A smile doesn’t disappear; it simply moves from one face to another.
Just three minutes ago, Ethan Rhodes had been the one smiling. Now, a mere three minutes later, a single phone call had transferred that smile to Owen Rhodes’s face.
Ethan Rhodes sat across from him. When he saw Owen’s expression suddenly change and heard him say Stella’s name, the smile on his own lips vanished.
His expression darkened, and he listened quietly as Owen Rhodes spoke to the person on the other end of the line in a gentle tone he had never heard him use before.
"Congratulations."
"I always knew you were amazing."
"You’re injured. If it’s too difficult for you right now, I can have Ken come to the house to help you."
"Okay, I’ll take you there when the time comes."
"What, would I be an embarrassment?"
"So I can’t come up with you? It’s such an important moment in your life; I want to be part of it, too."
"Okay. I’ll see you at home."
When the call ended, a gentle smile still lingered on Owen Rhodes’s lips.
And that smile never left his face.
It had to be said, Stella Sterling had called at the perfect time.
The moment Ethan Rhodes appeared in his office, the impatience and irritation in his heart had become almost unbearable.
But a single, simple phone call seemed to have smoothed away all his displeasure.
The emotion in his deep-set eyes had clearly calmed.
He looked at Ethan Rhodes. "Since you haven’t fully recovered, you should stay in the hospital for a few more days."
Ethan Rhodes gritted his teeth. "Owen Rhodes, was this your plan? To steal Stella Sterling from me."
Owen Rhodes regarded him with a cool, indifferent gaze.
"First of all, Stella Sterling and I are legally married. It was consensual, so there’s no question of ’stealing.’ Secondly, as for how you hurt her... do I need to remind you?"
Ethan Rhodes’s expression froze.
He knew, of course, that Owen Rhodes was referring to everything he had done for Kiana Sterling over the past few months.
"But if you hadn’t been instigating things from behind the scenes, how could I have taken things so far!"
"Instigating?" Owen Rhodes’s gaze turned sharp and cold. "Then why don’t you tell me, what exactly did I instigate?"
Now that Ethan Rhodes had his memory back, he easily recalled what Owen Rhodes had said to him right after he’d woken up.
But the memory was also very clear: he had been the one to approach Owen Rhodes and ask him what he should do.
Owen Rhodes hadn’t said much, only telling him, "Do what you want to do."
As for the high-profile actions that followed, some were his own ideas, and some were suggestions from his friends.
At the time, he had done all of it, effective or not, just to win Kiana Sterling’s favor.
Ethan Rhodes had just been injured, and his complexion was far from healthy.
Perhaps because the memories were too difficult to accept, Ethan Rhodes’s face instantly grew several shades paler.
Owen Rhodes averted his gaze and pressed the intercom to call Liam Hawthorne in.
"See him out."
With that, Owen Rhodes turned and walked away.
Watching Owen Rhodes walk away, his back radiating a sense of joy, Ethan Rhodes shouted resentfully after him, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell her everything?"
Owen Rhodes didn’t even spare him a glance in response to his provocation.
’Stella is waiting for me at home. Why waste time here dealing with Ethan Rhodes?’
’If he had the guts to say anything, he’d be in front of Stella right now, not just making a scene in my office.’
...
It was obvious that Stella was truly happy today.
When Owen arrived home and opened the door, he saw Stella flit past him like a butterfly.
Even the hem of her fluttering skirt seemed to carry an inexpressible lightness.
Owen couldn’t help but smile, following in her footsteps.
"What has you so happy?"
Stella finally noticed him, turning with a smile to walk toward him. "Why are you back so early?"
Owen reached out and wrapped his arm around her naturally. "Nothing much was going on, so I came back early."
"Perfect. We can have dinner together, then."
Owen kept his arm around her waist as they walked to the dining room together.
Over this period, some subtle changes had appeared in the house.
To be specific, the villa that once felt stark and cold now seemed to exude a gentle warmth the moment one stepped inside.
Stella had placed scented diffusers around the house, filling every corner with a pleasant aroma.
The scent was light and lovely.
It was as if her presence could be felt in every corner of the home.
Perhaps that was why the man who once practically lived at the office now understood the concept of "coming home."
He even found himself leaving earlier and earlier each day.
During dinner, Stella asked, "Owen, do you know why Faye likes me so much? I heard she’s even planning to see my paintings at the exhibition."
Owen placed a piece of asparagus, her favorite, on her plate. "Faye is an art student herself, so she probably heard about you somewhere. She likes you because you’re talented. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she like Kiana Sterling?"
Stella’s brow twitched as something flashed through her mind.
Before she could grasp it, she heard Owen continue, "Speaking of which, I forgot to mention, Faye doesn’t know your identity yet. If you go to Vantage to sign the contract this time, she’ll find out."
Stella obediently popped the asparagus Owen had given her into her mouth.
"It’s fine if she finds out. I’m not that concerned about hiding my identity anymore."
Hearing this, Owen looked up at her. "So you want to go public with your identity?"
’If she wanted, he could arrange it.’
’And then, all of Kiana Sterling’s secretive dealings would no longer be hidden.’
Stella shook her head. "Let’s take it slow. I’ll just see where Zion Shawcross’s album takes me."
’Too much artificial intervention isn’t necessarily a good thing.’
’Just like with Kiana Sterling. The higher she climbs now, the harder she’ll fall later.’
「Two days later.」
「Vantage Entertainment.」
Ken stood in front of Owen’s Rolls-Royce Ghost, so nervous he could only stare motionlessly at a crack in the pavement.
’Oh my god, this was his first time meeting the famous CEO.’
’He’d been to the man’s house before, but they’d never actually met.’
’Now they were about to meet face-to-face. Would a small fry like him be instantly crushed to dust by the man’s powerful aura?’
Just as he was thinking this, the car door opened.
Owen caught his eye from a distance and gave him a slight nod. He then walked to the other side of the car, opened the door for Stella, and helped her out.
He handed Stella’s bag to Ken. "Ken, Stella’s injury hasn’t fully healed yet. I’m counting on you."
’Oh my god, the CEO of Kyros was actually being so polite to him!’
’Who was it that said he was cold and unapproachable!’
Ken looked at him, his tone firm and resolute. "I guarantee I’ll complete the mission! I won’t let anyone lay a single finger on Stella!"
He looked like he was one step away from giving Owen a military salute.
Too embarrassed to watch, Stella turned her head to Owen and said, "I’m heading up, then."
"Okay. I’ll wait for you in the car."
With that, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Stella’s forehead.
In a nearby luxury van, Catherine Linden tapped the assistant next to her. "Look, isn’t that Owen Rhodes?"