Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 233

Chapter 233

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“Ms. York’s injuries healed up pretty fast,” Stella commented.

That simple remark made Celia’s face freeze, her expression turning pale in an instant.

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Her memory of the day she was kicked off Sandridge Island only went as far as accidentally pushing Lucas downstairs and Stella darting over to save him. As for how she ended up in the hospital all banged up, she couldn’t recall a single detail.

Celia started. “You-” But the blaring police sirens cut her off.

One of the onlookers suddenly raised his voice, waving his phone, “Exactly six minutes. That’s epic.”

He’d even timed it with a stopwatch, not off by a single second.

The police got out of the car. “Who called this in?”

A slender hand lifted with lazy grace. “Me.”

Linda couldn’t wait for the officer to finish and jumped in, “Officer, she’s the one who brought people here to cause trouble. You have to watch out and not let her trick you. Our Elite Gallery-

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Seeing that Linda was about to start rambling, the cop quickly cut her off. “Enough.”

He turned to Stella. “What about you?”

Stella stood her ground, idly teasing the peregrine falcon under its chin. She lifted her gaze and said coolly, “Elite Gallery is knowingly dealing in counterfeits, and the sum involved is massive.”

It was straight to the point.

The cop instinctively asked, “How much are we talking?”

Landen puffed out his chest, voice booming, “Hundreds of millions. Big enough for you?”

The cop was left utterly speechless.

That was massive.

Sophia took a deep breath. “Ms. Carter, you should watch what you say.” Her fake saintly smile was starting to falter. “Everyone in Haliville knows Elite Gallery is a century-old brand. You can’t let your personal grudge drag its name through the mud.”

She stood tall, speaking with righteous conviction, and her act won over quite a few bystanders. Murmurs spread through the crowd, and all eyes turned to Stella with suspicion.

And suddenly, Landen gave Sophia a big thumbs-up. He looked genuinely amazed.

Everyone was totally confused.

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Chapter 233

Landen just wiggled his thumb.

Everyone here thought, ‘His sarcasm was absolutely top-tier.

Sophia’s face instantly darkened, clearly fuming.

“Who’s Mr. Reed?” a sharp voice rang out from the back of the crowd.

Allan shot his hand up with a lazy smirk. “Over here.”

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The delivery guy ran back and forth three times with a big grin, setting up a simple wooden table, arranging a few chairs, and loading the table with snacks.

The delivery guy said, “Take your time.”

Allan replied, “Sure thing.”

Everyone here thought, ‘Was he here for a picnic or what?’

“Come on, sit down. Let’s eat and watch the show. Stella’s about to drop the hammer.” Allan waved the old guys over, grabbing nuts and cracking them open without missing a beat.

In the shadows, Jake exchanged glances with the guards watching over the big shots.

They went silent for a couple of seconds.

Jake fished out a handful of nuts from his pocket.

The guards just stared, totally at a loss for words.

With all the gossip flying around, the entrance to Elite Gallery was absolutely swamped, crowds packed in layer after layer, everyone jostling for a better view. The cops had no choice but to call in backup just to keep things from getting out of hand.

Sophia took a deep breath. “About this so-called authentic painting, why don’t we call in an expert right now for an on-the-spot appraisal? That way, we can clear Elite Gallery’s name once and for all.”

Conrad, who’d been silent this whole time, suddenly grinned. “What a coincidence. I actually know a veteran expert who’s in Haliville for an academic event. I can get him over here to check it out.”

As he spoke, he flashed Stella a suave, knowing smile.

Linda’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Which expert are you talking about?”

Conrad grinned, “Camden Cooper. The renowned master of artifact authentication and restoration.”

As soon as he said that, the crowd burst into a frenzy.

Sophia’s eyes widened in shock. “Mr. Cooper?”

Conrad nodded. “That’s right, Mr. Cooper.”

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Chapter 233

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Camden was a top-tier national expert in artifact authentication and restoration, and a fixture on the country’s biggest treasure appraisal TV show. Anyone in the antiques and art business knew him. He was basically a legend.

Linda was practically bursting with excitement. “Hurry. Get Mr. Cooper over here and let him put that girl in her place.”

As she spoke, she jabbed a finger straight at Stella.

Eggie, who’d been perched on Stella’s shoulder with his head tucked under his fluffy wings, suddenly froze. Then, like a tiny fighter jet, he shot up and flapped his wings at full speed, diving straight for Linda’s eyes.

It looked like he was about to go for her eyes.

Linda shrieked in shock.

The crowd erupted in screams.

Stella called out calmly, “Eggie.”

Eggie was speechless.

‘Just wanted to scare that nutcase,’ peregrine falcon thought.

The cop shot Stella a look as she casually raised her hand, and the scruffy little guy veered off mid-air, landing. neatly back on her finger.

Stella glanced up at him.

The cop said, “That’s a pretty quirky name.”

Stella replied, “Thanks.”

Eggie chirped. ‘That bird’s actually pretty polite, the cop thought.

Meanwhile, Linda, still rattled from her brush with disaster, shot Stella a death glare, only to see Eggie lift his head and stare right back at her, eyes locked on like he was ready for round two.

Those tiny black eyes were brimming with a dangerous vibe you couldn’t quite put into words.

Conrad looked even more intrigued by Stella. He nodded at Sophia, then turned away to call Camden.

“Dr. Miracle, why aren’t you reacting at all?” Landen asked.

‘That’s Mr. Cooper we’re talking about, Landen thought.

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