Chapter 17

Chapter 17
The next morning, Sunlight filtered into the room through the wide glass wall, bathing the room in a warm glow. Stella woke up with an aching head. Her limbs felt heavy, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her..

Across the room, seated in an armchair, was Liam. He looked up from his laptop.

As she blinked awake, he immediately closed the laptop, stood, and walked over to the nightstand.

“You’re awake,” he said, pouring her a glass of water. “How do you feel

Stella shook her head, trying to make sense of where she was. The last thing she remembered was hitting Peter multiple times with a lamp. Where was she now?

“I’ll survive,” she said, taking the glass. Sipping slowly to moisten her dry throat.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I seem to always get you into trouble.”

“Well, I’m your secretary,” she said lightly. “The first line of defence.”

“You defended yourself quite well, but I’m supposed to protect you.”

After a pause.

“All of them have been arrested,” his voice was firm. “Vivian, too, she’ll never bother you again.”

Stella turned to him. “Thank you. But won’t her father cause trouble for you?”

“He won’t,” Liam said simply. “He has already been fired.”

Stella almost choked on her water. “Fired? Because of me?”

“Not entirely,” he replied. “He was already being investigated, and I had gathered some evidence of him going against the corporation’s interest. I wasn’t going to deal with him yet, but the situation with you accelerated my actions. He’s currently in custody with his daughter, but I’ll keep looking for more evidence to ensure he stays there longer.”

Stella set the empty glass down on the table. “I see.”

There was a knock at the door. 

“I brought the clothes,” John called from the other side.

Liam stood up and went to open the door. He collected the clothes and shut it without a word.

“Wait I–” the rest of whatever John wanted to say was cut off.

“I’ll leave you to shower and change,” he said, placing the bag on the bedside table. “Breakfast is waiting outside.”

He turned to leave when her voice stopped him.

“Thank you.”

Stella picked up the bag, ready to stand up. That’s when she noticed she was no longer wearing the beautiful dress from the day before, but a bathrobe. A fluffy cotton bathrobe. 

“My clothes…” she started cautiously. She hadn’t done anything outrageous to him last night, right?

“A hotel staff member changed them,” Liam said quickly. “I wasn’t in the room.”

She nodded wordlessly. Thank goodness. Nothing happened.

John was sitting in the dining area, drinking coffee. Liam walked up to him, arms folded. “Why are you still here?”

“You can’t live without me,” John muttered. “The one night I’m not by your side, so much happened. You should have let me come along.”

Liam rolled his eyes.

John set down the cup. “I did some digging into the drug they used. Ordinarily, a sheltered rich girl like Vivian shouldn’t have been able to buy it. It’s difficult to get. Her bodyguard is from a pretty clean background, too, so it’s impossible for him to get it that fast.”

“So someone else got involved,” Liam said

John nodded. “Someone with connections.”

“It might be related to my uncle,” Laiam said flatly. “He has dealt with someone using similar methods before.”

John raised an eyebrow. “Your uncle? Just because she declined to work with him? How petty.”

“I don’t have proof,” Liam replied. “But I’m sure of it.”

After showing and changing into fresh clothes, Stella sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door.. 

She had made the right bet. 

Liam fully considered her one of his people now. 

Even if he hadn’t come, she would have been able to escape from Peter and gotten herself to the hospital. But now Liam felt guilty over what almost happened to her, which would make her seem more trustworthy. The more he trusted her, the closer she got to her goal.

She looked around for her bag. It was on the floor by the table. She opened it and took out her phone. There was a missed call from her aunt. Stella had forgotten she promised to check in last night. She would call them in the evening after work.

She stood, smoothed the wrinkles in her blouse, and stepped out of the room. 

When the door opened, Liam and John stood up. 

“Morning,” John said with a cheeky smile. “It’s good to see you're still in one piece.”

Stella smiled. “Are we going to the company now?”

“No,” Liam said. “You have today off.”

“Thank you for last night and the clothes. I’ll be on my way.” 

She turned to leave.

“Wait,” Liam called. “Eat breakfast first.”

She nodded and walked to the table.

Breakfast was a gorgeous array of different breads and rolls, different cuts of ham and salami, cheese, soft-boiled eggs, and honey. It was a German-style breakfast. Stella’s heart warmed, but just a little. She couldn’t let herself get carried away by little favours.

After breakfast, Stella stood up, ready to leave.

“Where do you live?” Liam asked, also standing up. “We’ll drop you off on the way.”

She gave the address with a nod. And they left the hotel together.

The car ride was quiet. John sat in front with the driver, while Stella and Liam took the backseat.

When they reached her apartment complex, Stella stepped out and turned to the car. 

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks between the two of us,” Liam replied. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

She nodded with a soft smile and left.

He watched her back until she disappeared into the building. John, who was in the passenger seat, turned around. “So where next?”

“The main house.”Liam said, “My grandfather would want an explanation. I’m sure he’s been informed of everything that happened.”

When Stella got inside her apartment, she curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow, and finally returned her aunt’s call.

“Sweetheart,” Aunty Wendy answered almost immediately. “Did you stay out too late yesterday?”

Stella blinked. “Ehh… Yes. How’d you know?”

“Your cousins saw you on the news. You looked really beautiful in that dress. Are you in a relationship?”

Stella paused. Was it possible for her to get into a relationship? Even if she was successful with her plans, she would likely have to go to jail afterward.

“Of course not,” she said lightly.

“Then who is he?”

“My boss. Liam Carson.”

Her aunt was silent for a few seconds.

“Stella…”

“It was just a business event. The press is talking about it with favor because this is his first outing in the public eye.”

Aunty Wendy exhaled. “Alright then.”

“I saw Uncle Paul. He’s back in the country.”

A long silence.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll start with him for now. See what I can find.”

“I genuinely hope he had nothing to do with it,” Aunty Wendy said quietly. “But the human heart is the hardest to judge.”

After another moment, her tone shifted. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

Stella was stumped. She couldn’t let her aunt know what had happened the day before.

“I felt a little sick, so I took the day off.”

Her aunt didn’t speak for a while, gauging if she should believe her or not. “I’ll let you rest them. Take good care of yourself. Drink some soup too.”

“Hmm. Goodbye, Aunty Wendy. Say hi to the twins for me.”