Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Nathan looked surprised as he looked in the direction where Stella had disappeared. He thought, ‘Since when did Sebastian have a girl hanging around him? And Lucas doesn’t mind?’

“Nathan,” Sebastian called out, his lips barely moving.

“Yes, Mr. Gray,” Nathan replied, quickly pulling his gaze back with utmost respect. Nathan’s light brown eyes were striking. and he still carried a faint scent of medicine.

“Was she pretty?” Sebastian asked. His gaze was as cold and deep as a frozen lake, locked onto Nathan. Nathan found himself at a loss for words.

Stella stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from her shower. Lucas, clean and already in his pajamas, was fast asleep on her bed.

Snowball lay with its oversized head resting on the mattress edge, its pointed tail lazily swishing back and forth, gently soothing its young owner. When Stella appeared, Snowball opened its mouth in a wide yawn.

Stella let Lucas and Snowball take over her bed, casually drying her hair with a towel in one hand. Suddenly, her custom- built ultra-thin laptop on the desk made a noise. Stella paused, raising an eyebrow.

Bold red letters flashed across the screen, stark and ominous: [Shark, Cosmos Syndicate is about to launch an indiscriminate cybersecurity attack challenge on Haliville!]

Stella leaned in, her fingers gliding over the mouse, her eyes lit up by the cold glow of the screen.

Cosmos Syndicate, the top hacker alliance in Monterra, sent shockwaves through the dark web the moment they threw down the gauntlet. Hackers everywhere were gathering for the showdown.

An indiscriminate cybersecurity attack meant what it sounded like. Government offices, hospitals, schools, banks, and anything else connected to the system were all fair game. Once the attack went live, Haliville’s entire network would be hanging by a thread.

Stella’s long lashes lowered, and her face gave nothing away, but anyone watching would feel a chill running down their spine.

With a few lazy keystrokes, she booted out the hacker who’d busted their guts to get in. For Stella, it was a walk in the park.

Stella closed her eyes, trying to tamp down the violent energy swirling inside her. Ever since she left the Carter residence, her temples had been pounding, which explained why she’d been so quiet on the ride home. That bloody, dangerous vibe wouldn’t let her go.

Even Lucas tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep. Out of nowhere, a huge, chilly head landed on Stella’s shoulder.

She opened her eyes to find Snowball curled up beside her like a child, nuzzling his head against her again and again.

Still stone-faced, Stella reached out and gave Snowball a good rub. The cool, smooth feel of its scales finally helped her chill

out a bit.

Meanwhile, Sebastian reclined on a black leather armchair. The bedroom felt icy, as if it were locked in a snowstorm, and the oppressive atmosphere made Nathan’s expression grow grim He removed his glasses with one hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose in resignation.

Sebastian was the bane of Nathan’s medical career. This latest hypnosis attempt had failed again.

When Sebastian opened his eyes, his handsome face was shadowed with a dark, sickly gloom. His lips pressed into a thin, tense line beneath his sharp nose. “Mr. Gray, Nathan began, but the words caught in his throat.

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Sebastian’s world was sealed in darkness. He dwelled in an abyss hell he could not escape. His sleep disorder was not a psychological condition. It was self-confinement.

Sebastian seemed deep in thought, his expression cold and brooding, as if a storm were gathering beneath the surface.

Nathan said with a sigh, “Mr. Gray, here are your meds for this round.”

He put the meds on the table, but before he could say anything else, his phone started ringing. One look at the caller ID and Nathan groaned inwardly. It was his grandfather, Landen.

Few people knew that Nathan was born into the distinguished Trent family, famous for generations of traditional medicine experts.

His grandfather, Landen, and Paul were once known as the Two Pillars of the Medical World. One specialized in acupuncture, the other in herbal medicine. Between them, they defined the highest standard of traditional medicine nationwide.

Whatever Landen said on the phone, Nathan’s face turned serious in an instant. Without wasting a second, he hung up, said goodbye to Sebastian, and headed out.

The bedroom was dead silent. Sebastian reached for the pills, chewing them one by one without bothering with water. His face stayed cold and expressionless, handsome yet shadowed. After another failed hypnosis session, a faint, bloodthirsty red lingered at the corners of his eyes.

Once he finished, he switched off the lights and lay down on the bed, still fully dressed. His eyes, frosted with icy coldness, stared up at the ceiling, and the whole place felt like a scene straight out of hell.

The next morning, the air in the manor was heavy and oppressive. Even the birds, usually chirping away at dawn, were strangely silent.

At the dining table, Sebastian sat in his wheelchair after another sleepless night. His face was drawn, shadowed under the harsh morning light, and his eyes glinted with a sharp intensity. The dark circles beneath them heightened the sense of threat, making the maids tremble.

Across from him, Lucas was glowing, his soft little legs swinging back and forth on the chair. He clutched his little shark spoon in both hands, scooping up his meal like a good boy.

Lucas giggled and waved his wrist at Sebastian, showing off a modified black digital watch strapped to it.

He’d spotted it as soon as he woke up that morning. There was still a cute tuft of hair sticking up on his head, bouncing every time he swung his little legs.

Lucas proudly held up his message board to show off to Sebastian. It read: [Stella made this for me.]

Sebastian gave Lucas a frosty stare. Snowball, curled protectively around its little owner, shivered and scrambled up the indoor tree, curling tightly into a ball and tucking its head deep inside. Snowball desperately tried to hide.

Lucas wrote on the board: [Stella kissed me this morning.] He blushed, hiding his face in his hands, too shy to look up.

Sebastian’s gaze stayed icy. Lucas added: [Stella smells so nice.] Sebastian was left speechless.

Jake tried to hide behind John, praying he wouldn’t get dragged into the drama.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for something to happen, but Sebastian coldly withdrew his gaze, wiped his lips with a napkin, and steered his electric wheelchair toward the indoor elevator.

Stella was still asleep in the bedroom, but the AC was blasting cold again. The air carried that dark, woody cologne she knew all too well. It felt intense, possessive, and almost suffocating.

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Chapter 40

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‘Wait, is that a man’s cologne?’ Stella thought, slowly opening he eyes. She came face to face with Sebastian, who was standing there in the morning light, yet somehow looked like he was wrapped in a cloud of gloom.

Stella was speechless. She wondered if she had opened her eyes the wrong way. She shut them and tried again, but the darkness swirling around Sebastian only grew heavier.

“Mr. Gray?” she blurted out and wondered what was wrong with him for showing up so

early.

Sebastian didn’t say a word. He stared at her, his gaze cold and unsettling. The dark circle..

a wink, and he looked as haunted and unwell as ever.

his eyes said he hadn’t slept.

They locked eyes, neither backing down. Seeing she still didn’t get what he was after, Sebastian frowned, looking ticked off.

Stella was speechless. She wondered what he wanted now. In the next second, Sebastian reached toward her, slow and deliberate. His wrist was lean and powerful, his fingers long and defined, visible beneath the cuff of his black shirt.

Anyone with a thing for hands would be drooling right now. The black prayer beads swung from his wrist, making his hands look more tempting.

‘Great, now he looks even more pissed off, Stella thought.

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