Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The spacious lobby was dead silent. Kendrick looked at Stella with a mix of emotions. He’d already noticed the tension between her and Penelope when the lawyer was drafting the agreement. But he never expected Stella to wait until now to make her move.

That kind of patience and cunning didn’t seem like something a high schooler could pull off.

The drama was finally over. Bruce humbly escorted Colten and the others to the door. He’d been dragged in at the last minute, totally unprepared for any of this.

“Ms. Carter,” someone called out just as Stella was about to get in the car. She turned to see Xander.

“What do you want?” Stella asked, one hand resting on the car door. Her demeanor was cold and detached, with a subtle, rebellious edge.

Xander, ever the gentleman, took a gold-embossed business card from his pocket and handed it to her. “If you ever need anything, Ms. Carter, feel free to call me. Consider us friends.”

Stella glanced at him, taking the card casually with one hand. “Friends?” She raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on her lips as her eyes swept over him.

Xander had never been looked at like that before. His smile was starting to crack.

“No need,” Stella said coolly. With a flick of her finger, she sent the card flying back toward him. It hit his chest and fell to the floor.

Xander’s expression turned stormy in an instant. “So you think Blake is more valuable than I am?” he asked.

Before Stella could answer, Blake, now cleared of all charges, strolled over, all cocky again, and threw an arm around Xander’s shoulder. In a flash, Xander replaced his scowl with a warm, polished smile.

“Starfall, guess we started on the wrong foot. Anyway, from now on, you’re under my protection,” Blake said, beaming like he just won the lottery.

“Seriously, you better keep an eye on your sister. She’s bad news, for real,” Blake added.

Xander stood there silently, feeling indirectly insulted.

Blake was just about to throw a friendly arm around Stella’s shoulder when, out of nowhere, an icy, murderous aura filled the air. Even someone as oblivious as Blake sensed the danger, like he was suddenly prey.

He stiffly turned his head and met the gaze of Sebastian, who was sitting in his wheelchair not far away.

Blake was lost for words for a moment.

Those eyes were utterly devoid of warmth, so cold that they seemed to freeze Blake’s blood. His arm hung awkwardly in the air, not daring to move. ‘Somebody help me, he thought desperately.

“Meep-meep,” Blake blurted out, using the nonsense phrase as an excuse to withdraw his hand.

Xander was speechless. So was Stella.

Meanwhile, Colten followed Sebastian’s gaze until it landed on Stella. “This girl is interesting, he mused.

“When are you coming back to Jaffina?” Colten asked.

If anyone else had been around, they would’ve been floored by how casually, almost respectfully, Colten spoke to Sebastian.

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Chapter 38

Sebastian looked away. “Not anytime soon.” That was a hard no.

“People over in Jaffina have been worried about you,” Colten said

Sebastian stayed silent. Colten sighed, muttered a few words, and then headed to his car.

Stella tossed Jake’s gun back to him as soon as she got in the car

“Ms. Carter,” Jake complained, looking all kinds of miserable. ‘Man, how did she even snatch my gun without me feeling a thing?’ he wondered, still totally baffled.

As soon as Stella got in, Lucas struggled free from Allan’s cheek-pinching grasp and tried to bury himself in Stella’s arms, looking pitiful. But before he could get close, Sebastian’s cold, firm hand grabbed him by the collar.

Lucas, all soft and adorable, was flailing like a tiny turtle stuck on its back.

“Sit. We’re leaving,” Sebastian said, his eyes half-closed, his ridiculously handsome face hidden in the shadows.

Lucas was buckled firmly into his seat. Pouting, he crossed his arms. ‘Uncle Sebastian is so mean, he thought.

“Verdant Haven first,” Stella said, sounding totally chill. Verdant Haven was one of Haliville’s upscale neighborhoods, where the Carters lived.

Jake turned the car around immediately.

Sebastian’s phone rang. He picked up, face expressionless. On the other end, someone said, “Mr. Gray, I’ve arrived.”

The usual playful look on Allan’s face disappeared in a flash. He recognized the voice instantly. It was Nathan Trent, the hypnotherapist and psychologist ranked No. 3 among free practitioners.

“Just wait,” Sebastian said and then hung up.

“You look a lot better. I thought maybe you were finally sleeping well lately,” Allan said, frowning with concern.

“Just a routine check,” Sebastian replied, his gaze drifting out the window. His cold face was pale and handsome, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Nathan once said Sebastian was the only case he couldn’t crack. There was darkness in him, so deep that even Nathan had nearly been consumed by it.

“What’s wrong this time?” Stella asked, casually placing her hand on Sebastian’s forehead. It felt normal to her.

Allan just stared, thinking, ‘Seriously, you two are way too comfortable with each other already!

Just then, Lucas started fake-coughing nonstop, even brushing his bangs aside and looking at Stella with hopeful, sparkling

eyes.

Allan was left speechless again. ‘Man, these two are so used to fighting for her attention. Guess I’m the only one nobody fusses over, he sighed inwardly.

The group soon reached Verdant Haven. “I’ll be right back,” Stella said, glancing up at the brightly lit building. Her eyes narrowed slightly, giving her a cold, dangerous aura.

According to the report Sebastian had dug up, the Carter family’s sprawling penthouse was right here. With the Pierce family dealt with, it was time for Stella to settle other scores.

The group watched as Stella headed through the entrance and into the building.

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Chapter 38

“Don’t you think Stella is nothing like the girl in that report?” Allan drawled, elbow propped on the window.

Sebastian shot him a cold look. Allan quickly raised his hands in surrender and changed the subject. “Shark is in Clusia.”

Shark was not only the doctor ranked No.1 among free practitioners, with an internationally certified 100% surgical success rate, but also the boss of the Scorpio Syndicate.

The most interesting part was that no one knew Shark’s gender, age, or nationality. Yet Shark commanded the world’s largest underground organization.

Not long ago, word got out that Shark had been assassinated in Dorestan. The source deliberately linked it to the Dorestan Exchange, trying to implicate its mysterious owner.

But just a couple of days back, Shark’s private account got logged into. The IP address was in Clusia, and when people tracked it down, it was right here in Haliville.

“The top hacker alliance in Monterra just dropped a notice on their official site,” Allan said, waving his flashy custom purple phone at Sebastian. “They’re planning an indiscriminate cyber attack on Haliville.”

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