Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 109

Chapter 109

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“What the hell are you talking about?” The thugs looked guilty and exchanged glances. Except for one real thug, the rest were just hired muscle by the Lopez family to stir up trouble.

Then, the leader reached out to grab Stella’s phone.

“Stella!” Nathan was about to rush over, but then Stella leaned back against the chair. The leader’s arm knocked off her black baseball cap, her sleek hair fell loose behind her, exposing the red at the corners of her

eyes.

She calmly hung up the phone, got up and kicked the guy right in the chest. While he was still down and groaning, she grabbed a wooden chair with one hand, her face blank as she raised it, ready to bring it down on his head.

“Don’t!” Landen shouted.

A bang sounded.

The chair veered off and smashed down right next to the guy. The crash and the burst of wood chips made the whole place go dead silent.

Stella sauntered over, crouched down, and jerked her chin at the baseball cap lying on the floor. “Pick it up.” She was wrapped in a dark, dangerously gorgeous aura.

Everyone stayed silent.

Someone hurried to pick up her cap, brushed off the dust, and offered it to her with both hands.

Stella took the cap, stood up, and put it back on. When she glanced over and caught Landen’s shocked expression, she paused for a couple of seconds before saying, “I don’t usually lose my temper.”

Her refined features were nonchalant, but there was a cold indifference in her eyes that dared anyone to challenge her.

Landen didn’t know what to say.

“Hey…” Stella suddenly looked up, her eyes sweeping over the so-called Regulatory Bureau guys. All their earlier swagger was gone. They just looked like a bunch of kicked puppies now. “Who else did you call?”

She moved with deliberate slowness, calmly stepping on the white flower petals scattered underfoot. To the onlookers, she looked like she didn’t give a damn about any rules.

Stella asked, “The cops? The TV station? Or those folks from the Traditional Medicine Association?”

The kicked puppies stayed silent.

Stella took one look at their faces and knew she’d hit the mark. She didn’t bother messing with them anymore, just turned and strolled over to the guy lying on the cart.

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Chapter 109

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She walked with a laid-back swagger, but to the troublemakers, every step sounded like a blade dragging through raw meat, chilling them to the bone.

She walked up to the cart.

Stella gave the man on the cart a quick once-over, and then arched an eyebrow.

Nathan walked over. “What’s wrong?” The moment he opened his mouth, the stench of rotting flesh hit him hard, making him frown.

He nearly gagged right then and there, but seeing Stella standing there like it was nothing, his pride wouldn’t let him lose face in front of her, so he forced the nausea back down.

‘No way I’m losing to her!’ Nathan thought.

Stella shot a sideways glance at the crowd dressed for a funeral. “Why are you all acting like someone died? The guy’s not even dead yet.”

Nathan froze for a moment, and then reached out to check the guy’s pulse. ‘Wait, he’s actually still alive?’ he thought, surprised.

‘Then what’s with all this?’ Nathan wondered, glancing around at the scene.

He stared at the white flower petals scattered everywhere and the mourning clothes on the guy, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief.

Someone yelled, “Herbal Haven ruined my buddy’s treatment and sold him fake meds! You owe him for his leg! Someone told me to go to Remedy House next door, but I didn’t listen. I messed up, bro. This is all on me!”

With that, he slammed his head on the ground three times, hard enough to draw blood, and the crowd started to feel sorry for him.

A bystander said, “Yeah, the Trent family’s Herbal Haven charges a fortune and their medicine barely works. They’re just hyping up that pill. A bunch of crooks!”

Another one said, “Remedy House next door is legit. Their medicine is cheap and actually works. Just three doses and you’re good as new!”

Landen said, “Bullshit! The Lopez family’s been mixing modern medicine into their so-called traditional medicines!”

Nathan was speechless.

‘Even if that’s true, Grandpa, you seriously can’t just blurt it out in front of everyone!’ Nathan thought, cringing inside.

Someone said, “Landen, watch your mouth. Remedy House does business fair and square. We don’t need to sling mud at others just because your own house is on fire!”

Miguel, Linda’s father, pushed his way out of the crowd, his shifty, scheming eyes making it clear he was up to

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Chapter 109

no good.

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“Pffi…” Landen was so furious that he nearly stomped his feet. Everyone here knew damn well this whole mess was the Lopez family’s handiwork, and the part about them mixing modern medicine into their traditional medicine wasn’t even a lie.

While the argument was still raging, a swarm of reporters arrived, trailing behind a council member from the Traditional Medicine Association.

“Landen, seriously…” The council member couldn’t help but rub his temples as soon as he stepped out of the

car.

This feud between the Trent and Lopez families had been dragging on forever, and with both sides packing serious influence, he was stuck right in the middle.

“Landen, let me ask you straight. Did this guy come to Herbal Haven for treatment or not?” Miguel cut in, grilling Landen right in front of the reporters and everyone else.

Landen looked over at the old doctor, who nodded and said, “Yes!”

Miguel kept pushing, “And the medicine… Was that from Herbal Haven, too?”

Landen answered, “Yes!”

Miguel grinned. “What more is there to say? Herbal Haven wrecked his leg. Anyone still wanna argue?” He spread his hands, pretending to be all innocent.

“You…” Landen realized he’d just been set up, and he was fuming, practically bristling with rage.

Miguel’s grin grew even more smug. “And on top of that, word is your family’s Vitalis Pill got swapped out, and your protective Compendium of Medicinal Plants went up in flames.

“Landen, with all that plus the hospital system hack, looks like the Trent family’s luck has really gone down the drain lately!”

“You… you…” Landen’s hands trembled so badly that he could barely keep them steady.

Nathan was about to step forward, but paused when he noticed Stella shift beside him.

Stella checked her watch and asked, “You have a medical license, right?”

Nathan replied, “Of course…”

Even as a therapist, he still had to get certified and go through all the paperwork.

Stella looked up at him, her eyes cool with a hint of something deeper, and it sent a chill down Nathan’s spine. He couldn’t shake off this sudden, uneasy feeling.

“Jake,” Stella called out, her voice cool and detached.

Jake, who’d been hiding in the corner like a shadow, reluctantly stepped out with a pained look on his face. ‘l

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Chapter 109

thought I was doing a pretty good job staying out of sight,’ he grumbled to himself.

“I need you to do two things for me,” Stella said, barely keeping her patience.

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The first request seemed reasonable enough, but when she got to the second, both Jake and Nathan showed an awkward expression.

“Got it,” Jake replied, and then hurried off without another word.

“What?” The council member from the Traditional Medicine Association blurted out, staring at Landen in shock.

‘The Compendium of Medicinal Plants got burned, too? That book is basically the holy grail of traditional medicine!’ he thought.

Landen’s face went through every shade imaginable. He just stood there, speechless for a long moment.

“Hold on, I need to report this to headquarters in Jaffina!” The council member’s face turned grim as he whipped out his phone without another word.

The Traditional Medicine Association of Clusia was under the Dorestan Medical Alliance. As soon as the folks in Jaffina got the call, they treated it like a big deal and immediately reported it to the alliance headquarters.

Headquarters bumped it up the chain again, and soon the news was relayed all the way to some big shot living on a secret island somewhere.

Out on a hidden island, far away from the rest of the world, the old man’s phone started ringing. He picked up, looking totally fed up, and after hearing just a few words, he couldn’t even be bothered to listen.

He said, “I’m out of the game. Go find Stella if you need something.”

With that, he hung up.

He just went right back to give the chubby peregrine falcon in front of him a trim.

He giggled.

Meanwhile, Stella’s phone rang. She checked the caller ID.

It was an unknown number.

She answered.