Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Nice one, Stella Your roasting game just keeps leveling up,’ Harvey thought to himself.

“Kenneth–Harvey called out.

He slowly got to his feet, the kind of warm smile that just screamed trouble plastered on his face. His voice was syrupy sweet. “Now, immediately, smoothly roll yourself out of here.”

Kenneth looked like he’d just hit the jackpot, bolting out at full speed without a second glance, the whole scene basically shouting. Whew, I actually lived through that.’

Harvey watched Kenneth make his great escape, then turned slowly, his gaze settling on Stella, who was trying her hardest to hold back her laughter–her shoulders trembled as she struggled not to crack up.

He leaned in, resting his hands on either side of the hospital bed, looming over Stella so his shadow swallowed her up. That same warm smile curled his lips–almost too friendly, in a way that sent chills down your spine.

“Stella, I see that while you’ve been on bed rest, your courage has been bulking up, huh?” Harvey teased.

Seeing Harvey’s twisted grin, Stella immediately realized she’d pushed her luck with the joke; she gave a sheepish smile, scrambling to explain, “Harvey, honestly, it’s not all my fault. He was the one talking all weird and confusing,”

Harvey was about to flick her forehead, but seeing all those thick bandages around Stella, he softened up and let it slide.

He pulled out a palm–sized, hefty black metal box from the inner pocket of his coat and handed it over. “Here you go. It’s for you.” he said.

Stella took it, curiosity gleaming in her eyes as she felt its unexpected weight in her hand. “What’s inside?”

As she asked, she lifted the lid. Sunlight streamed in through the window, but compared to the chilling, blinding glint of sharp silver reflecting from what was inside the box, it was nothing.

Stella sucked in a breath, almost flinging the box out of sheer shock. She jerked her head up, her voice shooting up an octave. “Harvey, what is this? Where in the world did you get it?”

Inside, nestled quietly, was a pocket–sized pistol–sleek lines and a deadly, frosty gleam making it look every bit as lethal as

I felt

Take it Harvey ordered, his voice brooking no argument.

Harvey didn’t offer any explanation. “Don’t ask, and don’t think about it. Keep it safe and on you at all times. Only pull it out when you’re truly desperate and there’s absolutely no other way–use it to protect yourself. Got it?”

Stella felt the fatle metal box almost burning her palm. She hesitated, looking up at Harvey. “But this kind of thing isn’t even

allowed here

“This is a special situation, Harvey cut her off.

Not wanting to freak her out, Harvey softened his voice, “Come on, you were a real sharpshooter at the club, remember? You

even scored better than ine What’s there to be afraid of?”

Stella let out a feeble laugh. “That’s completely different. The club was just for fun, but here this is-”

She stared at the weapon, words caught in her throat. This is the real pistol. It’s seen blood,‘ she thought.

But when she met Harvey’s worried gaze, and with everything still so uncertain outside, Stella took a deep breath. “I get it. Harvey, don’t worry. I won’t take it out of the box unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Harvey was totally amused, almost wanted to ruffle her hair like always, but stopped himself so he wouldn’t mess with her injuries. He settled for a gentle tap on her forehead, his eyes soft.

“This is your last line of defense, not a badge to go play cowboy out on the street,” Harvey joked.

Once Stella saw Harvey off, she immediately shoved the box under her pillow.

Just as Harvey came out around the bend in the hospital corridor, Kenneth immediately hurried over. “Harvey?”

Harvey didn’t break stride, heading straight for the elevator, his voice cold as ice and not in the mood for pleasantries. “Any updates on the investigation?”

Kenneth kept up, looking grimmer and helpless than usual. “It’s tough. Seabrook isn’t our territory. We pulled in a few elite guys last minute, but it’s still not enough.”

Harvey’s eyes darkened. “If we don’t have enough people, then pull in a few more elite teams.”

“We can’t, Harvey.” Kenneth shook his head, his voice dropping even lower. “Higher–ups are already watching us. Any large- scale movement is way too risky.”

Harvey paused, silent for a few seconds, then made the call. “Alright, secretly plug our current guys straight into the Spencer Group’s security and intel networks.

Use all those old ties the family built up in Seabrook over the years–leverage every connection and resource we’ve got. That’ll make this way more efficient.”

Got it, Kenneth replied immediately. This was exactly what he’d been thinking, but he needed Harvey to give the green light.

Night had fallen. Stella was alone in her hospital room, debating with herself over what to eat. ‘Ugh, everything here tastes like cardboard, Stella thought when suddenly, the door crashed open with a bang.

Erica stormed in, looking about to explode, her whole body practically bristling with anger. She slammed the food container

down on the table.

Tm so mad, Erica shouted, hands on her hips, her chest heaving with rage.

Sering Erica blow up like that, Stella jumped right in. “Who made our celebrity queen so mad? Tell me. I’m ready to put a hex on them right now”

Erica flopped down on the bed and started venting nonstop. “Stella, today I finally witnessed what a trash heap that place is. I’ve been busting my ass every day in those stupid classes just for that dumb talent show.

“I was finally starting to feel a lile confident, so I went to the set to find some camera sense. Guess what happened next?” She was getting angrier by the second, “First, a bunch of snobby so–called seniors formed a clique just to freeze me out, giving me all these passive–aggressive vibes.

“Whatever, I treated it like background noise–just hot air. But then that slimy assistant director from the show used the excuse of discussing the script to lure me into some empty lounge, and he straight–up tried to force himself on me.”

Stella’s grin disappeared in an instant. She grabbed Erica’s arm, her voice urgent. “Are you alright? Did he lay a hand on you?

Who is this guy? What company does he work for?”

She instinctively started to scramble out of bed, tossing her covers aside. “I’m going to go handle this right now-

“Whoa, hold up, Stella,” Erica practically tackled her back onto the bed, laughing and exasperated at the same time. “You’re even more fiery than I am.

“Weren’t you supposed to be the one cheering me up? How’d I end up calming down the injured patient instead?”

“Seriously, you’re still grinning at a time like this?” Stella was genuinely worried, glaring at Erica. “Come on, just tell me. Did anything happen? Did you get hurt?”

“No, really–nothing happened. I’m fine. I promise.” Erica waved her hands frantically, finally relaxing and looking relieved.

She continued, “Please, you know how I am. The moment that creep tried to make a move, I hit him with my signature kick right in the jewels.

“You should’ve seen it–he let out this pathetic yelp, his face went livid, and he just doubled over, grabbing his crotch and writhing on the floor. With my skills, believe me, I’m always the one doing the bullying.”

She tipped her chin up, still riding high on her victory, but it didn’t last. The pride just melted away, leaving her staring off with something heavier in her eyes.

Honestly, I’m just so over it all,” Erica admitted. “I always heard how shady and messed up this scene is, thought people were exaggerating. But after what happened today, I got it.

Those stories are probably sugarcoated. It feels like the whole vibe here is toxic; it’s like I can’t even breathe clean air.” Stella squeezed her hand, her voice gentle and full of care. “If you’re not happy there, just quit. No matter what comes crashing down, I will always have your back.”

She frowned deeply. “Seriously, what was your dad thinking, sending you into such a snake pit?”

Erica actually stood up for her dad. “I mean, honestly? I bet he did it on purpose.

“He wanted me to get a good, hard look at how ugly this industry can get–just how murky and dangerous it really is–so I wouldn’t go charging in blind one day and end up getting swindled,”

She paused, then couldn’t help but gripe, “But wow, my dad really doesn’t hold back. He just chucked his daughter in as bait -like he’s not even scared I’ll actually get swallowed whole by the sharks.”

Before Erica could even finish her rant, her dad’s voice echoed from outside the door–equal parts annoyed and amused. Cody said, “Girl, talking smack about your old man behind my back again, huh?”