At his words, Stella’s gaze darkened.
She was silent for a moment. Owen glanced at her and saw her looking down, lost in thought.
Just as he was about to step in, he heard Stella say, "Ethan Rhodes, in what capacity are you asking me this question?"
Seeing the grim look on Stella’s face, the displeasure Ethan had felt moments ago inexplicably vanished.
He suddenly curled his lips into a smile, a mix of resignation and an indescribable smugness.
"Stella, what more do you need me to confirm? Why won’t you just give up? Kiana and I are already engaged. As for my capacity, didn’t you say it yourself? I’m your brother-in-law."
Stella drew out a long, "Ohhh." "So you *are* aware of your place. In that case, let me make myself clear. Who I marry and whether I come home has nothing to do with you. Just focus on managing Kiana, and stay out of my business."
Ethan crossed his arms, looking as if he had seen through her completely.
He ran a hand through his styled hair. "What, can’t make anything up now? Marriage? You wish. Who would marry you? Look at you now. Besides that face, what else do you have that’s even remotely desirable? You could throw yourself at Joel Joyce, and he might not even take you."
Owen’s fists clenched.
Ethan deliberately turned to Joel Joyce. "Right, Joel?"
A crisp "SLAP—" echoed through the air.
Owen’s fist was about to fly, but he never expected Stella to raise her hand before he could.
All three men present were stunned for a moment, utterly dumbfounded.
Stella had used her left hand, so the blow landed with not just her palm, but also her raised ring.
She’d used a lot of force. The impact was mutual, and a sharp pain shot through Stella’s palm.
She shook her numb hand, glaring at Ethan Rhodes with disgust.
"Ethan Rhodes, did you drink a bottle of laxatives with dinner? Because you spew crap the moment you open your mouth. Even if all I have left is my face, I’m still better than a shameless bastard like you. Not only are you classless, but you’re also trying to drag Joel Joyce down with you? Can you act like a decent human being for once?! Who would be blind enough to fall for a blind man like you? Oh, right. Kiana. You two really are cut from the same cloth."
Ethan was so stunned by Stella’s tirade that he was speechless.
Once upon a time, this was a girl who couldn’t even bring herself to say she was unhappy, a girl who swallowed all her frustrations. Now, she had not only slapped him but was unleashing a torrent of furious insults.
Ethan’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.
Stella continued, "My apologies, I forgot you’re a bit slow. You probably didn’t understand my subtle insults, did you? Let me be more direct. Ethan Rhodes, you’re a big, dumb, fuckwit. A disgusting, overconfident maggot in civilized society!"
"Let me tell you something, Ethan Rhodes! There has never been anything between you and me, not from the beginning and not now. From now on, don’t talk to me if there’s nothing to say. And even if there is, don’t say it. Your breath stinks, and it’s making me sick. Stay the hell away from me!"
Having said her piece, Stella felt refreshed as she turned and walked away.
The three men were left standing there, staring at each other in stunned silence.
Owen was the first to recover. He looked at Ethan and said, "If your brain isn’t working right, go back to the hospital and get it fixed before you come out again."
Then, he leisurely followed after Stella.
Joel Joyce gave a slight nod before also leaving the scene.
Only Ethan Rhodes remained. When he finally snapped out of it, he flew into a rage, cursing Stella Sterling’s name between ragged breaths.
Unfortunately, the people involved were no longer there to hear him. The more he cursed, the more frustrated he became, until he finally smashed a table full of the hotel’s dinnerware.
「Liam Hawthorne drove the Ghost smoothly, taking Owen and Stella back to Lanthos Bay.」
In the car today, it was no longer Stella secretly sizing up Owen. Instead, Owen was propping his chin on one hand, staring at Stella with an amused expression.
His gaze made her feel a little unsettled.
Owen said, "I never realized Stella was so good at cursing people out."
Stella puffed up with a bit of pride. "Ariana Grant always used to say I was terrible at arguing. She said when you’re in a fight, you just have to let loose. She even sent me some lists of insults from the internet. I just applied what I learned today. Pretty impressive, right?"
Owen nodded along. "Very impressive. You learned quickly and knew how to apply it."
After the teasing, Owen asked her, "Were you doing that on purpose tonight?"
Stella quickly understood what he meant.
’This man’s eyes are so sharp. Nothing gets past him.’
Stella nodded. "Yeah. With so many people here tonight, I figured Kiana wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity to slander me, so I was actually waiting for it. And just as I expected, she couldn’t hold back."
Owen picked up where she left off. "So you decided to play along and use tonight to draw a clear line between you and Ethan Rhodes."
Stella nodded again. "Mhm. That way, if Kiana tries to make an issue of our marriage in the future, we won’t be in such a passive position."
After she finished, Stella fell into thought again.
After thinking for a moment, her face fell as she looked at Owen. "Owen, I don’t think I did my best today." She kicked her legs in frustration. "It’s so frustrating!"
Owen couldn’t help but laugh. "Then you’ll just have to fight again next time. Stella is so smart, you’ll surely win a glorious victory."
A smile played on Owen’s lips, and his eyes were gentle when he smiled.
Stella stared into his eyes, trying to see them more clearly, and unconsciously leaned closer to him on her arms.
’There was an ocean in Owen’s eyes.’
Stella suddenly broke into a smile that could outshine the stars.
She said, "Owen, you’re indulging me a little too much. What if next time it’s really my fault?"
Owen looked at her gently, then lowered his head and took her left hand.
He gently massaged her reddened palm with his thumb. "Mrs. Rhodes, I will always be on your side, unconditionally. So do whatever you want. Don’t be afraid. If anything happens, you still have me."
The car windows were clearly closed, but Stella felt a gentle breeze blow past her ear, brushing against her heart and bringing with it a tingling sensation.
She suddenly felt light and floaty again.
In a daze, she heard Owen say, "Next time you want to hit someone, don’t use your hands. It’ll hurt. Hmm, you can kick them instead."
Stella: "..."
’She felt like Owen was enabling her bad behavior.’
’But what could she do?!’
’She loved it so much!’
’No, wait.’
’She liked it so much!’
This feeling of being so openly and unabashedly favored... even if Owen was just teasing her, it made her incredibly happy.
Stella watched as Owen massaged her palm with both his thumbs and subconsciously called out, "Owen."
Owen looked up. "What is it?"
Stella bit her lip. "There’s something I need to confess to you."
Owen sat up properly to look at her, waiting for her to continue.
"The things Ethan Rhodes gave me... I haven’t returned all of them yet. When I was abroad, I corresponded with him for ten years, and I kept those letters. It’s not that I’m holding onto the past. I was just thinking... that missing marriage contract might be tucked away inside one of those letters... I don’t want to look through them myself, but... I can give them to you to look through."