Liam took a brief pause before continuing. "But there was no one at their place, not even their servants and maids."
Stella was already shivering by now, her eyes brimmed red with unshed tears. Adam picked her up, settling her down on his lap.
Stella wrapped her arms around Adam's back tightly, her face resting in the crook of his neck.
Liam looked at the girl and couldn't help but heaved out a tired sigh.
"We did try contacting them but couldn't. Their phones were switched off. We utilized all of our manforce, but still it was all in vain. It wasn't until a few years back when I was finally able to locate them. But I was too late. I tried looking for their daughter as the report only stated about them dying in the accident. But I had no luck. It wasn't until you walked into the mansion with Adam." He sipped his coffee as his lips curled up in a faint smile.
"You exactly look like Rosaline, except for your eyes. You have Ethan's eyes." He continued.
"I know that." Stella replied, looking at him as her lips curled up in a sad smile.
"Moving on! They left all of their businesses and the mansion to Ethan's second cousin. He was asked to look after it until you are able to take it over." Blake added.
"But I don't remember my uncle being this rich." Stella interrupted him with a confused look on her face. "They were well off but not that much."
"Ohh! That piece of bullshit wasn't actually your paternal uncle. He wasn't even related to you by blood. Your real paternal uncle, the one who was supposed to look after you, just hired him to act like one. The fake uncle's entire family knew of this arrangement." Blake replied.
Stella's eyes widened in shock. 'No wonder they treated me like that.'
"And your parents probably left a fortune for you as well, but I guess they used it for themselves." It was Liam who who spoke up this time.
"So you are trying to say that my paternal uncle, my Dad's second cousin, is actually an asshole." Stella summed all of it up.
"And your Dad was a bigger one for trusting him. He could have asked us and we would have helped him. But that rascal didn't want to trouble us." Liam replied.
"Stella? We think that someone was after them. That is why they left everything here and left the city." Blake added looking at Adam who nodded at him.
"And we also think that the same person is after you now." He continued after having Adam's permission.
"W-WHAT?" Stella couldn't comprehend what he was trying to say.
"Do you remember what happened at your apartment?" Blake asked her to which she bobbed her head up and down.
"It wasn't a normal break in. Why do you think the person didn't take anything from your place?" He continued.
"That is why I was so persistent about making you stay here with me." Adam, who was sitting quietly all this while, finally spoke up. "I needed you to be within my sight for my heart to be at ease. You stole it the first time you entered my office." He continued, pressing a lingering kiss on her forehead.
His words and actions made Stella feel guilty and she hugged him tighter.
As if sensing the change in her emotions, Adam chuckled, kissing the top of her head one more time.
"We don't know who exactly our enemy is, but we will start with that crappy uncle of yours. How dare he to sell your family heirloom?" Blake was seething in anger.
"We will always protect you Stella. No matter what it takes us to make sure that you are fine." Adam spoke up as he held her in place, close to his heart.
"And everything which was supposed to be rightfully yours, will be yours once again." He continued.
Liam and Blake nodded in agreement.
Stella felt a warmth spreading through her chest. 'This is home. This is family.' She thought to herself.
"And I will help in training you." Lillian finally decided to open her mouth, making the other three men lose their calm.
"No way."
"No!"
"Not gonna happen on my watch."
All the three men spoke up at the same time, making Stella laugh and Lillian roll her eyes.
"She needs to know how to protect herself." Lillian wasn't going to give in so easily. If she had made up her mind about something, then there's no way she is backing out. She will have it, one way or another.
"You guys know that she is right." Stella interrupted before they could even start arguing over it.
"The girl said it herself. So, it's decided that I'll come over weekends to train you. The rest of the week you can just exercise with Adam daily in the morning." Lillian added with a pleased expression on her face.
And just like that, it was decided that Stella will be trained by the best subordinate that Blake had.