Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Chapter 172

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Annette’s eyes suddenly sparkled. She asked, “Sebby, did you hear that?”

Realizing Stella was watching him too, Sebastian murmured a low “yeah.”

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Annette, who’d been looking a little tired, suddenly lit up. She said, “Get your people to grab a megaphone and shout it from every street in Haliville: ‘Annette is divorcing Carlos. Make sure the whole city hears about it!”

Stella tilted her head, her elegant neckline on display. She said, “That’s kind of fun.”

Annette said, “Right? I know you will agree with me.”

Carlos thought, “This is insane.

‘Is the Gray family’s reputation worth nothing now?

‘How am I supposed to show my face after this?’

Just as Carlos was shaking with rage, Sophia suddenly whimpered, “Annette,” her voice soft and pitiful, tears streaming down her face as she started to sink to the floor.

Annette’s expression changed slightly.

Before Annette could say a word, Stella’s black wedge heel slid out and pressed against Sophia’s knee, stopping her from sinking.

“The stage isn’t even set, and you’re already dying to perform?” Stella said lazily, her whole vibe screaming ‘I couldn’t care less’ and guaranteed to piss people off.

Sophia’s eyes welled up with tears. She began, “I…”

Annette interrupted, “Oh, shut up. Every time you open your mouth, I swear it feels like we’re about to shoot a ghost story sequel! Sebastian, take me to the courthouse. Time for a divorce!”

With all this drama, not getting that divorce certificate would just be letting herself down.

Sebastian replied, “Okay.” He looked up, his cold, chiseled jawline sharp as he met Carlos’s furious glare.

Just as Carlos was about to say something, a lawyer from Harmony Law Firm stepped up and handed him a document.

Carlos asked, “What’s this?”

Sebastian idly twirled his prayer beads, his deep eyes dark and dangerous. He said, “Richard just took over Gray Group and has been embezzling nearly 60 million through shady deals. Did you know about this?”

Hearing the figure, Carlos sucked in a sharp breath.

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Chapter 172

He flipped through the documents, his heart pounding faster with every page.

Sebastian pressed, “Divorce my grandma, or I’ll send Richard to prison!”

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His movements were elegant, but there was a dark, dangerous energy radiating from him, the bloodthirsty rage he’d been holding back for so long.

Carlos’s shoulders slumped.

Sebastian’s icy voice rang out again. He asked, “Annette and I will sell you our shares in Gray Group for three times the market price. Are you taking the deal or not?”

Carlos’s head snapped up, suddenly realizing this was the real split. After the divorce, Sebastian would have nothing to do with the Gray Group. “You sure about this?” Carlos asked.

Carlos pondered, ‘Gray Group is about to announce a partnership with Conrad, not just for advanced AI robots, but also for microchips.

‘Once the news gets out, the company would not only recover from the losses caused by the previous project shutdown, but the stock price would probably go through the roof.

“If you don’t want them, I’ll call the Pierce family right now. I’m sure Kendrick would be more than happy to pay that price,” Sebastian said, his gaze cold and ruthless, but he hid it well.

His good looks were almost unhealthy, but all one could see was coldness.

Carlos replied, “I’ll take them! But you have to give me some time.” He did some quick math; he definitely didn’t have enough on hand.

Sebastian smirked and said, “One hour.”

Carlos frowned and protested, “No way, that’s way too rushed!”

Sebastian refused to back down. He said, “Then I’ll call Kendrick.” He slowly pulled out his phone, and the sheer force of his presence froze Carlos in his tracks.

Carlos called out, “Fine! I’ll get the money! You draft the share transfer agreement right now!” He was already frantically reaching out for cash, desperate to gather the funds.

Stella gave Broderick a meaningful look and headed toward the fire escape.

Broderick followed.

Once inside the empty fire escape, Broderick’s face turned serious as he bowed to Stella. He said, “Just say the word.”

Stella spun the snake bracelet around her wrist, her features shrouded in a pale light. She said, “In ten minutes, get the word out about Conrad teaming up with Gray Group. I want their stock price soaring.”

Broderick replied, “Come on, Stella, you’re selling me short. Two minutes tops.”

15:29 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 172

With that, he dialed out.

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Stella smirked, lounging carelessly. She thought, ‘If I don’t crank up the pressure on Carlos, how will the Gray family hustle for every last penny? I’ll drain all their liquid assets in record time, make them put all their chips on Conrad.

‘This time, there’s no way they’re slipping out of Sebastian’s hands.’

“Stella, Mr. Gray is dangerous,” Broderick blurted out after hanging up.

Stella just shot him a cool, indifferent look.

One glance and Broderick knew he’d just stepped in it.

Stella didn’t get mad. She said, “You’re not the first one to tell me that.”

Broderick kept his head down, ears straining, waiting for her to drop the next bomb.

Stella’s gaze drifted through the fire escape glass, landing on Sebastian. Her eyes traced his face, finally settling on his lips, where a small cut still lingered.

“He’s my sponsor, and I’m the one keeping him,” Stella said.

Broderick thought, ‘Why does that sound so off?

‘Stella’s sponsoring her own sponsor?’

Stella began, “You think…”

Her voice suddenly took on a troubled note, making Broderick’s heart skip a beat. He was too rattled to even process what was wrong with that statement.

Stella tilted her head and continued, “Would he be happier if I gave him a mountain of gold? Or maybe a diamond mine?”

Her eyes were full of genuine confusion.

Broderick thought, ‘Hold up, is she sure she is not getting this all wrong?

‘Seriously, why is she the one paying?’

Broderick asked, “Is it possible that what a sponsor actually means is…”

But Stella’s eyes suddenly lit up. She said, “You think he’d prefer a mountain of gold, too, right?”

Broderick said, “No, what I meant was…”

He added inwardly, ‘Wait, you’ve totally got the sponsor thing upside down.

‘A sponsor isn’t your pet. It’s supposed to be the one paying for everything.

15:29 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 172

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