Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Lucas stopped his tantrum, whipped his head around, and looked up at Sebastian, blinking. “Huh?”

‘So what?’ Lucas wondered.

“You need to help me keep her here,” Sebastian said, his face unreadable.

Lucas just stared at him, unimpressed.

Stella was on the phone with Victor, whose grandson had just been discharged from the hospital, and he wanted to invite her over for dinner tomorrow.

“Okay, I got it,” Stella replied, her tone cool and indifferent.

Victor didn’t care about her attitude at all. He asked, “Should I have Henry pick you up tomorrow?”

“No need. Just send me the address. I’ll go myself,” Stella said. Just as she finished, Celia walked in, smelling of alcohol and her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked tipsy and pleased. She’d had a good time talking with Conrad.

Seeing Stella alone downstairs, Celia leaned against the wall with a smug grin. “You don’t actually think you won just because you stole my thunder today, do you?”

Stella was speechless.

‘Is she out of her mind?’ Stella thought.

“I’ll hang up now,” Stella said, shooting Celia a cold glance as she ended the call with Victor, her voice icy.

Not wanting to deal with her, Stella turned to head upstairs, but Celia stepped right in front of her, blocking

her way.

“Just move,” Stella said, barely holding onto her patience.

Celia didn’t move an inch. “Tomorrow, Conrad is taking me to the Military Compound to visit Mr. Quinn. Ever heard of him?”

Stella was speechless.

Just then, Stella’s phone buzzed with a WhatsApp notification.

She glanced down and saw that a location pin for the Military Compound had just been sent to her.

Celia kept rambling, “He’s the founding father of nuclear physics, the backbone of the nation. Someone you could never hope to meet!”

“Are you done?” Stella asked, her tone flat and her face completely expressionless.

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Her indifference was just like earlier in the Edenbury Academy auditorium, which really pissed Celia off, especially when she remembered how Lucas depended on Stella.

‘Lucas would freak out if I even tried to touch him, but he’s all sweet and obedient around her. Why does he have to be like that with her?’ Celia fumed inwardly.

“You-” Celia started, her eyes narrowing, but before she could finish, Stella, who was usually so aloof and hard to approach, suddenly snorted with laughter. The next second, she casually tossed a glass of water right into Celia’s face.

Her move was quick and ruthless..

Celia was stunned into silence.

Already a bit tipsy, Celia just stared at Stella in utter disbelief, her eyes wide in shock.

Water ran down her face.

Water dripped all over the floor.

Stella shot Celia a cold, dangerous look, her eyes rimmed red, looking fierce and impossible to mess with. “Next time, get this through your head. When I tell you to move, you move.”

Celia just stood there, totally stunned.

Stella didn’t even look back as she walked away, leaving Celia to stomp her foot and scream in frustration.

When Stella walked into the bedroom, she saw Lucas, freshly washed and in his pajamas, sitting on the bed looking all cute and spaced out.

As soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up, and he patted the spot next to him with his little hands.

Stella was speechless.

No matter how many times she’d seen him like this, she still couldn’t resist how adorable Lucas was.

The bed was covered in brochures for different kindergartens. Lucas, dressed in his long-tailed shark pajamas, was clutching his tail, his face scrunched up in frustration.

“Hmph!” he huffed, then swiped one of the brochures off the bed and tossed it to the floor.

He was clearly not satisfied.

“Did Sebastian let you choose?” Stella asked, glancing over the brochures. Lucas nodded enthusiastically, tilted his head to the side, and gave her arm a little shake.

Lucas poked.

“Stella, you pick,” Big Ben said.

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Stella’s eyes finally landed on the brochure for Edenbury Kindergarten.

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Edenbury Academy was the most famous private school in Haliville. Moreover, it covered every level, from kindergarten all the way through high school.

Stella tapped the brochure for Edenbury Kindergarten. “How about this one? The school uniform is the same as mine, and we can go to school together. I can even pick you up after class.”

When Lucas heard they’d have the same uniforms and could go to and from school together, his eyes sparkled with excitement. He started rolling around on the bed, totally thrilled.

Lucas laughed and agreed.

Stella smiled softly. “Bedtime.” She gathered up the brochures, tidied the bed, and turned off the lights with a gentle touch.

The next morning, when Stella came downstairs, Celia was already fully made up, clearly taking today’s meeting very seriously.

When Celia saw Stella, her face soured. She was about to throw out a few snide remarks while no one else was around, but when she saw Stella lazily sipping her water, she swallowed her words and just curled her lip in disdain.

Stella caught Celia’s little moves, but honestly, she was too lazy to care. As long as Celia didn’t try anything in front of her, Stella would just let it slide.

The two of them walked into the dining room one after the other.

As soon as Stella walked in, Snowball, who’d been lazily draped over the tree, perked up, his tail wagging like a dog. But the second he spotted Celia, he instantly got annoyed.

‘What a buzzkill!’ Snowball thought.

Snowball slithered down from the tree, and as he passed by Celia, who was about to sit down, his tail sneakily wrapped around the chair leg and tugged it back just enough to mess things up.

Stella heard a sudden thud behind her.

She turned around and saw Celia had landed flat on her butt, shrieking, “Stella!”

Snowball, the proud snake, slithered past and affectionately rubbed his smooth, white head against Stella’s hand, looking completely satisfied.

‘Yep, I’m still as clear about my likes and dislikes as ever. Love who I love, hate who I hate!’he thought smugly.

Then he slithered off.

Stella was speechless.

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Allan walked in right at that moment and caught the whole thing.

Allan was speechless.

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He exchanged a look with Stella, who looked totally unfazed, her delicate features calm and composed.

“I didn’t see anything!” Allan said, quickly turning his head away. He gave Stella a subtle hand signal that Sebastian was about to come downstairs, so she should hurry and help Celia up while he played dumb.

Stella was speechless.

‘What a weirdo!’ Stella thought.

She didn’t even look at Celia, just turned and took her seat.

“Mr. Reed,” Celia called out, forcing Allan to come over and pull her up. “She did that on purpose! She’s totally picking on me!” Celia whined, trying to play the victim.

Stella ignored her completely and just looked up at Allan. “Let me borrow your car.”

“Heading out today?” Allan tossed her the keys without hesitation, totally brushing off Celia’s obvious plea for backup.

Stella just gave a lazy nod, and right then, Sebastian and Lucas walked in.

“Where are you headed?” Sebastian shot a look at the car keys in her hand.

“Just meeting someone,” Stella replied.

As soon as Lucas heard that, he started whining and clinging to her, not wanting her to leave.

Celia stood off to the side, feeling like she was the odd one out, even though she kept telling herself Stella was supposed to be the outsider here.

Out of nowhere, Celia looked at Sebastian’s ridiculously handsome face and just blurted out, “Mr. Gray, the memorial day is coming up. Do you remember?”

For a moment, the room went dead silent, as if all the air had been sucked out.

It was suffocating.

Sebastian looked up at Celia, his whole vibe like the depths of a frozen winter sea, cold and unforgiving. Celia felt a stab of regret, but the words were already out, so she had no choice but to brazen it out.

Stella’s gaze lingered on Celia, her eyes flickering with something unreadable.

“You want me to stand up for you?” Sebastian asked, idly turning his prayer beads. The tension eased a little, but his pale, sickly face was still cold and distant, impossible to read.

Celia stayed silent, Jooking at Stella with stubborn defiance in her eyes.

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Allan was speechless.

“John,” Sebastian called out, his voice low.

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John stepped out from the shadows, shot Celia a glance, and repeated what happened downstairs last night. His face was blank as ever, and Celia’s face grew paler with every word.

Celia’s mind reeled, ‘He actually knew!’

Allan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, ‘Seriously, why does Celia always have to go looking for trouble with Stella?’

Sebastian was radiating coldness, looking downright intimidating. “Go on,” he said.

John recounted, without sparing Celia’s feelings, how Snowball had secretly moved the chair, leaving her with absolutely no dignity.

“Celia, isn’t this just what you brought on yourself?” Sebastian’s voice was cold and emotionless, making Celia’s face burn with shame. She flung her napkin onto the table and stormed out of the dining room.

“You guys eat,” Sebastian rasped, stifling a cough that tasted like blood in his throat. His face was so pale it looked like it might tear apart at any second, fragile as crumpled paper.

Just as he reached for control of his wheelchair, a fair hand reached out with casual authority and gripped his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Stella spoke, her voice cool and unwavering, “Eat something before you leave.”

Sebastian kept silent.

After a moment, he murmured, barely audible, “No appetite.”

“Want me to feed you?” Stella drawled, propping her chin on her hand. Her face was totally blank, but there was something strangely comforting about her presence.

Sebastian was stumped.

Allan couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly. He thought, ‘The deadliest kind of flirting is the kind people don’t even realize they are doing, and these two are just a pair of dense idiots.

He was still thinking that when a set of car keys smacked him right on the head.

Sebastian tossed the keys back to Allan. “His car is still in the shop. Take mine. Pick any from the garage.”

Allan was left speechless.

Allan cursed inwardly, ‘Shit!

‘My ride has been ready for ages, damn it!’

He was just about to protest when Sebastian shot him a cold look that killed any comeback before it even

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started.

Allan was silenced.

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“So, Stella, who are you meeting up with later?” Allan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Stella didn’t keep it a secret. “Mr. Quinn. His grandson just got out of the hospital, so he invited me over for

dinner.

“Any idea what I should bring?” she added after pausing.

Sebastian stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before finally answering.

“Are you sure?” Stella blinked in surprise.

Allan snorted, “Just go with whatever Sebastian says. He loves playing tricks on me, but he’d never do that to you, Stella.”

Sebastian shot Allan a frosty glare, and Allan instantly mimed zipping his lips.

“I’m not messing with anyone,” Sebastian said coldly.

Sebastian explained to Stella in a calm, serious tone.

Stella was speechless.

At the dock, Celia, now dressed up, climbed into Conrad’s car. The moment she sat down, Conrad immediately grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Just a little foreign tradition,” he said with a smile.

“Let’s go,” Celia said, barely hiding her discomfort behind a smile, awkwardly trying to pull her hand away but not too forcefully, playing along just enough.

Up front, Conrad’s assistant shot them a look of pure disdain before turning to stare out the window.

Just then, a black Porsche Cayenne roared out of the driveway. The window rolled down, revealing a jaw- droppingly gorgeous face, her eyes cool and indifferent. She was so striking that people couldn’t help but

stare.

Conrad’s assistant thought, ‘She’s got that wild edge.

‘She looks so familiar… but where have I seen her before?’

Forty minutes later, they pulled up at the gates of the Military Compound.

Conrad’s car was stopped by the sentry for a routine check. Celia rolled down her window, finally able to breathe easily until a black Porsche Cayenne rolled up right behind them. She glanced at the driver and

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nearly screamed, “Stella?!”

The shock was so real, she couldn’t hold it in.

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Stella was leaning casually on her window, her face bare and flawless, looking like she was carved from ice, an absolute beauty, cold and untouchable.

Hearing the commotion, Stella barely spared Celia a glance, her eyes icy and indifferent.

“Are you following me?” Celia eyed her warily, suddenly paranoid that Stella had overheard her drunken rambling last night. She thought, ‘Is she here for Mr. Quinn, too?’

“Why do you have to be so thick-skinned?” Celia said.

Stella was speechless.

‘Seriously, is something wrong with her brain?’ Stella thought.

“Stella?” Conrad’s face popped up at the window, making Celia’s heart skip a beat. She was worried Conrad might actually let Stella in. If Stella just swallowed her pride, it would totally happen.

“You here to see someone?” Conrad asked, still intrigued by her mysterious, distant vibe, even after how he’d slipped away yesterday.

Conrad narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out just how much she really knew about the whole thing back

then.

“Who are you here to see? I can take you in,” he said with a friendly smile, totally missing how Celia’s hands were clenched so tight on her lap her knuckles were white. Celia was practically seething with hate for Stella

now.

Stella was left speechless.

‘What are they even rambling about?’ Stella thought.

Henry showed up at the gate just in time to see Stella with that wild, untamed look that said she was seconds away from blowing up.

He rushed over to talk to the sentry and get her through, worried that if he waited even a second longer, this little firecracker was about to go off.

Henry shot her a warning look. “Ms. Carter, no fighting at the gate. This is the Military Compound.”

Stella was left speechless.

She swallowed her annoyance, barely keeping it together. “Get in.”

Henry jumped into the passenger seat without another word, and the sentry immediately lifted the barrier to let them through.

Conrad and Celia watched the whole thing unfold, both left speechless.

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Especially since they were stuck there, still dealing with all the tedious ID checks, while Stella just rolled right in like she owned the place. The difference was night and day. It left them totally stunned.

After a while, Conrad found his voice. “Who is she here to see?”

Celia was speechless.

Celia grumbled inwardly, ‘How would I know?

‘The only thing I am sure of is that my face was still throbbing with pain.

‘My face has been throbbing nonstop since last night!’

“Ms. Carter, there’s a last-minute guest today. Mr. Quinn asked me to let you know, so please don’t mind,” Henry said, sounding way more respectful than before.

Stella just gave a noncommittal hum, her face completely unreadable.

After parking, Stella had just stepped into the courtyard when she heard a booming voice with a laugh. “That girl just looked Conrad right in the eye and said, ‘Oh, I refuse. Conrad’s face went totally green. Wish you could’ve seen it.”

Stella, carrying a small basket, stopped in her tracks.

Stella thought, ‘That voice rings a bell.

‘Wait.

‘Not sure. Let me listen a bit longer.’

“What a coincidence, I’ve got a little friend with a pretty unique temper I want you to meet today,” Victor said, sounding pretty cheerful.

“Mr. Quinn, Stella has arrived!” Henry called up to the second floor of the villa.

The curtain was pulled aside, and Victor stepped out first, with an elderly man in a classic-styled jacket right behind him.

When they saw Stella standing in the courtyard, the other old man looked completely stunned as Victor gave her a warm, grandfatherly smile.

Victor blurted out, “Stella-”

“Miss-” Levi called at the same time.

They both paused, realizing something was off, and turned to look at each other.