Stella shook her head, “Since he knew about this before I did, but chose not to tell me about it, he must
have his reasons behind this.”
“So, is this your way of saying that you forgive him?”
“It’s not like he’s done anything bad to me, but I wouldn’t call this forgiving him.”
Moreover, she was rather pleased that she ended up not tearing apart the paper-thin film between the
two parties.
Or else, she could not even begin to imagine how it would turn out if Chan knew about it.
If that happened, no matter who it was, they were bound to be awkward.
As if Clarence was able to read her mind, he frowned and said in a low voice, “As long as you have a
clear idea on the matter, you can ignore what other people think.”
Slightly annoyed, she repeated, “Chan is my only brother, he’s also my only…”
“Stella, it doesn’t matter if he’s the only one, or one of a few, you have to know that you must put
yourself first before anyone else. There’s nothing wrong if you choose to live for yourself every once in
a while.”
Stella wanted to object him, but just as she opened her mouth to say something, Clarence added, “Do
you know why you’re always this stressed out? It’s because you just had to care about how other
people feel or think about you. You’re overthinking everything, that’s why you always seem exhausted.”
“I don’t always care about how other people feel, I just don’t want Chan…”
“He’s already twenty years old, he’s an adult now. If he can’t even stomach these insignificant news, do
you think that everything you’ve done for him is worth it?”
It wasn’t until a while later that Stella added in a soft voice, “This is how I think. No one else is more
important to me than Chan. If I had to choose, I would undoubtedly choose him.”
Clarence’s eyebrows shifted up, “Not even me?”
Stella looked him in the eyes and said in the same tone of voice, “Sir, you just had to embarrass
yourself, don’t you?”
Clarence was speechless.
He switched off the lights and said, “Sleep.”
In the dark, Stella blinked repeatedly and asked, “Are you angry at me?”
Clarence said in a way that concealed his emotions, “No.”
“It’s your own fault that you asked this kind of question, since you already know my answer to it. Also,
didn’t you say that I should put myself first before anyone else? I’m merely speaking my mind.”
Clarence chuckled, “Heh.”
Seeing his state pleased Stella greatly, as she put on a smug smirk on her face.
She had also stopped opposing to the idea of Alisa following her around as she said, “I want to go
shopping tomorrow, when will Alisa get here?”
“She’ll be here when you’re awake.”
“Oh.”
That wretched man sounded like he had dynamite for dinner just now.
It could be that Stella slept a lot for the past two days, or she was beyond delighted that she managed
to troll Clarence, she was unable to sleep. At the same time, there was a barrel filled with dynamite
right beside her, so she figured that the best course of action was to play with that barrel, which may or
may not be armed with an extremely volatile fuse.
Stella said softly, “Mr. Conrad.”
Clarence did not respond.
Stella moved around in his embrace, raised her hand and poked at his waist, “Are you asleep?”
The barrel beside him was still not responding.
Stella added, “Eh, whatever then.”
Just as she was going to retract her hand, it was grabbed by Clarence. His cold voice replied, “What
‘whatever’?”
“Nothing much. I can’t sleep, so I want to chat with you for a little bit. But you seem quite tired, so go to
sleep, hmm? Good…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Stella’s mouth was covered, muffling her words.
That barrel that was right beside her was currently standing over her, fuse lit and ready to explode. Like
a nocturnal predator, his eyes emitted a menacing gaze that Stella could sense even in pure darkness.
He said, “If you can’t sleep, don’t.”
…
Actually, Stella regretted her decision.
She already knew that that wretched man was someone who would not forget any grudges. Moreover,
she had to piss him off, then serve herself on a platter for him to take revenge on.
She was basically sticking a stick through a bicycle wheel while riding the bicycle.
The next day, it was already noon when she woke up. Clarence had already left for work by then.
When she went to brush her teeth, she saw the marks that Clarence left on the night before. She tsked
and put on a shirt that covered her neck.
As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she could smell the food from the dining room.
Alisa heard her, got out from the kitchen and said with a smile, “Ah, Mrs. Conrad, you’re awake! You
must be starving, aren’t you? The food’s almost done, please wait for a little longer, okay?”
Stella smiled in return, “Alright.”
She walked to the dining table, got herself a cup of warm water and slowly sat on the chair while
holding the table to support her.
That wretched man really did his toll on her.
While she waited for Alisa to finish cooking, she messaged Sherry: [Sherry, are you at the workshop?]
Sherry replied very quickly, ‘I am, Why?’
Stella typed, ‘If you’re free in the afternoon, want to go shopping with me?’
The workshop wasn’t exactly brimming with tasks, and Sherry was usually free of them, anyway. She
did not want to stay at the workshop, so she said yes to Stella’s offer.
Just as Stella finished chatting with Sherry, Alisa came out from the kitchen holding a tray, “Sorry for
the wait, Mrs. Conrad. You must be hungry already, so please, help yourself!”
She said while pouring her a bowl of soup.
Stella took the bowl with both of her hands and said, “Thank you. I’m sorry for making you come all the
way here.”
Alisa replied, “Oh, no need to be sorry, Mrs. Conrad. Lately, the Starry Lake Mansion has been under
renovation, but Mr. Conrad was still paying my salary regularly, even when I’m not working. I feel
indebted to him, and I’m also very bored just sitting in my home, so to me, being able to come over and
take care of you is the best solution I can think of.”
Stella drank half a bowl of soup before asking, “The Starry Lake Mansion…has already started
renovating?”
“Yes, I even went there yesterday. It has changed a lot, the garden was blossoming with flowers, the
houses are also painted in warm colours.” As she said that, she asked Stella, “Mrs. Conrad, will you
move back with Mr. Conrad after the renovations are finished?”
Stella replied with a slight smile, “Probably.”
Alisa saw that she was not too willing to bring up the topic, so she stopped dwelling on it and went back
into the kitchen to clean it up.
After Stella finished eating her lunch, she lied down on the sofa to rest. When she felt that she regained
some energy, she messaged Sherry that she was about to head out.
When she reached the basement parking, Clarence’s driver approached her and said, “Mrs. Conrad, I
am your driver for these few days, as requested by Mr. Conrad.”
She heard what he said, but did not oppose to his idea. Clarence had already assigned someone to be
there, which meant that he had everything planned out. She guessed that opposing any further would
not have any practical effect.
When the car drove out of the basement parking, sunlight slowly invaded the car and Stella’s eyes.
It seemed that the weather was mighty fine that day.
When they reached the shopping complex, Stella spotted Sherry, who was standing near the entrance,
so she told Alisa, “Alisa, my friend is here. You can find some place to sit and rest on the first floor. I’ll
give you a call when I’m done.”
Alisa nodded, “Alright.”
Mr. Conrad instructed her to accompany her so that she was never alone by herself.
As her friend was there, she was not obliged to follow Stella around.
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