Adam took a brief pause and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "What do you think R&E stands for in the company's name?"
He looked deeply in her eyes before he answered his own question. "It stands for Rosaline and Ethan."
"Rosaline and Ethan? As in my parents' name?" Stella asked him as she gazed into his eyes.
Adam heaved out a sigh as he saw a number of questions bubbling up in her eyes. He could tell that she wanted to ask them, but at the same time she was hesitating, afraid of what could be the answers to them. Adam pulled her closer to himself and held her in between his arms.
Stella let him do that as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She needed his support as much as he needed her warmth to carry on. She could tell that it was hard for him as well. Little did she know, it wasn't hard for him to talk about it, but rather he was worried about how hard this might be for her.
Taking in a deep breath, Adam started to speak once again. "Dad, I mean your father changed the company's name from Martin Group of Companies to what it is today when he married Mom."
Stella was shocked to hear how affectionately and fluently he called her parents, as if they were his own.
"But something happened when you were born. Something which scared them enough to leave everything here and move out of the city, that too without informing the people they held to themselves, like my Dad and Uncle Liam. The"
"What was it that scared them off?" Adam heard her ask, her lips moving against his neck, her words, a mere muffled sound.
"I don't know. I tried to find it, but I really don't know. Blake is still on it." He replied to her before continuing with the explanation.
"He transferred all of his and Mom's shares under your name and left the city. They went completely under the radar. Even Dad and Uncle Liam couldn't find them all these years. They only news they ever received was about their death. And even that was by chance. One of Dad's or Uncle Liam's men was present at the site after the accident happened." He explained it to her slowly.
"After they passed away, your guardian was supposed to look after you, but that greedy man paid a family to act as your family just so he could continue controlling you shares." He continued as he tightened his hold around her.
"That man was none other than the James Brighton you met that day. He took over the empire that belongs to you rightfully. Because of his avidity, he made you live with some strangers, making you think they were your family. You were supposed to live your life like a princess, your demands were supposed to be fulfilled as soon as the words left your mouth. But because of his avariciousness, you had to work hard for everything in your life." His hold around her were getting tighter with every sentence that left his lips.
Stella could feel the anger that was building up inside him.
"There's no way I will let that man live peacefully. I will ruin him. I will strip him off everything he holds dear to himself, starting with his money." Adam shifted his gaze towards the lady who was sitting across him with her legs crossing over.
Cecilia heard everything he had said, yet there was no change in her calm expressions. She gazed back into Adam's eyes which were burning with rage. A smile crept over he face as her eyes glinted under the warm lighting of the living room.
"Don't look at me like that, kid. I don't have an ounce of sympathy towards my husband. The only thing which made me stay by his side for so long was her. I would have left him the moment my son turned sixteen if it wasn't for her." She said, pointing towards Stella who finally looked up and remembered that they weren't alone.
"I was worried sick when Ethan disappeared out of nowhere, along with Rosaline and you, my child. That idiot didn't even bother telling me what was the problem. I could have helped him with whatever it was. My husband didn't even tell me about it either, though I think he knew about this before your parents actually left. There was no way the handover would have been possible without it. But he didn't bother telling me beforehand either. The only thing that asshole cares about is money." She took a brief pause before she continued.
"I started an investigation of my own about their disappearance, but it was too late when I found out their location. I had my doubts when you didn't come to love with us after their departure from this world. But my dear husband, covered his tracks all too well. But at least your father wasn't stupid enough to just give him the shares and trust him with it. He could only control them when it comes to voting until you could do so, they are still under your name. All he got after all these years from them was some profit. He did try to sell them off but only Stella Martin could do so. Now all you need is a bunch of good lawyers and you are good to go. Unless, you want to play with the mouse for a little while." She winked at Adam.
"Looks like you aren't a fan of him either." Adam made a sarcastic remark.
"You are lucky to live in today's world where you could marry for love my boy. Marriage was easy for both of your parents because they belonged to the same class and had the same status in society, fortunately. For me, I couldn't marry the guy I actually liked then just because he wasn't some rich heir." She chuckled at the end as if pitying herself.
"I am sorry to hear that." It was Stella who spoke up. She could understand how she felt. Even imagining leaving Adam just because they didn't belong to the same class and didn't have the same status in society, brought an immense pain to her heart.
As if feeling her worry, Adam rubbed her back. "It's alright."
"Can you please ask someone to bring me a half of water?" Cecilia asked, looking at Stella who nodded.
Stella wiped her tears which had somehow escaped her eyes during all these revelations before getting out of Adam's embrace. "I will ask a maid." She spoke up before making her way out of the living room.