LOGINStella sat up in bed, fully awake now. “Who did you say was at the police station?”Evan Wright?For a moment, she thought she must have heard wrong.This was Harbor City. Evan was the last person who should have ended up in a place like that.And even if he had, why would anyone need her to bail him out?“Mr. Evan Wright,” the caller repeated.At that, Stella knew for sure.It really was Evan.Well, that was unexpected.A man like Evan had ruled Harbor City for so long, he practically acted like he owned it.“What did he do?” she asked.“Assault.”Stella froze.Assault?Wait. Who did he hit?A faint sense of dread rose in her chest, but she kept her voice even. “Why are you calling me?”“For bail. We need a family member to come post it.”Stella: “…”Family member?What kind of family was she in his world?Dora and the rest had never treated her like part of the Wright family.And now that they needed family, they were calling her?She answered with three crisp w
Evan had gone through nearly half a pack of cigarettes at Felix’s place.After Felix called his thinking ridiculous, Evan didn’t say another word. He just kept smoking until he was done.Then he stood, glanced down at Felix on the couch, and said coldly, “We’re not getting divorced. So you and Hogarth Group can back off.”Clearly, Felix’s comment hadn’t landed at all.Evan was still convinced Felix had teamed up with Hogarth Group to pressure him.Felix let out a faint laugh. “And what gives you the right to keep her in that marriage?”Evan had just reached the door when Felix’s voice stopped him.He froze, then turned back.His gaze was sharp and dangerous, like a predator in the dark.Felix met it calmly. “Have you ever trusted her?”Evan said nothing.“Didn’t I tell you to verify Summer’s so-called depression?”Evan’s expression hardened. “What are you getting at?”Felix’s tone turned colder. “And now, you’ve decided she took the baby?”That was all Felix needed to hea
“Let me guess,” Evan said coldly, “you’re trying to say Summer took the baby herself and framed you?”Stella froze for a second.Her heart had already gone cold from everything that had happened lately.But hearing him say that, she actually laughed.“So now you think I’m the one setting 'her' up?”Evan didn’t answer that.Instead, his voice turned sharp, dangerous. “Just remember this. Before morning, have the baby brought back.”Every word was heavy with warning.Stella’s expression turned even colder. “If that’s how you want to see it, then I’ll tell you this now. I won’t be bringing that baby back.”“Stella!”Evan snapped, his anger exploding.Stella didn’t flinch. “And you? You’d really keep your word?”All that talk about returning the baby in exchange for a divorce?To her, it was nothing but empty promises.At this point, she didn’t believe a single word he said.Evan’s breathing turned rough. “You’d better bring that baby back.”Stella hung up.Talking to some
Not long after Evan left, all the bodyguards were posted back outside. Dora and Fiona left one after the other.The second Summer saw all those guards return, anger clogged her chest.“If anything comes up, have him contact you directly. And be careful.”She lowered her voice and warned Mrs. Mendes.Mrs. Mendes nodded. “Don’t worry, Miss.”With that many guards posted by Evan, it would naturally be much harder for them to do anything.“Back there... did he look like he heard us?”Summer asked in a low voice.Evan’s men were everywhere outside now, and she didn’t even dare speak too loudly.At the mention of what had just happened, Mrs. Mendes’s face darkened too. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”If Evan had heard everything, he wouldn’t have just left like that.Summer had thought the same thing.The rock pressing on her chest finally eased a little. “Just be careful from here on out.”She had really been terrified just now.For a moment,
“Steven, how can you treat me like this?”Evan’s eyes narrowed.Faced with his coldness, Summer lowered her gaze. “My child… my baby.”Her voice was full of grief.Dora looked at Evan too. “When will they find the baby? When will they bring her back?”“My poor baby…”She started crying again.Dora’s demands.Summer’s sobbing.They crashed around Evan like constant thunder, pounding at his temples. His breathing grew heavier and heavier.The baby…“And if they don’t find her, I won’t go on either. I swear I won’t.”That line made Evan’s face go even colder.This time, Dora took the same stance. “Fine. Then none of us will go on. I’ll die with you.”Summer was acting.But Dora meant it. If the child wasn’t found, she truly did not want to live either.She felt she had failed her dead son.And after everything that had happened lately, she was exhausted to the bone.Evan’s face darkened further. “Enough.”He had truly had enough.Either Stella was turning everything ups
The moment Summer saw Evan standing in the doorway, her heart started pounding.Especially when her eyes met his cold, cutting stare.Had he heard them…?“St… Steven?”She froze for only a second before her eyes reddened. She looked at him with tears pooling instantly.They fell just as quickly.Evan glanced at the wrist wrapped in a pressure bandage. Even now, blood was seeping through.His eyes narrowed.Mrs. Mendes went rigid under that look.And Summer, under the weight of his presence, felt a wave of panic she couldn’t hide.“Wh-when did you get here?” she asked shakily.Evan’s voice was flat. “Are you scared?”“What?”That one word made Summer’s heart lurch even harder.She barely dared meet his eyes now.“What are you afraid of?” he asked.“I’m not afraid.”She said she wasn’t.But her whole body was trembling, and Mrs. Mendes beside her wasn’t doing any better.They had dared to build this scheme around the child.But the truth was, both of them were terrifi
Evan scanned the area.His eyes narrowed.“Why would she be here?”This wasn’t some luxury shopping plaza or fashion district. What was she doing in a biotech park?Patrick replied carefully, “Every building here houses biotech research companies.”“Doing what exactly?”“Two of them specialize
After lunch, Stella started to feel drowsy.She had just lain down when her phone buzzed with a notification.Still half-asleep, she opened it.It was a message from the bank.Card deactivation successful.Stella paused.Card… deactivated?She checked the card number carefully. It was the one
The voice in Dora’s head, the one that wanted to deal with Stella once and for all, grew louder by the second.“I told you back then that you shouldn’t marry her,” she snapped. “She grew up in an orphanage, no mother to teach her anything. What kind of upbringing could she possibly have? I never sh
Evan had originally planned to go see Stella that night.But Summer’s condition kept fluctuating, and he ended up staying by her side again and again. It was not until two in the morning that her state finally stabilized.Summer looked at Evan with guilt in her eyes.“Evan, I’m sorry. I keep putti







