Chapter 4

"Morning, Babe!" Elizabeth chirped as she spotted Charles in the kitchen, sipping his coffee.

Charles' expression soured at the sight of his ex-girlfriend. He glanced around, wondering if she had gotten mixed up and ended up in the wrong house.

"I stayed over last night with Sophie. You wanted some quiet, so I didn't bother you," she explained, a smile on her face.

"Take a seat."

Elizabeth quickly sat down beside him. With Stella out of the picture, she felt elated to be able to sit with Charles at the table every morning. Her heart swelled with happiness, believing that Charles was hers once more.

"Marimar, wake Stella up for breakfast."

Elizabeth's hand froze in mid-air, disbelief written across her face as she processed Charles' words.

"Sir, Ms. Miranda hasn't come back since yesterday," Marimar said tentatively.

Despite their strained relationship, it was unheard of for Stella to miss meals with Charles when he was home.

Charles dropped his fork and glared at Marimar.

"Don't be mad at Marimar. Stella left in a hurry yesterday, all excited to be with her new guy," Elizabeth jumped to Marimar's defense.

Charles clenched his fist, pushing his breakfast aside, and marched straight to Stella's room. He recalled Daniel mentioning Stella leaving with just a small bag.

"Charles, what are you doing here?" Sophie asked when she found him in Stella's room.

Ignoring Sophie's question, Charles rifled through Stella's drawers, a wave of relief washing over him as he saw her stuff still there.

"Charles, I'll get Marimar to pack your stuff so we can go together."

"Don't bother touching my things. Once you and Elizabeth finish eating, you can leave."

Sophie stared at Charles, taken aback. "But you gave this house to Stella. You should leave too."

"We still need to talk, so I'll wait for her to come back. No more questions; I've got a lot on my plate."

Annoyed, Sophie turned away. Charles was distant once more, and she knew better than to push him when he was in this mood. She couldn't understand his sudden concern for Stella.

"Just leave him be. The main thing is Stella's out of here," Magda comforted Sophie and Elizabeth as Sophie vented her frustrations.

"Magda's got a point. Let's go celebrate some more outside," Elizabeth proposed cheerfully.

Marimar felt perplexed, unsure of what to do. It appeared that Charles wouldn't budge until Stella came back, leaving her unable to touch Stella's belongings, despite them having been given to her.

A day went by, but Stella still hadn't shown up. Charles, frustrated, instructed his men to search for her.

"I don't think she's planning on coming back," Daniel remarked. He was there for Charles to sign some documents.

Charles shot him a glare. "Her stuff is all still in the room."

"Are you concerned she's left without anything, nowhere to go?" Daniel probed.

"I just don't want Grandpa to catch wind of this," Charles replied.

Daniel gave a slight smile. He wanted to ask if that was the only reason, but he knew Charles' patience was wearing thin, and he didn't want to risk provoking his anger.

"Well, my work here is done. If you need anything, just give me a call."

Charles nodded, instructing Marimar to see Daniel out. Once his friend departed, he picked up his phone and attempted to reach Stella once more, but she remained unreachable.

"Sir, Roy is here," Marimar announced.

Charles stretched his back, anticipating Roy's approach with news of Stella's whereabouts.

"Sir, I found the taxi driver who drove Ms. Miranda. He said he took her to the hospital, but there's no record of her being admitted there."

"What? Hospital? Why? What's wrong?" Charles demanded, his agitation evident.

Roy scratched his head, puzzled by his boss's intense reaction. Charles cut him off before he could finish explaining.

"Where is she now?" Charles stood up, ready to leave.

"We couldn't locate her at the hospital. And her name isn't on the patient list," Roy reported.

Charles' expression darkened as he sank back into his seat. "Find out where she is and bring her back before Grandpa learns about the divorce."

Roy nodded. Though his boss seemed cold, he was undoubtedly driven by his desire to avoid disappointing his grandfather.

***

"Mr. McWell is here," Alex told Stella, who was lying in bed. She was not allowed to move, so she spent most of her time resting.

Stella sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid her family any longer. When the door creaked open, her father, Lauro McWell, stepped in, his face shadowed with anger.

"Why do you let them treat you like this? I didn't raise you to be mistreated by anyone!" Lauro's voice boomed, filling the room.

Stella shut her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by her father's anger. If those responsible were there, he would have given them a piece of his mind.

"Dad, I'm okay. Let me deal with it when I'm stronger," she pleaded, still keeping her eyes closed, hoping to calm him down.

"No way! Do you still love that guy after what he did to you?" Lauro's voice rose in anger at his daughter. "Do you really think your grandpa won't find out?"

Stella's eyes shot open, anxiety gripping her. "Dad, please don't—"

"Too late," Lauro cut in. "He already knows you're here."

Stella's shoulders slumped as she worried about the child growing inside her.

"I can't change what's happening now. I've tried everything to keep him from finding out about the guy you love," Lauro added.

Stella pressed her lips together, trying to calm herself. Whenever she got anxious, her stomach would ache. Her baby felt every emotion she did.

"He's coming, and I can't hide you anymore."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her stomach. Her grandpa's anger was scary, and he might demand she get rid of the baby. Moments later, the door creaked open again.

The room fell silent as Fausto McWell entered, his eyes all icy as he checked out the girl in bed.

"G-Grandpa..." she stammered, not able to look at him.

"I brought a doctor. I don't want a bastard child in my family," he said.

Stella felt even sicker hearing that. She looked at Lauro, hoping he'd help, but he just stared back sternly.

"Grandpa, please let my baby live. I promise, once I'm better, I'll do whatever you say."

Fausto kept staring at her, looking super serious. Then his gaze moved to her belly, and he thought for a bit. "Okay, but in five years, you'll do everything I say. And I'll pick your husband."

Stella felt relieved when he said that. She agreed to his terms. "But if something happens to this baby, then our deal is off."

Fausto smirked a bit. He admired this trait in his granddaughter; she had his smarts. She wanted to make sure everything was set before agreeing. He knew she wouldn't tell him who the dad was. For now, he'd leave it be to stick to their deal.

"I'll get a good doctor to look after you and the baby. I won't bother you until after it's born."

Stella felt a wave of relief for her baby's sake. She'd split from Charles to protect her child. Now, she couldn't let her grandpa hurt the baby either.

Stella was secretly Fausto's only heir to his business empire, kept hidden by him since she was little.

She used to think he hid her because she was a girl, so she rebelled when she found out who she really was. She used to think the woman who looked after her was just a family friend. Turns out, she was their maid. And she thought Fausto and Lauro were always away because of work, but that wasn't true either.

"Five years..." Fausto nodded, counting on his fingers. "We'll have a grand event to pick your husband."

Lauro shook his head, watching his dad. He wasn't happy about it. He felt like Fausto couldn't control him before, so now Fausto was doing it to Stella.