Chapter 431: Just Being Overprotective
Chapter 431: Just Being Overprotective
“I’m fine, really. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Rianne replied, “Didn’t they say you weren’t feeling well?”
“I’m not. My brother’s just being overprotective.”
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Seriously–he worried way too much. Probably just because she’d eaten too much the past few days and now didn’t feel like cating. That’s all.
Calling a doctor for that?
Rianne was silent for a moment. Overprotective? Was that even the right word?
His so–called “overprotectiveness” had already gotten two cars stuck in a ditch today. Her car still wasn’t out yet.
“Alright then, I’m heading out.”
Since Stella wasn’t feeling sick after all, Rianne didn’t see any reason to go to Seaflats Cove anymore.
They chatted for a minute or two, then hung up.
Just as Stella put her phone down, the butler came over. “Ms. Stella, Mr. Louis is here.”
“Let him in,” Stella said calmly.
She had no idea what Louis was doing here. But whatever needed to be said, she’d already made it clear to him before.
Soon, Louis was brought inside.
When he saw that she was alone, he froze. “Abraham’s not here?”
Stella raised a brow. “Aren’t you here to see me? What does it matter whether Abraham’s here or not?”
“It matters,” Louis said flatly.
Of course it mattered.
Abraham’s possessiveness–especially when it came to Stella–was no secret. If Louis had known he wasn’t around, he wouldn’t have come at all.
“What’s it got to do with you?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“A lot, actually.”
So if Abraham wasn’t here, this guy didn’t even dare show up?
“Then maybe you should just leave,” she said dryly.
Such a drama queen…
Leave? Now?
“I already came all the way out here–freezing weather, icy roads. It wasn’t easy getting here.”
The roads today were a mess. He wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t heard about the Wilde family situation.
Abraham was ruthless–he’d seen that clearly now.
Louis already knew about the incident between Jasmine and Stella at the mall.
Even worse, Sharon had been there too.
Whether she’d been involved or not, he couldn’t say. But she kept insisting she wasn’t. No matter how hard he pressed her, she wouldn’t change her story.
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Chapter 431: Just Being Overprotective
Still, he couldn’t let it go. He had to confirm things with Stella herself.
After all, the Reed family had already been destroyed.
The Keene family–once the top family in all of Rivermount–was a total mess now.
And now the Wilde family?
Abraham’s methods… Louis had definitely seen what the man was capable of.
No matter what, he needed to be sure.
Stella asked, “So why are you here? Let me say this first–if you’re looking for a backdoor deal, it’s not happening.”
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“Besides, you already got the ore, didn’t you? You were the only one in Rivermount who managed to land it. What other ‘backdoor‘ could you possibly need?”
The Keene family had fought tooth and nail for it–and still didn’t get it.
So Stella really couldn’t figure out what he could possibly want from her now.
Louis groaned inwardly.
Backdoor deal, really? That phrase still gave him PTSD.
Especially after that whole mess with the misdelivered gift last time… That misunderstanding had almost ruined his partnership.
So now, every time he heard the phrase backdoor, he got a little twitchy.
He quickly shook his head. “Nope. No backdoor deals.”
“Then what is it?”
“I want to know–during that whole thing with Jasmine, was Sharon involved?”
Stella blinked. Jasmine?
Wait–he came all the way here just for that?
She glanced outside at the thick snow. It was really piling up.
“You came all the way here just to ask that?”
Wasn’t this guy being a little too paranoid?
“Of course I did,” Louis replied.
“You could’ve just called me, you know.”
This really wasn’t something that required a face–to–face meeting.
“I don’t have
Oh.
your
number.”
Right.
Hardly anyone had her number these days. Especially someone like Louis, who wasn’t exactly close.
“You could’ve just called my brother,” she pointed out.
This was absolutely something that could’ve been cleared up over the phone. No need to show up
The second she said that, Louis stiffened.
in
Chapter 432 The Truth Comes Out
6
.
That “I won’t let her off the hook” line came out of Louis’s mouth way too hard.
“Of course I’m her real brother. If I weren’t, would I be disciplining her like this?” he huffed.
He really emphasized the word discipline, which left Stella speechless.
Louis looked at her expectantly. “Well? Was she involved or not?”
Stella nodded. “Yeah. She was.”
What? She actually was?
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That brat Sharon–he knew it. She kept denying it like crazy and even argued with him. Now she was caught red–handed.
Louis felt his brain short–circuit.
“Seriously? She was involved?”
Serious
Stella nodded again. “Yep. Definitely involved.”
“Did she hit you?”
By now, Louis’s voice was already shaky with disbelief.
He had spent all this time drilling it into Sharon’s head that Stella was Abraham’s precious treasure. Any resentment she still held from the past, especially about Jonathan, needed to be buried deep.
If she couldn’t keep that in check, she shouldn’t even think about stepping out of the house.
And now this brat…
At this point, Louis kind of wished he could just faint.
Stella said casually, “She didn’t hit me. She helped me hold Jasmine down. Jasmine got beat up pretty bad.”
Louis, who was still trying to piece things together in his head, just froze.
He blinked. “Wait. What did you say? She held Jasmine down?”
“Yeah,” Stella nodded. “She was hugging Jasmine real tight.”
So… the actual scene was Stella and Sharon teaming up to beat up Jasmine?
What even-
Just as Louis was struggling to process this, Abraham came home.
His expression was less than welcoming.
“Mr. Louis, you’ve got quite a bit of free time to be making house calls at Seaflats Cove. Why didn’t you give me a call first?”
Louis flinched under Abraham’s chilly gaze.
Coming here while Abraham was home was a completely different ballgame from showing up when he wasn’t.
Seeing Abraham arrive, Stella got up and walked over to him, all sweet and docile. “You’re back already?”
They’d just spoken on the phone a moment ago. She thought he’d be a little longer, especially with how bad the roads were today.
Abraham reached out and gently ruffled her hair. “The food I brought is with Lou Ling. Go take a look.”
Stella’s eyes lit up.
“What kind of food?”
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Chapter 432 The Truth Comes Out
“You’ll see,” he said, voice filled with indulgent warmth.
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Louis found himself dazed for a moment watching it all. Abraham really was a man of extremes–ice to the world, and fire to
Stella.
All the warmth in him was reserved for her. Everyone else only ever got the cold.
Watching Abraham nudge Stella away, Louis’s chest tightened. He instinctively wanted to stop her.
He knew perfectly well: with Stella in the room, Abraham could still pretend to be civil. Once she left, though… that mask would come off.
But he didn’t dare say a word.
Especially not when Abraham’s expression was that dark. Louis wasn’t stupid.
He could only pray please, don’t go.
Too late.
Stella was way too obedient. That same woman who’d once beaten Ethan to a pulp now looked like the sweetest little thing in front of Abraham.
“I’m going, then.”
“Okay. Good girl.” Abraham pinched her cheek.
She turned and jogged off.
Louis stared after her. Seriously? So sweet it was hard to believe she was even the same person. If no one had told him she used to be engaged to Ethan, he would’ve thought they were talking about someone else entirely.
And honestly? Ethan had no one to blame but himself. He’d been blind enough to pick Lilian of all people.
With Stella gone, it was just Abraham and Louis.
Abraham took a seat on the couch, his eyes cold.
Louis stood awkwardly. “Mr. Abraham.”
Abraham glanced at him icily. “Didn’t you already sign the contract? Why are you still looking for her?”
Louis’s heart skipped a beat.
Damn–he really was Abraham’s woman. Their thought process was exactly the same.
But leaving that kind of impression on Abraham–that he was always trying to sneak around the backdoor–was definitely not a good thing.
“I, uh, it’s not about the deal.”
Truth be told, most of the time he reached out to Stella, it was because of her connection to Abraham. He’d hoped she might help ease things along.
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Chapter 433 Treading Carefully
Chapter 433 Treading Carefully
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Louis let out a dry laugh. “Uh, seriously–it’s not about the deal. I won’t bother Ms. Stella with any business stuff again.”
He was doing everything he could to clean up the bad impression he’d left.
Abraham narrowed his eyes. “Oh?”
He pulled a cigarette from his case, lit it, took a slow drag, and looked at Louis with that same ice–cold stare.
Louis swallowed hard. “I just came because of what happened at the mall. I was worried Sharon might’ve hurt Ms. Stella, so I thought I should come check in person.”
Abraham said flatly, “You could’ve called me first.”
Yeah, no kidding. Like I’d dare call you out of the blue, Louis thought.
That was exactly why he showed up in person instead.
But hearing Stella explain things… well, her version lined up almost perfectly with Sharon’s.
He hadn’t believed Sharon when she first told him. After all, given her past issues with Stella–thanks to Lilian–he had to get to the bottom of it.
“I just didn’t want any friendly fire,” Louis muttered.
Abraham raised a brow. “Hmm?”
“I mean–I didn’t want Ms. Stella to get hurt.”
Louis was getting more nervous by the second.
He’d been at the top of the food chain in Rivermount for years. He’d seen all kinds of people. But Abraham? Abraham radiated a kind of pressure that made him flinch.
Maybe it was because he was Falvaria’s underground arms king–the kind of man who’d definitely gotten blood on his hands.
Yeah. Definitely not someone you wanted to mess with.
If it weren’t for that rare mineral being so hard to source, he would’ve stayed a mile away from Abraham.
Abraham asked, “So you got it all cleared up?”
Louis nodded. “Yeah, it’s clear now.”
As long as Sharon didn’t lay a hand on Stella, everything was fine. That brat had shown some rare smarts for once.
If she’d acted on impulse and joined Jasmine in laying a finger on Stella, it would’ve been game over.
Thank god she’d kept it together.
The way Abraham had annihilated the Wilde family recently? Yeah, Louis had been living in a constant state of panic.
Meanwhile, on Stella’s side-
Abel had just brought over the snacks Abraham bought her.
He warmed them up and said, “Mr. Abraham thought they were really cute, so he picked them out for you.”
Stella took a bite. “Mm, this little kitty one is so good.”
The snacks had been made in the shape of little animals. She had to admit–whoever made them really knew their stuff.
Abel smiled. “The bunny ones are even better. Mr. Abraham couldn’t stop eating them.”
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Chapter 433 Treading Carefully
“Really?”
“Yep.” Abel nodded.
Stella picked up a bunny one and took a bite. Okay, yeah. He wasn’t kidding.
“Mmm… so good!”
She was practically moaning. It was that good.
When Abraham walked in, the first thing he saw was her tiny, puffed–up face stuffed with food, looking as happy as could be
That soft round face, full of satisfaction from a simple snack, was just… adorable.
When she spotted him, Stella’s cheeks were still puffed out. “Abraham, these are so good! Where did you get them?”
She’d been in Rivermount this whole time and hadn’t even known a place like this existed.
“If you like them,” Abraham said, “I’ll have Abel drive out and get more for you to take back to Falvaria.”
Her eyes lit up. “Wait–are we really going back today?”
Abraham nodded. “Yeah. Evening flight.”
That answer made her light up with joy.
So they were finally going back. That meant nothing else would get in the way.
And good thing, too. If they delayed any longer, she was genuinely worried about how badly Su Su might freak out.
Victor, seriously. Why the hell did you have to scare my poor little pancake like that?
Suddenly, something came to mind. “Derrick and Marie are both back in Falvaria now, aren’t they?”
She’d meant to bring it up last night, but Abraham had come home drunk. Then this morning, he was already gone.
Abraham frowned. “They called you?”
“Mmhm.”
And it wasn’t just a call–Derrick had been acting like a total brat on the phone.
Stella glanced over at him. “Didn’t Marie say she was flying to Frapucu?”
Wasn’t Dan supposed to be there?
By all accounts, Marie shouldn’t have made it back to Falvaria so soon.
Without a word, Abraham pulled her into his lap and picked up a pastry to feed her.
Stella shook her head. “No thanks, I’m full.”
“You’re eating this little now?”
That question made her freeze.
Right… why was she eating so little lately?
Chapter 434 Disgust and Disaster
Chapter 434 Disgust and Disaster
She hadn’t been like this before.
If this were the old days, she would’ve finished the whole tray–no question. But now, she’d barely eaten a third.
Stella shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on lately, but I haven’t been eating much.”
That’s when it hit her–she hadn’t even had a late–night snack in several days.
She used to get really hungry if she skipped it.
When did her appetite shrink this much?
Abraham asked, “Did Rianne check on you?”
Stella shook her head. “Nope. She had something urgent come up and left before even coming inside.”
It felt like Rianne had a lot going on lately.
“Why’d you come back so early?” Stella asked.
He’d just called her not long ago, and now he was already here.
Abraham replied, “Finished up early, so I came back.”
He didn’t mention that it was because he found out Louis had come by.
Stella nodded. Her body felt a little limp, so she leaned into his arms. “Did you see Jonathan at the gate?”
“Yeah. I saw him.”
He didn’t kick Jonathan out the way he had with Ethan.
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When it came to the Reed family, Abraham preferred a cold shoulder. The more indifferent he acted, the more agonizing it was for them.
Especially now that the Reed family had already lost everything.
And in this freezing weather, Jonathan was still standing outside. Let him freeze if he wanted–half–dead would be ideal.
Snuggling into Abraham’s chest, Stella mumbled, “Once we’re back in Falvaria, I’m never coming back to Rivermount.”
“Too upset?” he asked, gently tugging on her earlobe.
Stella replied, “Not upset. Just… disgusted.”
It really was disgusting.
Sure, she’d seen all kinds of shady situations in Falvaria, but nothing like the Reed family. They redefined the boundaries of how vile people could be.
“Disgusted?” Abraham repeated.
“Yeah.”
It was true. The Reed family had a brand of shamelessness Stella had never encountered in the Dawson family.
That attitude…
In the beginning, she hadn’t thought much of their preference for Lilian. Whatever–just stay out of each other’s way.
But after they discovered who she really was? The way Susan’s face changed, how she tried to latch onto the Dawson family’s influence–and then immediately turned nasty when that didn’t work?
I was revolting.
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Chapter 434 Disgust and Disaster
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Abraham listened to her describe her impression of the Reed family, and a smile tugged at his lips. He cupped her chin and kissed her.
“Mmph…”
Seriously? Again?
They’d just had a break last night. And that was only because he was drunk and passed out early.
Wait–even drunk, he hadn’t exactly behaved.
Finally, Abraham let her go. “When Eddie gets back later, I’ll have her check
you
out.”
He hadn’t stopped worrying about her sudden lack of appetite.
Over in Falvaria…
Tessa stared at the noodles she’d just made, stunned. She looked over at Victor, who was lounging in the living room.
It had been a whole hour and a half since they talked about dinner.
An hour and a half–just to cook a pot of pasta.
And somehow, she’d failed twice.
The first disaster was already quietly dumped. Now the second attempt…
She looked into the pot and saw a solid pancake and pasta.
She had no idea what went wrong. She’d followed the recipe exactly!
She’d even made pasta for Stella before—and it had turned out fine. What the hell was going on today?
Victor hung up his call and turned toward the kitchen. “Is it ready?”
She looked at him, then the pot. And then she nodded with determination. “Yeah, it’s done.”
Even if it wasn’t–she couldn’t possibly say no now.
Not after all that time. Whether Victor was hungry or not, she was absolutely starving.
She tasted the noodles.
Shit!
It was awful. Completely inedible. She must’ve added salt twice.
Wait–she totally did!
Victor, oblivious to the internal panic, tossed his phone on the coffee table. “If it’s done, let’s eat.”
Eat? Eat what? This thing was basically salted glue.
But with the cold edge in Victor’s aura, she didn’t dare speak up.
She forced a smile and nodded. “Okay. I’ll bring it over now.”
Victor was already sitting at the dining table.
Tessa’s hands were trembling.
If he ate this disaster of a meal… would he be so pissed he just pulled out a gun and shot her?
An hour and a half. For this?
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Chapter 434 Disgust and Disaster
Never mind Victor–she wanted to slap herself.
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Chapter 435 The Meal from Hell
Chapter 435 The Meal from Hell
“What’s wrong?”
с
Victor, seated at the dining table, frowned when he saw Tessa frozen in place.
Meeting his sharp gaze, Tessa’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly shook her head. “N–No, nothing’s wrong.”
She rushed to ladle the pasta into bowls.
There was way too much.
She’d cooked for two, but the pot could’ve easily fed five. Her sense of portion control was absolutely nonexistent.
Tessa cautiously placed a bowl in front of Victor, then brought her own over and sat across from him.
She didn’t dare look at his face.
From the silence alone, she could tell–Victor hadn’t taken a single bite.
Forcing herself to eat a mouthful, Tessa nearly gagged the moment it hit her tongue.
But she swallowed it.
Barely.
Then she glanced at Victor, managing a shaky smile. “It’s good.”
Victor glanced at the bowl, then back at her.
His expression was unreadable–dark and unreadable, which made it all the more terrifying for Tessa.
“It’s good?” he asked.
Tessa nodded. “Yeah, tastes fine. It just… doesn’t look very good.”
Calling the appearance “not very good” was being kind.
The original pasta had somehow turned into… mush?
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Yeah. That was it. A gooey mess. She’d overcooked it, and somewhere along the line she’d forgotten she’d already added salt- then added more.
That had to be what happened. Definitely.
“If… if you don’t want to eat something that looks this bad, I can make you a new batch,” she stammered.
Honestly, that’d be ideal. Then she’d have an excuse to fix her mistake.
Victor let out a low chuckle. “Your cooking skills…”
He trailed off, shooting her a sideways glance.
Tessa immediately nodded. “Yeah, not great.”
She was already panicking inside. Victor hadn’t even eaten breakfast, and now this disaster for lunch?
At that moment, Lewis came in, along with John and Silas.
Lewis’s eyes landed on the dish in front of Victor, and he froze.
He stared a little harder, still not recognizing what it was.
“Boss… what is that? It doesn’t look like food for humans.”
Everyone went silent.
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Chapter 435 The Meal from Hell
This idiot really just said that out loud?
Great. If Eddie ended up heading to Mambia Dessert, Lewis would make the perfect companion.
Calling it not fit for humans–what, it’s pig food?
Tessa’s heart was in her throat. She stared down at her bowl, willing herself to disappear.
Does this guy have a death wish? Why would he ask that out loud?
Victor’s face darkened. “Then what do you think it looks like?”
He shot Lewis a glare, while John quietly took a seat far, far away.
John knew better than to stay close when Lewis opened his mouth–trouble always followed.
Lewis stammered. “I, uh…”
What did it look like? Could he really say it looked like pig food?
No one made pasta like this. No one.
Tessa silently kept eating, doing her best to shrink into herself.
Now even Lewis realized the danger and shut up.
But Victor wasn’t letting it slide.
“There’s more in the pot. Go eat,” he said coldly.
He’d seen the whole pot earlier. It was unforgettable.
The fact that this woman managed to cook something this awful—that took talent.
Lewis immediately shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”
Was he kidding? That mess looked inedible. Even pigs would lose their appetite.
“Go eat,” Victor repeated, his voice deeper.
Sensing this was going south fast, Lewis didn’t dare refuse again.
He glanced from Victor to Tessa, cursing her silently the whole way to the kitchen.
Just then, Silas spoke up.
“If she cooked it herself, you’d better eat every bite. No picky eaters allowed.”
The last part–no picky eaters allowed–came with a sharper tone.
It was obvious Lewis was being warned–if he didn’t eat the meal, things were going to get a lot worse for him.
Simple as that: Eat it, or else.
Lewis heard the message loud and clear.
Tessa ducked her head even lower, trying to disappear into her seat. She forced herself to keep eating.
She hadn’t been hungry anymore, but after Victor’s warning to Lewis, she knew—if she didn’t finish her food, she’d be next.
And to make things worse, Victor’s men were calling her “sis–in–law” now. That just made her want to cry.
Lewis made his way to the kitchen.
One look at the pot of sticky, globby mess, and he was at a complete loss. Just looking at it made his stomach turn.
What kind of twisted talent does it take to ruin food like this?
And the worst part–Tessa was actually eating it?
Tessa glanced at Victor. “I don’t think there’s enough… maybe don’t make him eat it.”
She was just trying to save the situation.
Someone without extremely strong guts was bound to throw up on the spot.
Seriously? She just said there’s not enough of this garbage?
What, did she grow up in a famine? Did the boss rescue her from a refugee camp or something?
Lewis broke into a cold sweat. He silently served himself a bowl–but didn’t dare bring it out to the table. He stayed in the kitchen.
Tessa froze, her already pale face going completely stiff.
Was it really… that bad?
“Blegh- what the hell is this crap? -blegh-!”
Back when their boss didn’t have a woman, they could storm in and out whenever they wanted.
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But now? They had to think twice. Always think twice.
Tessa felt her whole heart jump into her throat.
She glanced nervously at Victor. Then at her own bowl. Then at the one he had pushed toward her–completely untouched.
From the kitchen, Lewis was still gagging. Still, Over just one bite.
She swallowed hard, gently set down her fork, and looked up at Victor with teary eyes.
“I’m full… can I go upstairs?”
Victor looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly.
Tessa sniffled. Her eyes were red, clearly scared again.
Victor narrowed his gaze. So timid. What am I supposed to do with someone this soft?
Was this really one of Stella’s friends? This soft?
Back at Seaflats Cove, Stella saw the call from Tessa and felt a pang of sympathy.
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He was scary enough when he wasn’t even talking–just standing there with that cold look on his face was enough to make
Espécially since those accidents were…
Forget it.
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It was just a fever!
Wait a second… “Does that mean you…?”
I said don’t ask!
Stella frowned. “He wasn’t mad about that? Then why did he scare you?”
Even someone like Stella, who usually had no interest in gossip, couldn’t help getting curious now.
“I thought Victor wasn’t… functional in that department? Guys are super sensitive about that kind of thing. You touched him and he still didn’t get mad?”
Abraham walked in just in time to hear that last part.
And instantly regretted it.
That mouth of hers–first corrupted by Marie, then infected by Eddie. No saving it now.
Tessa hesitated, her voice guilty, but clearly joining the gossip fest herself. So much for those intense vows she’d made earlier -completely forgotten now.
“Hey, let me tell you… I think he really might not be.”
Stella perked up. “Oh? Go on.”
What a waste of such a perfect face.
“But then what exactly did you do today to get on his bad side?” For her to be this scared, it had to be serious.
“Take a few more“?!
Oh no.
She’d seriously been so out of it she’d told Tessa to give him extra meds?
He could’ve died from that!
Oh thank god…
If he’d taken several of those, even someone as tough as Victor might’ve ended
Tessa huffed. “I’m not that dumb.”
“Then what did you do this time to set him off?”
It wasn’t the fever treatment. It wasn’t the meds.
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