Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Chapter 70

It was Stella who was driving.

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She was rocking a sharp men’s suit she’d clearly picked up from who-knows-where. Her left elbow propped against her check, right hand casually steering the wheel with effortless swagger.

Her short hair was a wild mess, and her face was so gorgeous it almost didn’t seem real. She wore a blank look, but in her eyes flickered a hint of reckless nonchalance.

She shot Jake a sidelong glance, her eyes full of warning.

Jake stayed silent.

“I’m new here,” Stella said, her tone unhurried, but it made Grace, who was fixing her makeup, pause mid-

motion.

‘Her voice is actually pretty nice,’ Grace thought to herself.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of the villa.

The moment Grace stepped out of the car, she spotted Lucas squatting by the potato plants, filthy from head to toe. Next to him was the white robot she found ridiculous. She couldn’t help but curl her lip in disgust.

‘So dirty! At least that big white snake isn’t here,’ Grace thought.

That snake almost had a mind of its own. More than once, she’d felt like it was about to swallow her whole. That was why she’d asked Sebastian to keep it locked up whenever she was around.

Stella got out of the car just in time to see it all go down.

Jake floored it, driving the car straight into the garage.

Lucas, who’d been facing the other way, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up instantly. ‘Smells like Stella!’ he thought.

He tossed his shovel aside and spun around, looking for where that familiar scent was coming from.

For a while, Lucas just stared, completely confused. He recognized Stella right away, but she was somehow with short hair and dressed like a boy. And now she was giving him a silent “shh” with her finger to her lips.

Lucas was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice his feet. His left foot tripped over his right, and he stumbled forward, about to fall flat on his face.

Grace’s eyes widened in shock as she quickly dodged out of the way. There was no one else around except Stella, a newcomer in her eyes, so she wasn’t worried about anyone blabbing.

But her Denim Kraft suit cost over 25 thousand dollars. There was no way she was letting it get dirty.

Lucas shut his eyes in fright. But the next second, he was swept up into a pair of arms that felt so familiar and

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Chapter 70

warm.

“Lucas.” Stella knelt on one knee, a mesmerizing smile on her pretty face. She cradled Lucas in her arms, looking effortlessly cool and impossibly handsome. “I’ll protect you.”

Lucas opened his eyes, his heart pounding like crazy. ‘Stella is so cool. I’m totally crushing on her, he thought.

Jake was heading over after parking the car. Grace saw him out of the corner of her eye and instantly snatched Lucas from Stella, shooting Stella a warning look.

Frightened, Lucas turned and bit down hard on Grace’s wrist.

“Whoa…” Jake was startled.

“It’s not Lucas’s fault. He almost fell, and I was just trying to catch him…” Grace winced, eyes brimming with tears. She was putting on her most pitiful look.

If it were that stone-faced guy today, she wouldn’t have dared, but this guy was a pushover. She wasn’t worried at all.

“I’ll go get the first aid kit,” Jake said, hurrying off.

Once it was just the three of them, Grace’s face turned cold in a flash. She yanked Lucas away.

“It figures. What a little jinx. He doesn’t even know what’s good for him!” Grace muttered, scowling at the bloody bite mark on her wrist. She’d been to this island enough times to know exactly where every camera

was.

And right here? Not a single camera in sight.

“Listen up, newbie. Whatever you saw, you’d better keep it to yourself. Mrs. Gray brought me here, and when push comes to shove, who do you think they’ll trust? Me, or you?” Grace glared at Stella’s pretty face, her voice low and menacing.

Jealousy twisted in her gut. ‘Seriously, why does a guy have to look this damn gorgeous?’ she thought.

To Grace’s shock, Lucas, who used to just take her scolding and hitting like a lifeless doll, suddenly bared his teeth at her like a provoked little animal.

Grace’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Wait, Lucas is acting different today,’ she thought.

Before Lucas could really lash out, Stella reached over with lazy ease and covered his mouth from behind.

“I get it,” Stella replied, her voice clipped. The words were by the book, but the vibe she gave off was pure badass.

Jake came back in a flash with the first aid kit and had someone patch up Grace’s wound.

“So, Mr. Gray’s not around today?” Grace asked, acting all casual.

Jake was about to answer, but Stella beat him to it. “He’s here. Mr. Gray’s in his study.”

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Chapter 70

Jake shot Stella a stunned look, but she didn’t even blink, her face completely blank.

Jake was freaking out inside. ‘We can’t just spill Mr. Gray’s whereabouts like that!

“Oh, really?” Grace said thoughtfully. “Then how about we do some outdoor lessons today? Let Lucas get some fresh air. It’s good for his body and his mind.”

She gave Jake a bright smile as she made the suggestion.

Jake was just about to refuse, but Stella cut in again, “Sounds good.”

Jake said nothing. If he couldn’t tell something was up by now, he’d really be an idiot.

“Where do you want to have the lesson?” Stella asked, cool and casual, looking right at Grace.

“Over there,” Grace said, pointing to the spot by the pool. ‘No cameras there, she thought, a sly glint in her

eyes.

Soon, a huge umbrella was set up by the pool. Grace and Lucas sat face-to-face, the table between them covered with homework and tutoring materials.

Big Ben was standing off to the side, unusually silent and stiff, like his system was lagging.

Stella glanced at the pile of so-called homework. It was all AP Calculus problems.

“Get me a coffee,” Grace said sharply to Stella.

Stella shot her a hard look and walked off.

“Do this one,” Grace said, tapping a problem with her finger.

Lucas’s face hardened. He was about to fling the pen away, but then he remembered Stella would be back soon. ‘Better behave, he told himself. So he took the pen and started writing.

But before Lucas could finish, Grace snatched the pen right out of his hand, leaving a long, messy streak across the paper.

“Wrong! Are you really this dumb? You can’t even solve something this easy?” Grace kept a fake smile plastered on her face, but her words were pure poison. From a distance, it looked like a normal tutoring

session.

She continued, “Ryan’s already skipped ahead to fifth grade, and all you do is sit around at home. Mr. Gray is way too soft, taking care of a cursed orphan like you. What do you think he’ll do with you once he gets married, huh?”

Lucas’s eyes went wide. ‘But I got it right. I know how to do this,’ he thought.

“Kids like you-broken and troublemaking-should go to some special school. Mrs. Annette Gray’s in the hospital because of you, and now you’re trying to ruin Mr. Gray too?” Grace spat, her voice cold and vicious.

Lucas’s hand gripped the pen tighter and tighter, his gaze turning blank. He just sat there, frozen like a lifeless

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Chapter 70

doll. No response at all.

“Are you done?” Stella’s icy voice rang out from nearby.

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Before Grace could even look up, a cup of steaming hot coffee was poured straight down on her head. Totally blindsided, she shrieked from the burning pain.

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