When Stella came back to the Stewards’ Mansion at night, Charles was in his study.
She walked to the study and then knocked on the door. Then there came Charles’ voice, “Come in.”
Charles asked whens seeing Stella, “What’s wrong. Are you dissatisfied with Phoebe’s apology today?”
Stella said, “Ms. Steward didn’t show up. How can I be satisfied or dissatisfied with it?”
Charles narrowed his eyes when he heard the words. Apparently, he had known what happened today.
Stella continued, “But Mr. Steward, please rest assured. I come to find you for the other matter.”
Charles asked, “What’s it?”
“I plan to move out of the Stewards’ Mansion.”
Charles didn’t expect that she would suddenly mention this. He knitted his brows, seeming to be
pondering something.
Stella continued in a composed voice, “I’ve considered it carefully recently. The Steward’s Mansion is
an unfamiliar place for me. Now that I can’t recall what happened in my childhood, it’s unnecessary for
me to stay here.”
Charles replied after a short while of silence, “Now that you insist on leaving, I won’t stop you. But the
anniversary celebration of the Steward Group will be held several days later. You may leave when the
celebration is over.”
Stella knitted her brows and slightly pressed her lips together.
As expected, Charles was plotting something by taking advantage of the anniversary celebration.
Seeing that Stella was silent, Charles asked, “What’s wrong? You’ve lived here for a long time. I’m just
asking you to live here for several more days. Do you think that I can do anything to you?”
Stella smiled lightly, “Mr. Steward, you think too much of it. It’s just that I didn’t expect you would invite
me to the anniversary celebration.”
Stella replied in a flat tone, “You said you’re Miranda’s daughter. So you should take part in the
anniversary celebration of the Steward Group.”
“Now that this is the case, I won’t decline it anymore.”
Stella then came back to her bedroom. She rubbed her cheeks which were with muscle soreness. She
had been wearing a fake smile for the whole day, and it was somehow tiresome.
She turned her neck left and right, picked up her clothes and then walked into the bathroom for a
shower.
Just as she came out of the bathroom, she saw her phone, which was thrown onto the bed by her
before, was glimmering.
Stella lay face down on the bed and answered the call, “Hello?”
Clarence asked, “Have you packaged up your things?”
“Haven’t…” Stella licked her lips and then continued, “Can you wait for several more days?”
“Didn’t we agree on it?”
Stella turned over and said, “Charles didn’t allow me to leave and asked me to wait until the end of the
anniversary celebration of the Steward Group.”
Clarence’s voice immediately turned cold, “Did you agree to it?”
“He didn’t give me the chance to refuse it.”
“Package up your things. I will come to pick you up tomorrow.”
Hearing his overbearing voice, Stella said, “No need. It’s just several days.”
“Stella Radomil!” Clarence’s voice became louder, “Do you think that he keeps you for a good thing?”
Stella replied in a gentle voice, “I know that it will not be a good thing. So I have to stay here.”
They were not clear of Charles’ current plan. Therefore, only by staying here could she know about his
dynamics.
Moreover, now that Charles had asked her to stay, it meant that he would not let go of her easily. If
Clarence forcibly took her away, it would only declare the conflict of the two parties. Charles was like a
wolf in sheep’s clothing. If he was cornered, he might do something extremely wicked.
Stella continued, “All right, I will take good care of myself. Didn’t you tell me that since you’re by my
side, Charles won’t do anything to me?”
“Do you believe it?”
Stella, “…”
Clarence continued, “It was in the past. Aren’t you clear of the current situation?”
“Well, I see.” Stella thought that his worry made sense, and she didn’t want to continue this topic. “I will
bring my important things tomorrow. As for the clothes, it doesn’t matter whether I will take them away
or not. Is this okay?”
“Not bad.”
Stella yawned as she was a bit sleepy, “Then I will go to bed first. Good night.”
In the late night, there came some thunders and a heavy rain.
Stella was woken up by a nightmare. When she opened her eyes, she found that the curtains were
blown opened by the wind and rains fell into her bedroom.
She got up and prepared to close the windows. But she saw Charles getting into a car and leaving.
It was so late now and it was raining heavily. Where was he going?
Stella knitted her brows. When the lights of the car lit up, she immediately hid behind the windows.
Only until the lights of the car disappeared in her vision did Stella turn around. She watched the car
driving out of the gate of the Stewards’ Mansion.
Stella sat back onto the bed and took a glance of the clock. It was 3:30 a.m.
She pondered for a while and then put on a coat, picked up her phone and stood up.
She thought that Phoebe might not know that Charles would go out in the midnight. So probably she
would not guard against her.
But Stella could tell without thinking of it that the door of the study must have been locked.
Stella walked to Charles’ bedroom and gently pushed opened the door.
After making sure that there was no surveillance camera in the bedroom, Stella turned on the flashlight
of her phone and began to check the bedroom.
Charles was very prudent. There was no document on the desk of his bedroom except several books.
Stella checked the whole room, yet found no clue
When she prepared to leave, she saw a painting which was hung on the wall in front of her.
Several fragmentary memories instantly flashed across her mind. But she couldn’t recall anything.
Stella walked over and gently put her hand on the frame of the painting. She then closed her eyes.
Several seconds later, she opened her eyes, put her phone into her pocket and then took the painting
down the wall.
There was a secret compartment behind the painting. But it had a coded lock.
Stella looked towards the painting again. A string of numbers flashed across her mind. After pondering
for two seconds, she put in some numbers tentatively. Then the coded lock was opened.
Stella took out a box from the compartment.
There was a pocket watch which was half burned in the box.
Stella hurriedly took out her phone and took a picture.
When she prepared to study the other things in the box, the lights of a car flashed across the windows.
Charles came back.
Stella hastily put the box back into the compartment, hung the painting onto the wall and then quickly
came back to her bedroom and locked the door.
After this, she heard some footsteps from the corridor.
Stella heaved a long sigh and sat onto the bed. Only now did she realize that her back was wet by
sweats.
After Charles came back to her bedroom, there didn’t come any sound. Nor did he go out again.
He went out for twenty minutes at most just now. Did he suddenly change his plan? Or could it be that
the place he went was not far away from here?
Lying on the bed, Stella turned on her phone and found the picture she took just now.
Luckily her phone had the function of taking picture at night and she could see it clearly.
Half of the pocket watch was intact, and half of it was distorted by the fire.
Stella recalled the purchase history she found in that warehouse. Her biological gather bought two
pocket watches back then.
She kept one of the pocket watches, and as for the other…
It was probably kept by Charles.
Stella put down her phone and closed her eyes. But those fragmentary memories kept flashing across
her mind.
It was raining the whole night and Stella was also sleepless for the whole night.
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