Chapter 21

While Jason hadn't responded for a while, Stella had already walked out of the kitchen with freshly steamed crabs in hand. Ethan walked to the dining room and took a seat. The butler, Troy, the butler, knew that Stella loved crabs, so he specially saved the fattest ones for her to take home. Stella deftly peeled the meat and roe from two crabs and piled them into a small mountain on a nearby plate. Ethan didn't start eating; he just quietly observed her. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Did you really go to learn martial arts because of Ella Manning?" Fifteen years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Carlson tragically encountered a landslide while searching for their daughter. With no children left, only Dean remained by Thomas's side as a son-in-law. Even though he had initially disliked Dean, over the years Dean had been as attentive as a real son, and the old man couldn't help but be moved. Ethan knew that Stella wasn't unprepared for Dean's actions, but she hadn't made a move yet because of her grandfather's health. However, as soon as she returned to the company, she expelled Jack. Even though Dean wouldn't really go against her for Jack's sake, it was evident how much she disliked him. Thinking of Jason's words, Ethan's deep eyes became even more probing. "Yes." Stella glanced up at him, smiling. "What other reason could I have for learning this?" She didn't want to talk too much about the Fletcher family with Ethan. When Ethan saw her at the club and asked why she was learning this stuff, Stella just said she wanted to have more leverage when meeting people like Ella Manning again. But that was just one reason; the other reason was indeed related to Jack. In high school, Jack often visited the Carlson family, and the Fletcher family even tried to win her favor by sending Jack over. Later, for some reason, Jack wanted to sneak into Stella's room to hide something, but she outsmarted him. The sight of she wandering around with a knife in the dead of night truly scared him out of his wits. If Jack ran away, Stella couldn't really hurt him, but he was so scared that he fell down, so she just gave him a superficial slash. From then on, Jack avoided her whenever he saw her and never dared to bother her again. However, she understood that it was because Jack was too timid, and there was a natural power difference between men and women, so it wasn't a bad thing for a girl to learn some self-defense moves. Detaching herself from the memory, Stella noticed that Ethan hadn't touched the crabs in front of him. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. Ethan's gaze lingered on the crabs for a moment, then he replied, "I don't really eat things that need to be peeled." Stella glanced at him and saw the indifference in his eyes, thinking he didn't want to bother with peeling the crabs. So, she sighed and handed him the plate filled with meat. "This one's for you." Since she was skilled at it and peeled quickly, she didn't need to argue with him about his pickiness. Ethan's gaze lingered on the plate of crab meat for a moment before he casually took it and then picked up his phone to take a picture. "Why are you taking pictures?" Stella looked at him suspiciously. "Jason said I can post some photos on my Moments," he raised his eyebrows and spoke nonchalantly. "Since it's my first time eating this, I might as well document it." Ethan opened his Moments, added the photo, and clicked send. Soon, Jason casually opened his Moments and saw the photo without a caption. He silently marveled for a few seconds, then suddenly understood, smiling as he clicked the like button. It was obvious that this plate of crabs was definitely peeled by Stella! Looking at the screen, he felt a mix of emotions. Damn, how could he ever doubt the deep love Stella had for Ethan! ... After finishing the crabs, Ethan went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. It had to be said that his fussiness was not only evident in his language but also in these trivial matters. For example, despite having a dishwasher at home, he insisted on washing the dishes himself. It was all because once, after using the dishwasher, he found some stains on the dishes that hadn't been cleaned properly. Although the stains were only the size of sesame seeds, since then, his attitude towards hand washing dishes had become so stubborn that Stella found it hard to evaluate. But since he was the one doing the work, she didn't give any negative comments. She sat back on the sofa, discussing her job with Aurora, when she suddenly received a SnapChat message from Kate. Kate: My brother's condition is not good. Are you coming to see him? Kate: I'm only asking this time, don't consider me! This is just because he's been my brother for eighteen years. If you don't come, it's his own fault. Stella frowned slightly, her expression thoughtful. It wasn't because of Aaron, but because of Kate. Kate had been clinging to her since she returned to the Carlson family, showing more affection towards her than Aaron. Reminding her of the intricacies of the wealthy families and defending her at every turn. Stella could understand Kate's intentions. Aaron had not only taken care of Kate since childhood but also looked after Avery, yet Stella only treated her as a sister. With a sigh, she typed out a reply. Stella: My relationship with your brother has ended, and I'm now married. I've already repaid any debts I owed him long ago, and from now on, his affairs have nothing to do with me. After sending this message, Stella put down her phone. She believed that in order not to alienate herself, Kate would never mention Aaron to her again. Without Aaron, perhaps she wouldn't have been able to attend the Radiant Arts Institute or reach where she was now. He had helped her when she needed it, and she had repaid him when he was in need. If they had parted on good terms, she wouldn't have felt so embarrassed. But his promise to prioritize her safety made her feel even less connected to him than to a stranger. ... The weekend ended, and it was back to the workweek. Early in the morning, Stella finished her morning routine and walked out of her room, only to find no sign of Ethan in the living room. Furrowing her brows, she returned to the second floor and tentatively knocked on the door of the adjacent room. "Ethan?" During the time they lived together, Ethan was very disciplined; he never slept in on weekdays. Typically, when she went downstairs, he would already be in the living room reading the newspaper. After knocking on the door for quite a while, it finally creaked open. A tall figure appeared before her eyes, still dressed in a stiff and broad suit. Stella furrowed her brows and asked, "On such a hot day, why are you wearing a turtleneck?" Ethan had a turtleneck sweater under his coat, not too thick but still somewhat inappropriate for the season. Seeing the suspicion in Stella's eyes, the man's face turned unnatural. He glanced deeply at her and then chuckled softly. "Do you have some dissatisfaction with me deep down?" Stella choked at his words. She thought, "Is this... something you can see?" "Why do you say that?" Stella asked as she met Ethan's gaze. Ethan frowned slightly, his bony hand lightly touching his neck. Stella looked closer and noticed some red marks faintly visible on the man's neck beneath his thin shirt. "Are you allergic?" She frowned, thinking that he was perfectly fine before eating crab last night, and couldn't help but reproach him softly. "If you can't eat seafood, why didn't you say so earlier?" This guy was really lucky. His allergy only left red marks on his body, without affecting his impeccable face. Ethan raised an eyebrow, looking at her leisurely. "I haven't really eaten much before." He was never fond of the fishy smell of seafood. If she hadn't peeled it herself, he wouldn't have eaten it at all. Stella met his matter-of-fact gaze and sighed in relief. "Then let's go to the hospital." Then she took out her phone to start booking an appointment. She remembered there was a good private hospital near the company. Although the cost was high, they could still get an appointment on short notice. After concluding the appointment, she set her phone down. It was only then that she noticed the man, his deep eyes scrutinizing her, his emotions indiscernible. "What are you looking at me for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "A big guy like you is still afraid of going to the hospital?" Ethan silently averted his gaze. Of course, he couldn't be afraid of going to the hospital; it was just last night that Jason inexplicably talked about a bunch of ways for Aaron to take her away. Aaron hadn't come out of the hospital yet! He glanced at the appointment page she had just made, apparently for the hospital Aaron was staying at. In Jason's eyes, the current situation would have already been imagined as the female lead worrying about the male lead's unawareness of his serious injuries, and eventually, fate brought the two together at the hospital. Ethan didn't believe that nonsense fate! ... Although Ethan felt it was unnecessary, he ultimately went to the hospital at Stella's insistence. The Bentley slowly pulled into the hospital parking lot. The surroundings were shaded by green trees, lush and verdant. The environment was quite pleasant, with some patients taking walks downstairs in the morning sunlight. Stella accompanied Ethan to the third floor in the elevator. After waiting outside the outpatient clinic for a while, the man silently glanced at the corridor, then walked into the clinic alone. The wait was a bit boring, so Stella thought about when Aurora started working today, planning to remind Marcel to help Aurora get acquainted with the daily tasks. But when she felt her bag, she realized her phone was still in the car. She shook her head and got up to head to the elevator. After going downstairs to retrieve her phone from the parking lot, she returned to the hospital lobby on the first floor. As she walked towards the elevator, a familiar male voice came from behind, seemingly with unexpected joy. "Stella." Stella turned around to see Kate, dressed in casual attire, supporting Aaron a few steps away, with Aiden standing beside them with a complex expression. Aaron was wearing hospital scrubs, his figure slim, his complexion noticeably pale. His hair had grown longer, hanging in front of his eyes, adding a touch of exhaustion. The joy in the man's eyes halted when he saw the payment slip in Stella's hand. He furrowed his brows as he asked, "Are you sick?" Stella didn't answer, nor did she look at him. Kate, sensing her impatience, smiled and said, "You may go if you are busy. It's okay." Stella had just sent her a SnapChat message yesterday, presumably not wanting to see her brother and certainly not wanting to chat with him. As Kate finished speaking, a tall figure emerged from the elevator nearby. The man walked leisurely to Stella's side, took her hand, and complained gently, "It's just a slight allergy, was it really necessary to drag me to the hospital?" Kate, supporting Aaron, felt her brother's figure tense up the moment the other man appeared. But Stella's gaze on Ethan holding her hand seemed already accustomed. She nodded to Kate, explaining, "He had a slight allergic reaction from eating something wrong last night, so we're leaving first." From start to finish, she didn't spare a single glance for the distraught Aaron. As their figures walked away together, Kate vaguely heard Stella and the man beside her chatting naturally. "What did the doctor say?" "It's nothing serious, just a few days of medication." The weight of an arm came next, and it was then that Kate came back to his senses, looking at Aaron. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." Aaron said, staring at the backs of the two as they moved away, his voice tinged with a hint of hoarseness. This was the third time he had seen her leave him like this, without any mercy. Kate looked at his expression, furrowing her brows slightly, probably understanding Aaron's feelings at the moment. He had been in the hospital for half a month, suffering from serious injuries, and had deliberately chosen a hospital near Stella's company for treatment. But Stella had never visited him once. Besides her, everyone around Aaron had been blocked by Stella. Unable to contact her, they couldn't really go to the Carlson family to cause trouble, for fear of making things even uglier. And now, Stella was happily living with her husband. Every aspect of this situation deeply hurt him. Kate knew that his brother had been deceiving himself all along, thinking that Stella was too busy with work to visit. Yet, she could drop everything on a Monday to accompany Ethan for a minor allergy. It was a painful contrast. "Actually, Stella seems pretty happy now," Kate said, thinking of the two figures just now. Since Stella had made such a decisive break with her brother, there was no turning back. Aaron's jaw tightened, his voice heavy. "But Ethan is only interested in the North City project." Seeing that he was unresponsive, Kate rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. "Look, you're just fooling yourself. You did so much for Avery before, and now you regret it?" In recent times, his brother had grown much colder towards Avery. Although Avery explained that it was because of being too scared during the kidnapping that she accidentally mentioned Stella's matters, Aaron still harbored a lot of disappointment towards her. He not only issued a statement to clarify his relationship with Avery, but also told Aiden directly that he would no longer involve himself in Avery's work matters in the future. Even though there was Rita's initial instructions, he would not plead with Avery anymore. Hearing Kate's words now, Aaron glanced at her, his expression silent, his eyes lowered without saying a word. Did he regret it? Of course he did. But to say he was fooling himself, how could he really not understand the emotions in Ethan's eyes? Ethan only used the guise of the "North City project" to deceive her into this marriage. But no matter how they acted, there was no deep marital bond between them. No one knew better than him how difficult it was for Stella to open up to others. Even he, in the past, often felt that there was something between them. Since Ethan had reservations and couldn't speak directly, she wouldn't easily fall for him either. No matter what the cost, Aaron would seek her forgiveness. He simply couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Thinking of this, he smiled bitterly, sighed heavily, and said softly, "Let's go back." Aiden, seeing Aaron so despondent, finally furrowed his brows and spoke up, "How about I go apologize to Stella?" "Well, you think apologizing will make her forgive you? You men are clueless," Kate said in a mocking tone. "I mean, are you trying to encourage my brother to be a homewrecker?" "How could you call him a homewrecker?" Aiden denied firmly. "They're a married couple with a marriage certificate. If my brother approaches her now, what else would he be?" Kate retorted. Aiden was speechless. "Instead of worrying about that, why don't you focus on your own engagement party?" Kate added. As far as she knew, Miss Lee wasn't interested in this arranged marriage at all. As for the engagement party, she would definitely have to let Stella see the show.