Chapter 314
When they stepped out of the car, Ronald had noticed the icy patch on the driveway.
The butler’s face went pale with worry. “Sir…”
Stella tugged at Ronald’s sleeve. “They did clear it earlier, but the temperature’s just too low.”
Hearing Stella’s explanation, the butler looked at her with gratitude.
She was right. They had cleared the ice just half an hour ago. In fact, they’d been at it all day. But with the constant snowfall and chilly weather, it was a losing battle.
Ronald glanced down at Stella’s shoes. “Change into something more appropriate.”
“Okay,” Stella nodded obediently.
A maid quickly fetched a pair of warm slippers for her.
Ronald had business to discuss with Hull, so he headed straight to the study.
Stella was about to go upstairs when her phone buzzed. It was Susanna, practically hyperventilating on the other end.
Stella sighed, “I know you didn’t mean it, but I can’t say Hull thinks the same.”
“What do you mean?” Susanna sounded desperate. She was on the verge of a meltdown. Nothing had ever embarrassed her this much before.
“Just steer clear of him in the future,” Stella advised. “Hull was not as harmless as he seemed.”
Susanna groaned, “I didn’t mean to upset him! Star, you’ve got to put in a good word for me.”
Stella chuckled. It was true; the men around her these days were not the forgiving type. “I’ll see what I can do. But honestly, you probably won’t run into each other again.”
Good words were always worth extending. Besides, she and Ronald were heading back to Ferrowland soon. Ronald’s absence meant Hull would likely leave Portis City as well.
“Oh my God, you have no idea. I slipped and grabbed the first thing I could! It just happened to be his belt buckle. Good thing his pants stayed up, or it would’ve been a whole different disaster.”
Stella teased, “And you’re still talking about it now?”
“Don’t remind me,” Susanna groaned again. “I swear, it was an accident.”
Stella laughed, “I know it was.”
Even she had been stunned by the whole scene. Anyone watching would have been equally speechless. They chatted for a while, and the conversation naturally shifted to Cloudia.
Susanna asked Stella, “What did Cloudia want this time? Still about Ursula? Her own son is lying in the hospital right now, isn’t he?
If she keeps this up, doesn’t Blaise have anything to say about it? She’s going to tear the family apart and still find a way to blame you for it.”
Stella had already walked into the coffee bar. The coffee in the pot was still warm. She poured herself a cup and said calmly, “Let her blame me. I don’t care. Jaxon’s about to be discharged anyway.”
“What?” Susanna blinked, caught off guard.
Stella took a sip of coffee and continued, “You know what kind of person I am. Their little finger–pointing isn’t going to change me.”
“True,” Susanna said with a small nod.
14:11
Chapter 314
Over the past few weeks, things had been chaotic, with arguments flying left and right, and Susanna had seen firsthand how Stella never backed down. So if Cloudia came to confront Stella today, it was easy to guess–sh must have hurled accusations at her again. And if Cloudia dared to accuse, Stella would undoubtedly push back even harder.
Wasn’t that exactly what had happened? This time, it was Jaxon who got caught in the crossfire. Even with Blaise’s usually good temper, there was no way he wouldn’t lose it at this point.
“Honestly, if the Larkin family falls apart, it’s not really your fault.”
“Hmm?”
“Well, you know…”
Susanna hesitated, unsure how to phrase it delicately. The Larkin family had always been a hotbed for drama.
“Come on, what did you see?” Stella pressed.
“You know me, I don’t seek out gossip. But sometimes it just finds me.”
“What did you see?”
Stella had a feeling whatever Susanna saw wasn’t good.
“Okay, so I was on my way over and passed by Cherry Galleria. I saw Blaise.
He was with a woman. She was pushing a stroller, and there were bodyguards and a nanny with them.”
Stella took a slow sip of her coffee, processing this new bit of information.
