Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 269

Chapter 269

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Upstairs in the study, maybe Sebastian was putting too much pressure on her. Bastienne was so on edge that she wanted another cigarette. Suddenly, she heard a sharp smack.

The document that had been in Allan’s hands landed right in front of her with a thud.

Bastienne’s hand trembled. “What is this?”

She looked up at Sebastian, her eyes wary.

Sebastian, sitting across from her, was as cold as ice. His gaze was dark and piercing, and he jerked his chin at the document, too indifferent to waste a single word.

Bastienne carefully opened the file. The moment she saw what was written there, she shot up from her seat. “Sebastian, what the hell do you mean by this?”

Her voice was icy, every word spat out with barely contained fury.

Right there were the DNA results between her and Chloe.

Sebastian replied, “I mean what it says.”

His voice was cold as ice, with a hint of mockery that made Bastienne’s skin crawl.

The DNA results showed Bastienne and Chloe weren’t just stepmother and stepdaughter. They were actually mother and daughter. Given Chloe’s age, there was no way around it: Bastienne had definitely been unfaithful during her marriage.

Bastienne held up the document, sneering as she tilted her chin. “What are you trying to prove with this? Don’t forget, Mrs. Gray died of grief five years ago. I’m Mrs. Everhart now!”

‘Does he seriously think this scrap of paper could ever shake me?’ she sneered to herself.

Even faced with his real mother’s provocation and ridicule, Sebastian remained unmoved. “So, I want you to admit it to the public yourself.”

Bastienne let out a bitter laugh, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. “Have you completely lost it?”

‘Admit what?’ she thought, incredulous. ‘Admit that I’m the Mrs. Gray everyone believes died five years ago?’

Sebastian locked eyes with Bastienne, his gaze icy and unyielding. He slid open the drawer and tossed out a faded senior officer’s insignia. “Own up to cheating, and you and Steven will stand trial in a court.”

That was his ultimatum.

Bastienne scoffed, laughing as she spoke, “Do I look like an idiot to you?” Her red lips were sharp and bold.

Suddenly, Sebastian laughed too. His pale, striking features broke into a smile, making him look even more dangerously alluring and cold-blooded. In that moment, he was like a demon toying with everyone around

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Chapter 269

him. It was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

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Sebastian said coldly, “Yesterday, your daughter nearly hurt her.”

His smile never touched his eyes. It was chilling, predatory, and full of menace.

Everyone knew exactly who he was talking about.

Bastienne froze, barely daring to breathe.

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Sebastian’s voice came again, cold and sharp. “If it weren’t for your bodyguard…” He adjusted his cufflinks with

a cold, bored look, and then glanced up at her, his eyes chillingly indifferent and dangerous.

Sebastian continued, “I would’ve ended Chloe right then and there.”

Stella was the only rose in his otherwise barren life. No one could ever lay a finger on her.

Bastienne hissed, “Don’t you dare!”

For the first time, she truly looked like a mother, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Sebastian, every ounce of her being focused on protecting her child.

In that moment, she forgot that the man she was staring down was her child, too.

“Care to guess if I would?” Sebastian sneered, one hand reaching for his phone, ready to dial.

“Don’t you dare touch my daughter!” Bastienne thought he was about to threaten her with Chloe, and without a second thought, she rushed over. Just as the screen lit up and Sebastian’s fingers brushed the phone, Bastienne lost control, shouting, “Sebastian!”

In a blind fury, she grabbed the sharp letter opener from the desk and plunged it deep into Sebastian’s upper back, right below his left shoulder.

In an instant, blood gushed out in torrents.

When she realized what she’d done, Bastienne’s eyes widened in shock. She let go of the letter opener in a panic, tripped over her own feet, and fell hard to the floor.

Sebastian stood over her, looking down with a cold, unreadable face,

He calmly reached back and, without hesitation, pulled the letter opener Bastienne had stabbed into his shoulder straight out.

Allan and Jake burst through the door, having heard the commotion. When they saw the scene, they were stunned and furious, about to rush forward, until Sebastian raised a hand, stopping them cold.

Sebastian flashed his phone screen at Bastienne to show her he didn’t dial. “Ever wonder why there was a letter opener sitting right there?”

Bastienne didn’t say a word. Her face was as white as a sheet, and her hands stained with Sebastian’s blood.

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Chapter 269

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His gaze was icy and sinister, carrying a chilling insight into human nature that made her shudder.

Bastienne was in a daze, barely able to process what just happened. “You put it there on purpose, didn’t you?”

Sebastian’s lips twisted into a cold, mocking smile. “Blood for life. That’s how I pay you back for giving birth

to me.”

Bastienne was frozen, staring at the bloody wound in his shoulder, her heart pounding like it was being squeezed in a vice. “You’re insane! Completely insane!”

Allan panicked. “Sebastian!”

Sebastian didn’t even glance his way. His gaze stayed locked on Bastienne as he rose to his feet, voice low and dangerous. “I gave you a choice. Now, the hunt begins.”

Bastienne could only watch as Sebastian, blood soaking his shirt, strode toward the door, leaving a trail of crimson behind him, just like the day she brought him into this world.

“Sebastian!” Bastienne cried out, her voice broke as she called his name again.

Sebastian’s steps faltered, but it wasn’t for her.

Annette was standing in the doorway. No one knew how long. She wore a sleek black tailored dress, her gray hair pulled back into a neat bun, and a small white flower pinned to her chest.

She looked at Sebastian with eyes full of pain, clutching an old, yellowed file she’d held onto for years.

This was something Sebastian’s father had left for Bastienne back in the day.

Sebastian didn’t say a word.

Annette walked right past him, heading straight for Bastienne.

As she approached, Bastienne’s eyes flickered nervously. “Annette-” But before she could finish, Annette just called out, “Jake!” and in a flash, Bastienne was yanked up off the floor.

Annette slapped her hard, her face icy and unforgiving. “That’s for being shameless!”

A second slap followed, just as fierce. “And that’s for being cruel and ungrateful!”

The third slap landed. “That one’s for being cold and faithless!”

After three slaps, Annette was perfectly composed, but Bastienne’s face was swollen and red, her eyes dazed.

Annette flung the file at Bastienne, her voice strained with pain. “This is what Sebastian’s father left you: 6 million and a letter. Read it, then get out.”

With that, Annette didn’t even look at Bastienne again. She strode straight back to Sebastian’s side. “Sebastian…”

Sebastian looked white as a ghost, his lips almost completely bloodless.

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Allan panicked. “I’ll get Stella

up

here!”

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Sebastian cut him off, “Don’t you dare!” He grabbed Allan, the sudden movement sending a jolt of pain through his wounded shoulder.

Allan froze, not daring to move.

Sebastian commanded in a low voice, “Call Nathan up here. Don’t alarm Stella.”

“What exactly are you trying to keep from me?” Stella asked, her voice icy. Everyone turned at the sound and saw Stella slouched against the wall, her gaze cold and unreadable as she stared straight at Sebastian.

She strode toward him, her shoes tracked right through the blood smeared across the floor, and stopped, standing face-to-face with Sebastian.

Blood streamed down his arm and fingers, splattering onto the floor. Stella’s deep amber eyes slowly filled with a thick, bloody haze.

She turned her head, looking away from Sebastian and fixing her gaze on Bastienne across the study.

The air around her seemed to thicken with a deadly vibe.

Sebastian called out, “Stella-” He wanted to explain.

But Stella interrupted him, “I know.” Just those three words said it all.

“Allan, Annette, you two should go downstairs. We’ve still got company,” Stella said, her tone calm but firm.

Allan looked like he wanted to protest, but Annette tugged him along, and he had to follow her out of the room and down the stairs.

After a while, Stella said, “Jake, keep an eye on her.”

Then she calmly reached out, gripped Sebastian’s bloodied hand, and together they headed for the elevator.

*****

In the bedroom, Sebastian’s black, blood-soaked shirt was tossed on the floor. He stood there shirtless, Stella right in front of him with a serious look.

She cupped his chin and snapped, “I’ve been helping you recover, not so you can mess around and act crazy!”

Sebastian lowered his eyes and pulled her close. “Stella, an elder is coming over soon. He’s all about morals

and the law.”

His hand lazily stroked her back, trying to calm her down.

Stella asked, “The one who gave you those prayer beads?”

Sebastian nodded, pressing a kiss to her hair, his voice low and husky. “So, help me make this wound look

even worse.”

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Chapter 269

Stella stared, bewildered.

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After a moment, she answered, her tone ice-cold, “I’m not doing it.”

Sebastian let out a low laugh. “You will.”

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The next second, Stella lifted her hand, prayer beads glinting on her wrist, hooked it around the back of his neck, and leaned in, kissing him right on those lips that always managed to piss her off.

Sebastian’s smile froze beneath her soft lips, his eyes a little lost. He could feel her sharp teeth about to nip him again, so he quickly blurted out, “Stella.”

Stella froze for a split second.

Sebastian muttered, “Don’t bite.”

Someone’s about to land on the island.

Stella snapped, “Shut up!”

She was still pissed off, so there was no point in bargaining with her.

Sebastian sighed and then gently shifted their positions, his large hand steady on her back to keep her close and make sure he was the one shielding Stella from the cold wall.

The air between them grew thick and steamy.

Stella instinctively arched her neck, pale and delicate, her hand slipping from the back of his neck to rest on his shoulder. The prayer beads on her wrist knocked together, each collision sharp and deliberate.

The sound echoed in the room, a forbidden rhythm that crackled with tension.

Sebastian’s eyes burned with fierce focus and devotion. He intertwined his fingers with hers, jaw tight, his forehead pressed to hers as he panted softly. “I’ll give you my life, okay?”

Stella kept her eyes lowered, her breath just as shaky. “It was always mine to begin with!”

Sebastian gave a soft laugh. “Stella?”

Stella murmured sleepily, trying to pull her hand away, but Sebastian held on tight.

“Stella.” Every time Sebastian said her name, it carried a different kind of longing. He hugged her close, his pale face pressed into the hollow of her neck. “Don’t leave me.”

Stella froze, his words hitting her right in the heart. Her gaze landed on the bloody gash in Sebastian’s shoulder. Bastienne hadn’t held back, not even a little.

She quietly wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “Yeah. I’m not going anywhere.”

Then she bent down and kissed the spot where he’d been stabbed.

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Chapter 269

In the study, Bastienne lit herself a cigarette.

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