Chapter 0008

Emily had gone back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Stella remained on the sofa, thinking about what Emily had said.

"Ding... Dong..."

Suddenly, the sound of her phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts. Without checking the caller ID, she answered it.

"Stella..."

A familiar yet distant voice came out of the other end of the phone.

It was her father, David Richard.

Stella's grip on the phone tightened. She wasn’t sure how to feel. It had been nine years since she last heard this voice.

Throughout her three-year marriage to RK, her father had never once called or visited.

Even after her divorce, when she moved to France for six years, he never reached out to ask about her well-being.

If not for this unexpected call, she would have almost thought that he forgot that he had a daughter like her. She also almost forgot she had another family other than her son.

Yet today, out of the blue, he called.

"I heard you’re back. Come out and let’s have dinner,"

Stella’s emotions were a tangled mess. "Dad, I am busy today. Let’s meet another time."

"I just saw you go upstairs. I’m waiting downstairs."

Stella didn't know what to do.

*****

At the restaurant...

Stella accompanied David Richard to the restaurant. As for how he knew that she was already back and where she lived, no one knew...

Once seated, David ordered a variety of food.

But when they were waiting, the atmosphere around them was very quiet..

Though they were father and daughter, they felt more like strangers.

After a while, David broke the silence.

"Stella, I heard from your sister that she saw you in the company. I had not thought that you will come back from France..."

"Had not thought...?"

Stella looked at the person in front of her calmly.

How much did he not want her to come back?

Suddenly looking at her father whom she had not seen for nine years... A mocking smile appeared on her lips.

She just lowered her head, saying nothing.

The waiter arrived with their food, breaking the tension momentarily.

"When I was waiting downstairs, I noticed you had a child with you. Who is that child?" David asked, his words so meaningful...

Stella’s hand froze on her spoon.

Stella had always protected Adrian and not many people knew about him in the X city, nor did she want anyone let know...

After all, she had given birth to him in secret, against the wishes of both the Kingston and Richard families.

So, how could she let them know about her baby, she didn't want them to hurt her precious son at all.

"Dad,"

Stella put down the spoon and her tone turned cold, "You haven’t asked how I’ve been abroad all these years, and yet the first thing you do is to ask questions?"

There was a sharp edge of mockery in her voice.

He kept asking her why she had come back and who the child was. Such a meaningful question, she was sure they had hidden danger in the future.

That's why her face turned cold and she made clear her stand.

David also realized that he had asked something wrong and quickly backtracked.

"Look I am getting old, and my words don’t always come out right. How have you been? You left without telling me—I didn’t know where to look for you."

"Did he even look?" Stella thought, her eyes narrowing.

"And Stella, you know your sister is going to marry Rene. I think it would be best if you don’t meet her. If you don’t want to go back to France and plan to stay here, why not work for me at the family company? Don’t you agree?"

"Dad, whether I stay or go is my decision. You don’t need to worry about it or make arrangements for me."