Chapter 72 

The Larkin family had never been big on calling her, nor had Yorick for that matter. But lately, their calls had been coming in more frequently than all of last year combined. 

It was driving her nuts! 

On the other side, Cloudia handed the phone back to the nurse, her face a portrait of irritation. At this rate, she mused, the entire hospital’s nursing staff would be on her block list. 

“Find out where she is now.” 

Cloudia could barely contain her fury. 

axon replied, “She’s on the 26th floor of the Orient Nexus Building 1.” 

He had managed to track that much, at least. His expression was grim as well; the assistant had called him earlier to say that since word got out they weren’t partnering with Stella, companies had been backing out left and right, as if scared of something. And the details? They wouldn’t be willing to share. 

And more so, StarRiver Corp., a powerhouse that had moved into Portis City just a couple of years ago, had been particularly brash. 

When his assistant reached out to them, they’d been met with a storm of curses, “What’s it to you who we partner with? Mind your own 

business!” 

Their audacity was staggering, hardly what you’d expect from a newcomer to Portis City. They even had the gall to badmouth the Quarry family, showing a level of arrogance that was all too reminiscent of Stella. 

Hearing this, Cloudia could no longer sit still. 

“So, these companies are refusing to cut ties with her?” 

Jaxon’s face darkened further at her question. 

Ursula, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up, “How did she even secure those partnerships in the first place?” 

Her question sent a ripple through the room, Cloudia and Jaxon exchanging looks that conveyed their mutual anticipation of an impending storm. 

Apparently, with Ursula’s words as a catalyst, Cloudia and Jaxon’s mind ran wild. 

Could Stella have certain relationship with those people in charge? 

The thought 

vas 

understandable. Raised in a modest rural family, what could she have possibly done to earn over seven hundred thousand in a year without paying some sort of price? 

Cloudia refused to believe there wasn’t more to the story. 

“I’m going to confront her,” Cloudia declared, all steamed up. 

Meanwhile, Stella had just finished fielding two more calls – thankfully, neither from Cloudia nor Yorick. She couldn’t have handled that on top of everything else. 

Just after she hung up, her phone rang again. 

It was Susanna, inviting her out for eating hot wings. 

“Can’t make it,” Stella replied. 

“Under lock and key, huh?” 

Susanna teased, her concern for Stella evident. Ronald had only just arrived, and already her diet was being monitored. It was more attention than Stella had ever received from her birth family, though she supposed that wasn’t saying much. After all, wasn’t it natural to feel closer to those you grew up with? Stella had grown up beside Ronald, after all. 

But no matter how close she was to her adoptive family, the Larkins‘ level of care was rare, especially considering how they treated their biological child compared to their adopted one. 

“Yeah. If I want to eat out, only something bland I could choose.” 

“But I’m not in the mood for bland food.” 

At the mention of a light meal, Susanna rejected the idea without a second thought. She couldn’t accept something without much flavor. “Then I’ll head back for dinner.” 

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11:43 

Chapter 72 

“Alright, let’s plan for hot wings when you’re not so tightly monitored.” 

After agreeing with a noncommittal grunt, Stella knew that as long as Ronald was in Portis City, her chances of indulging in that food were slim. 

Their conversation continued for a bit before they hung up. 

It was nearly quitting time, and Ronald called, “About to get off?” 

Stella responded gloomily, “Have the driver pick me up and take me back to Mist Bay, will you?” 

“No plans with friends?” 

Stella ventured, “We all wanted hot wings, is that okay?” 

“Not okay!” Ronald shot back without hesitation. Stella had always been a handful as a child, and she’d been in and out of hospitals more times than he cared to count. The idea of her casually deciding to have hot wings was out of the question. 

Chapter 91