Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

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Mike didn’t even dare to peep and left with his team, tail between his legs.

“Get back to whatever you were doing!” Murray barked in his deep voice.

The veterans went back to their spots, but their intense stares lingered on Sebastian and Stella.

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Sebastian ignored the others, returning to Stella. Frowning deeply, his gaze chilled as he studied the cut near her eye. Unconcerned, she simply reached up to touch it.

Sebastian grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “Don’t touch it with your hand,” he said.

“Sebastian, come with me,” the older man standing next to Murray suddenly said in a low voice, just as Stella looked up and their eyes met.

The older man’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen her somewhere before.

*****

Meanwhile, in his office, with a loud smack, Hudson dumped everything from the drawer onto the desk in front of Sebastian.

There were IDs, epaulets, a sidearm, and more.

“When are you planning to come back?” Hudson asked, his voice commanding, every inch the stern general.

Sebastian glanced over the desk.

He was utterly indifferent.

“I don’t care what deal you made five years ago. Come back, and everything goes back to how it was!” Hudson’s gaze lingered on Sebastian’s legs, pained. If he were decades younger, he’d have gone and taught the Gray family’s bastards a lesson himself.

Sebastian replied, “I’m not coming back.”

With a loud bang, Hudson slammed his hand on the desk. “So, you’re just going to toss Red Shadow aside?” He was so furious that he paced around Sebastian, pointing at him for a long moment before finally dropping his hand in frustration.

Hudson said, “I know you can’t forgive yourself for what happened to Eric, but it’s been five years now…”

Sebastian lifted his gaze, his eyes cold and heavy. “I was the one who told Eric to come back.”

Hudson was speechless for a moment. “You…”

Sebastian said, “I promised I’d keep him absolutely safe.” His eyes were as cold and bleak as winter rain. “I

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Chapter 161

broke my word. Because of me, my father, my brother, and my sister-in-law are gone.”

All that was left was Lucas.

Hudson was at a loss for words.

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Sebastian looked at him. “Nathan sends my mental health reports to Jaffina on a regular basis. I’m sure Hudson has read them, too.” His pale, handsome face was completely expressionless. “For five years, I haven’t been able to fall asleep on my own.”

He continued, “My internal injuries never stop hurting. Whether my eyes are open or closed, the pain is always there. Every single day and night, living another day is just suffering.”

He added, “Hudson, with my mental state like this, there’s no way I can come back.”

Hudson looked conflicted.

Sebastian would never miss a single one of Sebastian’s mental health reports.

Hudson had no idea what was going through Sebastian’s mind as he spoke so calmly to him. Back when he founded Red Shadow, Sebastian was all youthful. It felt like just yesterday. Now, all that was left was ice.

Hudson hesitated, “Back then, the location leak…”

Eric was the youngest geneticist around. When he started working at a foreign lab, he stumbled upon a secret organization developing a virus aimed at the genetic sequence of Clusian people. He was the only one who could create an antidote for it.

After Sebastian learned the truth, he ordered Eric to return home. However, everyone in Eric’s lab was killed, and all the research was destroyed. With Sebastian risking everything, Eric and pregnant Holly were brought safely back to Clusia.

They also managed to bring back the antidote formula.

But then, Eric didn’t get killed by outsiders as everyone expected. Instead, it was an inside job, a leak from his own people.

And just like that, the formula disappeared into thin air.

Hudson didn’t finish his sentence. He just let out a long sigh. “I’ll be heading to Haliville in the next couple of days. I’ll pay my respects to Eric while I’m there.”

This time, Sebastian didn’t refuse.

***

When Sebastian got back to the cafeteria, Stella was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is she?” Sebastian frowned.

“Ha!” Lucas made a restroom sign with his fingers, indicating Stella had gone to the restroom.

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Chapter 161

Allan said, “Stella saved that for you. She wants you to eat it all.”

As he spoke, he gestured to the plate of food that had been set aside just for Sebastian.

“Where are Eliel and Vincent?” Sebastian asked again.

Allan just rolled his eyes. ‘Who even cares?’ he thought.

Sebastian looked like he was deep in thought.

Ivan drifted out from the shadows, his face ghostly pale, those eyes looking haunted and bitter.

“Stella just swiped his Blackie!” Allan said, not even bothering to look up.

Sebastian just kept his head down and ate.

Ivan just floated away, still sulking.

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With Stella gone, Sebastian had no appetite. He poked at his food a couple of times, about to set his fork down, when Lucas suddenly let out a “Ha!”

Emily translated, “Ms. Carter said she’ll check if you finished it when she gets back.”

Sebastian, who had been about to put his fork down, picked it up again, his face still expressionless.

He didn’t even miss a beat.

Emily was speechless. ‘Ms. Carter’s words are basically law around here, she thought.

A few minutes went by.

Stella still hadn’t come back, and Sebastian’s expression grew gloomier by the minute. His lashes lowered, concealing the dark circles beneath his eyes. Noticing this, Allan subtly scooted away, hugging the plain plant closer to himself.

‘Yikes, the temperature just dropped,’ Allan thought to himself.

Just as Sebastian looked up, Eggie flapped his way back in from outside and landed right on Sebastian’s shoulder.

It nuzzled up against Sebastian, all soft and fluffy, chirping.

Eggie chattered away right by Sebastian’s car, and just like that, Sebastian, who’d been on the verge of snapping, had his face go blank again. He just replied with a frosty “Oh.”

Allan blinked in surprise. “Wait, you can actually understand what it’s saying?”

Sebastian said with a blank face, “No.”

Lucas, Emily and Allan were all at a loss for words.

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Chapter 161

‘So what the hell was the point of that “oh”?’ Allan thought.

Eggie just flopped down on Sebastian’s shoulder, totally done with everything.

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Sebastian just picked peregrine falcon up like it was nothing and stuffed him back into his chest pocket. Then he pointed at the plain plant Allan was hugging and asked, “You understand what that thing’s saying?”

The plain plant, now the center of attention, was acting all proud and sassy.

It stretched out its lower leaves and flicked them at Allan, like it was showing off.

‘Like hell I understand it,’ Allan thought.

Emily glanced over and said, totally unfazed, “It’s bestowing upon you the honor of kissing its roots.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

The plain plant wriggled with excitement, then stretched out a leaf and gave Emily a high-five!

‘If it’s such a big honor, why don’t you take it yourself?’ Allan grumbled to himself.

The plain plant poked Allan, then shoved its root-leaf at him again, practically demanding a kiss.

Allan snapped, “Get lost!”

Just as they were talking, a shadow fell over Sebastian. He looked up and found himself face-to-face with Blackie, the little black snake.

Sebastian remained silent.

Blackie flicked his tongue out, making a soft hissing sound.

Stella reached out and handed Blackie, who was wrapped around her wrist, back to Ivan. Ivan was so overjoyed he was practically tearing up, then… He just drifted back into the shadows.

Everyone stared.

Eliel and Vincent showed up again, shooting each other a look; they both seemed pretty hyped.

“Stella, where’d you disappear to?” someone called out. She’d been out for nearly thirty minutes.

Lucas, soft and cuddly, immediately flung himself into Stella’s arms, clinging to her the moment she returned.

“I went and swiped a few things,” Stella said coolly. Allan nearly choked on his water and sprayed it everywhere. ‘Stealing? Here? In the middle of a training ground?’ he thought, totally floored.

The next moment, all eyes were on Stella.

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