Chapter 29 A Shirtless Showdown
Stella had expected it–either Ethan or someone from the Reed family.
She instinctively glanced up at Abraham, and sure enough, the warmth in his eyes had completely disappeared.
Her grip on the phone trembled. “No, that’s not what 1-
You like money, don’t you? The card I gave you is still open–buy whatever you want, as much as you want.”
Finished
The condition was simple–bring Rianne back. But before Ethan could finish, Abraham plucked the phone from Stella’s hand and hung up without hesitation.
Their eyes met for a brief moment. Under his cold, piercing gaze, Stella instinctively lowered her head, not daring to look at
him
Abraham’s voice was icy. “He treats you well, doesn’t he?”
Stella forced a dry laugh. “No.”
Abraham’s tone sharpened. “He’s willing to give you anything you ask for.
Stella fell silent. If someone only heard Ethan’s words without any context, that’s exactly what it toonld sound like.
“It was all for a reason,” she muttered. “It wasn’t because he had feelings for me.”
For some reason, whenever the topic of emotions came up, she felt guilty in front of Abraham. Probably because back in school, he had always drilled into her head. No dating allowed!
She endured hours of relentless questioning. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and she slumped over onto Abraham’s lap. falling asleep.
Under the bright living room lights, Abraham brushed a few strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear. Then, without hesitation, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
When he stepped back into the living room, Abel was already waiting there, surveying the small apartment.
“Should we take Ms. Dawson back to Verdant Villa?” Abel asked.
Verdant Vilia was located in the Shallow Bay area of Rivermount. When that piece of land first became available, every powerful family in the city had tried to get their hands on it.
But back then, Stella had glanced at a scenic recommendation and casually mentioned she liked it. The land became Abraham’s in an instant.
The original plan had been to develop luxury seaside residences, but Abraham had personally remodeled it to fit Stella’s preferences instead.
He had intended to gift it to her on her coming–of–age ceremony, but before that could happen, disaster struck the Dawson family, and she vanished.
Abraham stepped onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette. He took a slow drag before exhaling.
“Don’t move her tonight. Let her sleep. Just bring my things up.”
Hearing that Abraham planned to stay the night, Abel instinctively glanced around the small apartment again.
“You’re staying here?”
Abraham shot him a frosty glare. “Is there a problem?”
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Chapter 29 A Shirtless Showdown
Sleeping in this cramped apartment was just because Abraham didn’t want to wake Stella up
Finished
Abel hurried to bring Abraham’s things upstairs. Once Abiel left, Abraham took his time inspecting Stella’s apartment–every corner, every inch.
we
Only when he was completely sure there were no traces of another man did the tension in his body finally ease.
He grabbed a fresh towel from her linen cabinet. The only options were soft pastels–pink and light yellow–all fluffy and clearly picked with care.
A style that was unmistakably her. Without hesitation, Abraham grabbed one and headed to the bathroom.
Half–asleep, Stella stirred, waking up only because she really had to use the restroom. Annoyed, she groggily crawled out of bed, her eyes still half–closed, and shuffled toward the bathroom.
The moment she stepped out of the bedroom, she froze.
Abraham was standing there, fresh from the shower, a towel–her towel–wrapped loosely around his waist.
Stella’s mind went blank. The last traces of sleep vanished instantly.
She barely had time to react before the doorbell rang, ringing urgently.
Startled, she glanced toward the entrance, then back at Abraham.
He frowned. “Someone’s looking for you at this hour?”
The clock on the wall pointed to 5 AM. It wasn’t just late at night–the sun was about to rise.
The doorbell rang again, this time more aggressively. Ethan had completely lost it. When Lillian woke up again in unbearable pain, he had reached his breaking point.
He didn’t care about the time–he had come straight here.
No matter what, he had to get Stella to agree to Rianne’s return. Lillian couldn’t wait any longer.
Abraham took a seat on the sofa, glancing at Stella. “Open the door
Her eyelid twitched. “Do I have to?”
Before she could say anything else, Ethan’s furious voice erupted from outside,
“Stella! Open the damn door! I need to talk to you!”
Stella was stunned. What the heck is torong with this man? Shouldn’t he be at Lillian’s side at this hourt Why is he here?
“If you don’t open up, I’ll have someone break the lockt‘ Ethan shouted, his rage boiling over.
With all the commotion, there was no way Stella was still asleep–he knew she was awake.
