Upon hearing her words, Owen’s arms tightened around Stella.
He could feel her hands clutching his clothes at his back, and the subtle tremors running through her body.
’He never should have left with Ethan Rhodes!’
Owen’s eyes filled with pain and self-reproach. He made a conscious effort to keep his voice gentle as he spoke.
"What did Ms. Jennings say to you?"
Stella shook her head against his chest, remaining silent.
Since she didn’t want to talk about it, Owen didn’t press. He just held her quietly, gently patting her back to comfort her.
After a moment, Owen felt a patch of unnatural warmth and dampness on his chest.
He paused. His thumb gently grazed Stella’s cheek, coming away wet.
Owen’s brow furrowed unconsciously. With a firm grip on her waist, he lifted Stella, settling her directly onto his lap.
The sudden change in position forced Stella to lift her head.
Her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering as if touched by a spring rain, brought a glisten to her otherwise still pupils.
Owen had no intention of interrupting her tears, and he immediately pulled her back into his embrace.
His large hand gently patted her back. "You can borrow my shoulder. Go ahead and cry if you want to."
His actions broke the spell, and Stella’s wave of emotion was cut short.
She wasn’t quite used to being this close to him so suddenly.
But she felt awful, overcome with an indescribable exhaustion. She didn’t have the energy to move, so she didn’t resist.
Owen’s shoulders were broad. Stella stopped crying and simply rested her head on his shoulder, silently watching the scenery flash past the window until she drifted off to sleep.
Liam Hawthorne parked the car at the entrance of the Lanthos Bay villa.
The car door opened. Owen pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before cupping Stella’s bottom to lift her out of the car. Once he was upright, he shifted her into a bridal carry.
Owen shot a look to the side. Liam Hawthorne understood and came over, asking in a low voice, "President Rhodes, is there—"
"Quieter," Owen said, his voice a low whisper.
"..."
’How much quieter am I supposed to be?’
In the end, Liam listened as his boss issued commands in a near-silent, breathy whisper.
"Have Quinn Lawson keep an eye on things. If Ethan Rhodes hasn’t landed in Veridia by midnight tonight, have him notify Evan Rhodes to go over."
"Understood, President Rhodes."
"Of the projects Chase Sterling is pursuing, only keep the one with Innovire. Reject the others directly."
Innovire’s new energy vehicle project was the one Chase Sterling had previously valued so highly. He had even missed Kiana Sterling’s engagement party just to have dinner with their CEO.
"Understood, President Rhodes."
"On the matter of Joel Joyce, get me the investigation results as soon as possible."
"Understood, President Rhodes."
Once Owen finished giving his orders and walked off with Stella in his arms, Liam finally gave in and rubbed his ear, which was tingling from the constant stream of his boss’s breathy whispers.
By now, the sky had darkened.
When Owen carried Stella into the bedroom, he didn’t turn on the lights, using the last bit of light before nightfall to make his way inside.
The curtains slowly closed via remote control. As Owen placed Stella on the bed, she groggily opened her eyes.
The sudden plunge into darkness made her shudder for no reason, and her limp arms instinctively tightened around Owen’s waist.
With a soft CLICK, Owen turned on the small bedside lamp.
A warm, soft yellow light slowly filled Stella’s vision, and her tense body finally relaxed.
Owen then lay down fully clothed and pulled her into his arms. "If you don’t feel well, sleep a little longer."
Stella didn’t answer, burying her head in his chest as she tried to wake up.
After a while, she said in a small voice, "I’m not sleepy anymore."
Owen asked her naturally, "Are you feeling a little better?"
Stella felt the weight in her chest hadn’t lifted.
The head nestled against him shook from side to side.
That meant no.
Owen then asked her, "Is there anything else you want to do? It’s time for dinner, but if you don’t want to eat, we don’t have to. We can do something you want to do."
Right now, Stella was like a wind-up doll that was half a beat slow.
After Owen finished asking, he didn’t hear an immediate reply.
He wasn’t in a hurry. He just continued to gently pat Stella’s back while he waited.
After a long while, he finally heard Stella say, "Owen, I want a drink."
Stella poked her head out of his embrace. "You said I couldn’t drink outside, but I could drink at home."
Owen corrected her. "I didn’t say you couldn’t drink outside. I just reminded you to drink less when you’re out because it’s not safe to drink too much. What do you want? How about beer?"
They actually had all kinds of alcohol at home, but she hadn’t drunk much before, so some beer should be enough.
She was in a bad mood and wanted to try drowning her sorrows. He could allow that.
Stella hadn’t really thought it through. She simply took Owen at his word and nodded obediently.
Owen rubbed her head again. "You rest for a bit. I’ll ask Tate to make a couple of dishes to go with the drinks."
Half an hour later, the drinks and snacks were ready.
On the third floor, there was a room with a terrace, half of which had been enclosed with tempered glass and sliding doors.
The night sky was clear tonight. The Lanthos Bay area was far from the city’s light pollution, so you could see a sky full of stars.
This room had already been decorated by Stella. Her easel and a small round stool were in the center, and an all-blue oil painting hung on the wall.
All blue, but more than just one kind of blue.
A kaleidoscope of blues—the shades were delicate, the transitions seamless.
Near the glass-enclosed area, Stella had placed a three-tiered shelf, on which were all sorts of succulents.
The three tiers were filled with tiny, adorable pots.
Owen placed a small coffee table in the glass-enclosed area. On the table were several cans of beer and three plates of snacks.
Knowing they hadn’t eaten dinner, Tate had made smashed cucumber salad, stir-fried celery with cashews, and pan-fried shrimp and broccoli with black pepper.
The coffee table was low, so Owen grabbed two floor cushions, and he and Stella sat directly on the ground.
PSSSH—
He cracked open a can of beer and handed it to her. Stella took it. "I’m sorry about your car. It got wrecked."
Owen opened another for himself, clinked it against hers, and took a sip before saying, "You weren’t the one who crashed it; someone crashed into you. No need to apologize. Besides, if it weren’t for that crash today, I might not have even known you were in trouble."
"Hmm?" Stella was confused.
"The car’s system sent me an alert about the accident. I tracked its location and saw it had stopped at the Sterling residence."
Only then did Stella understand. No wonder he had arrived so quickly.
Owen took another sip, then turned to look at Stella and said, "Stella, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said about divorce today. Don’t take it to heart."
Stella was taken aback, not expecting him to still be thinking about that.
He had already apologized so formally at the time.
"If we’re talking about that, I was the one who brought up divorce first."
"No," Owen said very seriously. "You were forced to mention divorce; you never really meant it. But at that moment, I was genuinely considering it as an option. I failed to consider your feelings. I’m sorry."