Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 334

Chapter 334

“Did I pass your test?” Stella asked, her smile vanishing in an instant.

Her gaze was icy. Though her voice stayed polite, the chill in her expression gave off an intimidating vibe.

Everyone stood there, stunned into silence.

Except for Sebastian, the others kept glancing between Stella and Bernard, completely lost.

“Test? What test?‘ everyone mumbled in their minds.

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Bernard nodded slightly. “Paul told me you’ll be leading the team at the International Herbal Medicine Conference.” As he spoke, his piercing gaze locked onto Stella, as if searching for the slightest change in her expression.

“Dr. Miracle?” Landen’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

She was the backbone of the entire team.

Stella, however, merely responded with a cool “oh,” looking completely unfazed.

“So, what’s the good news?” Bernard cleared his throat, prompting her.

Stella lazily lifted her gaze, her voice drawling, “The good news is, you happened to meet me, and I just can’t stand seeing Sebastian upset.”

What she truly meant was that if it were not for Sebastian, she would not have spared Bernard a second glance, even if he collapsed right in front of her.

“You-” the guard snapped, his voice full of anger.

Stella calmly took a sip of her tea, her long lashes lowered, cool and indifferent, as she completely ignored him.

Suddenly, Bernard let out a low chuckle. “You really hold a grudge, don’t you? Let me apologize to you properly, right here.” The battle–hardened old man who had spent his entire life in the military now looked as gentle as a friendly grandfather next door.

Stella gave Bernard a lazy glance, her rebellious air subdued, and then set a small white medicine box on the table.

Lucas shot up, picked up the box, and dashed over to Bernard, his little hands raised high overhead.

“Eat it,” Stella said flatly.

Bernard took the box. The guard opened his mouth to speak, bu Bernard shot him a look, and he fell silent at once, forced to watch as Bernard broke the wax seal and put the pill straight into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly on his tongue, and the stabbing pain in his chest, which had been worsening since last night, vanished without a trace.

The guard called out, “Mr. Harper?”

Bernard nodded. “I’m good.”

He shot Stella a deep, thoughtful look.

Over the past few days, he had heard countless rumors and exaggerated stories about this girl, some true and some completely fabricated, but none of them compared to actually meeting her face–to–face.

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Chapter 334

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After a few seconds of thought, Bernard continued, “I called you all here today for a few things.” He instinctively reached for his tea, but when he caught Stella’s indifferent look out of the corner of his eye, he withdrew his hand. “First…”

The guard stepped forward, and with everyone watching, he finally stopped right in front of Stella.

He lifted his hand.

An official letter bearing the seal of the Monterra military came into view.

Allan craned his neck, curiosity written all over his face. “What’s that?”

Stella did not even bother to look up as she accepted it, casually pulling Lucas, who had drifted back into his sleepy, nodding state, closer to her side.

Bernard’s eyes

darkened. “Last time, Mike got his ass handed to him at Red Shadow’s training grounds. He lay low for a few days after that, but now, he’s using the upcoming Blaze competition as an excuse to officially challenge Ms. Carter.”

Everyone was too shocked to make a noise.

Stella arched an eyebrow and lazily flicked open the letter with one finger. Only then did she realize it was a challenge letter, signed off by a Monterra military big shot. “What’s the challenge” Stella asked.

“Wait, you seriously don’t know about Blaze?” Charles gaped at her.

Stella just shrugged, “Hey, I’m just a student.”

She practically screamed in mind, ‘What’s the subtext? Is it weird that I don’t know?‘

Everyone was left speechless.

Charles jumped in to explain, “Blaze is an international special forces tournament held every four years. Each country sends its top 20 elite soldiers. The winning team claims the Blaze badge from the previous champions. It’s the highest honor for any special forces unit.”

Stella just gave a bored “oh” and then continued, “So, what exactly does Mike want to challenge me for?”

She lazily waved the letter, flipping through it. It was just a bunch of pointless rambling, nothing useful at all. Her patience was already wearing thin.

Bernard’s expression didn’t change as he said, “He wants you both to pick 20 people, train for half a month, and then face off at the competition.”

“Do Monterra’s generals seriously have nothing better to do?” Stella drawled, sounding utterly uninterested.

Bernard gave a faint smile, his eyes heavy with authority. “Apparently, they do. To force our hand, they’ve blocked the international shipping lanes and announced that nothing moves until you accept.”

Allan, still fiddling with his cufflinks, couldn’t help but scoff.

Sebastian paused, his lashes still for a moment as he gave Bernard a long, dark look. “John.”

Then he lowered his gaze again.

John stepped out with a cold expression to make a call. When he returned, he nodded at Sebastian and handed over a thermos he had retrieved from the car. “Mr. Gray.”

Sebastian took it, twisted the lid off, and placed it next to Stella.

Goji berries and red dates.

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11:14 Mon, Feb 9

Chapter 334

Stella was silent.

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Just as Stella was rolling her eyes, Bernard’s guard got a call. After just a few words, his expression changed. He hung up and leaned in to whisper to Bernard, “The shipping lanes are open again.”

As he spoke, he shot a glance in Sebastian’s direction.

“So who were the last champs?” Stella asked, sounding bored as she sneakily nudged the thermos closer to Sebastian, only to find that he had turned and locked eyes with her.

He couldn’t take his gaze off Stella.

She pulled her hand back silently.

Bernard noticed their little exchange, his voice deep. “Mike’s Warriors took the title last time.” He paused, then added, “Those two you took down, Casper and Bill, were the biggest show–offs on the team.”

Stella’s interest was stirred. ‘So the rest of the team must be even stronger, huh?‘ she wondered.

Bernard continued, “And this year, besides the Blaze badge, the International Military Council is raising the stakes. They’re offering a legendary Miracle Drug called Violet Bamboo, said to add years to your life.”

“Violet Bamboo?” Landen’s eyes went wide, practically rubbing his hands together like a greedy fly.

‘Now that’s a Miracle Drug!‘ he thought.

“This is the real deal!‘ he marveled.

Landen couldn’t help but slurp, practically drooling at the thought of that Miracle Drug.

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