Chapter 161
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Stella had just wrapped up a meeting when she saw the message. At first, the gruesome photos made her stomach turn. But when she saw it was about Silas, she called Jordan right away.
Jordan was in the middle of a meeting when his phone buzzed. He made a shushing gesture and stepped out to take the call.
Everyone was stunned by what they saw. After all, everyone knew Jordan was a total workaholic. He never answered his phone during meetings. But today, he actually picked up. They started to wonder who could be the one calling.
Jordan motioned for his assistant to let the meeting continue without him, and then stepped out to find a quiet place where he wouldn’t be disturbed. “Stella.”
Stella, still clueless about what was going on, asked, “Did Silas go to see you?”
“Yeah, he’s racked up a bunch of gambling debts again and came to me for money. Gotta hand it to him. He knew I’d never lend him cash for that, so he spun some story about investing in a project.
“He even said we could sign a contract, 70/30 split, and asked me for 15 million.”
Stella was stunned. ‘Silas was really asking for the moon, daring to request that much all at once,‘ she thought.
He probably only owed 3 million at most. The other 12 million was obviously just a trick to scam Jordan, and there was no way Silas would
ever pay any of it back.
‘Now that Fiona isn’t bailing them out, is he trying to make us the suckers?‘ Stella wondered. “So you had someone beat him up?” Stella
asked.
“Yeah, I drugged his coffee so he’d be too weak to fight back, and then had my guys give him a good beating. Feel better now?” Jordan
replied.
Stella couldn’t help but worry. “Won’t this get you into trouble?”
Jordan’s lips curled into a small smile. ‘Not bad,‘ he thought. ‘Her first reaction isn’t to feel satisfied, but to worry about me. Looks like I’m finally starting to matter to her.‘
“No way. This is my turf. Who’s gonna say anything? Besides, he’s the one who owes a ton of money. If the cops get involved, I’ll be fine, but he’ll be the one in trouble. He’ll just have to swallow it.”
Stella burst out laughing. “That’s just perfect. Even though I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’m honestly so happy right now. Thank you,
Jordan,” she said.
“Come on, no need to thank me. If he hadn’t come looking for me, I wouldn’t have bothered. But since he did, he basically begged me to put
him in his place,” Jordan replied.
“Exactly. You should totally put him in his place, or he’ll just cling to you like a leech and never let go,” Stella said.
“Oh, and I just got some new info,” Jordan added.
Stella’s curiosity was piqued. “What is it?”
The guys who had taken Silas back had just returned and reported everything to Jordan. That was how he found out what had happened to
Fiona.
He put the call on speaker, letting the bodyguard do the talking while Stella listened in. Once the bodyguard finished, Jordan said, “Who
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Chapter 161
would’ve thought that sending Silas back would get us news like this?”
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Stella scoffed, “Who would’ve thought Fiona and Andrew’s relationship is falling apart? I always thought they were so close, but i guess it was all just for show. Turns out they’re not that special after all.”
“Does that make you feel any better?” Jordan asked.
“Just a tiny bit, I guess,” Stella replied.
Jordan knew perfectly well that whatever Andrew and Fiona were suffering now was nothing compared to what Stella had been through.
They deserved to keep tormenting each other forever. Only then would it really feel satisfying.
“I never expected this. Fiona was totally in the wrong. She was secretly funneling money to the Clark family behind Andrew’s back, but she doesn’t even realize it.
“Instead, she cheats on him and then blames everything on Grandma. My Grandma is the best grandma in the world. If Fiona hadn’t gone so overboard, Grandma would never have made things hard for her,” Stella said.
Jordan knew this all too well. Eleanor really was the best. He had finally gotten to feel her love, but just a few days later, she was gone.
“So, what’s the Clark family trying to do?” Stella asked.
“They’re poking around for answers, but everyone’s just ignoring them,” Jordan replied.
“Let them see for themselves. Real power is something they can’t even touch,” Stella said.
Jordan’s lips curled into a smile. “You really think I’m someone important?”
“Of course you are. I might’ve developed the software, but without your help getting it out there, it never would’ve made such a splash. You deserve a ton of credit for that,” Stella said.
Jordan nodded, clearly enjoying the praise. “How about I treat you to lunch?” Jordan offered.
“I’ve got something to take care of at lunch. Maybe next time,” Stella replied.
Jordan nodded. “Okay.” He was reluctant to hang up, but when he realized that Stella had already ended the call without hesitation, he could only put his phone down and head back to the meeting.
When his phone rang again, he thought for sure it was Stella calling back, but when he saw it wasn’t her, he couldn’t help feeling a bit let
down.
Unaware of Jordan’s feelings, Stella thought about all the drama between the Clark family and the Hayes family.
She couldn’t help but find it funny. In the past, retribution might have taken generations, but now, instant karma was playing out right before. her eyes.
People always said one shouldn’t do anything wrong, or sooner or later, fate would catch up. And it was totally true. The corners of her lips lifted in a smile, and Stella threw herself back into her work.
That night, there was a last–minute dinner, and they insisted Stella had to be there. Apparently, there was someone she just couldn’t miss.
She shot Jordan a quick message and headed over, never expecting to run into Monroe at the table.
Her colleague made the introductions. “Ms. Hayes, you know Mr. Johnson, right?”
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Chapter 161
Stella smiled at Monroe. “Of course, we’ve met.”
“Perfect. It’s not every day we all get together like this. Come on, let’s sit down and eat.”
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During dinner, everyone was making small talk, but Stella had her own agenda for coming tonight. Still, she wasn’t in any hurry. She was just waiting for the right moment.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but once everyone had a few drinks in them and her boss finally seemed less busy, Stella quietly leaned over and brought up what she’d come for.
He listened carefully, and then promised, “Ms. Hayes, don’t worry. I already knew about this, and I’ll make sure to take care of it personally. You can count on me, alright?”
“Thank you so much. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without your help,” Stella said.
“No problem at all. Our city’s always been big on supporting female entrepreneurs, so of course, some things get top priority. Even though I’ve had a few drinks tonight, I’ve already called my secretary.
“Rest assured, your issue will be handled perfectly,” he replied.
“Thank you,” Stella said. She watched as he gave instructions to his secretary.
Maybe it was because of her health, or maybe it was her public profile, but either way, he was handling her case with extra care.
Stella pulled out her chair and sat down, not realizing Monroe had left his hand there. She ended up plopping herself right onto his hand.
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