Chapter 34

In the evening, Stella was simmering soup in the kitchen. After her grandfather's passing, Troy and Linda politely declined Stella's suggestion to continue staying at the Carlson family's villa and returned to their hometown. Since then, they frequently sent local chestnuts and red dates to Stella. In the first few days, they even sent a few pieces of wild ginseng, telling her to take good care of her health, which left her touched. Putting glutinous rice, red dates, and peeled chestnuts into the chicken stomach, Stella cleaned the wild ginseng Troy had sent, poured water into the pot, added a spoonful of salt, and started cooking the soup over low heat. Meanwhile, Ethan lounged in the living room, watching TV, occasionally glancing towards the kitchen. A few minutes later, Stella came out of the kitchen, noticing that a comedy was playing on TV, directed by the same director as the one they had watched together last time. She poured two glasses of water and sat down on the sofa, casually asking, "Do you really like movies from this director?" "Yeah, maybe. I've seen a few of the famous ones," the man replied, taking the glass of warm water she handed him and giving a faint smirk. Stella furrowed her brow slightly. "But I remember you didn't seem to like 'South City Joy' type of movies back in high school." "South City Joy" was the movie that Ethan had labeled as "boring". That weekend, she had taken Kate to watch the movie and had encountered a lonely-looking Jason leaving the theater. Considering Jason and Ethan were usually inseparable, the fact that he left Jason behind indicated that he genuinely found the movie boring and couldn't be bothered to watch it. Upon hearing her words, Ethan's gaze paused momentarily, then he withdrew his eyes lazily and said, "Oh, I didn't like them back then, but they're okay now." Back then, Ethan thought that Stella had made plans to watch the movie with Aaron. But when he remembered the showtimes of those two movie tickets, he dragged Jason to the theater, only to find out that the person she went to watch the movie with was actually a kid. After all, he had said the day before that going to the movies on the weekend was too boring. When they left the theater, he felt embarrassed about being seen by her and had to send Jason away first. Upon hearing his explanation, Stella didn't dwell on it and instead asked, "Have you known my uncle for a long time?" Ethan nodded lightly. "Yeah, kind of. Why?" "I'm not very familiar with the government side. I want to ask Wyatt to come back and help me. Do you think he'll agree?" Although the issues with the Fletcher family had been mostly resolved, Stella was busy with the North City project, and she was stretched thin. She knew that before her father passed away, Wyatt had worked at Carlson Group. Now that he only had some private investments, he could be considered idle, so she thought about asking him to come back and help. "What, you want my advice?" Ethan tilted his head to look at her, a lazy smile playing in his eyes. Stella nodded, then added after a pause, "I stewed some ginseng chicken soup in the kitchen." Aware of his fondness for soup and requiring his assistance, she was accommodating his preferences. Ethan chuckled, his eyes filled with indulgence. She truly regarded him as a foodie. "In fact, now that Thomas is gone and he's so free, if you show sincerity, he shouldn't refuse. Wyatt's only concern is that you might overthink things," Ethan said. Anyway, Wyatt was still a good man; otherwise, he wouldn't have driven away Ella Manning out of Seattle back then. As the aroma wafted from the kitchen, Ethan looked at her with a light smile and said casually, "This chicken soup is just right. I can take some to the office tomorrow." "Oh, I had Isaac buy a microwave for the office," he glanced at her and added, seemingly relaxed. So, if she was worried about him being hungry, she could often bring him some soup and other things. Stella furrowed her brows, her expression slightly hesitant. After a pause, Ethan slowly put down his arm resting on the sofa and furrowed his brows, asking, "What's wrong?" "Are you busy tomorrow?" she asked tentatively. Ethan didn't answer directly, saying lightly, "Do you have something to do?" Stella shook her head lightly. "Nothing. If you're busy, you don't have to pick me up tomorrow." Seeing her seeming to evade, Ethan looked at her directly with a probing gaze, his lips twitching, "Are you meeting someone for shopping?" "No," Stella said, and seeing he still wanted to ask, she lowered her gaze and lowered her voice, "I'm... going to visit the graves." The next day was the anniversary of her parents' death. Every year in Seattle, Stella would put everything aside and visit her parents' graves. Before, she would go with Thomas, and Dean would also go along, but now she was the only one left. Stella had a fleeting thought just now, but it quickly passed. It seemed that she didn't really have the authority to ask Ethan to accompany her to visit the graves. With that in mind, a hint of disappointment welled up in her heart. She suppressed her emotions and was about to get up when suddenly, she heard the man's casual voice behind her— "Yeah, got it, I'll go with you." Stella's eyes widened slightly as she turned to look at him. Ethan smiled, his eyebrows raising slightly. "I just thought about it, and it's the same to leave the chicken soup for home." He then lightly patted her head with a hint of indulgence in his eyes as he slowly said, "In the future, if you have anything, don't hide it, understand?" Slightly stunned, Stella smiled as she replied, "Yes." On Thursday, they didn't go to work. The driver came early to pick them up, heading towards the graves. Stella's parents had passed away for more than ten years, and they were buried together in the south of the city. The Bentley stopped at the entrance of the cemetery at the foot of the mountain, and Ethan took out several pre-arranged bouquets of hibiscus flowers from the trunk, slowly walking up the hill with Stella. The morning sunlight wasn't too harsh, having just experienced a light rain yesterday. A misty haze lingered in the air, carrying the fresh scent of damp earth. As they reached halfway up the mountain, they encountered a family of three who had come to visit the graves with their child. They passed by them, brushing shoulders. Perhaps tired from the walk, the child, innocent and carefree, was leaning against their parents, their young face full of innocence. Watching the family gradually fade into the distance, Stella silently stopped in her tracks, her expression blank. After the others had walked further away, she came back to herself, shaking her head with a light smile. "I used to always think that everyone had parents who loved them so much, and I was envious." She had been abducted before she was even four years old, so her memories of her parents were extremely vague. She only remembered a figure that seemed like her mother, with a very gentle voice. In the orphanage, the older children had to quickly learn to take care of the younger ones to ease the burden on the director, growing up faster than they should have. Even after returning to the Carlson family, she never got to see her parents again, let alone indulge in affectionate moments with them. The days of being cherished and pampered, in Stella's limited memory, had never been experienced. But she had seen the room her parents had prepared for her, every detail filled with care. Her parents must have loved her very much, which was why they had persisted in searching for her for so many years. They hadn't even considered having another child to avoid making her sad when she returned. Ethan gazed at her melancholic eyes, took her hand, and gently reassured her with a smile, "No need to envy others, you have it too." Stella paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded with lowered eyes, "Yeah." Although her parents were no longer here, Stella believes that if they were, they would love her unconditionally like other parents. Finally, they arrived at the familiar gravestone. The two faces in the photos were youthful. The man looked refined yet handsome, while the woman had a gentle smile, her features somewhat resembling Stella's. Stella placed the hibiscus flowers in her arms down and silently took out a handkerchief, gently wiping away the dust on the gravestone. Standing tall beside her, Ethan quietly stood by her side. After a moment of silence, knowing that she might have something to say, he stepped back slightly, leaving the space solely for her. As the man walked away, the atmosphere around Stella seemed to empty. In truth, she didn't have much to say. Every time she came here before, she would simply say, "I'm doing well, no need to worry about me." Thinking about recent events, Stella softly explained, "Dad, Mom. Grandpa passed away last month and was buried with Grandma. "Our home is empty now, so I gave Troy and Linda some money to go back to their hometown and retire. "The man you just saw is Ethan. He's my high school classmate, and well... I'm married now. Anyway, I'm doing well, so you don't need to worry about me." After saying all this, as if there was nothing else to say, she paused for a moment and added, 'Yeah, by next year, I should still be able to... come visit you with him.' Gently touching the photo on the gravestone, Stella finally stood up and walked towards the man not far away. Ethan lowered his head to assess her expression, relieved to see it relatively calm, and asked, "Are you done?" "Yeah," Stella nodded. "Alright, let's go then," as soon as the man spoke, he noticed the bouquet in her arms, furrowing his brows slightly, and asked, "Why did you take two more bouquets?" She had ordered four hibiscus bouquets today, originally thinking they were for her parents, but in the end, only two were left in front of the gravestone. Stella didn't answer, smiling at him, she called out, "Ethan." "Yeah?" "Let's, go somewhere else." Ten minutes later, the two of them circled around the cemetery and stood in front of another gravestone. They were both familiar with the names on the gravestone. It was Ethan's father, Dylan. Strictly speaking, Dylan was a somewhat arrogant man. His business acumen was sharp and insightful, and he had prospered early in life. His life had only suffered one setback, but it led to more than a decade behind bars. On the third day in prison, he ultimately couldn't bear the fact that his family fortune had been squandered due to being manipulated. In the end, he took his own life while incarcerated. These were all assessments of Dylan made by outsiders. For Ethan, although his relationship with his father was somewhat tense, Dylan was still a father who deeply loved his son but was not good with words. In Stella's eyes, her impression of Dylan still lingered on the scene where he stood in the school office, expressing gratitude incessantly. He was a kind elder. She still remembered the feeling when she first heard about Dylan's imprisonment, feeling sad and helpless. Glancing at the silent man beside her, Stella put down the two bunches of flowers she was holding. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke up, "I thought, after all, I should come and accompany you to see Dylan." Ethan had never mentioned his father's situation to her, but Stella knew Dylan's place in his heart. By now, he must have been going through a lot. Since Ethan was willing to accompany her to pay respects, she also wanted to do something for him. At least to show him that she was willing to be his family too. Watching her bend down to clear the weeds by the grave, Ethan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, "Can you hug me for a while?" The man's voice was low and tinged with bitterness. Stella was momentarily stunned, then nodded slightly. "Sure." Ethan smiled faintly, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on her neck. After a while, Stella heard the somewhat subdued voice of the man, "Isn't it nice for us to be together like this?" Before she could discern the strange emotions that flashed through her heart, Stella had already heard her own soft reply. "Yes, it's quite nice." ... On Friday, because Ethan had an engagement in the evening, Stella didn't have the driver detour to pick her up again. As the end of the workday approached, she decided to invite Layla to go shopping at a nearby mall. Just after finishing browsing through a women's clothing store, the somewhat disheartened Layla sighed and confided in Stella about the recent difficulties she had encountered. "Can you believe it? My aunt actually wants to set me up on a blind date. It's too terrifying," Layla complained. Layla's aunt was a teacher at the university and was always keen on playing matchmaker for young people. She had even approached Stella before, but backed off upon hearing about her engagement. Seeing Layla's distressed expression, Stella chuckled. "Well, in that case, why don't you try dating on your own?" "But I can't date," Layla sighed, then added after a pause, "I feel like I'm afraid of dating, let alone marriage." Stella furrowed her eyebrows, somewhat surprised. "Why? Isn't your parents' relationship very stable?" She had always thought that people like her, who lacked such emotions, would be afraid of forming overly intimate connections with others. However, Layla's family was very happy. Her parents' relationship was rock-solid, and they were deeply in love. They also doted on their only daughter. "It's probably because their relationship is so stable that I'm even more afraid," Layla's voice was heavy. "Don't even mention buying lottery tickets. From childhood to adulthood, I haven't even experienced getting a second bottle of a drink. You know, my dad is a good man, I couldn't find a second one like him. How could I possibly be lucky enough to meet someone?" "But if I can't meet someone like my dad, and someone slightly inferior wouldn't do because of my dad being a role model, so..." As she trailed off, Stella raised an eyebrow. "So what?" "So, it's very likely that I'll end up alone forever," Layla resignedly concluded the topic, looking around and realizing that they had already entered a men's clothing store. She looked at Stella with some confusion. "Why are we in a men's clothing store?" Upon hearing this, Stella's expression froze. Yeah, why were they in a men's clothing store? She lowered her gaze, thinking for a moment, and it seemed like it was because she thought the coat hanging at the entrance suited Ethan, and they unconsciously walked in. Realizing this, she felt a twinge in her heart. Because of what Jessica had said, she knew that Ethan's willingness to continue their relationship probably had a reason. She was willing to continue their current life and treat Ethan as family. But since she accepted Ethan as family, it seemed like an invisible rope had silently tied them together. She hadn't quite figured out this feeling yet. Seeing her hesitate to speak, Stella raised an eyebrow slightly. "So?" "So, it's very likely that I'll end up alone forever," Layla resignedly concluded the topic, glancing around and realizing that the two of them had already walked into a men's clothing store. She looked at Stella with some confusion. "How did we end up in a men's clothing store?" Stella, upon hearing this, looked slightly puzzled. Yeah, how did they end up in a men's clothing store? She lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment, and it seemed like it was because she thought the coat hanging at the entrance suited Ethan, and they unconsciously walked in. Realizing this, she felt a twinge in her heart. Because of what Jessica had said, she knew that Ethan's willingness to continue their relationship probably had a reason. She was willing to continue their current life and treat Ethan as family. But it felt like from the moment she accepted Ethan as family, an invisible thread silently connected the two of them. Stella had yet to fully grasp this feeling. ... At 9 o'clock in the evening, Stella finished shopping and returned to the villa. She pressed her fingerprint on the lock, entering the house. It was pitch black, and the vast villa was quiet and empty. Obviously, Ethan hadn't come back yet. After living together for a while, it was Ethan's first time attending an engagement so late, and Stella wasn't quite used to it. She put down her shopping bags, turned on the lights, changed her shoes, and walked to the sofa to sit down. Thinking for a moment, she went to her room to get her laptop, returned to the living room, and began to check the files that Aurora had sent that night. After an unknown amount of time passed in silence, a knocking sound suddenly echoed. Stella closed her laptop, walked to the door, and opened it. Outside, Isaac was supporting Ethan. The man's eyes were unfocused, his posture unsteady, and he reeked of alcohol. Seeing Stella, Isaac quickly said, "Ma'am, sorry, Mr. Powers had a bit too much to drink tonight, so he's not quite coherent right now." Stella furrowed her brow, took Ethan from Isaac's hands, and politely nodded. "Thank you, Isaac. It's getting late, so you should head back now." Isaac glanced at his drunken boss, breathed a sigh of relief, and then bid them farewell. After closing the door, Stella helped Ethan up the stairs. It was her first time seeing Ethan drunk like this, and the smell of alcohol emanating from him was quite overpowering. Struggling to get him into the room, just as she was about to help him onto the bed, the intoxicated man seemed to suddenly sober up a bit. His arm, which was draped over her, sought support, and as Stella wasn't prepared, she stumbled, and the two of them fell onto the bed together. Sinking into the soft mattress, their warm hands still clasped around each other's waists, the sensation of their skin transmitted through the thin fabric. They were pressed close together, the position making Stella's body tense up. She met Ethan's gaze, finding his drunken eyes slightly hazy, his eyelids drooping, the mistiness in his eyes seeming to deepen. His normally pale complexion was tinged with a blush, losing some of its usual coldness and appearing slightly more amiable. His eyebrows were straight, his nice lips moving slightly, warm breath wafting onto his forehead. Stella impulsively reached out, touching his lips, which felt incredibly soft. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly pulled back her fingertips, breaking free from his weak grip. Anxiously standing up, she sighed in frustration, then turned and left the room. In the silent darkness, the man suddenly opened his eyes, gazing in the direction she hurriedly left, his eyes deep. One minute later, Stella returned to the room, her thoughts still lingering on the recent scene. Feeling a twinge of guilt, she suddenly recalled Ethan's confident accusation the last time she caught him showering. In an instant, it was as if she could already hear the man's careless voice echoing in her mind, "Stella, are you harboring ulterior motives towards me?" Helplessly rubbing her forehead, she sat on the bed lost in thought for an hour. Then, she let out a long sigh. Resignedly picking up her phone, she sent a message in the group chat, "What do you all think? If I find myself falling for Ethan and decide to pursue him, is there any chance of success?"