Chapter 61

After being busy for a while, Stella took out her pajamas and was about to take a shower when her phone, placed on the dressing table, started vibrating repeatedly. Layla: Girls! I got confessed to today! Natalie: Then? Although Layla had never been in a relationship, she was cute and amiable, and had been confessed to many times in the past, so Natalie wasn't surprised. Because all those confessors had been rejected without exception. Layla: I feel like I want to say yes. Natalie: ?? Natalie: ??? Natalie: Wow, your stone-like heart is finally melted by someone? What kind of guy? Natalie: @Stella, where are you? Are you busy with Ethan? Both of them knew that Stella had officially shared the same bed with Ethan a week ago. Seeing this, Stella suppressed the anger that hadn't dissipated in her heart, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she typed back: I moved back to the guest bedroom. Natalie: Are you mad at Ethan again? Stella: Sort of. Strictly speaking, Stella was angry at herself for being foolishly deceived by him. Previously, she really thought that the poor soundproofing issue was her fault and even made excuses for him. Now, although she wouldn't do much, her temper hadn't subsided, and she also wanted to teach Ethan a lesson. Natalie: The two of you are really having one romantic encounter after another. Warm congratulations to Miss Layla Holloway for finally getting rid of her single status. Layla: [peeking out.jpg] I'm just considering, I haven't decided yet... Natalie: If you're already considering saying yes, what else is there to think about? Layla: I feel like I really like him, but every time I'm with him, I always think of someone else. There was a moment of silence in the group. Natalie: Bro, you wouldn't be... two-timing, would you?? Layla: No. Natalie: Well, that's good. Layla: ...Maybe it's three-timing. Stella: !!! Natalie: !!! Seeing Layla's words, Stella couldn't help but wonder if she had been too immersed in her relationship with Ethan lately, neglecting her friend's concerns. The usually innocent and cute Layla, how did she make such rapid progress in such a short time and become a player? Layla: The other two are online friends, I've had them blocked for months. But I always feel similarities with this person. Am I using him as a substitute? Stella: Are you saying that when you're with this person, you still think of other men? Layla: Sort of, I always feel like there's someone else's shadow on him, maybe I'm treating him as a stand-in. Stella: Well... that's actually possible. Layla's description sounded like transference, transferring feelings to two different people. Layla: I've thought it through, I'm going to reject him! Layla: Since I can't forget about someone else, I can't just string him along. Layla: Oh, it's so disappointing. The fact that she even considered being in a relationship with someone for the first time must mean she really liked him. But she still wanted to maintain her principle of not deceiving others' feelings and restrain herself from leading him on. Stella: Why don't you have an honest conversation with him? Reject him without hurting his feelings too much. Layla: Yeah, I got it. Putting down her phone, Stella changed into her pajamas, took a shower, and then got into bed to sleep. She wasn't sure if she had gotten used to sleeping in the master bedroom these days, but lying alone in bed felt awkward, like something was missing. As her consciousness gradually drifted away, she felt the warmth behind her, and Stella turned over and snuggled closer, smiling contentedly before falling asleep. The next morning, sunlight streamed into the bedroom. Stella woke up with her eyes squinting, subconsciously snuggling closer to the man's embrace. The strong arm around her waist tightened in response to her movement. After a few seconds, she suddenly opened her eyes wide. Pulling away slightly, she met Ethan's gaze and asked, "Why are you here?" He casually raised an eyebrow and replied, "You only said you moved to the guest room, not that I couldn't come in." "And besides," he continued, looking at her with interest, "you even... took the initiative to snuggle up to me last night." Knowing she was still angry and afraid of waking him up and getting kicked out, Ethan had endured for most of the night. The morning fire was reignited. After listening to the man's accusation, Stella's face couldn't help but blush when he held her hand down. "But I'm still angry now, and you said I could be angry," she pursed her lips before continued, "and you made me think that I was the one who wrongly accused you." Ethan was like a fool. How could she not be angry? The man looked down at her and said softly, "So, you think being mad for two days is better?" Stella nodded gently. He sighed and lazily drawled, "Alright then, be mad." ... Stella finished breakfast in silence and left in her car at 10 o'clock Because she was still "mad." Instead of going directly to the company, she went to a high-end tea restaurant in the CBD. Stella had arranged to meet Bella here to discuss business. The tea restaurant had private rooms, and when Stella entered, Bella was already waiting inside. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Stella said as she sat down opposite Bella. Bella shook her head with a faint smile. "I just got here too." "So, what brings you to me?" Stella got straight to the point. She didn't want to beat around the bush. Stella looked at Bella and asked, "I heard that Nevers had its raw material supply compressed by Nakamura?" Nakamura Bio was an internationally renowned supplier of medical and beauty skincare raw materials, cooperating with many top skincare brands, such as the well-known CF backed by a large group, and the emerging Nevers in recent years. Next quarter, Nakamura Bio would compress the supply of raw materials for some of its partners, actually intending to raise prices relying on its strong technical threshold. While Nakamura Bio maintained the prices for brands like CF, they offered higher prices to newcomers like Nevers. This move was somewhat domineering. "You're quite well-informed," Bella smiled and admitted. "Thank you. I think you should have guessed my purpose," Stella said. Bella leaned back in her chair and nodded. "Dorian used to be the R&D manager at Nakamura Bio, then he went to New Era. If you're poaching Dorian's entire team, I know you want to do something big." With Dorian's abilities, he shouldn't have been just a small R&D manager; he was squeezed out initially. In other words, those in the R&D center were also afraid of Dorian taking their positions. At this point, Bella smiled and continued, "Are you aiming to secure cooperation with Nevers? Or... aiming higher?" "Your sources are also very reliable," Stella said, smiling as she set down her coffee. She knew that Bella should have already conducted a brief investigation into the base that Lush Aura was planning to invest in in Skyloop. Bella paused for a moment, her gaze fixed on Stella. "I need to know when Lush Aura can start supplying." "The qualifications have been approved. I assure you, within three months. And Lush Aura won't lose out to Nakamura Bio in terms of microbial fermentation technology advantage," Stella said with confidence. This was also the assurance that Dorian and his team gave to Stella when they joined. "Alright, prepare the contract," Bella said straightforwardly. Seeing Stella visibly pause, she smiled again. "What, surprised?" Stella nodded and said, "I am a little surprised, or rather, I didn't expect it to be so fast." Despite believing she had a good chance of persuading Bella and securing cooperation with Nevers, Bella's swift agreement exceeded her expectations. "You can assume that I have my own selfish motives," Bella said with a smile. Stella raised an eyebrow. "So, may I know the reason?" Bella wouldn't make a decision on cooperation lightly, but agreeing in advance must have some other reason. "It's probably because, after busy years of hard work, I also want to talk about love now," Bella smiled and replied. "I'm your schoolmate, but I also want to be your aunt." Surprised, Stella said, "You and my uncle?" Bella nodded slightly. Stella was silent for a moment. She hadn't expected that Wyatt, who had always been unmarried, would actually be in a relationship with Bella. "But, it's not just because of that," Bella said, flipping her short hair crisply, then continued, "If someone makes me unhappy, I don't want to let them off the hook either. You should know that Nevers launched a makeup line in the second half of the year." Stella made a soft sound of agreement, waiting quietly for more. Bella's tone was ironic as she said, "The makeup line's color schemes can't cover up the fact of plagiarism. Openly flaunting the title of affordable alternative makes me very unhappy." After listening briefly, Stella pondered for a moment, understanding Bella's meaning. She was referring to the incident where Nevers' cosmetics line was copied by Avery's own brand, Artei. Artei's newly released products highly overlapped with Nevers' best-selling ones, but they were priced half as much as Nevers'. Avery might have wanted to quickly recoup profits and prove her ability, but she was too hasty. By doing so, not only did she offend Bella, but she also set a low-grade imitation tone for Artei, which would be detrimental to its long-term development. After selling shares, she had enough funds to tide the brand over the initial period, unlike those knockoff brands that started due to lack of funds. Whether Avery was eager to gain Claire's recognition and support to marry into the Malone family or still trying to surpass herself as she had in the past, Stella felt that she had made the worst possible move to start with. Taking a breath, Stella generously extended her hand to Bella. "Trust me, the collaboration between Lush Aura and Nevers will be a win-win situation." Bella agreed readily, perhaps because of Wyatt, or perhaps with a touch of satisfaction that would make Avery uncomfortable. But fundamentally, it was about them trusting Lush Aura, trusting Stella. Bella shook her hand and nodded. "Alright, here's to a successful collaboration."