Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 409

Chapter 409

Ten minutes later, Quinto and his crew finally showed up. They were running late.

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As soon as they got out of the car, Quinto, half his face covered by a mask, suddenly looked panicked. “Crap! Let’s go!” he yelled, rushing toward the meeting point.

“Mr. Woodruff?” One of his men glanced respectfully at Cain.

Cain, handsome as ever, gave a small smile. “Follow him.”

“Yes, sir!” the guy answered.

*****

At the meeting point, the grove was wrapped in a dense, poisonous mist drifting down from Medicine Mountain.

Through the haze, they could barely make out a whole group of attendees collapsed on the ground, not moving at all.

“Oh no! What the heck is going on?” Soleil blurted out.

‘Wait, this isn’t when Medicine Mountain is supposed to release its poison. Why is it happening all of a sudden?’ Soleil’s mind raced.

“Oh my gosh! Lachlan and the team are still inside!” The cameraman filming Quinto’s group was practically tearing his hair out, totally freaking out.

Meanwhile, the YouTube livestream was still running.

[Does anyone know what’s going on?]

[I stayed up all night for this, and now Stella’s camera is just gray?]

[Is there a fire or something?]

With no answers in sight, people online started swarming into Quinto’s livestream.

Earlier that morning, the documentary crew had split up for easier filming, one group following the Clusia delegation, the other tagging along with the Herbal Medicine Guild.

Now, the once quiet Herbal Medicine Guild livestream was suddenly buzzing with activity.

Quinto shouted, “Don’t panic!”

He shot a look at the cameraman and raised his hand. For today’s event, he’d put on the fanciest, most extravagant Tongalia outfit he owned, and honestly, he totally looked like some big-shot master.

With a quick motion, he handed the cameraman a pill. “This is for the mist. It’s super toxic. If you’re lucky,

11:14 Thu, Feb 12 d

Chapter 409

you’ll just get paralyzed; if not, it could kill you. Eat this, and nothing will be able to hurt you!”

The cameraman didn’t even think twice. He just popped the pill straight into his mouth.

[Wow! Guess Tongalia’s got some tricks up their sleeve after all!]

[Did it get zapped by lightning or something? LOL!]

[Wait, does that pill actually work?]

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“This is incredible! I feel totally energized!” The cameraman blurted out, reacting to the live chat.

Quinto gave a satisfied smile, while the Herbal Medicine Guild members behind him started showing off.

“That’s our Mr. Wilkerson!”

“Our Herbal Medicine beats anything Clusia could ever come up with!”

“Yeah, for real! Just give it a shot, and you’ll see!”

The cameraman hefted his gear, yelled “Charge!” and dashed straight into the poisonous mist, moving like he had turbo boosters strapped to his feet. But the moment he sucked in a lungful of air.

He crashed straight to the ground, camera and all, out cold in an instant.

Quinto just stared, lost for words.

The Herbal Medicine Guild was left speechless.

The chat went dead. Everyone was too stunned to even type.

The cameraman was foaming at the mouth and twitching on the ground.

[We’re all here tonight, raising our glasses for our fallen cameraman. Cheers!]

[Damn, look at him foaming and twitching, poor dude!]

[Tongalia, you never disappoint!]

[Bet that old dude’s gonna say it’s just a detox or something.]

Even with the mask on, Quinto looked like he’d just seen a ghost-his face was practically green.

“The pill just hadn’t started working yet! He ran in way too fast!” Soleil scrambled to explain, sounding totally desperate.

Suddenly, a deep, low chuckle broke the silence.

Her face grew even hotter with shame.

“M-Mr. Woodruff,” she stammered, her voice trembling.

…

11:14 Thu, Feb 12 d.

Chapter 409

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Cain’s soul-stealing eyes swept over Soleil. He was always chill around Stella, but he was all mysterious vibes, like some kind of Eastern legend.

Out of nowhere, Cain called out, “Ms. Carter!” His smile was pure class.

He called out, his voice cutting through the toxic haze.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it came from deep in his chest. Somehow, everyone heard it clearly, as if it were meant just for them.

Some time later, the whole room was filled with the sound of snoring.

Stella’s voice drifted out from the haze, just as cold and distant as Cain’s.

Soleil suddenly clenched her fingers tight, her face burning with embarrassment.

[It’s Stella!]

[I knew my queen was all good! Her voice is just gorgeous!]

[You had every chance, Herbal Medicine Guild, and you still messed it up! I’m cracking up over here!]

The very next moment, the poisonous mist that had been spreading out suddenly started getting pulled back, as if something was absorbing it.

Even the shadowy, grayish figures barely visible in the haze began to fade away.

And just like that, Stella herself came into view.

All around Stella, a whole crowd of people lay sprawled out on the ground, completely wiped out.

The only ones still on their feet were Emily and the group standing behind her.

Meanwhile, Sebastian was staring at his phone, his whole vibe icy cold, his handsome face looking like it was carved from frost. “Babe?” he called out.

Stella blinked, confused. ‘What the hell… she thought,

Stella turned his head. There was Sebastian, totally poker-faced, turning his phone to show her.

It was a screenshot of the wildest comments from the livestream, sent over by Allan, who was clearly just here for the drama.

Lucas, who’d been munching on snacks like a little squirrel, suddenly snapped his head up and shot Uncle Sebastian a sideways glare.

Lucas reached out with his tiny hands, and when he saw the words on the screen, he flipped the table in

outrage.

‘Stella was awesome! Those netizens were so mean!’ he thought.

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Chapter 409

Lucas stood with his hands on his hips, puffed up and looking adorably grumpy.

Stella froze.

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Meanwhile, the plain plant was thrashing its long, skinny leaves like crazy, looking just like seaweed caught in a storm. And the poisonous mist was getting sucked right into the plant, like it was a vacuum for toxins.

Plain plant thought, ‘Let me absorb it! Absorbing more. Here I go again! Still absorbing! I’m not stopping yet!’ Its lush green leaves were getting shinier and shinier by the second.

Meanwhile, Quinto and his crew, who’d witnessed the whole thing from start to finish, looked like they’d just swallowed a bug, faces twisted in disgust, so frustrated they could barely breathe, choking on their own rage.

‘Why is it always her?’ Quinto thought, practically losing his mind with exasperation.

“Ms. Carter,” Cain called out, even though deep down he was dying to snuggle up next to the Young Sovereign. But Lucas just shot him a blank look, totally silent.

Sebastian, caught off guard, looked momentarily awkward.

It was like they could see right through Cain, both of them, big and small, turned with those stone-cold faces and glared at him, the word “Scram” basically written all over their expressions.

‘Everything’s spinning, total mayhem!’ Cain thought, feeling completely overwhelmed. ‘Can’t afford to mess with them, not at all!’

Suddenly, Sebastian’s frosted-over, handsome face shifted ever so slightly. Under the table, his long, cold fingers were being held, barely there, like a whisper of contact.

It was a comfort. His lips tightened for a moment, and just like that, the storm inside him began to melt away. The turmoil faded.

Cain finally spoke up, his voice breaking the silence. “This cameraman-”

The next second, a snow-white pill came flying toward him.

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