Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264

“Why the hell do you care?” Annette snapped.

Haisley and Josie were totally speechless.

The eavesdroppers froze, not daring to make a sound.

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Those words were like a slap, landing hard on Josie’s face. Lately, her status had skyrocketed thanks to the Gray family’s ties with Conrad. But now her face turned beet red.

She totally forgot her place and pointed her finger right at Annette. “You…”

The store was packed today.

The reason was kind of unusual. Folks with family in Jaffina had heard that a bunch of big shots were heading to Haliville tomorrow.

Nobody knew exactly why they were coming, but one thing was for sure. It was definitely happening.

Everyone was speculating. Maybe the big shots from Jaffina had caught wind that Conrad was in Haliville, and they were coming to talk business with him tomorrow.

“What do you mean by that?” A rough, deep voice suddenly cut through the tension.

A heavyset man in a Miami Vice-style pastel suit swaggered over, rocking a massive gold chain and aviator shades. With a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he looked every inch a street kingpin.

It was Magnus.

Magnus pulled his shades down, looking her up and down with obvious disdain. “You think you can talk to your elders like that, kid?”

Josie was left speechless.

Magnus’s eyes slid down to Josie’s finger, the one she was jabbing at Annette. “Careful, or I’ll snap that finger right off.”

Right now, Magnus was really wishing he had his giant broadsword with him.

His hands were itching for a fight.

Haisley glanced up, her expression sour as she eyed the thick gold chain. “Are you that guy from the Chase family?”

Magnus nodded. “That’s me.”

Josie let out a cold laugh and dropped her hand. “Mind your own business! This is a Gray family issue.”

Annette lounged back on the sofa, casually twirling the big pink diamond on her finger. “Family issue? Carlos

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and I are divorced. How is any of this my business anymore?”

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Josie shot her a look full of contempt. “Lucky for you that you divorced him, and you even handed back all the shares you and Sebastian had. Now that the stock price is shooting up, you must be regretting it big time.”

When the crowd heard that Annette had given back all her shares, there was an immediate uproar.

Everyone knew Gray Group’s stock was skyrocketing. If Annette had kept those shares, she’d never have to worry about money again. ‘Seriously, she gives them back?’ people wondered.

Even Magnus couldn’t help but shoot Annette a thumbs-up.

Magnus thought, ‘Now that’s what I call a clean break!

‘Damn, that’s badass!’

Annette shot Josie a look of impatience. She thought, ‘If Haisley wanted to say something, at least it would be direct. But she’s just sitting there, letting Josie do her dirty work. Clearly, she’s trying to make me look bad on purpose.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Give them back? Please. I sold those shares to Carlos for three times the market price,” Annette said, waving off the pointless bickering.

She motioned to the clerk and told them to bring her clothes.

The clerk looked awkward. “Um… You might have to wait a little longer.”

As she spoke, she glanced over at Haisley, clearly looking for her reaction.

Josie lifted her chin, looking smug. “I own a share of this place, too.” The message was clear: she was calling the shots here as well.

Before Annette could say a word, Magnus’s face darkened. “Get your manager out here.”

The manager of Regal Tailor hurried out, all smiles. “Mrs. Gray.”

Annette kept her face blank. “What did you just call me?”

The manager caught himself, slapped his own mouth, and forced a smile. “Ms. Sanchez, please don’t be upset. We’re packed today, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

Annette looked up and gave him a long, hard stare. “You’re sure about that?”

She thought, ‘I have put in my request way ahead of time, and every other year I just walk in and pick up her clothes, no problem. But today?’ Looking at Josie’s smug face, Annette knew exactly what was going on.

The manager kept smiling, but his eyes gave it all away. Annette didn’t need to ask anything else.

Magnus’s brows furrowed. “Is this really how you guys run things here?”

The manager kept smiling, but it was clear he was just faking it. “If you don’t like our service, nobody is

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stopping you from leaving.”

The manager thought, ‘Let’s be real. Where else could you find a place like Regal Tailor?’

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Josie smirked, looking all proud. “You heard him, right? If you’ve got a problem, go somewhere else.”

Everyone expected Annette to be embarrassed, but she just leaned back on the sofa, spinning that pink diamond on her finger, cool as ever. Her ageless poise made everyone’s eyes lock onto her.

Suddenly, Haisley spoke up. “Annette, being older doesn’t mean you get to break the rules whenever you

want.”

Annette just laughed, “Sebastian would even torch the ancestral tablets if he felt like it. And you want to lecture me about rules?”

The customers still in the store started gossiping in hushed tones after hearing that.

And suddenly, Lincoln emerged from the shadows.

Outside, a squad of men in black had somehow materialized, sealing off the main entrance. The clerk started to speak, but Lincoln didn’t even look their way. He just strode over and pulled the door open from inside the

store.

The electric wheelchair whirred loudly, slicing through the tense silence.

At that sound, Haisley’s face froze, terror flickering in her eyes. She hadn’t forgotten how that madman had put a knife to their throats five years ago.

Even now, she still wakes up at night from nightmares about it.

‘Why the hell is that menace here?’ Haisley thought, panic rising in her chest.

She wasn’t the only one freaking out. Everyone in the store recognized the guy in the wheelchair. It was Sebastian. Instantly, the whole place went dead silent.

“Sebastian, looks like someone here wants to teach your grandma some manners,” Annette said, her voice icy and flat.

Sebastian’s eyes swept over Haisley and Josie, cold and unreadable.

Just then, Big Ben shuffled in behind Sebastian and suddenly barked, “Hey! Who are these nobodies thinking they can boss our grandma around?”

Everyone stood there, dumbstruck.

Magnus let out a booming laugh. “Well, Mr. Gray, Ms. Carter, look who is here!”

Annette looked up and spotted Stella, her face instantly softening with warmth. “Stella, come here! Sit next to me!” She waved her over, her pink diamond ring sparkling for all to see.

Stella glanced at Sebastian, who gave her a slight nod. Only then did she stroll over and sit down next to

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Annette, nodding to Magnus in greeting.

Magnus scratched his head, chuckling.

:

Lincoln moved to stand behind Sebastian, his gaze sharp and focused.

“Smash it,” Sebastian ordered, his tone icy and brief.

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As soon as he spoke, the Yates family fanned out, wordlessly beginning to tear the place apart.

“What the hell are you doing? I’m calling the cops!” the manager yelled, face drained of color, but none of the Yates crew even looked his way.

Every one of them was a trained fighter, and in no time, they were wrecking everything from the first floor up to the third. Customers shrieked and scattered.

Stella eyed the pink diamond with a laid-back smile. “That pink diamond looks gorgeous on you, Annette.”

Annette flashed a smug, adorable grin. “Doesn’t it? I think so, too!” The two of them completely tuned out the chaos, not even sparing a glance at Haisley and Josie’s sour faces.

Josie looked like she was about to have a meltdown. She yelled, “Stop it! Call the cops! Arrest them all! Without the Gray family backing you, you’re nothing!” She was totally losing control.

Big Ben groaned loudly, his face twisted in disgust, “Ugh, what a nasty attitude!”

Stella shot Josie a cold, bored glance. “Gray family?” Her voice was flat as she lazily waved her hand, and the Yates crew stepped up, forcing Josie right back into her seat.

Stella scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. “Gray Group? What a joke.”

She thought, ‘Honestly, if it weren’t for Sebastian, I wouldn’t even give them the time of day.’

Sirens blared outside the door.

“The cops are here! You just wait!” Josie shot up from her seat, craning her neck to look outside, hope flickering in her voice. Magnus, though, shot Sebastian a worried look.

“Mr. Gray?” Magnus called out,

Sebastian spoke in a low, commanding tone. “It’s handled.”

At the gate, the customers trapped inside stared hopefully through the glass, thinking the cops would finally get them out. But then the black-suited bodyguards reached into their jackets and flashed some kind of badge or ID, and the cops were just stupefied.

Seriously, they were stupefied.

The customers looked at each other, totally baffled. After a quick, polite handshake, the cops who were about to come in just turned around, hopped back in their cars, and drove off as if nothing happened.

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‘Wait, the cops just left?’ they thought. Everyone stood there, dumbstruck.

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, nobody would’ve believed it actually happened.

Everyone went dead silent, scared stiff…

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Sebastian fixed Josie with a cold, piercing stare, the message clear as day: What are you waiting for?

Josie was left speechless.

Annette smiled, calmly adjusting her shawl. “Tell me, why do you Gray family jerks keep coming after me?” Her silver hair gleamed, and even without raising her voice, her presence was commanding.

The manager suddenly came sprinting down from the second floor, shouting, “I’m calling the landlord right now! Do you even know who the landlord is? You’re in so much trouble!”

As he spoke, he whipped out his phone and started dialing.

He’d been renting this place for decades. The landlord owned about a third of the whole district, and even though nobody had ever seen them in person, whenever a shop ran into trouble, the landlord always had their back and fixed it.

The rent was crazy high, but people were always lining up to rent a spot here.

But just as the manager hit dial, suddenly, Annette’s purse started ringing. Annette didn’t rush at all. She calmly fished out her phone, picked it up right in front of him, and said, “Hello?”

Her voice was smooth and classy, not a trace of panic.

The manager stammered, “Hello? Is this the landlord? I’m-”

Everyone in the store was in shock, staring at Annette. The manager hadn’t even finished his sentence when he realized something was seriously off.

He froze, and Annette just gave him a sweet, almost too-friendly smile, waving her phone right in his face.

The manager was left speechless.

Josie gasped, “No, that’s impossible! There’s another number!” She fumbled for her phone, her hands shaking.

She dialed it right away.

At the exact same moment, John, cold as steel and standing right behind Sebastian, had his phone ring. He answered, face blank, and said, “Look up.”

Josie heard his voice, cold and direct, right through the phone.

Everyone stood there, dumbstruck.

Magnus just stood there, totally stunned, staring at Annette and Sebastian. His jaw kept working, but he was so floored he couldn’t get a single word out.

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