the kitchen, Stellar started to roll up her sleeves to help, but Stephen stopped her.“Leave it to me tonight. You just focus on eating.”His tone left no room for argument.Stellar couldn’t help but laugh, then a playful glint flickered in her eyes as an idea came to her.“Hang on.”She darted out of the room, and a moment later returned, hands tucked behind her back.“Since you're cooking in the kitchen, and it can get a littl

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    "Mr. Sinclair? What are you doing here?" Stellar looked genuinely surprised.The moment her gaze landed on him, Keith’s face lit up with that signature devilish grin. “Stellar, I heard your housekeeper went back to Southport. I figured you might not have anything to eat, so I personally cooked and brought you something delicious.”He raised the two large bags in his hands with a flourish.“That won’t be necessary,” Stephen said coolly, arms folded as he leaned against the doorframe with the air of someone who lived there. “I’m already making dinner for her. You can go.”Keith’s smile twitched, his expression turning sharp. “This is Stellar’s house. But here you are, shamelessly playing house like you belong—wearing a pink apron no less. What is that? Some sort of performance?”Unbothered, Stephen replied calmly, “She put it on me herself.”One simple sentence, and Keith's face turned an impressive shade of green.Stellar sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead, expertly cutting i

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    When they stepped out of the car, Keith was already waiting outside.Guests coming and going couldn't help but glance his way—tall, poised, and impeccably dressed, he was instantly recognizable. Several people greeted him with polite smiles and nods.Keith returned the gestures with a cool, distant air, his smile polite but faint.But the moment he spotted Stellar and Laurence, a flicker of warmth lit up his eyes. Cutting through the crowd, he greeted them with uncharacteristic enthusiasm."Mr. Rivers, Stellar, you're here! Come on, I’ll take you inside."Guests nearby were visibly surprised by his sudden shift in demeanor, their curious gazes drifting to Stellar and her grandfather.Their composure and presence were impossible to miss.A few who had previously met Laurence found themselves stunned.Could the Rivers and Sinclair families be tying the knot soon?Unaware of the speculation swirling around them, Stellar followed Keith inside with her grandfather.The moment she stepped

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    Though a little disappointed, Keith didn’t push further. "Then let me give you a ride home.""No need, Mr. Sinclair. With me here, I’ll make sure Stellar gets home safely,” Stephen finally spoke, his voice cool and composed. "Yeah, we’re heading in the same direction anyway. No need to trouble you," Stellar added with a polite smile.Keith clenched his fists slightly, frustration flashing through him.Damn Stephen. The only reason he got this far was because he made the first move.Keith had even considered moving closer to Stellar’s neighborhood. But he’d held back, worried it might come off as too deliberate and push her further away instead. It was not worth the risk.In the end, he gave a casual wave and turned to walk away, doing his best to play it cool.It was fine. They’d be seeing each other again soon anyway.…After Keith left, Stellar and Stephen got into the car. On the ride back, Stephen finally broke the silence."You’re being too nice to him."Stellar blinked a

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    Now that the truth was out, netizens finally saw the full picture and reacted with outrage and clarity:"No wonder I thought the book was just average, but everyone online was hyping it like crazy. Turns out, it was all bots!""I left one comment about the poor plot logic and got attacked by a swarm of fake accounts. I thought I poked a hornet’s nest—turns out they were just panicking.""Compared to that, After Dawn is gripping, suspenseful, and logically tight. Star Luna really is in a league of her own and always has been.""I went to her signing today—she’s even more stunning in person! Smart, talented, and graceful… no wonder people are jealous."The entire incident ended up boosting Stellar’s reputation. Support flooded in, and even readers who hadn’t been interested in this genre started checking out her novel, only to find themselves completely hooked.In no time, After Dawn soared to the top of the site’s trending chart.As for Tori, the one who orchestrated the sabotage from

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    Even though acknowledging it meant giving credit to a rival, Keith had no intention of claiming what wasn’t his.Besides, if he kept it quiet and Stephen ended up telling Stellar the full story later—with a few embellishments to make himself look better—it’d all backfire anyway.Stellar froze for a second, then looked at Stephen in surprise.So, was it because she’d casually mentioned the issue before that Stephen took it to heart and made preparations ahead of time?The moment their eyes met—his gaze warm and steady—something soft bloomed in her chest."Thank you. Both of you."She truly meant it.Her connection with Stephen didn’t need words to be understood.As for Keith, she genuinely considered him a good friend now.Just as they stepped out of the hall, a wave of reporters from the neighboring signing event rushed toward them."Miss Rivers, it's been said that your friend paid to hire a crowd of fake fans to boost your signing event. Care to explain?""A group that large showing

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    Seeing how calm and composed Stellar was, Larry finally let out a breath of relief.At exactly two o’clock, the signing event officially began.A pair of hands slid a book across the table toward her, followed by a familiar deep voice above her head."Star Luna, would you sign your name for me? I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life."Stellar looked up and was met with Stephen’s handsome face. She couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on her lips.After signing her name on the first page, she added a note: To: my dear Stephen, followed by a little heart.When Stephen took the book back and saw what she wrote, a soft, lingering smile rose in his eyes.The chemistry between them was so sweet it practically clung to the air—enough to make anyone nearby cringe from the sugar overload.Readers began to trickle in. At first, there were only a dozen or so. After getting their books signed, they quietly left, making the event feel rather sparse.The reporters kept snapping photos, clearly

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    "It’s not even close. I checked that book out myself. It’s nowhere near as good as yours," Larry said firmly. "And it didn’t even have that title originally. It’s clearly trying to ride your wave. All the trending buzz? “That’s paid promotion, no doubt about it. There’s serious backing behind it."Stellar couldn’t help but laugh, though she wasn’t really upset about being overshadowed."Alright, alright. Don’t get worked up. Let’s just let things play out," she said, trying to calm him before ending the call.That evening, while out to dinner with Stephen, she brought it up in a teasing tone.Stephen listened quietly, thoughtful for a moment, as if something had just clicked in his mind.Soon, the day of the signing arrived.With Stephen by her side, Stellar arrived at the hall right on time.A group of reporters had already gathered. The moment they spotted her, they swarmed in.Thankfully, Stephen stepped in front of her, shielding her from the worst of it. With him there, no one

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