Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

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Ignoring the shocked looks from everyone else, Broderick turned his back, his posture a mix of reverence and humility.

Covering the phone with his hand, he said, “Stella?”

“Yeah, look up,” came a cool but familiar female voice through the receiver.

Broderick instinctively looked up.

And then, he locked eyes with his own defendant, Stella.

Stella, with a laid-back air, gave her phone a little wave and arched an eyebrow at Broderick.

There was a touch of swagger in her look.

Broderick stood there in a daze, glancing from Stella to his phone, then back to Stella, then back to his phone.

Then his eyes widened in disbelief, almost popping out of his head.

With a click, Stella hung up. Then, raising her fingers, she drew a throat-slitting gesture at Broderick from across the room.

She gave him a mischievous little smile.

Broderick’s assistant noticed something weird. “Mr. Crawford?” he asked, putting a hand on Broderick’s shoulder.

Broderick was still stuck in his phone-call pose, then suddenly collapsed backward like a felled statue.

His team freaked out and scrambled to catch him.

Annette blinked, totally confused. She asked, “What happened to him?”

Stella just kept scrolling on her phone, totally chill. She said, “Guess he got scared and passed out.”

Annette was totally baffled.

Broderick’s assistants were still freaking out, fanning him and pressing his philtrum, but he wasn’t waking up.

Stella was getting annoyed. She thought, ‘Why is this old man still being so dramatic?’

She walked over to Broderick lazily, not in any rush.

Sophia, thinking Stella was coming for them, looked panicked. She stammered, “W-What are you doing?” She clung to Carlos’s arm like a scared little bird, tears welling up in her eyes.

Stella didn’t even spare her a glance. She just stopped right in front of Broderick.

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Chapter 169

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Stella stood over him, looking down with an icy, boss-level stare.

Broderick, trying to play dead and get away with it, felt his eyelids twitch, busted.

“Get up,” Stella said, giving his leg a not-so-gentle kick.

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Behind her, the whole squad of Harmony Law Firm’s top lawyers just stared, stunned into silence.

Broderick was the guy sitting at the very top of the global power lawyer rankings, personally knighted by Queen Francesca, treated like a VIP by legal departments everywhere, and worshipped by law schools worldwide!

Seeing Stella kick Broderick, everyone was freaking out. They thought, ‘No way! How is this even possible?’

Broderick didn’t move an inch.

Stella said, “I’ll count to three. Three!”

Next thing you know, Broderick, who’d been sprawled on the floor, did a full-on kip-up and shot to his feet!

Everyone was speechless.

They grumbled inwardly, ‘Hold up, did she just skip one and two?’

Broderick, tears welling up in his blue eyes, protested dramatically, “That’s not how you play!”

Stella just gave him a lazy side-eye.

She smirked, somewhere between a smile and a sneer.

Broderick, who was a whole head taller than Stella, lost all his swagger and stood there like a kid caught by the

teacher.

Stella drawled, “So, you were gonna handle me first, huh?”

Broderick lowered his head sheepishly, shaking it like a kid who just got caught.

Stella raised an eyebrow and pressed, “Trying to sue me into bankruptcy?”

Broderick was shaking like a leaf.

Stella sneered, “Broderick, getting bold now, huh?” Her smile was lazy, but her casual tone carried a force that made Broderick shrink back.

Broderick was too scared to even make a peep.

Carlos clutched his loose tooth, his face frozen in shock. He was starting to wonder if that slap had rattled his brain; otherwise, how could he be seeing the world’s top lawyer getting chewed out by Stella like a grandkid getting lectured?

Broderick was at a total loss for words.

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Chapter 169

He fumed inwardly, “These people don’t know anything.

‘Even if I’m number one in the world, I’m still her lackey.

‘She’s the little princess who’s been spoiled by five old freaks since she was a kid.’

Broderick took a deep breath and shot a meaningful glance at his assistant.

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The well-trained assistant snapped back into pro mode. He left Carlos’s side and followed Broderick, now standing right behind Stella.

Broderick declared, bold as brass, “Yep, you saw it. I’ve switched sides!”

Carlos was so stunned that his brain was buzzing. He jabbed a finger at Broderick, stammering, “You, you, you…”

Broderick just stood there, hands on his hips, not ashamed at all. In fact, he looked downright proud. He said, “Yep, I’m a traitor!”

Stella thought, ‘Is it really necessary to be that smug about it?’

Carlos’s face went green, as he’d just swallowed a lemon.

Stella didn’t even look his way. She strolled back to Annette, cool as ever, and as she passed Sebastian, she leaned down to fix the black throw over his legs.

Broderick gave Sebastian a look full of mixed feelings, but Sebastian just met his gaze, cold and indifferent.

“Sebastian,” Stella said in a voice just for him, her lashes flickering as she blinked softly.

Sebastian pulled his gaze away and murmured a quiet “yeah.”

“Let’s win Annette’s respect back, together,” Stella whispered, leaning in so close their scents mixed for a heartbeat. Then she straightened, gave Sebastian’s shoulder a gentle pat, and let go.

She strolled back to Annette’s side.

Broderick, who used to be on Carlos’s side, was now following Stella around like a loyal puppy.

The elite lawyers from Harmony Law Firm were so shocked that when Broderick got close, they all instantly stepped back, clearing a path for the real boss: Stella herself.

Stella turned around, her black dress swirling as she faced Carlos. She said, “Mr. Gray, now we can talk about the divorce and about wiping your name off the family record.”

She wheeled Annette over to stand right next to Sebastian.

And behind her was a powerhouse squad of lawyers from the world’s top two law firms; a lineup so stacked it was almost unfair.

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