Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

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The moment Stella crossed the finish line, Blake and his gang of Haliville rich kids erupted in cheers that shook the sky.

Blake shouted, “Hell yeah! Queen Stella kicks ass! We won!”

Lucas, snuggled in John’s arms, threw his hands up just like everyone else.

His big, sparkling eyes were full of admiration.

John grumbled inwardly, ‘Kid, you really don’t have to copy everything they do!

In stark contrast to their excitement were the stunned, can’t-believe-their-eyes stares from the rest of the crowd.

They checked again and again, but the first car across the finish line was still that silver-gray Lamborghini Veneno, its front end nearly totaled.

They thought, ‘Did the Jaffina crew really just lose?’

After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd exploded with deafening screams at the unexpected upset.

At the same time, the door of the Lamborghini Veneno swung open.

Stella stepped out in her white sneakers, still rocking that lazy, streetwise vibe. She leaned one hand on the silver-gray door,

gaze

cold as ice as she stared down the car behind her.

her

Blake was ugly-crying as he ran toward Stella, looking like a giant goofball. He called out, “Stella!”

Before Blake could get close, Stella was already striding toward Liam as he got out of his car, looking totally defeated.

“Stella?” Blake blurted out, totally stunned.

Sebastian was already back in his wheelchair, watching Stella’s cold, badass figure walk away. She was like a rare flower on a mountaintop: aloof and irresistibly captivating.

John respectfully handed Lucas over to Sebastian, sensing that Sebastian was in a good mood.

“Are they all here?” Sebastian suddenly asked, his face expressionless as he glanced into the shadows.

John’s scalp tingled. He replied, “Yes.”

All the guys from Sandridge Island were now scattered in the shadows.

They’d all witnessed Stella’s epic finish.

Meanwhile, Liam got out of his car, looking totally defeated.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone approaching and looked up.

Stella swaggered over with reckless confidence, her beautiful face chill and sharp, a faint, indifferent smile curling at her lips.

She lifted her hand behind her head and slowly pulled out her hairpin, spinning it into a flower shape between her slender fingers. Her lowered lashes were frosted with cold.

Her hair cascaded down her back like a midnight waterfall.

Everyone was absolutely floored by how gorgeous she looked.

16:02 Thu, Jan 22

Chapter 85

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Liam stared as Stella swaggered closer, her image sharpening in his eyes. Thinking back to the wild race just now, for the first time, he actually felt a shiver.

The next second, Stella’s smile vanished, and in a flash, she stabbed the sharp tip of her hairpin straight at Liam’s left eye.

Liam’s pupils contracted in shock.

He screamed out of fear.

The crowd gasped, everyone frozen by the sudden move. Just as the hairpin was about to hit Liam’s eye, Sebastian, sitting in his wheelchair, cold as ice, spoke up.

“Stella,” Sebastian called out.

The instant his voice rang out, Stella froze, her hairpin hovering a millimeter from Liam’s eyeball.

Allan had just pulled up at the finish line, stepped out of his car, and saw the whole thing go down.

Stella spoke in a voice just above a whisper, meant only for Liam, her eyes flicking coldly toward Sebastian as she did.

Blake crouched beside Sebastian, wiping his excited tears away with his sleeve. He asked, “What did Stella say?”

Sebastian, Lucas, and John all glanced over at him.

They thought, ‘When did this dork sneak over?’

Lucas tilted his head with a smug look and tugged at Sebastian’s sleeve. He grabbed Sebastian’s phone and started tapping away on the screen with his tiny fingers.

When he finished, he handed it to Sebastian.

The message read: [Stella said, ‘If he gets hurt, you’re dead.’]

Allan had just walked back, head down, only to get hit by a brutal wave of PDA.

He thought, ‘My damn legs are still shaking. Can someone show a little respect for the actual single dog here?’

Sebastian watched Stella in silence, his gaze cool and distant. No matter the angle, he was drop-dead gorgeous. For once, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered across his icy face.

But it vanished in an instant.

Blake scratched his head, thinking, ‘Did I just see something? Should I take another look?’

He looked up, only to meet Sebastian’s eyes of doom.

Blake thought, ‘Guess I really am seeing things.’

With a lazy flick of her wrist, Stella withdrew her hand and sauntered back toward Sebastian.

Behind her, Liam’s legs buckled under the weight of it all, and he crumpled to the ground.

He didn’t doubt for a second that if Sebastian hadn’t called out, Stella would’ve gouged out his eye, no hesitation. In her gaze, he saw cold-blooded intent to kill.

Stella strode into the night breeze, her wavy hair lifting behind her, dust swirling in the car lights like soft gold. Her porcelain face was unreadable, not a ripple of emotion.

As soon as Lucas saw Stella coming over, he instantly reached out to her.

16.02

hu, Jan 22

Chapter 85

Sebastian just stared, stone-faced.

26

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He watched as Stella picked Lucas up from his arms like it was nothing, and his eyes, already dark, turned even stormier.

“Stella, you’re a legend!” Blake yelled, springing to his feet.

The other rich kids, hugging their bags of cash, were hollering like maniacs. They’d tossed in a few grand and just scored a million!

“Stella, here, it’s all yours!” Blake said, thrusting the bag into her hands.

Sebastian, whose face was already looking grim, watched as Stella still hadn’t spared him a single glance. His strikingly handsome, pale face grew even gloomier.

“You guys use it for the car repairs,” Stella said, not even bothering to claim the prize. Holding Lucas in one arm, careful not to let her hairpin poke the little guy, she casually passed the hairpin to Sebastian.

Sebastian glanced over.

He took it, and his face finally eased up a notch.

“Don’t sweat it, our cars are all insured!” Blake said, flashing that classic rich kid grin.

Honestly, the more one hung around Blake and his crew, the less obnoxious they seemed.

“Just take it and quit whining!” Stella said, laid-back as ever. She gave Lucas’s cheeks a gentle squeeze, all that tough-girl vibe from earlier with Liam totally gone.

“Thanks, Stella!” the rich kids shouted at the top of their lungs.

Stella was speechless.

She thought, ‘Can’t they just shut up?’

“Stella, my grandpa wants to take you out to dinner. He wants to thank you for helping me out last time,” Blake said, scratching his head, clearly feeling awkward.

Just bringing up Kendrick made Blake squirm even more. He said, “I know I messed up before. Can you take me off your WhatsApp blacklist?”

Lucas and Sebastian turned to glare at Blake in perfect sync.

Sebastian was all dark and brooding.

Lucas puffed up his cheeks, looking totally miffed.

“Got it,” Stella said lazily, and right in front of Blake, she pulled him off her blacklist, no hesitation, no drama.

“I’ll go grab your car keys!” Blake called out, flashing a big goofy grin as he dashed off.

Allan coughed awkwardly.

When Stella glanced over, he pointed at Sebastian.

Stella looked confused.

Suddenly, Blake’s shout echoed from across the lot, “What the hell are you doing?”

He’d barely gotten his hands on the Pagani Zonda keys before the middle-aged bodyguard swooped in and snatched them