Chapter 268 Being suspected.

Chapter 268 Being suspected.


Matthew was in his study, talking on the phone.
"How's the situation with the Summers?"
"Director, we've been applying pressure on the Summers as per your plan. I believe the Summer Group will soon declare bankruptcy, and their subsidiaries won't last much longer."
"Good job. Stick to the original plan, and make sure the Summers don't suspect anything."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Matthew let out a sigh of relief.
If people found out that the Summer Group was brought down by the Bluefields, it wouldn't sound good.
After all, the Summers did raise Ariana.
But Matthew couldn't swallow his anger. His wonderful daughter ended up in that family, receiving no special treatment. It was solely her resilient character and unyielding spirit that helped her carve out a path for herself.
He felt for his daughter!
He had to seek justice for her.
Even without Matthew's intervention, the Summer Corporation probably wouldn't last much longer.
He just wanted to give it a little push; otherwise, he couldn't let it go.
Autumn walked in, a playful smile on her face. "I've got something amusing to tell you."
"What is it?"
Stella had been restless, eager to know if her mom had caught anyone in the act. She'd been listening to the sounds outside her room.
Finally hearing her mom's voice, she stepped out and went to the study door.
Autumn animatedly recounted the evening's events to Matthew, who frowned deeply.
"Those two kids..."
Matthew felt overwhelmed. "Ariana's been led astray by that brat! He must be the ringleader. We need to have a word with the Firestone family!"
Autumn laughed, covering her mouth. "Not necessarily. Maybe our Ariana was the mastermind."
"Impossible," Matthew said protectively.
In his mind, any mischief was always someone else's doing. His own child would never do such things.
"Why didn't you bring Ariana back?"
"You were in such a rush to marry me back then, weren't you? All you men are the same!"
Autumn gave a soft snort. "I don't want to interfere with them. Why are they being so secretive? Sneaking around and even getting Evan to cover for them, just to keep us in the dark?"
Ariana just returned to this family, and she's probably got a lot on her mind. If I drag her back, she'll be even more hesitant to do anything. I want her to feel free in this house."
"You always have your reasons," Matthew said, still feeling uneasy.
It felt like his precious little cabbage was being taken away by a pig.
"What really worries me isn't that, but what Stella told me about them. I still can't figure out why Stella would say such a thing."
"Maybe she doesn't understand it herself."
"But Stella and Lucas have always been close, practically grew up together. She should have asked Lucas directly, right? Even if she didn't, she should have told Ariana, yet she came to me?"
Autumn felt something was off about the whole situation.
It seemed like Stella was doing it on purpose.
"Stella doesn't have that kind of mindset."
"You're a guy, you don't understand a girl's heart. Young girls get jealous easily, and I'm just scared, scared that Stella might take a wrong turn."
Autumn sighed deeply.
Outside, Stella heard everything, and her heart ached.
She quickly returned to her room, threw herself onto the bed, and started crying.
Her mom doubted her!
But deep down, Stella knew the truth.
She hadn't confronted Lucas directly, nor had she told Ariana. Instead, she had given the location to Autumn. She had her own selfish reasons!
She hoped her mom would catch him in the act, and the engagement would be called off!
But she never expected that the person meeting Lucas was Ariana herself!
Her plan backfired.
Autumn didn't catch anyone, and instead, she started doubting Stella's intentions.
Stella was heartbroken. Her mom doubted her, her mom doubted her...
Would she still have a place in this family?
In the study, Autumn kept sighing one after another.
"We seem to be making mistakes no matter what we do," Autumn sighed, feeling quite stressed.
"Stella has been raised by us since she was little. She's not inherently bad. And Ariana is so sensible; nothing will go wrong. They're good sisters, aren't they?"
Autumn truly hoped they would be close sisters, but Stella had never faced any setbacks before. Could she handle this huge change?
They could only take it one step at a time.
The next morning, Stella woke up with swollen eyes. As soon as Autumn saw her, she quickly asked with concern, "Sweetheart, why are your eyes swollen?"
"I drank too much water yesterday and stayed up watching shows until two, hehe."
Autumn gently patted Stella's head. "You shouldn't do that again. Use some ice to reduce the swelling."
"Okay."
"I had the kitchen prepare some toast for you this morning, along with your favorite blueberry jam and hot cocoa."
"Mom, I love you so much. You're the best."
Autumn tried to be extra kind to Stella when Ariana wasn't around, hoping Stella would understand.
It wasn't Ariana. She felt like she was just extra baggage.
Ariana returned in the afternoon.
She was bundled up tightly.
Lucas had been quite wild last night, leaving several hickeys on her.
It was Lucas who had Thomas run out to buy her some clothes, so she could finally come home.
Luckily, no one was home when she got back.
"Ariana!"
Ariana jumped in surprise. "You scared me! Mom and Dad aren't home right?"
"They're not. What were you up to, sneaking around?"
Stella asked, pretending not to know.
"Nothing much. I'm going to my room."
"Alright."
Ariana went to her room, her face still flushed as she recalled last night.
After a while, Stella knocked on her door again. "Ariana, I need your help with something."
"What is it? Tell me."
"I want to find my biological parents, even if it's just a little information about them."
Ariana could understand that feeling. Sometimes, she thought Stella was quite pitiful too.
"I'll ask Lucas to help you investigate, but it's best to tell Mom and Dad first."
Stella shook her head. "Mom and Dad have a safe, and I think it has some information about me. I know the code. Can you help me find it?"
Ariana found it odd. If Stella knew the code, why didn't she just look herself?
"To be honest, Ariana, Mom and Dad have never let me touch that safe since I was little. I'm afraid they'll get mad if I try. But you're different. You've just come back to this family. No matter how upset they get, they won't blame you."
That made a bit of sense.
Ariana had noticed since yesterday that Autumn was still somewhat restrained around her.
"Alright."
"I'll keep watch at the door."
The two agreed on the plan. Ariana found the safe while Stella kept watch outside.