Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 184

Chapter 184

At the break of dawn, the hospital room was still wrapped in the quiet of the night when a shrill ringtone suddenly shattered the morning peace.

Stella was jolted awake. Still groggy, she fumbled for her phone on the nightstand. When the screen lit with Sebastian, most of her drowsiness vanished instantly.

She quickly answered, “Hello, Sebastian?”

up

On the other end, Sebastian’s voice was slow and hoarse, carrying the unmistakable weakness of an elderly man. It sounded like every word took a great deal of effort. “Hello, Stella?”

Stella’s heart tightened at the sound, and she sat up straighter. “Sebastian, are you feeling okay?”

Stella had no idea that everyone had deliberately kept Sebastian’s collapse from her.

“I’m fine, really,” Sebastian said, trying to steady his voice.

He forced out a couple of dry laughs. “Old age, Stella. The body’s parts just stop cooperating sometimes. It’s nothing serious; don’t go worrying about me.”

As soon as Sebastian regained consciousness, his first thought was to check on Stella, determined not to let her worry about him any further.

Stella’s grip on her phone tightened, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Listening to Sebastian’s frail voice, Stella felt a complicated surge of emotions–worry, and an unspoken guilt she couldn’t quite name.

In just three months, her marriage to Ernest would be officially over. If Sebastian ever learned the truth, he’d be crushed.

Maybe it was best to start keeping her distance now, to ease the emotional ties for both their sakes.

She stayed silent, not pressing further.

But Sebastian clearly wasn’t interested in keeping his distance. Speaking with a careful thread of hope, he said, “Stella, are you free tonight? Would you come over to Lloyd Manor and see me?”

After clawing his way back from the brink, Sebastian could feel just how fast his body was slipping away—as if the end was looming closer than ever.

All the old fixations and schemes had faded now. With only limited time left, all Sebastian wanted was to do right by Stella, to try and make up for everything she’d endured after he’d dragged her into the Lloyd family.

Stella’s brows furrowed instinctively.

To her, Lloyd Manor wasn’t just a former home; it was a minefield of suffocating tension and endless

schemes.

Kourtney’s pretend sweetness hiding a razor–sharp edge, and Noreen’s snarky attitude–both made Stella want to steer clear at all costs.

But hearing Sebastian’s weak and sincere request, and remembering all the times he’d had her back, Stella just couldn’t harden her heart enough to refuse him.

She breathed out quietly. “Alright, Sebastian. I’ll come over tonight.”

At noon, Harvey and Jeremy showed up with lunch. When Stella mentioned she was heading to Lloyd Manor that evening, their reactions were almost identical.

“No way.” Harvey’s brows knitted together, his tone firm.

“Don’t even think about it,” Jeremy added, his eyes full of undisguised opposition.

Stella gave them a resigned look. “Harvey, Jeremy, seriously, I’m just going over to see Sebastian for a bit.

“He sounded really bad on the phone. I promise, I’ll go, check in on him, and then head right out. I won’t hang around or get drawn into anything, you have my word.”

“Lloyd Manor? That place is like a viper’s nest,” Harvey fired back, absolutely unconvinced.

“God knows if those two women will come after you, or try some other stunt. You’re still not fully recovered yet,” he said, worry etched on his face.

Jeremy nodded, keeping his voice steady but serious. “And don’t forget, things are super tense between all our families right now.

“If they’re really plotting something- Once you’re inside Lloyd Manor, even if we get wind of it, there’s no way we’ll get there in time.”

Seeing the

way both Erica with me?”

guys looked ready to go to war, Stella blinked and tested the waters. “So what if I bring

It was like she’d just said the magic word. As soon as Stella mentioned Erica, all the tension and arguments on Harvey and Jeremy’s faces hit pause.

They traded quick glances and both caught a subtle flash of relief in each other’s eyes–something weirdly reassuring.

After several rounds of real–world combat, Erica’s status as the Slap Queen and a walking wrecking ball was already legendary.

When it came to protecting her crew and clearing the way, Erica was basically top–tier.

Honestly, taking Erica to Lloyd Manor with Stella–the whole thing sounded almost comically safe.

Harvey’s face finally relaxed, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t she have class today? Will she be done in time tonight?”

“Yeah, she’s finished after her afternoon class. I’ll wait until she’s out, and we’ll head over together,” Stella

explained.

“Alright,” Harvey said, exhaling in relief and giving in at last. Jeremy nodded, not saying anything further, but his expression showed he was on board.

With the whole Lloyd Manor thing sorted, Jeremy got down to business. “The Thorn Collection production line is basically finished–should wrap up tomorrow.

“For promotion, we’ve already started warming things up on our website and other channels, but it’s time to pick out a brand ambassador. Any ideas or requirements on who you want?”

He knew that the Thorn Collection, which targeted the hype–hungry younger crowd, needed a star who could really get fans talking and make a splash online.

As for the top–tier Kiss of Dawn Collection, it didn’t need that kind of influencer buzz; it had its own exclusive circles for high–end marketing.

Stella honestly couldn’t care less about picking out a brand ambassador–her head was only in the designs. “Jeremy, you’re in charge of the whole ambassador thing.

“My only hard rule is their personal life has to be spotless—no skeletons, no risk of blowing up with some crazy scandal. I trust your taste for everything else.”

Jeremy nodded. “Got it. I’ll screen them inside out, make sure there’s absolutely no drama.”

Just then, Harvey jumped in. “Oh, Stella, the Eimdale Company samples are being rushed out. Jeremy and I talked it over–we think it’d be better to hold off on the Thorn Collection promo for a couple of days.

“Once the Eimdale Company’s samples are ready, we can bundle them together and really make a splash. What do you think?”

Harvey had mentioned it briefly before, but they hadn’t gone into details. Now that Jeremy was here, too, it was the perfect chance to settle it.

Stella had no objections. She turned to Jeremy. “You think that’ll work?”

“No problem, we’ll just coordinate our schedules.” Jeremy agreed readily. “Harvey, stop by Lumière Group in the next couple of days so we can hammer out all the details and get the contract signed.”

“Alright, I’ll make time,” Harvey replied.

With business out of the way, the three of them had lunch together. Afterward, Harvey and Jeremy got up to leave.

Stella gave her stomach a little rub, feeling pleasantly stuffed and planning to take a walk in the garden downstairs to walk off her lunch, when a soft knock sounded at the door.

“Excuse me, is this Ms. Spencer Stella?” came a deep, respectful male voice from the hallway,

“Yes, that’s me. Come in,” Stella said.

The doorknob turned, and in came a burly bodyguard dressed in a sleek black suit that looked tailored just

for him.

He was gingerly carrying two gorgeously wrapped gift boxes with massive, rainbow–colored bows on top.

The whole scene was so hilariously out of place, Stella had to seriously fight back a laugh.

“Who are you?” Stella asked, trying desperately not to crack up.

The bodyguard gently set the gift boxes on the table, then straightened up and spoke with respectful sincerity.

“Ms. Spencer, since you helped Ms. Lynn yesterday. Mr. Lynn and Ms. Lynn insisted I bring you these gifts as a token of their gratitude. Please, you have to accept them,” he said.