Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

But the glint in the man’s eyes quickly turned ice–cold, a sharp, painful sting.

Sensing his gaze, Stella turned to meet his flat, emotionless stare. The old anxiety, the fear of not being good enough, had all evaporated the moment she stepped into city hall.

He was nothing to her now–just a stranger she was cutting ties with.

With that thought, Stella uttered a single word to him, “Back off.”

Jeremy was confused.

The older woman, having met her Waterloo, scurried away in defeat.

Victorious, Erica excitedly grabbed Stella’s arm to go celebrate.

“Stella, a new restaurant just opened with this amazing dish. Let’s go try it.”

“Okay.”

The two left, laughing.

Jeremy was left standing there, his expression unreadable. Flashes of memory flickered through his mind, and his sharp brows furrowed. As her cheerful figure disappeared into the distance, an unfamiliar feeling–one he’d never experienced before–took root and began to spread, impossible to ignore.

‘Was that… just my imagination?‘

****

“Of course not.”

Inside a private room at the restaurant, Erica held her head high, looking smug. “I had my old man sign me up for a talent show. When the time comes, I’ll be on stage–singing, dancing, rapping…”

Harvey, who had found out where they were and joined them, almost burst out laughing.

Under Erica’s death glare, he struggled to contain himself before failing completely.

He doubled over with laughter. “I can’t! This is hilarious! Erica, didn’t you want to be a freeloader for life? What’s with the sudden dream of being a pop star?”

“Harvey!” Erica stomped her foot, shooting him an annoyed look. “You could at least pretend to be supportive instead of laughing at me.”

She then turned to Stella, leaning on her with a pout. “Stella, Harvey’s bullying me.”

If it had been Michael, she would have already smacked him.

Chapter 153

But she couldn’t do that to Harvey.

Harvey had been like a big brother to her and Stella since they were kids. Though they weren’t related by blood, their bond was just as strong.

“Harvey,” Stella said, giving him a mild scolding look. She patted Erica’s head soothingly. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell Aunt Evelyn on him when I get home tonight. She’ll set him straight.”

“Yeah,” Erica nodded indignantly. “Set him straight!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop laughing.” Harvey composed himself, wiping away tears of mirth. “You’re both women. Why do you still act like kids, always threatening to tattle?”

“Well, you started it,” Erica retorted.

grown

Harvey surrendered with a smile. “My bad. You’re the bigger person, Erica. You can let this slide, can’t you?”

Erica’s response was swift. “Then you’re paying for dinner.”

“Deal,” Harvey agreed. “My friend is coming to join us anyway. We can call it a welcome dinner for him.”

Stella already knew Harvey was introducing them to someone, but she hadn’t expected it to be so sudden.

“Harvey, shouldn’t we go pick him up from the airport?” Stella asked.

Erica nodded in agreement. “Yeah, what if he gets lost?”

“No need,” Harvey shook his head. “He’s originally from Seabrook. Coming back here is like coming home for him.”

Speak of the devil.

A knock came at the door of the private room. After a call to enter, a man walked in.

The man was lean but with a tall frame. He wore a loose–fitting T–shirt and a pair of light–wash jeans, giving him a relaxed, lazy vibe.

What stood out most was his slightly longer hair, just past his ears, tied back in a small ponytail. A roguish smirk played on his lips, adding to his rebellious air.

“Let me make some introductions.”

Seeing him, Harvey stood up. “This is a friend I met abroad–Kenneth Harris. He’s a good guy. You should all exchange contact info. If you ever need anything, you can hit him up.”

Then he gestured to Stella and Erica. “These are my two sisters. Take care of them from now on.”

Kenneth felt a bead of sweat forming.

‘Him? The founder of ‘Night Owl, an international arms dealer who practically ruled the underworld of the Free Federation… being asked by the Harvey Spencer to look after his sisters?‘ he thought.

What a sense of humor.

Despite his thoughts, Kenneth put on a completely sincere smile. “Harvey, if they’re your sisters, they’re my sisters. If they ever need anything, I won’t just stand by and watch.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Harvey clapped him on the shoulder with a smile and pulled him down to sit.

As a top–tier extrovert, Erica warmed up to him instantly.

Stella, more introverted and slow to warm up, mostly listened, chiming in occasionally.

The atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

Once they were nearly finished with their meal, Harvey put down his utensils and got down to business. “Stella, the friend I mentioned who helped the Spencer family through our crisis… that was him.”

Kenneth froze.

Harvey continued, “And the design blueprint I asked you for? It’s for him.”

Kenneth’s mind went blank.

Harvey added, “Oh, right. He also opened a jewelry company here in Seabrook–Eimdale Company. Lumière Group could collaborate with him.”

Kenneth stared in disbelief.

He was completely dumbfounded.

Wait, nobody mentioned any of this before I came here.’

But when Stella and Erica turned to look at him, he instantly switched gears, putting on an ‘of course, that’s right‘ expression. He played along smoothly, “I came back to the country mainly for the company.

“As for the design, there’s no rush. Just get it to me whenever it’s ready.”

He needed time to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Okay,” Stella nodded.

Erica leaned over to Kenneth, her eyes full of gossip. “I can’t believe you opened a jewelry company. Got any pieces you’d recommend? I’ll buy something to show my support.”

Kenneth was speechless.

‘Your heart’s in the right place, but maybe next time, don’t,’ he thought.

Clueless as to what was really going on, Kenneth shot a desperate look at Harvey, only to see him staring at the ceiling, the floor–anywhere but at him. Harvey was clearly leaving him to handle this mess.

Chapter 153

Alright, fine. Two can play at that game.

Kenneth nodded and started spouting nonsense. “The old stuff is boring. For my next collection, I’m thinking of designing something truly unique. Shit–yellow, shaped like actual shit. What do you think? Creative, right?

Harvey spat out a mouthful of tea.

Erica’s mouth twitched. She deadpanned, “I think your idea is also shit.”

Kenneth nodded sagely. “Exactly. I’m designing shit.”

“Okay, that’s enough. Seriously.

Feeling personally insulted by the conversation, Stella stopped them. She looked at Kenneth intently, asking for the third time, “Are you really going with that design concept? Are you sure? You don’t want to change it?”

AD