Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 2686

Estelle sounded surprised. “Lambert? Where is he?”

“With me. I saw him following you, and he didn’t look like a good guy, so I had my men bring him here,” Manley said warmly. “Is he bothering you? Don’t worry, if you don’t want to see him, I’ll send him packing right now.”

Estelle was speechless. “Send me your address. I’m on my way. And don’t touch him until I get there.”

“Deal!” Manley agreed readily, adding, “Drive safe, don’t rush. I promise I’ll wait for you to pass judgment.”

Estelle chuckled and hung up.

The thought of seeing Estelle soon sent a thrill through Manley, and he immediately texted her the address.

Lambert raised an eyebrow. “Now you know I’m Estelle’s friend, right? So untie me already!”

Manley had disliked him from the moment he claimed to be Estelle’s ex. “Estelle isn’t here yet,” he sneered. “What’s the rush? Just sit tight.”

Though his arms were tied behind his back, Lambert’s legs were free. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, ignoring Manley’s glare as he waited for Estelle.

Manley eyed him up and down. “How do you and Estelle know each other?”

Even tied up, Lambert’s handsome face retained its proud, aristocratic air. He blinked dismissively. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I have the power to throw you somewhere you’ll never see her again before she arrives,” Manley retorted with a cold smile.

Lambert knew Manley was capable of it. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and reluctantly began, “We’ve known each other for years.”

“How many years? Longer than me?”

“Definitely longer than you,” Lambert said, giving a brief account of how he met Estelle. “She even gave me a gun back then,” he added proudly.

“Going onto a battlefield when you can’t even protect yourself? What’s there to brag about?” Manley scoffed. “I thought you were some ride-or-die friend. Turns out you were just a dead weight dragging my Estelle down.”

Lambert’s face paled with anger. Deciding not to argue further, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa.

“Prepare some more desserts,” Manley instructed a servant. “And have juice and iced tea ready.” The servant bowed and left.

Manley was already on his feet, striding quickly to meet Estelle. The moment he saw her, he threw his arms around her in a big hug. “Estelle, I missed you like crazy!”

Lambert’s eyes widened. He knew Stella disliked physical contact; even when they were pretending to be lovers, she had always kept her distance.

Could what Manley said be true? Was Stella being forced to marry Alvis, while the man she truly loved was this one standing before him? Or maybe… maybe she was marrying into the Mystoria Federation to secure an alliance for Gab, for the sake of Tripe’s political stability.

A torrent of thoughts rushed through Lambert’s mind, each one more alarming than the last. His heart ached for Stella, twisting with a sharp, painful pang.

Estelle pushed Manley away gently. “When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“A few days ago,” Manley said, his face lit up with a brilliant smile, his seductive eyes sparkling as he looked at her. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Estelle raised an eyebrow. “And Lambert was your surprise?”

“Of course not. What kind of surprise is he?”