He Never Noticed Me Until I Loved Someone Else novel Chapter 1

"Stella, the person calling Mr. Fuller must be his sweetheart! Taking a call in the middle of a meeting, he spoils her so much!"

In the corner of the large conference room, Stella Quinn kept her head down, listening to the hushed, envious whispers of her colleagues.

At the head of the table sat a striking man with a commanding presence.

He sat casually, his arm resting on the table, the Bluetooth earpiece in his ear blinking faintly.

Whatever the person on the other end said, a helpless, faint smile touched the man's sharp, chiseled features.

He really did spoil her.

At least, Stella had never seen Jarrod Fuller act so tenderly.

"Alright, whatever you want," he murmured.

With that, under the quiet anticipation of the entire room, the man smoothly ended the call.

An executive sitting next to him smiled and flattered, "Was that your girlfriend? You two have such a wonderful relationship, Mr. Fuller!"

The man didn't reply, simply waving his hand to signal the meeting to continue.

But his dark eyes casually swept toward the far end of the conference table, right where Stella was sitting.

"Ah, Stella, Mr. Fuller seems to be looking at you!"

A colleague excitedly whispered in Stella's ear again, "Do you two know each other?"

The man's gaze was cold, indifferent, and devoid of any emotion.

Just like their relationship for the past three years.

Stella lowered her eyes. "No, we don't. You're seeing things."

The colleague sighed. "True. If you knew the boss, you'd definitely have a seat closer to the front. You wouldn't be sitting all the way back here with us nobodies, unable to even catch a good glimpse of his face!"

The meeting ended an hour later, and most of the attendees rushed toward the head of the table to exchange pleasantries with the man.

Stella returned to the project department alone.

The office was similarly filled with excited chatter.

"Now that the company has secured an investment from a billionaire like Jarrod Fuller, things are finally looking up!"

"Absolutely! I heard he not only expanded The Fuller Group's overseas market, but his own investment firm is top-tier too. With 'Mythos Online' being his first domestic project since returning, it's bound to be a massive hit!"

Mythos Online was a massive multiplayer online game that had been in development for nearly four years. Recently, due to a severe funding shortage, the founders had been scrambling to secure investments.

Stella never expected the final investor to be Jarrod.

Didn't his overseas tenure still have six months left? Why did he return to the country so suddenly?

Ding.

Amidst her thoughts, Stella's phone chimed with a message notification.

[Wait for me in the parking garage.]

It was from Jarrod.

—No greeting, no explanation.

It felt like a superior issuing a notice to a subordinate, expecting nothing but compliance.

Stella paused in silence, then simply replied, [Okay.]

Down in the parking garage, Jarrod's driver was already waiting.

Seeing her, the driver greeted her politely, "Mrs. Fuller."

By nearly eleven o'clock that night, Jarrod still hadn't come looking for her.

Stella hesitated for a long moment before taking a small white pill from the bedside drawer and swallowing it.

Jarrod had a high drive, and every time he returned from abroad, he made sure to fulfill their marital obligations.

Even though she wasn't sure if he would touch her tonight.

Just in case, it was better to play it safe.

Late in the night, while Stella was half-asleep, she felt movement on the other side of the bed.

Then, a strong arm pulled her firmly into a solid embrace.

Although it wasn't the first time they had shared a bed, smelling the clean scent of his body wash still made Stella feel uneasy.

Before she could struggle, the man bit down softly on the back of her neck.

A damp sensation trailed across her skin, making Stella tremble slightly.

"So sensitive?" he chuckled low against her ear.

Inexplicably, Stella's mind flashed back to the meeting room—to the pampering look on his face when he took that phone call.

Resistance flared in her chest, but the man's breathing had already grown heavy and heated.

Reminding herself that this was her duty as a wife, Stella fought the urge to pull away, squeezing her eyes shut and letting him take control.

Everything finally quieted down an hour later.

His large hand still caressed her slender waist, his voice deep and raspy.

"Again?"