The woman continued yelling curses as Xavier’s car sped into the distance, but Stella simply looked away. She was about to walk off when she heard the woman shout at her.
“Hey! What’s your name?”
Stella paused mid-step and turned around, giving the woman a long look but saying nothing.
“Why are you all alone in a place like this?” The woman didn’t seem to mind Stella’s silence and continued, “Hmph! I bet you got dumped by a scumbag just like me, didn’t you?”
Stella raised an eyebrow. The woman’s guess wasn’t far off. She shrugged wearily.
“Do you want to walk home together?” Stella asked, her tone neutral.
“No,” the woman shook her head. “It’s your lucky day. I just called someone to pick me up. You can come along with us.”
Stella thought about it for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, she agreed.
“Thank you,” she said earnestly.
The woman smiled brightly. “Oh, don’t mention it. We’re in the same boat, after all! Dry your eyes, sister. Let’s promise each other never to get involved with scumbags again!”
Stella laughed softly. “Yes, I agree!”
Meanwhile, up ahead, Xavier Ford, the so-called “scumbag,” was driving in silence, glancing at the angry woman in the rearview mirror. He nonchalantly tugged at his collar, the sound of rushing wind filling the car. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
“This is the first time you’ve asked for my help, and it’s for a woman,” he said. “Aren’t you worried that Guinevere will explode if she finds out?”
“Thanks for helping,” came the simple reply from the other side of the phone before the call abruptly ended.
Xavier snorted at the sound of the dial tone. “Should’ve shown more respect for your uncle, kid!” he muttered, tossing his phone aside.
As he turned the steering wheel, his thoughts wandered back to the woman he had just met. He had heard about the woman who allegedly committed suicide, but when he tried to dig into the matter, he found that all information about Stella Sealey had been wiped clean. The culprit was obvious, yet no news about her could be found anywhere in Ahn City. At first, he thought she was truly gone, but now… who was this woman he had just encountered?
All these years, his nephew had never been involved with anyone other than Guinevere Cohen. What was with this sudden change in his behavior? And what was the deal with this mysterious unknown woman who had suddenly appeared?
It wasn’t until later that night, when Stella finally arrived home, that her thoughts were interrupted. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Roger preparing to go out.
“Where are you going?” Stella asked, her voice tinged with alarm.
Roger’s tense posture relaxed when he saw her. “Where have you been?” he asked, clearly worried. “I’ve been so worried!”
He sighed in relief before continuing, “I went to the training center to find you, but they said you left a while ago. I came back home, but you weren’t here either. I thought something happened again…”
Since the kidnapping, Stella had always been home on time every day. If she was even slightly late, Roger would instantly grow concerned, fearing the worst. That horrible incident still hung over them both like a dark cloud, and though they never spoke of it, it was always there, silently affecting them.
Stella’s eyes began to water as tears welled up. She stepped forward and rested her head on Roger’s shoulder.
“Something happened again, didn’t it?” Roger asked softly, gently patting her back. “It’s okay, Sis. You still have me.”
Stella sniffled, feeling comforted by her brother’s words. Roger was right. She still had him. At least she had one family member who loved her unconditionally.
“Everything’s fine, Roger,” she assured him, smiling up at him through her tears. “Come on, let’s eat out tonight!”
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