Stellar looked at the self-righteous faces in front of her and let out a cold, mocking laugh.Her icy gaze locked onto Joy."Joy, you were the one who begged me to come back to the base after I left. Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, you’re ready to toss me aside like trash?"My technical work has been flawless, but you’re using my personal life as an excuse? You’re so hypocritical it makes me sick."I want nothing more to do with this place. You don’t deserve me."With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the base.The moment she stepped outside, the reporters swarmed toward her."Miss Rivers, have you been kicked out of SA Base?" "Are you staying silent because you’re guilty?" "So, the rumors were true, then?"Stellar stared straight into the nearest camera, calm and unshaken. "What rumors? You mean those blurry, stalker-shot photos with not a shred of intimacy? That’s your proof I’m dating three men at once?"So now, a man and woman can’t even be in the same fra
Joy stepped forward with a polite, insincere smile. “Technically, I know it’s not my place to interfere, but as an outsider watching from the sidelines, I feel obligated to speak up. “You’re in charge of the Starlight Base, and I hope you’ll think carefully. Bringing someone like her in will only invite endless trouble for your team.”She was just short of pointing a finger in Stellar’s face.The engineers behind her quickly chimed in.“She’s right! Are you really willing to accept just anyone into your base? If her presence ends up dragging all your engineers down with her, don’t say we didn’t warn you.”Their tone was laced with smug satisfaction, unable to hide how much they were enjoying the spectacle.Rendell’s expression didn’t waver. “We don’t need outsiders worrying about how we run our base. If you’ve got that much free time, maybe put it toward improving your own skills.”Joy hadn’t expected him to throw the jab back at her. Instead of gratitude, he gave her a slap in the
Not long after she ran off, the paparazzo showed up at the door in a panic."Miss Shaw, what do we do now? The Ward, Sinclair, and Moore families are all suing me at once! You have to save me! I was only following your instructions!""Shut up!" Joy snapped furiously.She hadn’t expected things to spiral like this.Her original plan was to use public opinion to expose Stellar’s promiscuity, hoping the men would see her true colors and distance themselves from her.But instead, they were all willing to defend her, even at the cost of their own reputations.In the end, she had no choice but to give the paparazzo a large sum of hush money. Her voice was cold as she threatened, "Take the money, get out of the country, and hide yourself. From now on, never mention my name again. And don’t ever show up in front of me."The paparazzo took the deal and fled in a hurry....Meanwhile, Stellar returned to the Starlight Aerospace Base with Rendell and the others.At the same time, the online buzz
Panic rose in Joy’s chest as she scrambled to deny everything. “No, that’s not true. This has nothing to do with her. Stellar made it all up to make herself look better…” “Enough!” the investor on the other end cut her off, no longer willing to listen. “Let me be honest with you, Miss Shaw. We received a video today showing Stellar Rivers leading the entire aircraft modification process at your base—start to finish. “We were hoping you’d confirm it yourself, but instead, you chose to lie and smear her. This kind of behavior—taking credit for someone else’s work and misleading your partners—is completely unacceptable. “The investor board has voted unanimously to terminate all cooperation with SA Base. We’ll be reaching out to Miss Rivers directly to discuss working with her instead.” With that, the call was abruptly ended. Joy stood frozen in place, as if someone had slapped her across the face. Her expression was utterly humiliated. At the same time, news of the termina
The others nodded in agreement, rallying around Stellar.Her heart warmed at the gesture, and without hesitation, she tapped to answer the call."Stellar Rivers, you must be feeling pretty smug after stealing all my investors!" Joy’s accusatory voice burst through the speaker, laced with fury.Stellar couldn’t help but laugh. "Miss Shaw, let’s get something straight. You lost those investors because you couldn’t keep them, not because of me. “And trying to pass off my work as your own? This outcome was inevitable. You brought it on yourself.""You…!" Joy choked on her anger, momentarily speechless. Then she hissed, "Don’t get too cocky. Don’t forget, your aircraft modification technology was signed over to SA Base from the beginning. “Even if you published the paper, you’re not allowed to use it. If you do, I have every right to sue you for infringement!"The crowd around Stellar bristled with outrage. Some were even visibly worried for her.But to everyone’s surprise, she remain
Stellar’s gaze flickered. For a moment, she seriously questioned her own sanity.How had slipping on a pair of gloves sent her spiraling into such absurd thoughts?“They fit perfectly. I really like them,” Stephen said, the smile on his face deepening. “I made your favorite—grilled salmon. Want to stay for dinner?”The warmth in his smile completely threw her off. Without thinking, she nodded, only realizing what she’d done after stepping inside the house.God, she’d fallen for it again, completely swayed by his charm. Then again… his cooking was amazing. ... The recent scandal turned Stellar into an overnight sensation. Praise flooded in from all corners of the internet, and she was well on her way to becoming a national icon. But admiration always came hand-in-hand with jealousy. The brighter someone shone, the harder it was for the ones lurking in the shadows to stay silent. Soon, someone dug up her past relationship with Percy, twisted the details, and shared his cu
Something stirred in Stephen’s chest. It was the first time he’d heard her speak in that soft, almost clingy tone, like she was leaning on him. "I’ll walk you back." "Okay." They strolled side by side, exchanging idle conversation along the way. The atmosphere between them was quiet, easy—something warm and unspoken hanging in the air. ... Elsewhere— In a dim, cramped rental apartment, Percy sat crouched in the corner, staring blankly at a video playing on his phone. He watched as Stellar was surrounded because of him… and then rescued by Stephen.Guilt flickered deep in his eyes. Without warning, he raised a hand and slapped himself hard across the face. "Percy! What the hell are you doing?" A well-dressed middle-aged woman walked over, clearly startled. "I know the bankruptcy’s been tough on you, but come on. You’ve still got your father and me. You can’t just throw in the towel like this!" Before Margaret was sent to prison, she’d begged her younger sister,
Percy was knocked to the ground, but Chuck clearly didn’t think that was enough.He pinned him down and continued to pummel him.The store staff were all stunned.That evening, Stellar had dropped by to pick out a gift for a friend when she happened to witness the scene.She was speechless for a moment.Northvale really was the kind of place where one couldn’t even go shopping without stumbling into a disaster.Out of basic decency, she walked to the entrance and flagged down security. "There’s a fight inside. Please handle it."The guards immediately rushed in and pulled Percy out."Sir, are you alright?"With a bruised face and a nosebleed, Percy wiped the blood away and muttered awkwardly, "I'm fine."But the guard shook his head, then pointed not far away. "It's thanks to that lady over there. She’s the one who told us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten here in time."Following the direction of the guard’s finger, Percy caught sight of Stellar’s back just as she was turning to lea
Over the years, you changed your identity and deliberately cut ties with them to avoid being found out, living a glamorous life on your own. “If the truth gets out and everyone finds out about your background and what kind of person you really are, do you think you'll still have a place in this circle? “When that happens, my grandfather will be the first to kick you out of the family!”With those biting words, Christopher’s expression darkened, and he was left speechless.“So I suggest you know your place. Do as you’re told and stay out of things that don’t concern you. Otherwise…” Joy’s tone was sharp, thick with threat.Under pressure, Christopher finally kept quiet. Even though he was deeply unhappy with how Joy handled things, he had no choice but to turn around and leave silently.Just as he walked out, a slow round of applause came from the doorway.Joy looked up and saw a laid-back man strolling in.“Joy, you’re really getting good at this. Taming Christopher like that is like
After a round of brief introductions, everyone quickly dove into the project work.With hardly anyone dragging their feet, progress was smooth. For Stellar, things moved along efficiently. After completing the initial stage of her research, she quickly identified a direction for the next phase and decided to use a critical piece of lab equipment for the upcoming experiment.She headed to the relevant department to file a request.“Sorry, Miss Rivers, that high-grade instrument has already been reserved. We only have one available,” the staff member informed her.It didn’t come as a complete surprise.After all, it was a top-tier device, rare even on the international level. It was the world-class equipment and elite talent that drew her to this institute in the first place.“No worries,” she replied. “I’ll go check in with the lab and see if I can borrow it for a bit.”With that, she made her way to the lab and knocked on the door.“Well, well, look who it is. Isn’t this the one and
"If you dare bother us again, I’ll take you to court, and have you thrown in jail."Her words made the man freeze. He looked ready to fall to his knees. "Yes, yes—thank you, Miss Rivers! Thank you! We promise, we won’t cause any more trouble."In the end, the IOU was signed, and Cheryl, reluctantly parting with her precious savings, handed over twenty thousand dollars. Her son matched it with another twenty thousand, and only then did the family leave, utterly humiliated.Once the door shut behind them, Martha turned to her granddaughter with a heartbroken look."Stellar, I’m so sorry. This was all my fault. I never should’ve invited them over. You spent months working on that data, and now it’s gone... You let them off lightly, didn’t you? For my sake?"But Stellar just grinned, mischief twinkling in her eyes. "Grandma, you’re giving me too much credit. That file? It’s all in my head."As she spoke, she sat down, opened her laptop, and her fingers flew over the keyboard. Less than f
As soon as Stellar finished speaking, Cheryl’s legs gave out beneath her, and with a loud thud, she dropped to her knees.Only then did the weight of the situation truly hit her.She scrambled forward on hands and knees until she reached Stellar, clutching desperately at her sleeve, tears streaming down her face. "Miss Rivers, I was wrong. I swear I know I was wrong! My grandson didn’t mean to do it, he really didn’t. Please, have mercy. Don’t hold this against us!"I’m old, and there’s no way we can afford four million! I’m begging you, for the sake of my friendship with your grandmother, please let us off just this once!"Stellar’s eyes were icy, unmoved.She was about to turn to her grandmother for guidance when Martha stormed over and slapped Cheryl’s hands away."Don’t you dare touch my granddaughter with your filthy hands! How laughable. You finally realize how serious the matter is when you need to pay the four million dollars? “My granddaughter worked for months on that data,
The little brat joined right in with his grandmother, hurling insults. "You filthy woman! Seductress! You’re a liar! Dream on!"Stellar didn’t waste another word. She pulled out her phone and spoke calmly into it. "Hello, is this the police? I’d like to report a case of intentional property damage. Please send officers over immediately."With that, she hung up.Cheryl’s eyes bulged, her face flushing red with rage. "You’ve lost your mind! Calling the cops over something like this? You’re insane. We’re leaving!"She grabbed her grandson’s hand and turned to storm off only to be blocked at the door by several bodyguards."No one’s going anywhere," Stellar said coldly. "Not until the police arrive, assess the damage, and calculate the compensation. Then you can leave."A shiver ran down Cheryl’s spine.The chubby boy burst into loud sobs. "Grandma! I’m scared!"Cheryl, flustered but trying to keep her composure, cooed, "Don’t be scared, baby. They’re keeping us here against our will. Jus
"Who let him into my room?!"Stellar's voice was cold and sharp, carrying a force that made the air around her feel heavy. Even Cheryl flinched instinctively."What happened?" Martha quickly stepped in, alarmed.Only then did Cheryl snap back to herself and immediately launched into complaint. "Martha, you really need to teach your granddaughter some manners. Arguing with a child? Honestly, she’s completely out of line—no patience, no grace whatsoever..."Before she could finish, Stellar cut in, her voice like ice. "Grandma, her grandson went into my room, tore up my bed and desk, broke several pieces of my makeup, and worst of all, he corrupted an important document on my laptop.""What?" Martha’s face darkened at once. "Cheryl, how could you let this happen?"Realizing her grandson was indeed at fault, Cheryl forced a shameless smile. "Oh, come on, it’s just some makeup. He’s just a kid. He didn’t mean it. It’s not like he knew what he was doing. Can't you just let it go, for old t
So, she teased him on purpose. "Then maybe you should consider joining us at Starlight.""Are you trying to poach me?""Yep. Will you let me?"Stephen seemed to think it over for a moment, then shook his head. "Better not."Stellar knew switching bases wasn't something anyone would do on a whim—she’d only been joking. Still, hearing his firm refusal made her feel a tiny twinge of disappointment."Aren’t you going to ask why?""Hmm?" She looked up, puzzled. "Why?""Because…" Stephen looked down at her, eyes warm with amusement. "As far as I know, Starlight doesn’t allow workplace relationships. And that’s something I just can’t give up."Stellar’s heart gave a hard thump. In that moment, she finally understood what it meant to feel butterflies.This man had a way of tugging at her heartstrings with just a simple line."Ahem..." She couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips and quickly turned her head. "Well then, I guess it really is out of the question."They let the subject pass
Earlier, Martha had let Cheryl's endless bragging slide without a word.But this time, her expression turned cold in an instant."My granddaughter doesn’t need to do chores. She’s the pride of our family—born to be loved and cherished. Whatever she wants, we can give her. No one has the right to order her around."Cheryl was taken aback, stunned into silence for a moment before snapping back, "What man would want a wife who can’t even handle basic housework? I’m saying this for her own good! Aren’t you worried she won’t be able to get married?""Then she won’t," Martha replied without hesitation."If she stays with us for the rest of her life, so be it. We’re more than capable of taking care of her."Cheryl fumed, feeling like her good intentions had been thrown back in her face."Grandma, I want a drink! And snacks!"The chubby boy came running back, flushed and sweaty after tearing through the house.Cheryl dropped the argument instantly, her focus back on her grandson."Alright, alri
Martha and Stellar shared a helpless glance before finally giving in with a quiet nod.They drove Cheryl over to the preschool together.All the way there, Cheryl kept bragging nonstop. "This preschool? It’s the top bilingual academy in the area. All the language teachers are brought in from overseas! Tuition alone runs around four or six grand a year. “My son really values his kid’s education, so he’s giving him the absolute best. It’s like pouring money down the drain, but thankfully, he makes enough to support the family. “He even bought a house here and paid four hundred thousand dollars without blinking."The more she talked, the prouder she sounded, completely unaware that the car she was riding in was worth far more than that.Stellar’s ears were practically going numb from the constant boasting. But out of respect for her elder, she held her tongue and didn’t interrupt.When Cheryl finally ran out of things to say and noticed the lack of praise from her audience, she turn