Stella and Clarence had a passionate night. When Stella woke up the next morning, she found she it
was late and she didn’t hear the ringing of her alarm.
Stella picked up her phone and took a glance at the time. It was already 11 a.m.
Stella took a deep breath, walked towards the bathroom while rubbing her waist and making a call to
Sherry.
Sherry said, “Stella, oh you finally wake up.”
Stella felt a bit embarrassed to answer it, “I...”
”Mr. Conrad told me this morning that you drew designs until 4 a.m. last night and he asked not to
bother you. Rest assured. I’ve taken Elaine to our studio and you don’t have to be in a hurry.”
Stella heaved a sigh of relief, “Okay.”
Luckily, that wretched man was not that shameless that he found a plausible excuse.
After ending the call, Stella put down her hone, cupped some water with her hands and splashed it on
her face. Only them did she feel sober.
After washing herself, Stella walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water and was then lost in her
thoughts. Several minutes later, she went back to her room and changed her clothes.
When she arrived at the studio, it was already noon.
The take-out food Sherry ordered was delivered to the office and the whole office was prevailed by the
fragrance of the meal.
Stella sat down on the sofa, closed her eyes and stretched out.
Sherry’s voice sounded, “Stella, I know you’re under great pressure because of the fashion week.
Although there’s little time left, you still have enough time to prepare for it. Don’t stay up so late as it will
harm your health.”
Sherry had been under Daniel’s supervision ever since her pregnancy and she would always go to bed
at 11 p.m. and 0 o’clock at the latest.
When she got accustomed to this timetable, she felt it really comfortable.
Now she had formed the habit of going to bed early.
Stella was lost for words.
She then replied with a smile, “Yesterday I... I have a light bulb moment. I won’t do this again.”
It was true that once you told a lie, you had to tell more lies to make it plausible.
“Well. Have lunch first. I will go out to call Elaine.”
Stella replied, “Okay.”
...
After drawing designs for the whole afternoon, Stella felt an ache in her waist and back. She stood up,
walked out of the office and went to the store to see whether if they needed her help.
But she didn’t see Elaine.
Stella thought that Elaine had gone to the photo studio next door and prepared to go there too. But at
this moment, Sherry came back from the next door, “I don’t know what’s wrong with the light today. We
couldn’t fix it no matter what means we tried.”
”I guess it’s broken. Change one.”
”I will try it tomorrow. If it still can’t work, I will change it.”
Stella asked after a while of silence, “Is Elaine still at the next door?”
Sherry was a bit confused as she replied, “She’s not there. Isn’t she in the store?”
“Nope. I didn’t saw her when I walked out of the office, so I thought she went to the next door with you.”
”She was still in the studio when I went to the next door.”
Stella hurriedly walked into the studio and asked the girls where Elaine had been.
A girl who walked out of the warehouse heard Stella’s question and replied, “Stella, we had many
customers just now, and one of the customers said she was in a hurry and asked us to send the
products she bought to her home. As we couldn’t leave the store, Elaine stood out and said she
could...”
”How long has it been?”
“More than half an hour. Almost two hours. Normally, she should have come back.”
Right at this moment, Sherry walked to Stella and took out her phone, “Stella, I guess she may get lost
as she’s not familiar with this place. I will give her a call.”
But what she got was the busy tone indicating that Elaine’s phone had been turned off.
Stella slightly knitted her brows and prepared to ask Clarence and his men.
They must have arranged some men to protect Elaine.
When Stella walked to the door of the studio, she saw Elaine hobbling towards her and her working suit
dirty. It seemed as if she had just come back from a garbage heap.
Elaine curled her lips into a bright smile when she saw Stella, but there was obvious grievance on her
face.
Stella asked in a gentle voice, “Elaine, what happened?”
Elaine sniffed, “When I came back after delivering the products to that customer, I encountered several
men at the entrance of an alley. They insisted on asking me for my number, but I didn’t want to give it to
them. Then they...”
Stella asked in a cold voice, “Did they hit you?”
Before Elaine could reply to it, a man’s voice sounded, “They didn’t. Elaine was scared and fell from the
stairs.”
Only then did Stella realize that there was a man behind Elaine.
He looked like in his thirties or forties. Although his appearance was not that striking, he was much
more handsome than ordinary men. He was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and there was a
polite and gentle smile on his face when he looked towards Stella.
Stella asked, “You are?”
Elaine finally came to her sense and introduced, “By the way, Stella, this is my second uncle. It was
him who saved me just now.”
The man reached out to Stella, “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Caesar James.”
Stella looked towards him with vigilance and calmly protected Elaine behind herself.
Caesar withdrew his hand with a chuckle, “I guess you must be Ms. Stella Radomil, right? Elaine told
me everything on the way here. Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to take her away.”
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I heard that the accidents that happened in Riverside several days ago have something to do with City
N, so I come here to have a look. It was so coincidental that I encountered Elaine here.”
Stella repeated his word, “Heard?”
Elaine’s voice sounded from behind, “My uncle doesn’t live in Riverside. He doesn’t like those old
fogies either.”
Caesar said with a smile, “Yes. Elaine was true. I left Riverside a long time ago. I come to Riverside as
some rumours have triggered my curiosity. Ms. Radomil, please rest assured. I’m not your enemy and I
don’t have any evil intentions towards you.”
Elaine called him, “Uncle.”
She felt sad when learning that he was about to leave.
Caesar said, “Elaine, you’re now leaving in other people’s house, so you should be obedient. You can’t
be willful again. I will come here to see you if there’s any chance.”
Elaine waved at him, “Goodbye, uncle.”
Caesar nodded his head. He then slightly nodded at Stella and then turned around and left.
When he appeared in her vision, Stella withdrew her gaze and then looked towards Elaine.
Elaine had prepared herself to share her feelings with Stella, “Stella, oh, I’ve been believing that my
second uncle has passed away, as my dad and my grand-grandpa told me so! But I never expect that
he’s still alive. On the way back here, he told me that he left Riverside because he wasn’t satisfied with
the rules of the James family. My uncle treated me well when I was young. I really didn’t expect to see
him again!”
Stella could empathy with her for her happiness from the excitement in her tone of voice. She then
asked, “How long has it been since your uncle left Riverside?”
“It has been a long time. I almost forget it. Maybe he left when I was less than ten years old.”
”Then it has been ten years. You haven’t heard of his news over the past years?”
“I didn’t. I remember I asked about him when I was young, but my father told me he died. They never
mentioned uncle at home and I thought it was because they felt sad whenever thinking of
him.”
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