After a week, Stella settled down.
She was in a small town, far less developed, wealthy, crowded, and stunning than City N. However, it
wasn’t urbanized, so the unique scenery such as small bridges over the flowing stream remained. The
neighborhood was quite harmonious as well. It was quite suitable for living.
When she called Sherry, the latter felt so surprised, wondering why she had left town so suddenly.
As soon as she divorced the man, Stella had been longing to stay in a place where nobody knew her.
However, her plan was always delayed by all kinds of things. If it weren’t that Clarence gave her a
reason to escape this time, probably she still couldn’t have made up her mind.
She like this town a lot - it was full of fresh air and sunshine. Everyone was warm-hearted and kind.
She also talked to Stanford. Whenever there was any problem relevant to her work, they could talk
through the phone. Fortunately, she was only in charge of design drafts now. She could always send
him over the finished digital copies.
However, Stella wondered how long the leisure time and peace could last. She knew it clearly - if
Clarence wanted to find her, it was just a piece of cake for him.
He hadn’t haunted her down. She guessed it was probably that he still had the last trace of kindness at
the bottom of his heart, which woke his conscience up.
Every afternoon, Stella would go to sit on the bench by the river, watching the sun go down. Then she
would go home on foot after the sunset.
Her landlady was a weird woman. She looked in her forties or fifties, but she dressed like a seventy- or
eighty-year-old. Her tone was always cold when talking. She seldom smiled, and nor did she like the
activities such as group dancing, which were the most popular among the elderly. She would read a
finance newspaper.
Stella was a bit curious, but she didn’t ask the landlady at all. The landlady stayed on the first floor, and
Stella stayed on the second. They could merely disturb each other.
Arriving home, Stella yelled to the house, “Ms. Anderson, I bought a bunch of flowers. Do you have a
vase that I could put them in?”
An indifferent female’s voice was heard inside the house, “Look around in the yard.”
There were quite a lot of bottles and jars in the small yard. Stella found one that the flowers could be
put in. Then she watered the flowers. Dolores Anderson walked out with a tray in her hands, “Your
dinner is in the kitchen. Go get it yourself.”
Stella said with a smile, “Thank you, Ms. Anderson.”
Although they agreed not to disturb each other when signing the agreement, Ms. Anderson would
always cook for her when she was preparing the meal.
Sitting at the dining table, Stella licked her lips and flattered sincerely, “Ms. Anderson, you are such a
good cook.”
Dolores glanced at her, “You are the first one who said so.”
“What? I do think the food you cook is quite delicious.” Stella took a sip of the fish soup, “Anyone
criticized your cooking skills? I’ll argue with him or her!”
Dolores smiled, “My son said he’d rather eating the bark instead of eating dishes I prepared. Thank you
for speaking so highly of me.”
Stella was speechless.
She was a bit angry with Dolores’s son.
She asked, “Ms. Anderson, has your son often come back to see you?”
Dolores paused eating. After a while, she answered, “I haven’t seen him for many years.”
“Well, after so many years, Ms. Anderson, your cooking skills must have improved a lot. If your son had
a chance to eat the dishes you cook, he wouldn’t give you the same comment.”
Dolores had a self-mockery smile on her face, “Forget it. He never speaks nicely. I’m afraid that he
hates me. How could he eat the dishes I cook?”
Stella shook her head slightly, “It can’t be. How could there be any deep hatred between a mother and
a son? Even if there is a misunderstanding, it will disappear after you talk to each other.”
After becoming pregnant, Stella could understand a mother more and more. All mothers in this world
hoped that their children would be well, and they were willing to do anything for it.
Dolores said, “It’s not that simple. You don’t know.”
“I do know!”
“Then, why did you run away from home? Didn’t you argue with your parents?”
This time, Stella paused for a few seconds.
Dolores looked away, “I just ask casually. It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.”
Stella smiled slightly, “I didn’t argue with my parents. My father passed away when giving birth to my
younger brother because of the difficult labor. I was three or four at that time. I’ve forgotten what she
looked like already. I didn’t run away from home this time, just wanted to live in a new environment.”
Dolores filled another bowl of fish soup for her, “Enough. I don’t want to hear the bores. Let’s eat.”
At night, Stella lay on the bed. Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, she couldn’t fall
asleep.
Suddenly, she found that she seemed to have forgotten something important.
Stella took out her former SIM card from the drawer and put it in her phone. After hesitating for a while,
she dialed a number.
The call wasn’t connected until the beeps always ended. She said in an extremely gentle voice, “Hello,
Mr. Conrad. It’s me.”
“Go ahead.”
The man’s voice was hoarse and sleepy. Obviously, he was woken up.
Stella pinched her quilt to get prepared for his cutting remarks later. She said tentatively, “Mr. Conrad, I
know I’ve broken our agreement, but I promise that I’ll never show up in front of you again. For my
brother’s matter, I want to beg you...”
“Beg me for what?”
Stella gritted her teeth and said, “I know I must be quite shameless now, but I think you would definitely
agree, Mr. Conrad.”
On the other end of the line, Clarence snorted, “You know how shameless you are. How can you say
those words?”
“Mr. Conrad, three years ago in the Young Designers' Contest, you misunderstood me. I know you’ve
regretted it after knowing the truth behind it. That’s why Conrad Group offered a chance to help a
designer from SG Jewelry Magazine. I didn’t want the chance at all. Mr. Conrad, if you want to make it
up to me, please...”
Clarence interrupted her, “Haven’t you rejected my offer long ago?”
Stella made an excuse, “At that time, I didn’t understand what your intention was, Mr. Conrad. Now, I’ve
understood it. Mr. Conrad, please don’t take it to heart.”
Clarence quieted down for a moment and said, “Your comments on yourself are so correct. You are
indeed so shameless.”
Stella pressed her lips without retorting him, “Mr. Conrad, shall I take it as a yes then.”
Clarence said in a flat tone, “You can take it as I have the right to say no.”
Stella was speechless.
She cursed the wretched man inwardly again.
Shortly, Clarence added, “Stella Radomil, if you dare to call me at midnight. You can’t blame me for
disagreeing with any requirement from you for the rest of your life.”
She hurriedly said, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
“Anything else?”
Stella looked out of the window. After a few seconds, she said, “Nothing else. Mr. Conrad, good night.
Have a pleasant dream.”
Before she hung up, she heard Clarence’s voice, “Don’t you wish me to be the last of my family line
now?”
Stella was choked up.
The wretched man was indeed so petty.
With a smile, she answered, “Mr. Conrad, what are you talking about? How could that be a wish? I wish
you a long life, a full house of children and grandchildren, and five generations alive...”
Clarence directly hung up the phone.
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