Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 94

Chapter 94

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Stella didn’t answer right away. She casually looked around, then withdrew her gaze with a lazy air. “It’s nothing.”

“Ms. Carter, what’s wrong?” Kendrick turned around when he noticed they hadn’t caught up. He was still clutching the painting, as if afraid it might get damaged.

Stella spoke with a knowing tone. “The layout here is pretty unusual.”

“My second daughter brought in a layout master to set it up,” Kendrick replied in a neutral tone. The last time they met at Pierce Group, things ended badly; they hadn’t spoken since, not even a phone call.

Stella didn’t say anything else, her face calm and unreadable.

Allan, meanwhile, hung back on purpose after Kendrick went inside, swinging the manila envelope in his hand. “Stella, I know a thing or two about layout, and honestly, there’s nothing special here. Are you just pulling Mr. Pierce’s leg?”

Allan raised an eyebrow. From the moment he’d set foot in Pierce Manor, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

The servants looked just as drained and lifeless.

Stella gave Allan a quirky look. “Yes.”

Allan was speechless. The way she said it so confidently made him start to doubt himself. ‘Wait, am I the one in the wrong here? She’s the one making stuff up, but somehow I’m the jerk for calling her bluff?’

“Sebastian, did you see the look Stella gave me?” Allan complained, turning to Sebastian for backup.

Sebastian shot him a bored glance. “What else did you expect?”

Her indifference was written all over her face.

Allan rolled his eyes.

Lucas lifted his chubby, cherubic face, shooting Allan a look of pure disdain.

Allan thought, ‘Why is all this hitting me so hard?’

“Mr. Gray.” Inside the villa, as soon as Sebastian was wheeled in, Xander immediately stood up, all polite and gentlemanly. “We meet again.”

He flashed a warm smile, deliberately stressing the word again, clearly making up for the greeting he missed at South District Precinct last time.

Sebastian sat in his wheelchair, giving Xander a cold, oppressive stare. He didn’t say a word, but the intensity in his eyes was enough to make Xander’s smile falter, almost slipping off his face

Sebastian asked, “Have I met you before?”

Xander took a deep breath and forced a laugh, trying to save face. “Mr. Gray, you must be joking.”

Xander spun around, putting on a show of helping Kendrick. For a split second, his face was so dark that it could rain. “Grandpa, let me get that for you.” He reached out, trying to grab the canvas from Kendrick.

But Kendrick just handed the canvas straight to Blake, his voice steady and firm. “Blake, take this to the study.”

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Chapter 94

Jan

Blake said, “Okay.”

He grabbed the canvas a little too roughly, and it even knocked against the edge of the table.

Kendrick just stared, speechless. Kendrick’s heart ached. ‘I really want to smack this brat!’ Kendrick thought.

“Hold up. Don’t be in such a rush,” Allan said with a cocky grin.

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Allan stood up and set the manila envelope he’d been carrying all along on the table. “Sebastian’s apology is his, but this one’s from me.” He flashed a devil-may-care smile.

Kendrick was speechless.

“What’s this?” Xander, still fuming and looking for somewhere to vent, hooked his finger into the bag’s opening. He was a little too rough, and the bag tipped over. There was a rattling sound, then a loud crash.

A small cup just tumbled to the floor and broke into pieces.

Xander, Kendrick, and Blake all froze.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Xander said, and seeing it was just a little cup, he didn’t seem too bothered as he looked over at

Allan.

Allan just shrugged, clearly not giving a damn about whatever he’d brought.

Xander was about to call a servant to clean up, but Stella’s calm voice cut through the air. “Wait!”

Stella sauntered over and stopped right in front of the broken pieces.

“Ms. Carter, don’t tell me you’re feeling bad about this?” Xander said smoothly. “If it’s a big deal, I’ll pay for it.”

“You can’t afford it,” Stella replied coldly. Stella shot Xander a look, cutting him off before he could finish. She wasn’t interested in his nonsense.

“What do you mean by that, Ms. Carter?” Xander couldn’t hold back anymore, after being put down again and again today.

“Wait,” Kendrick said. Kendrick’s hands started to tremble, as if he’d just realized something.

Kendrick quickly got up, crouched by the broken pieces with a serious look, studying them closely.

After a while, Kendrick clutched his chest and looked up, struggling to get the words out. “Is this?” The question seemed to stick in his throat, and he was unable to finish.

Stella shot Allan a look. He just smirked, pure mischief in his eyes. “A cup from the Middle Ages.”

Kendrick was stunned into silence. ‘I freaking knew it!’ he cursed inwardly.

‘With this bunch, even if they handed it over in a busted-up sack, I should’ve known better than to take it lightly!’ Kendrick thought, kicking himself.

‘That’s a genuine cup from the Middle Ages!’ Kendrick’s heart nearly stopped.

Back then, the way they fired these cups was so special that no two ever came out looking the same. The glaze would change in the heat, and even the craftsmen had no clue what they’d get.

Any piece that made it to today is a total one-of-a-kind; there was literally nothing else like it.

“Do you even realize how much this thing is worth?” Kendrick croaked, barely able to get the words out as he stared at Xander.

Chapter 94

Xander asked, “How much?”

Xander glanced at Kendrick, his face tightening as a bad feeling crept over him.

Kendrick said, “2.6-”

Before Kendrick could finish, Blake blurted out, “2.6 thousand for a tiny cup?”

‘Damn, isn’t that way too expensive?’ Blake thought, totally floored.

Xander was just about to breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Only 2,600? That’s pocket change!’ he thought.

But Kendrick kindly smiled and quietly added, “Million.”

Both Xander and Blake were speechless.

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Both of them stared down at the shattered cup, pupils contracting in shock. Xander instinctively looked at Stella, who just raised an eyebrow with lazy indifference. “Pay up.”

Xander was speechless.

Kendrick’s heart was bleeding. This was a one-of-a-kind cup from the Middle Ages!

‘Gone, just like that?’ Kendrick thought, devastated.

“Then what about this one?” In the heavy silence, Blake suddenly froze, glancing stiffly down at the old, battered canvas he was clutching.

“40 million dollars,” Kendrick announced with that same kindly smile, dropping the truth like a bomb, completely unconcerned about his grandson’s mental breakdown.

Blake was frozen. His jaw practically hit the floor. He just stood there, mouth hanging open, staring blankly at the canvas in his hands.

40 million dollars,’ he wondered. The numbers kept echoing in his mind. ‘Wait, did I just bang it against the table? I should be groveling and begging for forgiveness right now!’

Lucas, wearing his usual poker face, stared in confusion at the stunned Pierces.

‘Uncle Sebastian’s place has a whole pile of these canvases and little black cups. Whenever I got mad, I’d smash a few, and he never made a fuss about it, Lucas wondered. ‘Man, this is weird!’

“This is my gift,” Stella said. Since everyone else had brought something, she wasn’t about to miss out. She pulled out a small box and set it on the table with a crisp click

Everyone on the other side of the table jumped in shock.

‘Come on, it’s not that dramatic, Stella thought, rolling her eyes.

Kendrick, with all his years of experience, was the first to calm down. He asked carefully, “Ms. Carter, this isn’t another crazy expensive treasure, is it?”

16:04 Thu, Jan 22