Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

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Stella threw a handful of grass into the big black pot, her face blank and unreadable.

There was a loud bang.

Green smoke billowed up.

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The thick, black liquid inside the pot started bubbling and churning, frothing with sticky bubbles.

The Yates family members nearby all went into an exclamation and started clapping at once.

His eyes were shining with anticipation.

Stella fell silent.

‘It’s not that big of a deal, Stella thought.

Her face stayed perfectly calm.

A nasty, almost unbearable stench began to creep over the back hill, and Annette’s once-excited grin slowly stiffened, stuck awkwardly on her face.

She glanced around with a doubtful look.

With all those eager faces staring at her, Annette couldn’t help but question if her nose was playing tricks on

her.

‘Is it my nose that’s acting up, or have they all lost their minds?’ Annette wondered.

‘This soup, are we sure this stuff isn’t toxic?’ she thought, a hint of anxiety creeping in.

Annette blinked, looking utterly baffled.

She felt a sudden poke on her arm.

Annette glanced down to find her great-grandson, Lucas, gazing up at her, his face the picture of innocent curiosity.

He spread his tiny hands, palms open.

Two snow-white cotton balls sat quietly in his hands.

Annette fell silent.

She was so caught off guard that she forgot to reach out and take them.

Lucas tilted his head in the cutest way, waving his hands and feet around to demonstrate how to shove the cotton balls up his nose, even tipping his head back so his great-grandma could get a good look at his tiny nostrils.

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Chapter 203

There was a sudden pfft sound.

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The cotton ball shot right out.

Annette fell silent.

Annette stiffly turned her head, watching as Stella, cool as ever, tossed another handful of grass into the pot. Right next to her, a bunch of starstruck fans started clapping like crazy all over again.

Annette couldn’t shake the feeling that she somehow wandered into some kind of crazy secret club.

And it was definitely not the respectable kind.

*****

John appeared silently beside Sebastian. He said, “Mr. Gray.”

Sebastian kept his eyes half-lowered, absently stroking Snowball with one hand. He replied, “Mm.”

John said, “Someone’s trying to post bail for Brantley.”

John kept his expression totally neutral as he delivered the news.

Sebastian’s face was shrouded in shadow, his aura weighing heavily in the air, and his expression was ice-cold.

Snowball, the big white python, shuddered from head to tail.

‘Nope, I’m outta here, Snowball thought, and he slithered off in a hurry.

Sebastian asked, “Who?”

John looked

up, his eyes full of mixed emotions. He said, “The Clinton family from Jaffina.”

In Jaffina, where powerful families were a dime a dozen, the Clinton family stood at the absolute top of the food chain. They were the crème de la crème, the aristocrats among aristocrats; calling them filthy rich would be an understatement.

The Clinton family practically ran 59% of all new infrastructure projects in Clusia.

The Everharts, admired at the peak of society’s second tier, still remained excluded from the first. They constantly sought ways to ingratiate themselves with the Clintons, ever ready to answer their call.

John said, “The Clinton family wants you to show them some respect this time and let Brantley off the hook.”

Sebastian didn’t say a word.

His long fingers rolled the prayer beads between them, the beads clicking sharply in the quiet.

His eyes were cold, filled with a deadly edge.

John stood off to the side, not daring to make a sound.

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Chapter 203

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Not far away, Stella, cool as ever as she worked the pot, suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Sebastian.

The two of them locked eyes.

Stella arched an eyebrow at him, her look clearly asking.

Sebastian paused with the prayer beads, his eyes dark and unreadable as he met her gaze. After a moment, he barely shook his head.

It wasn’t until Stella looked away that Sebastian finally said, “Respect?

“When have I ever cared about saving face for anyone?”

His voice was so cold it sent a chill straight to the bone, enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

“Keep Brantley and Lauren locked up and make sure they behave,” Sebastian said, pausing for a moment. “As for the Clinton family, tell them exactly what I just said.”

His eyes were cold and uncaring.

John straightened up and replied, “Yes, Mr. Gray.”

He went off to handle it.

Meanwhile, not far away, Stella’s phone buzzed with a new message. She glanced down at it, her expression unreadable.

She just tossed it aside without batting an eye.

‘The Clinton family, huh?’ Stella thought to herself.

Stella calmly grabbed another handful of grass and tossed it into the pot. With a loud bang, purple smoke billowed up, swirling around her. A hint of amusement played at her lips. ‘Now this is getting interesting,’ she thought.

Off to the side, Annette was speechless.

She found herself seriously wondering about something.

‘I made it through a heart attack; no way I’m gonna meet my end here today, right?’ Annette thought.

Half an hour later, Annette fell silent.

She had good news and bad news.

The good news was that she was still alive.

As for the bad news, Annette looked around blankly. Each Yates member received only a tiny scoop of soup; they gagged between sips, their retching and swallowing filling the air around her.

The whole crew was lined up by the big black cauldron, the air filled with the sound of gagging and retching.

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Chapter 203

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He kicked up some dust with his hind legs.

Then he headed back behind the iron gate and used his mouth to pull the gate closed.

Yeti barked goodbye.

The

group

headed back to the villa.

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Annette wasn’t feeling so great, so she went upstairs to get some rest.

The kitchen was still pitch-black and a chaotic mess, like the aftermath of a food fight in a war zone.

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