Chapter 25
tears instantly stren
szula instantly let go of
Without Stelt icing, Fiona discreetly rubbed the spot where Stella had been gripped too tightly After a quick glance at the bar into the
Stellashook her head in disbelief. “No way!”
She thought, “Grandma was perfectly fine just a few days ago How could her condition have worsened so quicklyn
“The doctor said Eleanor only has about three months left. We should just do whaten
i to make her comfortable, For
t waiting for you to come bar
She added, “Actually, her condition started deteriniating two years ago. She was barely holding on by sheer willpower, just w Now that you’re here, that last bit of willpower she had just given out. And to make matters worse…”
Stella fixed her gaze on Fiona “And what else?
Fiana replied. “Today, your father and I were talking about the company’s
y when Eleanor overheard us. You know how much trouble your whole thing with Troy has caused for the company”
Stella said nothing, her eyes fixed on Fiona
Fiona looked away, guilt washing over her. “Eleanor’s getting older. All she wants is for everyone to be safe. She’s worried that if the company collapses, nobody will be able to afford your treatment. We’ve told her not to worry, but she can’t help it.”
Stella’s eyes slowly lost their light, growing dim,
Fiona stepped forward and took Stella’s hand. “Stella, the company isn’t completely doomed. The Bass family offered help, but only if you’re willing marry into their family.
course, your happiness is our top priority. If you don’t want to marry into the Bass family, we will never force you.”
“Of cours
Stella tumed her eyes back to Fiona, her gaze cold and piercing.
Fiona frowned. “Stella, you’re the one who crossed Troy. The Bassfamily helping us now is a huge favor,”
Hearing that, Stella pushed her away silently.
Stella slowly went upstairs.
The doctor had finished checking Eleanor, and the servants were no longer busy. But seeing Eleanor lying there so frail, they all sighed.
Stella approached Eleanor’s bed. Eleanor lay there with her eyes closed. Her face was so calm that it was as though she had already passed
A single tear rolled down Stella’s cheek as she crouched down beside Eleanor’s bed, gently embracing her
“Grandma, please wake up,” she whispered. “I want more time with you. During those three years, I thought of you every single day. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it this far. How can I possibly live without you? Please, don’t leave me.”
Suddenly. Stella lelt a hand grip her wrist. Realizing Eleanor had woken up, she quickly took her grandmother’s hand with the other an “Grandma, you’re awake!”
imed.
Eleanor’s breaths were still shallow. She said leebly. “Stella, don’t talk like that, if one day I’m no longer here, you must live well. Even if it feels like no
1/3
A
Chapter 25
one else in this world loves you, you must take good care of yourself.
“You have a long road ahead and so much of the world to see. They say those who endure great trials are destined for good fortune. I knes your future will be wonderful.”
Eleanor didn’t even know how she managed to finish speaking when Stella’s tears pushed down her cheeks.
Eleanor reached out to wipe away Stella’s tears. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. It breaks my heart to see you like this.”
Stella quickly wiped away her tears and forced a brave smile. “You’re right, Grandma. I promise I live my life the way you want me to
Eleanor nodded, her lace still wearing that special smile for Stell
Stella nestled her head against Eleanor’s hand, wishing she could stay like this quietly forever, not wanting to think about anything else.
Stepping out of Eleanor’s room, Stella saw Anna standing in front of Fions and Andrew.
er place and marry
“Mom, Dad, you’ve always been so good to me, and Stella has suffered enough all these years. Since we’re twins, please let me take her pl into the Bass family. I can help our family out of this crisis” Anna offered.
Fiona shook her head. “No way. Even though you’re twins and share the same birthday, you were born at different times. Your birth time falls into a different astrological hour, which means your birth charts are completely different.”
Andrew frowned deeply. “Anna, you can’t marry into that family. Have you ever thought about Lionel?”
“But I want to help!” Anna said. “All these years, I haven’t done anything. It’s always been you guys making sacrifices. Now that we’re in this crisis, I can’t just sit back and do nothing”
Max snapped furiously, “Even in this situation, you don’t need to step in it’s Stella’s mess, and all she’s done is watch Eleanor suffer and the company spiral into crisis. That’s what makes her happy, right? She just wants revenge on us!”
Fiona quickly said, “Max, don’t say that. Henry is much older than Stella. It’s understandable that she doesn’t want to marry him.”
Max snapped,” she didn’t want to marry, she shouldn’t have messed with Troy and his crew. Now she’s ruined everything and expects us to fix it? Yeah, we’ve wronged her, but aren’t we trying to make it right?
“Besides, with her reputation, even though we’ve said countless times that she wasn’t raped, who would actually believe it?
“She should be grateful and seize the opportunity to save face while someone’s still willing to marry her. But no, she’s completely ungrateful. I swear she’s just trying to drag us all down!”
“Damn right, I want to bring you all down,”
n.” Stella sneered, making her way down the stairs. Every heavy step made their hearts race.
She continued, “Aren’t you the ones who tried to screw me over first? Henry got married years ago and was divorced. His kid is already eight, and now you expect me to be a stepmother?
“Even you can’t stand me like this. Do you really think they’ll accept me? Let’s be real. You’re only thinking about yourselves.
“Don’t say
say it’s for my own good. You’re just scared of losing everything. You couldn’t live without your precious wealth. Anyway, you’ve already sacrificed me once. You wouldn’t think twice about doing it again.
“Max, if you hadn’t lost your temper and attacked Troy in the first place, would we have ever been in this mess today?
“You didn’t hit him because of me. You did it for yourselves and everyone else. You just didn’t want people to know the Hayes family had a member öka me, did you?”
Hearing this, the servants each let out a sighs. They could hardly believe that the Hayes family had treated Stella this way. What began as a preference
2/3
Chapter 25
for Anna had spiraled into something much worse.
Stella had once been a cheerfil, kind hearted girl. The fact that they had pushed her to this point at the servants in disbeliet
Andrew was about to siap Stella, but Fiona quickly stepped in to stop him. She said, “Andrew, let’s consider other options. If Eleanor finds out forcing her to marry, she’ll be furlous, What if her condition worsens because of it?”
Andrew jabbed a finger at Stella and snarled, “Listen up, Stella if anything happens to my mother, I’ll have your head!”
Ө
