Stephen raised a brow."Nothing much. I just had a chat with Stellar about yesterday and helped her get rid of a particularly persistent nuisance."His tone was casual, but there was an unmistakable hint of smugness beneath it.To Shane, it was downright irritating.He was convinced Stephen was taking a jab at him on purpose, and it nearly sent his blood pressure through the roof.With a sharp movement, he got up, strode over to Stephen’s desk, and slapped a thick stack of documents down in front of him."These projects are all yours. I’m heading overseas for a few days. Don’t bother me unless it’s urgent."With that, he turned on his heel, ready to leave."Where to?" Stephen asked lazily.Shane’s lips twitched before he forced out a tight-lipped response. "To Ashfield for recovery."He had expected at least a few words of sympathy, maybe even an attempt to make him stay.Instead, Stephen simply lifted a brow and waved him off."Take your time. I’ll handle the Riverside project in the
The incident dealt a heavy blow to the Harlow family. Stock prices plummeted, and the company was in complete chaos. Jerome had been running around from morning till night, overwhelmed and exhausted. To make matters worse, his wife kept clinging to him, begging desperately. "Darling, it's been so long already. You have to think of a way to get Yvonne out of there!" "What can I possibly do?!" Jerome slammed the table in frustration, his face dark with anger. "Who knew she would do something so foolish? And now, look at what happened. Stellar is the true heiress of the Rivers family. “Of all people to offend, she just had to go after them! Do you really think the Rivers family will let this slide?" The moment he found out Stellar was actually the Rivers family's daughter, regret nearly consumed him. If he had known earlier, he would have played it smart—kept her in the family and let her grow up under their roof. It was just another mouth to feed, nothing more. And i
"That's impossible! She's just some nobody from the countryside! Just because she has the last name Rivers, she thinks she can claim ties to the Rivers family in Southport? “What a joke—this has to be fake. She’s putting on an act!" "It’s real." This time, even Pauline spoke up. "Her biological uncle, the head of the Rivers family, personally came forward to support her. His identity is beyond question." At that moment, Yvonne's expression twisted with rage. She muttered under her breath, "That bitch… Why does she get so lucky? She’s nothing but a fraud, a fake heiress! “She should have spent her life beneath me! If I had known, I would’ve made sure she never made it out of those mountains alive…" She clenched her teeth in hatred. Pauline’s eyes widened in disbelief as a chill ran down her spine. "Yvonne… what did you just say?" Her voice was dry, almost trembling. Yvonne snapped, her voice shrill and hysterical. "I said she shouldn’t have just been kidnapped and v
The next day, after spending most of her time at the research institute, it was finally time for her meeting with Stephen. With the prepared documents in hand, Stellar headed to their agreed location. Pushing open the door, she was surprised to find herself in an underwater restaurant. A domed ceiling arched overhead, and curved glass walls surrounded the space, allowing the deep blue sea to stretch out before her. Sea turtles, whales, flounders, and countless other fish she couldn’t name drifted effortlessly above her, creating a mesmerizing, dreamlike scene. It felt as if she had stepped into an entirely different world beneath the ocean, leaving her momentarily spellbound. "You really do like it." A deep, magnetic voice rang out from nearby. Turning her head, Stellar met Stephen’s gaze—dark, steady, and unreadable. In that instant, she recalled the message he had sent the night before, casually asking if she liked the ocean and marine life. At the time, she hadn’t
Stellar was momentarily confused. "Who else do you think I should’ve invited?" Suzy’s eyes flickered mischievously before she cleared her throat. "Well… your uncle rarely comes to visit. You can’t just enjoy yourself and forget to entertain your elders, right?" Stellar was confused. She studied Suzy’s expression for a moment before suddenly sucking in a sharp breath. "Wait a minute, you’re not saying you have a thing for my uncle, are you? You want to be my aunt?" Caught red-handed, Suzy didn’t even bother pretending to be embarrassed. Instead, she shamelessly admitted it. "Come on, you know your uncle is ridiculously handsome. And you know me—when I see a good-looking man, I can’t help but be tempted. So… are you calling him or not?" She even threw in a playful pout at the end. Watching a woman as stunning and seductive as Suzy act coy sent a wave of chills down Stellar’s spine. "Alright, alright," she relented quickly. "I’ll call him, but I’m not guaranteeing a
In the past, Percy would never have allowed Stellar to step foot in a place like this. And back then, she had always been obedient, never doing anything that displeased him. But look at her now—without him, she had completely changed. Was this who she really was all along? The thought only made his expression darken further. Stellar frowned in disgust at his words. "Do yourself a favor and watch your mouth. You wouldn’t want to stink up the place." She used to think his overbearing possessiveness was a form of love. Looking back now, it was nothing more than his own narrow-minded, self-righteous arrogance. And now that they had nothing to do with each other, what right did he have to interfere? Percy was seething. Beside him, Chris finally spoke up, unable to stay quiet any longer. "Come on, Stellar, don’t be ungrateful. Percy still cares enough to keep you in check. You should be thanking him and getting back where you belong." His tone was laced with condescens
His sharp and well-defined features carried an air of nonchalance, and the small tuft of hair at the end only added to his unique charm rather than appearing feminine. She couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. "Wow, where did this stunning man come from? In terms of looks, he completely outshines your ex by ten streets, Stellar! You two are a perfect match!" That one simple remark stabbed straight into Percy’s chest. It felt as if blood was gushing from the wound. He was so furious that his vision swam, nearly making him pass out. But Stellar ignored him completely. "Let’s go. Drinks are on me." The three of them laughed and chatted as they walked away, leaving Percy behind. Only after they were out of his sight did Stellar drop her playful facade and turn to Keith with a serious expression. "Mr. Sinclair, I really appreciate you stepping in back there." She had seen Keith before when she was with Percy and knew the two of them never got along. That was why she as
"I think she’s changed. She won’t respond to pressure anymore. You need to show real sincerity if you want even the slightest chance of winning her back.""You think I haven’t tried? I’ve bought her flowers, jewelry—everything."Percy’s glare was sharp as a knife. "Don’t waste my time with useless advice."Chris shuddered but forced himself to continue."If you’re going to give her something, make sure it actually matters to her. Think about what she used to want and really cared about. You need to hit the mark…"Percy fell into deep thought.His gaze drifted back to Stellar’s side of the room—just in time to see Keith raising his glass at him with a smug, taunting look.His blood boiled. Grabbing a bottle of liquor, he tilted it back and took a long swig.He swore that no matter what it took, he would find a way to get Stellar back.…Meanwhile, the alcohol was starting to hit Stellar, warmth creeping up her face as a rosy flush spread across her cheeks."I’m done drinking," she mutte
Stellar found the whole thing baffling. She didn’t even know why the other party hated her so much.Still, after this incident, she realized she'd been far too nice to Joy.After retrieving the blueprint, she knocked on the team leader’s office door.Lucien wasn’t surprised to see her and even invited her to sit.But Stellar stood straight and got straight to the point. "Mr. Song, I want to report Joy."She stole my blueprint and, along with Christopher Sung, forcibly occupied Lab 1. They refused to let me in to use the equipment, which seriously disrupted my research. I hope you'll look into this."Lucien raised an eyebrow as he listened. The light in his blue eyes flickered, and he spoke lazily, "Oh? And why would you think I’d offend Mr. Shaw’s granddaughter and his favorite student just for you?""Because to me, this is a place for research. Everyone came here with a dream, hoping to contribute to the country. Who someone is doesn’t matter."Stellar's tone was calm and firm. "If y
Joy was quietly reveling in her triumph.With the tide so clearly turned in her favor, Stellar’s team was seething with frustration.But Stellar simply let out a soft laugh, then spoke with calm poise. "I may not have signed my name on the blueprint, but unfortunately for you, Miss Joy, while I was drawing it, my fountain pen accidentally left a blot of ink on the back."She flipped the original blueprint over. Sure enough, there was a dark ink stain on the back.A flicker of panic flashed across Joy’s face, but she quickly recovered and snapped, "That blot came from my pen. You probably saw it earlier and decided to claim it as yours."That seemed plausible enough, and the crowd began to murmur in agreement.But Stellar let out a sharp chuckle. "Ah, I forgot to mention that this isn’t just any ink. The one I used has a distinct scent of lavender. You’re welcome to smell it yourselves."A few people stepped closer out of curiosity, leaned in, and took a sniff."It really does smell
Did she have no idea just how powerful his background was?Or maybe she knew and still didn’t care.The thought only piqued Evan’s interest. He leaned in, smirking, and kept pushing. "And what makes you so sure I took your blueprint? Got any proof?"Stellar’s expression darkened.Just then, Joy walked over, arms full of documents. "Stellar, can you stop making a scene? You couldn’t come up with a proper design, so now you're blaming others? Aren’t you embarrassed?"Having been outshone by Stellar time and again, Joy had been quietly stewing in resentment. Now that the tables seemed to turn, she seized the chance to mock her, eager to see her humiliated in front of everyone.Sure enough, the commotion drew a small crowd from the institute, curious to watch the drama unfold.But those sneering and skeptical glances didn’t faze Stellar one bit.She turned to Joy with a cold stare.Then something on the back of the blueprint Joy was holding caught her eye. Her gaze sharpened instantl
The very next second…“Pfft…”Someone couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.A ripple of muffled chuckles spread through the room.Stellar froze, bewildered, and turned to look at the projector screen, only to see an enormous turtle displayed across it.She stood there, stunned."Miss Rivers, if you're having trouble with the design, no one’s going to mock you," Joy seized the moment to attack. "But what’s with the turtle? Are you trying to be funny, or do you just not take the project seriously?"Stellar quickly snapped out of it and responded, "This isn’t my drawing."Joy arched a brow, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "Oh? Then what? Did I draw it?""Yeah, Miss Rivers, are we supposed to believe you’re playing some elaborate prank on all of us?""Is this what genius arrogance looks like?"Just when people had finally begun warming up to her, it all crumbled in an instant. Voices chimed in one after another, mocking and skeptical.Stellar’s expression darkened. She knew someone
She denied it three times, but Stellar still looked suspicious. That man's voice on the phone sounded oddly familiar.But seeing she clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Stellar didn’t pry. She wasn’t the type to dig into other people’s business. "Alright then, I won’t ask about yours, so you better not ask about mine."Lilian quickly nodded. A mutual understanding was reached.That afternoon, they resumed work on the new project, which involved the latest aerospace technology design and development.After two solid hours of work, Stellar finally took a short break and headed to the break room with the team for some water.They had just stepped out when a figure entered from outside.Evan walked in, his expression dark, clearly in a foul mood.These days, he’d finally managed to be in the same research institute as Joy. He’d gone out of his way to shower her with kindness, offering her everything he thought was good. But she didn’t appreciate it at all.In fact, she told him to
There was still no reply from the other side, so Stellar set her phone aside and headed to the bathroom to wash up. When she came back, she watched a movie for a while.Only then did she pick up her phone again and unlock the screen.But there was still no reply from Stephen.A faint sense of disappointment crept in. She turned off the light, lay down, and placed her phone on the nightstand, ready to sleep.Just then, the screen lit up.A flicker of joy surged in her chest. She quickly grabbed the phone and tapped to check it, only to find it was a spam advertisement.Stellar’s forehead twitched. She nearly swore out loud. "They keep sending me this junk. I'm filing a complaint tomorrow!"The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. But just then, another message popped up.“I just finished work. Still up?”“I just got back my phone. Sorry, I’ll keep it on me next time.”“Did you eat, rest, and take care of yourself properly?”Stephen’s message came like rain in a drought.I
It took Stellar a moment before she finally spoke, disbelief lacing her voice. “Wait, doesn’t that mean she basically admitted to covering up crimes? Isn’t that illegal too?”“Exactly, but I guess she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. She kept insisting it was all Tori’s doing—that she and her son were innocent.”Suzy let out a snort. “I’ve never seen anyone exposing their own son’s crimes on camera and dragging themselves down with him. “No wonder Eddie turned out the way he did. With a mom like that cheering him on, it’s no surprise he grew up thinking he could do whatever he wanted. “The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.”Stellar felt a wave of complicated emotion. The woman she remembered to be gentle, kind, and full of warmth suddenly appeared like a total stranger.Had it all been an act?She let out a soft sigh.Suzy must have picked up on her silence, because her voice turned more soothing. “Stellar, don’t let this weigh on you. That mother and son duo were hid
“I just came back to grab a file,” Claude said, his tone laced with suspicion. “I thought I heard you talking to someone just now?”“Nope!” Stellar answered quickly, not daring to admit the truth.Claude studied her for a moment, then his expression eased. “Stellar, I’m not against you dating, Just remember, men are mostly just entertainment. Don't get too serious. If it starts going south, cut your losses and move on. The Rivers family will always have your back.”Stellar twitched at the corner of her mouth and thought, “Uncle Claude, are you seriously telling me to be a heartbreaker?”“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” she said hesitantly.“Why not? Your happiness is what matters most. If anyone makes you uncomfortable, kick them to the curb. Simple as that. “Of course, we’ll also keep an eye on things and make sure no one messes with you.”There was a sharp glint of calculation in Claude’s eyes.Stellar could only offer a wry smile.She hadn’t even started dating yet, and even
Stephen let out a quiet sigh and turned, ready to leave.“Do you like Stellar?” A sweet voice chimed in beside him.Xavier turned in surprise, puzzled as he looked at the young woman. “You are…?”“I’m Stellar’s friend, Lilian Yates.”She was supposed to be in the gallery that day, but a last-minute delay with her project caused her to arrive just in time to catch the end of the scene.And what she saw in Xavier’s eyes that were filled with admiration, reluctance, and a trace of sorrow, she knew Xavier had feelings for Stellar.“I…” Xavier was caught off guard, unsure how to respond.Lilian cut him off with a grin. “You’re the legendary attorney she always talks about, right? Perfect. I was wondering if I can ask you for a favor?”“What kind of favor?” he asked, instinctively curious.She leaned in and whispered something in his ear, her voice barely audible. When she pulled back, she added softly, “But you have to promise to keep it between us.”Xavier paused, considered it, then nod