Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 315

Chapter 315

He was the organization’s master of disguise.

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This was the only time he’d ever messed up. Even if it meant dyg, he wanted to die with answers. He needed to know exactly what went wrong.

Meanwhile, every guest in the audience was hanging on every word.

Stella glanced at Sebastian, gesturing invitingly to let Sebastian ke the final shot. Sebastian’s expression stayed cold as his gaze slid past the fake Lillian and locked onto Carlos.

His lips barely moved as he spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. What’s the real relationship between Lillian and Conrad?”

The fake Lillian’s eyes widened in realization.

He only found out about Lillian and Conrad’s secret relationship when he was in the Gray family’s walk–in closet.

The fake Lillian thought, Just that tiny mistake, huh.

The audience was stunned into silence.

Everyone was floored by the subtext in Sebastian’s words.

Carlos clutched his chest, and he couldn’t catch his breath. “Sebastian, what exactly do you mean?” He stared dazedly at little Ryan in his arms. His only remaining lifeline.

“Great–grandpa, I’m scared,” Ryan whimpered, his eyes flickering with unease. Only now did real fear hit him.

He was trembling all over.

Sebastian lifted his gaze, his eyes cold, murder in his bones. “You sure you really want to know?” He glanced at Allan, who raised a file folder he’d somehow acquired, taking his sweet time clearly enjoying Carlos’s torment as he slowly opened it.

Down in the audience, Landen grumbled under his breath, “Man I regret it.” He poked Kendrick next to him.

Kendrick looked at Landen with a puzzled look.

Landen let out a long sigh. “Should’ve splurged. That cheap stuffs way too weak. What if that old geezer from the Gray family just kicks the bucket right here?”

Landen thought, “That would totally ruin my chance to watch the drama!‘

The other old guys just looked at him, not saying a word.

One of them couldn’t help but mutter, ‘Dude, with that look, do you want him to croak or not?‘

Up on stage, Allan said, “The paternity test shows that Ryan and he person tested share matching DNA markers, with a parent–child probability of over 99%.

“In other words, they’re definitely related by blood.”

Allan’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making sure Carlos heard every single syllable. As soon as the words “related by blood” hit, Carlos finally let out the breath he’d been holding, his whole body relaxing in relief.

But just then, Sebastian shot Allan a cold look. “Read the next pat

“The person tested is Conrad!” Allan chuckled, drawing out the suspense.

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Carlos’s face froze in shock.

He squeezed Ryan so hard that the kid was hurting, but Ryan didn’t dare make a peep.

The whole place erupted in an uproar.

Conrad, still under Murray’s watch, was totally floored by the news.

Conrad’s brain short–circuited. He thought, I have a son?‘

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“You’re lying!” Carlos’s face twisted in rage, his voice hoarse andesperate as he shouted each word. Ryan was his last hope, the little genius he treasured above all else.

And now they were telling him the kid wasn’t even part of the Ghy family.

‘No way. I don’t believe it, Carlos thought.

Conrad looked downright amused. “My son? You’re saying he’s atually my kid?”

That was like rubbing salt in Carlos’s wound. “Bullshit!” Carlos yelled, his voice breaking with fury.

Carlos was on the verge of a total breakdown.

But Sebastian’s eyes stayed cold and emotionless as he watched Carlos fall apart.

He remembered how Carlos had turned a blind eye when Bastienne was colluding with the Everhart family back in the day.

How he’d welcomed Sophia and her crew back into the Gray family without hesitation.

How he’d stood in the family hall, all high and mighty, and declared Lucas was out, no questions asked.

He wouldn’t even let Eric and the rest be laid to rest in the Gray Family Cemetery.

Every single thing, he remembered it all, crystal clear.

Sebastian’s gaze dropped, his eyes icy and detached as he spoke, If you think I’m making this up, go ahead and get someone to test him right now.”

Carlos’s features twisted, looking half–crazed. He yelled, “Test him! Do it again, right now!”

“Great–grandpa…” Ryan’s face was ghostly pale, his wrist throbbing where Carlos was gripping him so hard it felt like it might

snap.

He was terrified.

Carlos turned to him, his face twisted in a grimace, but he forced a smile. “Be good, Ryan. It’s just a little blood. It won’t take long.”

Ryan whimpered, “I’m scared!”

His eyes filled with tears, trying to pull the same tricks that always worked on Carlos before. But this time, Carlos didn’t even flinch.

“I don’t trust you. I want a doctor I know to do it,” Carlos said, every wrinkle on his face etched with defiance toward Sebastian. He was still clinging to that last shred of hope.

Sebastian’s tone stayed cool and detached. “Fine.”

Soon enough, the doctor that Carlos had called arrived.

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With everyone watching, the doctor drew Conrad’s blood first. But when it was Ryan’s turn, the kid fought back hard.

“I don’t want it! Go away!” Ryan kicked and thrashed, refusing to listen.

Stella watched him with a lazy, almost bored look. “Scrappy…”

The robot stepped forward, its cold metal arms locking Ryan down so the doctor could finally draw his blood.

Ryan screamed at the top of his lungs, shooting Stella the nasties glare he could muster.

Stella idly played with Blackie on her shoulder, glancing back at him with a cool, almost indifferent look. “You cried too

soon.”

Ryan was speechless.

The doctor sealed up both blood samples right there in front of everyone. “We’ll have the results in twenty minutes, at the latest.”

Carlos was a bundle of nerves, but there was nothing he could do except wait it out.

“Well then, let’s kill some time and figure out who leaked the location,” Stella drawled, her eyes sliding back to Conrad. Conrad’s gaze darted around, clearly plotting his next move, hoping to cut a deal.

Finally, Conrad spoke up. “I want to negotiate with the military.”

The fake Lillian snorted with derision.

Murray barked, “Negotiate my ass!”

After all the crap Conrad pulled, you could slice him up and toss him to the dogs, and they’d even be too disgusted to touch him.

Conrad sneered, “Well, that all depends. Does Mr. Gray really want to know the answer?”

The tension on stage instantly skyrocketed, sharp enough to cut through steel.

“What do you want?” Sebastian asked, his voice flat and emotionless, but it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Conrad leaned in, “I want a new identity. Fresh passport-”

But before he could finish, Allan interrupted, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “Should I open you a shiny new account at Dorestan Bank while I’m at it?”

Conrad shot him a cocky grin. “If Mr. Gray’s game, so am I.”

Just then, the fake Lillian suddenly piped up, “Why are you staring at me?”

He caught Stella watching him, her fingers casually playing with Blackie on her shoulder. She was drop–dead gorgeous, but the way she looked at him gave him the creeps.

“Oh,” Stella replied, her tone totally nonchalant. “Just got something on my mind.”

Sebastian’s voice softened a little. “What is it?”

“What if I just ‘accidentally‘ dropped my gun in front of him, and accidentally‘ let him loose?” Stella said, her voice flat as ever. The suggestion made Conrad’s face freeze, while the fake Illian’s brows relaxed.

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The fake Lillian grinned. “I’ll help you kill Conrad.”

Stella lazily lifted her eyes. “Help me?”

The fake Lillian’s grin grew even wider. “I’ll kill Conrad.”

Murray just stood there, not saying a word.

‘Should I just pretend I didn’t hear that, or pretend I didn’t hear that?‘ Murray wondered.

When Stella started messing with her gun like she really might do it, Conrad freaked out. He said, “You can’t do this to me! I know who leaked the location!”

He thought, ‘I could still flip and become a witness, exposing the truth about the CoreOne Project and the Gene Project.

“I know, too.” Stella said.

Her words landed like a bomb. Conrad was visibly shaken, and even Murray snapped his head toward her in disbelief.

The audience was even more stunned.

All morning, it had been one jaw–dropping reveal after another. Every blink brought a new twist, and everyone’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

Conrad called out, “Impossible!”

‘No way. No freaking way!‘ Conrad thought.

Murray snapped, voice taut, “Who?”

Murray thought, ‘Years of digging by the military and Red Shadow, and they’d come up empty. Now Ms. Carter claims she knows? Is she just messing with Conrad, or is it real?‘

“That person was in the car that day,” Stella said offhandedly, as if it was no big deal. But Conrad’s face went pale in an instant. No matter how fast he tried to play it cool, it was clear that she’d nailed it.

The crowd instantly exploded.

No one saw that coming.

“What did you just say?” Bernard finally spoke up, his brows drawn tight, his presence so intense nobody dared breathe. Heads stayed down, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Stella lifted her eyes, her voice cool and steady. “Military records show that after Eric and his wife landed in Haliville.

“Four identical convoys with the same cars, the same uniforms, and the same number of people left the airport at the same time, heading north, south, east, west, and straight into downtown.”

“When we went over the timeline, the mercenaries set out immediately and instantly ruled out all four decoy convoys. Isn’t that just a little too perfect?” she asked, her gaze locking onto Bernard.

Bernard was just stunned into silence.

“Deep down, your subconscious has been trying to warn you, hasn’t it?” Stella said, breaking the heavy silence as she locked eyes with Sebastian.

That’s why he resisted hypnosis so fiercely.

That’s why he’s been losing sleep.

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Sebastian’s eyes were like a bottomless black sea. It was impossible to read and impossible to reach.

Murray’s voice was tight with tension. “Ms. Carter, are you saying

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Sebastian’s father and the Gray brothers had been drilled in military secrecy since they were kids. They knew exactly how serious it was. But there was someone else in that car back then. Stella added, “Holly.”

The one who was Eric’s wife and Sebastian’s sister–in–law.

As Stella spoke, Murray’s eyes went wide in shock. He instinctively turned to look at the crowd, and Bernard looked just blindsided. Nobody saw that answer coming. The air was thick with tension, like the calm before a storm.

No one really noticed, but in the shadows, someone finally let out a breath the moment Stella dropped those two words.

Even Conrad’s brows loosened, with a weird half–smile on his face. But before he could say anything. Stella’s voice rang out again. “Am I right, Celia?”

What am I even doing?‘ Celia thought.