Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 A Pet Python

Stella turned toward the sound.

Sebastian sat in the morning light, wearing only a black robe tied loosely at the waist. He was holding a cup of coffee, his long legs stretched out as he read a file open on his lap.

A strand of dark beads hung from his wrist. They swayed gently, giving him a quiet stillness that felt ancient and unreadable.

Stella took him in, and for a moment, she just stared. Then she snapped back to herself, the defiance returning to her eyes as she pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth.

“You…” she began.

He looked up then, and their eyes met. That was all it took. The memory of what happened right before she was knocked out rushed back to her in a single, vivid wave.

The large python shifted slowly on the bed, its size making its movements look heavy and almost harmless.

“Snowball,” Sebastian said, his voice low and cold.

Stella stared. To her, a man who kept a pet python and gave it a cute name like Snowball was clearly out of the ordinary.

At Sebastian’s call, the python slid down from the bed. It wound its way around his legs, coiled onto the sofa behind him, and settled its large head on his shoulder with a soft nudge.

“You’re Lucas’s father?” Stella asked.

Stella knew she had to explain. She wasn’t the kidnapper, but a victim herself.

Sebastian stroked the python’s head, his gaze locked on Stella’s face as she spoke.

His expression was cool and unreadable, and the casual way he handled the massive python sent a shiver through her.

The folder on Sebastian’s lap slipped to the floor, its contents spilling out. Photographs scattered across the tiles, and Stella’s words died in her throat.

Every single picture was of her, from childhood through adolescence to recent months. It was a complete dossier on her life.

He had known she was innocent this whole time. Yet he’d sat there silently, letting her talk, when he’d had the truth in his lap all along.

It hit her then that he was testing her. His calculation ran deeper than she had imagined.

“Is this really fun for you, Mr. Gray?” Stella squinted, her slender frame slouched lazily against the headboard.

Sebastian didn’t answer. He merely gestured toward the other side of the room.

Stella glanced toward where he pointed and met her own eyes in the mirror.

Her face was a mess of thick, smudged smoky makeup, her ears cluttered with several skull-shaped clips. It was pure punk overload.

She stared at the reflection, her fingers tracing the line of her brow. The cheap makeup was caked on thick, but beneath it all, the elegant lines of her face were still there. It gave her a look that was naturally cool and reserved.

“Mr. Gray…” She threw off the covers, stood up barefoot, and moved with a swagger. “I’m getting this off.”

*****

In the bathroom, Stella cleared the fog from the mirror. Her flawless skin was flushed and dewy from the shower, giving her a fresh, delicate beauty.

Her face was bare, without a trace of makeup. In the stillness, her captivating eyes blinked slowly, their gaze catching the light with a faint, honeyed warmth.

She seemed calm, but there was a cool distance in her expression that kept people away.

A small mole rested on her collarbone.

Her hair, freshly dried, fell in soft, shiny waves all the way down her back.

Yet Stella’s mind was empty. She knew her name, but nothing else about who she was.

After she got dressed and walked out, both Sebastian and the large white python were gone.

Only a mess of photos and files remained, scattered across the floor.

“Stella Carter… eighteen,” she murmured to herself, her slender fingers turning the pages as she scanned the file’s sparse lines.

Stella stared, utterly speechless.

“He did this alone?” Stella asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. The devastation was absolute.

Jake could only give a stiff, helpless nod.

Stella turned and entered the room. The scene grew more chaotic with every step.

The servants stood quietly nearby, their silence a clear sign they had seen this all before.

“Bring in a fresh set for him to break,” Sebastian ordered. His tone was icy and held no mercy for the five-year-old boy, cutting with a ruthless edge.

Soon, a servant was replacing the broken items on the shelves with new ones, each piece a costly antique.

Lucas grunted angrily, swinging his small fists to warn anyone who tried to come close.

The white python, Snowball, coiled protectively around Lucas, letting the boy rest against his scales.

Seeing Lucas on the verge of total exhaustion, Stella turned a cold glare toward Sebastian. “What is wrong with you?” she demanded.

Stella’s expression tightened as Lucas started to move, her eyes flashing with immediate concern.

He was barefoot on a floor littered with glass. One wrong step could cut him.

“Stay where you are. I’m coming to you,” she said firmly.

As Stella approached, Lucas’s face lit up for a moment before his eyes glistened with tears.

His chin trembled as he reached his small hands out to her.