Chapter 177
Andrew was still pissed about what Stella had done to him. He knew that if Stella kept teaming up with Jordan, it would only make things worse for him. So, he let Anna find some guys to rough Stella up a bit.
The plan was to make it look like Stella had slept with another man, so that when Jordan found out, he’d divorce her. After that, Andrew figured Stella would have no choice but to do whatever he said.
“I don’t know.” Anna felt like things were starting to slip out of her control, and that made her uneasy.
“It’s fine if it didn’t work out this time,” Andrew said. “But it’s better if they never find out we planned it, or we will be in trouble.”
“But Dad…” Anna was trying to steer the conversatio
“What t
t if they find out?”
“Even if they do, don’t worry,” Andrew replied. “You’ve got me. I’ll just tell Stella I did it. What can she do to her father? There’s no way I’ll let her lay a finger on you.”
“Okay.” Anna nodded lightly, but there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. ‘They’re all idiots, she thought.
After Stella finished chatting with the suppliers, they all exchanged contact info.
“Sorry for making you all wait,” Stella said. “Something unexpected came up, so I ended up keeping you guys for way too long.” Stella was still feeling a little guilty.
“No worries,” one of them said. “As long as you’re alright. That’s what matters.”
Stella said goodbye to each of them. When the suppliers all left, Cavan shared what he’d found out. “I’ve already looked into it. Those guys got away. Turns out, the waiter who brought us water wasn’t even the staff from this restaurant.
“No one expected an outsider to sneak in. The owner is sorry about it and promised to fully cooperate with us to investigate it.”
Stella didn’t blame the owner–after all, it was the dinner rush and nobody expected someone nobody knew to slip in. She blamed herself for
not being alert enough, which was why things turned out this way.
‘Anyway, at least it wasn’t one of the people at the table,‘ she comforted herself in her mind, and then said, “It’s all right, Cavan. I’m fine.
Besides, I was the reason that stirred the trouble, so you don’t need to feel bad.”
Cavan was still feeling terrible about the whole thin
He was just about to say something when someone suddenly called out Stella’s name.
Stella couldn’t believe her ears when she heard that familiar voice. She spun around, and when she saw Jordan standing there, she didn’t hesitate for a second–she dashed straight over and threw herself into his arms and called out, “Jordan.”
The two employees who had come with Stella were moved by the scene. They’d been busy looking after the later what Stella had gone through. They understood after everything, nothing felt better than being with family.
rs and only found out
No one expected Jordan to show up, especially since it was quite a distance from Seavale. But there he was, right in front of them.
Stella looked up at him in disbelief, her eyes wide. “How did you get here?”
“Kevin told me what happened,” Jordan said. “I was so worried about you, so I rushed over here as fast as I could.”
For the first time, Jordan saw expectation and reliance in Stella’s eyes, which meant she needed him. Happiness immediately filled his heart:
to the brim.
1/3
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Chapter 177
“Why did Kevin tell you about this?” Stella asked, a little confused.
Kevin hadn’t planned on interrupting the two of them. He felt genuinely happy
for Stella–even if it stung a bit for himself when he saw the
scene. Still, he knew he had to explain. “You ran into trouble here.
“Of course, I had to let him know right away. I couldn’t be sure if something else might happen to you. He came, so i guess he passed the tes
“But if he hadn’t, there’s no way I’d trust him to be a
good husband.”
Jordan pulled Stella into his arms, holding her close. “Relax. My woman is mine to cherish–no one else will ever get a chance.
No matter how he tried to hide it, Kevin couldn’t help feeling a little hurt. But since there was nothing left to do, he said, “Alright, I’ll head out first. Don’t stay out too late, okay?” Then he and Cavan left together.
Cavan glanced back. He’d seen Jordan in the
news before–this guy
legend, especially in Seavale, where the competition was fierce.
get a chance to say hi. But he saw sadness in Kevin’s eyes, so
He made a name for himself so quickly, which was no small feat. He didn’t e he had to leave with him.
Stella’s two employees also found an excuse to slip away and head back to the hotel.
Stella asked with concern, “Have you eaten yet?”
“I grabbed a bite on the plane,” Jordan replied.
“Are you hungry now? If you want to eat something, I can look for a place nearby with you.”
Jordan took her hand. “You didn’t eat much either, did you? All right, let’s go
find something to eat together.”
There weren’t many buildings around–just a bunch of seasoning factories that all closed early. Fortunately, they managed to find a little hole–in–the–wall place nearby and grabbed a seat.
Stella hadn’t eaten much, so she ordered a few simple dishes, and the two of them shared the meal.
“Did Monroe save you?” Jordan asked.
Stella nodded. “Yeah, it’s so weird. There’s definitely something up with that.”
“When Kevin called me, I didn’t expect it either. Kevin didn’t even believe Monroe would help you. Did you ask Monroe why?”
“I did. But he seemed not to know why, either. Anyway, we don’t owe each other anything anymore.”
Jordan looked at her with a confused look. Stella explained, “The day I got kidnapped, I happened to see him get into a car accident, and saved him.
“He was out of consciousness at the time, so I’m not sure if he knew it was me, but
whatever. This time, he s
me, so now we’re square
Jordan thought for a second. “I guess he must have known. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have helped you this time. That’s the only way to explain
it.”
Stella switched her fork to her left hand, then reached out and gave Jordan’s cheek a playful pinch. Jordan looked at her with confusion. Stella switched her fork back to her right hand and grinned. “I just wanted to see if it was really you.”
“Of course. I rushed over the moment I heard you were in trouble. I couldn’t stop worrying the whole way here. I kept thinking, if I’d come . with you, maybe none of this would have happened. Did they find out anything about it?”
ith you, maybe
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Chapter 177
G
Stella felt a warm glow in her heart as she repeated what Cavan had found out.
Jordan’s face grew serious. “We have to dig deeper into this later.” Stella was thinking the same thing.
After they finished eating, they went for a walk nearby. Jordan never let go of Stella’s hand as they walked. This place wasn’t a city, so at night it was so quiet that there wasn’t a single car in earshot.
Instead, they could hear crickets and bugs in the background. It felt nice. But Jordan was worried. “There are too many mosquitoes out here. Let’s head back.”
Stella remembered how he’d rushed over here by plane, barely stopping for a breath, so she nodded in agreement. When they got back to the hotel and tried to book another room, the receptionist told them the place was already fully booked.
E
