جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Stella had grown up alone.From childhood until now, she had had no one to rely on.No matter what kind of injustice she suffered, she had always been the one to fight back for herself.She wasn’t the type to take a hit and stay quiet.Before, when Summer crossed the line, Stella had lacked solid proof. Without evidence, she would never act recklessly.But now?Now the proof was undeniable.And Evan still wanted her to let Summer go?What she hadn’t expected was that Evan would drag Felix into this.“Leave Mr. Henderson out of this,” Stella said coldly into the phone.Evan let out a short, humorless laugh. “What, are you protecting him? Stella, we’re not divorced yet.”His temper was spiraling.That was how it always worked. Once suspicion took root, it grew uncontrollably.Right now, Evan wasn’t thinking clearly. He refused to believe Felix had nothing to do with this.The coincidences were too much.The public outrage wouldn’t die down.Stella had been picked up by a

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 in cosmetic ingredient development.”Research facilities, not retail.So why was she here?Patrick added, “There’s another biotech company here… owned by Mr. Henderson.”Evan went silent.The air between them turned heavy again.Felix’s company.She had been picked up by a man from Eirden.And now she was here.So she came to see… Felix?Evan lit a cigarette.Patrick glanced at him cautiously. “Do we leave, or…?”Evan exhaled slowly.“We wait.”—Stella entered one of the biotech buildings with Gray.Gray followed respectfully behind her.“I didn’t realize you had so many businesses in Harbor City,” he said. “Does Mr. Wright know?”Stella didn’t slow her steps.“What woul

Felix had actually assigned someone to protect her.What, did he think the Wright family was going to eat her alive?The thought of Felix standing behind Stella made Evan’s chest tighten with anger.—Stella was almost back at Streamside Residence when her phone rang.An unfamiliar number.She answered. “Hello.”“It’s me.”Fiona’s sharp voice came through the line.Stella frowned.She had never liked Fiona. Her voice was grating to begin with, and she always spoke with that passive-aggressive edge.Especially now, with that superior tone.Stella lowered her gaze slightly. “What do you want?”“You blocked my number?”“And?” Stella replied calmly.There was no trace of the old restraint in her voice.Or rather—she hadn’t tolerated the Wright family much these past six months.Back when she and Evan were good, she could ignore the slights from his family. Let it go. Not take it personally.But in the past half-year?Anyone in the Wright family who crossed her got the sa

Ever since she had been brought to Starcrest Mountain, Stella had done little besides eat and rest.By dinnertime, Jennifer came by.“You’re eating well,” Jennifer said with a relieved smile. “Now that someone’s taking care of you properly, I can relax.”Her own company was a mess lately. Her father had pushed her to take over operations, and she was drowning in work.Before she knew Stella had a powerful older brother, she had already arranged for house staff to help care for her.Now, seeing Stella so well looked after, she felt reassured.“I’ve been eating all day,” Stella said lightly. “I’m not even hungry anymore.”“Doesn’t matter. You still have to eat,” Jennifer insisted. “Postpartum recovery is recovery, even if it’s a short one. You’re at least willing to take care of yourself. Some people don’t even have the energy to.”The “some people” was clearly Summer.All day, Summer hadn’t eaten a drop of water.Dora, who had once doted on her, didn’t even have the mind to ar

Stella had just finished dinner with Jennifer when her phone rang.It was Ruby.The moment she answered, a cold snort came through the line.“I underestimated you, you little brat.”A girl with nothing. And yet she had managed to stir things up like this.The public backlash had spiraled so far out of control that even Ruby working together with the Wright family couldn’t suppress it.Stella let out a faint, mocking laugh.“So Ms. Bailey admits she underestimated me? Then I must have done something right.”The contempt in her tone was deliberate. Surgical.It hit Ruby exactly where it hurt.“I have an old acquaintance you might feel close to,” Ruby said slowly.Stella’s expression darkened.“Accept the friend request I just sent. I’ll forward you a video.”The line went dead.A friend request notification popped up immediately. Stella frowned, then accepted.A video came through.She tapped it.Her blood ran cold.On screen, a woman was tied to a chair, covered in bloo