Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 277

Chapter 277

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“Sebastian, why is my Shark hanging out with you?” Killer Whale was the first to speak. Killer Whale twirled a letter opener between his long fingers, his tone teasing, clearly not taking things seriously.

Earlier, the two of them had actually managed to be on the same page for once.

They’d been acting like total strangers.

Sebastian’s eyes darkened as he pulled out a cigarette from the pack. Allan lit it for him with one hand, then casually scooped up Blackie, who was still dangling in the corner like a limp noodle.

“Yours?” Sebastian leaned against the wall, the clingy, obedient Sebastian that only Stella ever saw was nowhere to be found. His gaze was cold as ice, brimming with menace.

Killer Whale chuckled and said, “Shark and Me? We’ve got a pretty complicated past.”

Killer Whale kept his tone deliberately vague, letting the tension hang in the air until he sensed Sebastian’s breath hitch on the other end. A silent smile played on his androgynous, striking face, and the letter opener spun even faster between his fingers.

“Nice try, but you’re not getting under my skin,” Sebastian said.

Sebastian held the cigarette between his long fingers, not smoking it, just letting the smoke swirl around him.

He looked up, checking the time on his black-faced watch.

“Answer the phone,” Sebastian said.

Killer Whale stopped spinning the letter opener, and right then, his other phone started ringing.

Killer Whale raised an eyebrow.

Sebastian’s cold voice came through the earpiece, “Answer it.”

Killer Whale answered the phone, not a hint of emotion on his face.

On the other end, one of his men was frantically reporting something. Killer Whale suddenly gripped the letter opener, letting the blade cut into his skin. Blood trickled down his long fingers, staining the table.

After a while, when Killer Whale finally hung up, Sebastian’s voice was icy. “You stole my medicine and snatched my doctor. I blew up four of your Chaos Syndicate bases. Fair trade, don’t you think?”

Killer Whale didn’t say anything.

Beneath his silver hair, his gaze was icy and chilling,

Sebastian let out a low, mocking laugh. “Or do you want me to wreck a few more?”

“Sebastian…” Killer Whale said, his voice low.

Wed, Feb 4

Chapter 277

Sebastian took a drag from his cigarette, tilting his head back against the wall.

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There was a dangerous, hazy look in his eyes, the sickness in them never fading. His arm muscles were taut, skin bronzed by the scorching Farronia sun. Sebastian said, “Killer Whale, that diamond of yours? The quality’s terrible. It doesn’t deserve her,”

With that, Sebastian hung up.

Allan glanced over at Sebastian, catching him instinctively reaching for his prayer beads, like he’d forgotten he’d already taken them off and lifted the seal. Allan was just about to say something when Sebastian cut him off.

“Keep the local government troops on standby. Once we’re done here and out, have them move in and clean up. Fast!” Sebastian ordered.

Sebastian thought, ‘Not a single one of these thugs gets to walk away.

‘Especially that old man.

‘Anyone who knows Stella is Shark. None of them is getting out of here.’

“Mr. Gray, don’t you think this is a little much?” Emerson’s voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

Allan turned around, frowning.

Sebastian did not even lift his head and said, “Do you know who that old man just now was?” His slender fingers held a cigarette, one knee slightly bent, lips curled in a thin, cold smile, and he said coldly, “Allan, tell Mr. Clinton.”

Allan smirked. “Half a month ago, that old man wiped out an entire village in northern Farronia, the worst massacre the region’s ever seen. All just to cut a deal with the government troops.”

Emerson just stared, lost for words.

After a moment, Emerson watched as Sebastian strode toward him, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.

Sebastian’s eyes were sharp with menace. He said, “I’m curious. What’s the connection between the Clinton family and Brantley? What could make you come begging to me?”

Emerson frowned, looking genuinely confused. “Brantley? Who’s that supposed to be?”

Sebastian didn’t reply, just gave him a long, casual look, sizing him up until he was sure Emerson was telling the truth. Then he patted Emerson’s shoulder, letting Blackie slither up his wrist.

He turned and walked off without another word.

Outside the simple operating room, Sebastian sat sideways on the steps, waiting for Stella to come out.

Plain plant was locked in a “battle” with Simba. To Simba, plain plant was basically catnip. He lazily swatted at it with his big, fluffy paws, not taking it seriously at all.

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Chapter 277

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Plain plant was losing it. ‘Argh! I can’t take this anymore! Stupid lion, stupid paws!’

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With a dramatic huff, it dragged its whole pot over to Sebastian, smacking Simba with its long vines a couple of times for good measure. Then it flopped against Sebastian, looking utterly defeated and lifeless.

Sebastian looked up and met Simba’s gaze.

Cold met cold.

Plain plant sneaked a little wiggle.

‘Fight! Fight!’ plain plant urged inwardly.

Charles and Nathan, who had witnessed the whole thing, were left utterly speechless.

Charles had come to Farronia to check the medicine inventory and handle the aftermath for the injured. At the same time, Nathan tagged along because he had local rescue experience and spoke the language.

But ever since they landed, they’d been nothing but useless, just gaping in shock, again and again and again.

Charles was silent for a moment, then said, “Don’t tell your grandpa.”

He meant the whole thing about Dr. Miracle being Shark.

Nathan nodded, “Yeah.”

Just thinking about his crazy old grandpa made Nathan nod even harder.

If his grandpa fainted from shock over this, he’d be stuck taking care of him. Babysitting the kitchen every day, stewing giant pork knuckles, and watching him scarf down a whole bowl at every meal.

Nathan suddenly coughed, then remembered how his grumpy old grandpa had come stomping back yesterday, muttering nonstop about how Blake somehow managed to get Shark to do surgery for Kendrick.

‘Blake, that lovable idiot. Honestly, the best thing that ever happened to him was meeting Stella, Nathan thought.

Nathan glanced at his dad, and they exchanged a look.

It was obvious they were both thinking the exact same thing.

After a moment, Charles and Nathan spoke in unison, “What dumb luck!!!” Not that they were envious, jealous, or resentful. Not at all!

Meanwhile, Sebastian was still locked in a stare-down with Simba.

Suddenly, Sebastian said, “Lift your paw.”

His face stayed utterly blank.

Simba just gave him a look, silent as ever. With Stella not around, both Sebastian and Simba were ice-cold,

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Chapter 277

too incredible for anyone to handle.

Simba sniffed the air with his deep brown nose.

‘Smells like my boss!’ Simba thought..

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Simba lazily raised his big paw and rested it on Sebastian’s hand, showing some respect to his boss’s man.

Charles and Nathan started clapping, totally playing along.

Sebastian was speechless.

Simba barely opened his heavy eyelids.

‘Hmph,’ it thought.

‘Such naive humans. How foolish,’ Simba thought, looking down on them.

Simba lifted his head with regal pride, cool as ice, and with a majestic flick of his paw.

He slammed his big paw right down into the plain plant’s pot!

Plain plant, now flattened to a pulp, was practically losing its mind.

It thought, ‘Screw you, you dumb lion! Where the heck is my machete? My fifty-meter-long machete! I swear, I’m gonna slice this fool up!’

Inside the operating room, Emily glanced at Stella, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking up. “You…”

Stella looked up at her and said coldly, “Scalpel.”

Emily handed her the scalpel. “So, you and Sebastian, back there…” she started, her tone gossipy, but before she could finish, the bearded guy in the corner snatched up his submachine gun and leveled it at them, his eyes flashing with irritation.

The bearded guy barked, “Hey, pay attention to the surgery!”

Stella paused, scalpel in hand, blood still dripping from the blade. Under the harsh glow of the makeshift operating lamp, she turned to glare at him. Her eyes were cold and sharp as ice.

She looked absolutely terrifying.

The bearded guy gulped, his voice shaky. “Uh… I mean, maybe it’s okay if you’re a little distracted… Right?”

Stella’s face was hidden behind her mask, totally blank. “Did you disinfect your gun?”

The bearded guy was speechless.

Stella continued coldly, “Did you disinfect yourself?”

The bearded guy can’t reply.

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Stella shot him a cold look. “Who said you could come in here?”

The bearded guy was afraid to reply.

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‘Boss, I’m begging you, please stop! I can’t take it anymore!’ the bearded

guy

wailed inwardly.

He looked like a two-hundred-pound lost kid, clutching his gun, totally clueless whether to stand or sit.

But Emily looked at him and said, “Didn’t you understand? Filthy thing!” It was a case of bullying others by flaunting one’s powerful connections!

The bearded guy was speechless.

‘Filthy thing? Did she call me that?’ he thought, face burning with humiliation.

‘Damn!’ the bearded guy thought.

“You fucking…” the bearded guy started, his temper flaring as he shot to his feet. But before he could finish, Stella, already slicing into the patient’s scalp again, didn’t even bother to look up. Her voice was icy as she cut him off.

“Get out,” she said.

The bearded guy couldn’t say a word.

He hugged his gun to his chest, looking all pitiful as he literally rolled himself out of the room like a big, sulky ball.

He actually rolled out, making little thudding sounds as he went.

Emily was left speechless.

‘Seriously, is this guy for real? Total idiot vibes,’ Emily thought, totally baffled.

The door closed from the outside, and almost at the exact moment, Stella’s expression was serious as she pulled the cloth off the patient’s face, revealing who it was.

“He looks kind of familiar,” Emily said, looking puzzled. “Have I seen this guy somewhere before?” She stared at the old man on the bed, but with his head shaved for surgery, she couldn’t quite place him.

Stella glanced up at her. “Of course you have.”

Emily blinked. “Huh?”

‘What does she mean, of course I have?’ Emily wondered, confused.

‘Wait, how would Stella even know if I’ve ever seen this guy?’ Emily wondered, her mind spinning.

Stella calmly covered the guy’s face again, grabbed her scalpel, and said, “Ilis photo’s in your genetics textbook. So, have you seen him or not?”

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…

Emily was left speechless.

Emily looked absolutely gobsmacked!

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Emily ripped the cloth off and stared, double-checking again and again. “Wait, is this Yakov? Estravia’s top geneticist?”

‘Wait, didn’t Yakov go missing years ago?’ Emily’s mind was spinning.

She thought, ‘Rumor was, he just vanished during his morning run.

‘Back then, Estravia pulled in international forces and sent out their own agents, but the guy just vanished, like he’d dropped off the face of the earth.

Stella’s brow furrowed, and she said, “Cover him up.”

Emily did what Stella said.

With shaky hands, Emily pulled the cloth back over his face, but her fingers wouldn’t stop trembling. Every instinct screamed that something was seriously wrong here.

Emily swallowed and said, “So… Are we really going through with this?”

‘Hold up. This is Yakov, the legendary geneticist from Estravia, the guy who disappeared and ended up in textbooks. And now he’s lying here in a makeshift Farronia operating room, about to have his brain cracked open by Shark?’ Emily’s brain was short-circuiting.

‘Is this some massive conspiracy or what?’ Emily thought, her mind spinning.

“Keep going,” Stella said, her voice steady.

Emily did what she said.

‘Damn, Shark really is my idol. Even now, she’s cool as ice,’ Emily thought, her respect for Stella hitting a new high.

Ten minutes later.

The brain tumor was out, smooth and complete, like it was nothing.

Emily couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!”

Her eyes were wide with awe. ‘No wonder Shark’s a legend. She wrapped this up in ten minutes, clean as a whistle. If it were me, I’d be sweating over it for at least an hour,’ Emily thought, totally starstruck.