Chapter 63

As a result of trying to "pluck the moon," Stella had to reschedule her flight to the next day. Fortunately, when she called in the morning, Aurora didn't ask about the reason for the flight change. There were plenty of flights from Seattle to Kenwest, and at 11 o'clock, the driver took Stella to the airport. A month ago, Dorian went to Skyloop to secure an order from Nevers. The sterile production workshops in Skyloop were already operational. Stella's trip to Kenwest was mainly to select a site for the R&D base, and she also needed to deal with people from the Kenwest Investment Promotion Bureau. Accompanying her on the business trip to Kenwest was Aurora. The subsequent cooperation with Nevers was handed over to Celestia, who stayed in Seattle. Just after boarding the plane, Stella encountered two familiar faces. Shane and Wendy, whom she hadn't seen for a while, were sitting in the first row. Wendy greeted her in surprise when she saw her, "Stella, are you going to Kenwest too?" "Yes," Stella nodded, smiling back, and asked, "What about you two?" Sitting beside her, Shane explained with a smile, "Wendy's uncle's family lives in Kenwest. We planned to take her back to Mountside County earlier, but only now found the time." "What a coincidence," Stella said with a smile. She would also be going to Mountside County after handling matters in Kenwest, and might run into them again in a few days. Knowing Wendy was a warm-hearted girl, she didn't want to interfere with their plans, so she kept this to herself. Seattle and Kenwest were not far apart; the flight lasted just over an hour before landing at Kenwest Airport. Shane and Wendy traveled light and didn't check any luggage. After bidding farewell to Stella, they left first. As they walked out of the airport terminal, a young man carrying luggage brushed past them. Shane sensed something, paused, and instinctively turned around, staring intently at a familiar-looking figure in the distance. Wendy noticed his odd behavior and turned to look at him. She saw that Shane was staring intently at a man and asked, "What's wrong?" Shane smiled and shook his head. "Nothing, just saw someone I know." If he wasn't mistaken, the man who had just gone to the check-in area was the one who had once taken Director Moore to the hospital. But the man had already walked away, so he dismissed the thought and left the airport with Wendy. Meanwhile, Stella and Aurora got into the car that Dorian had sent to pick them up. Kenwest was a southern city, yet it wasn't coastal, and its climate was much drier compared to Seattle. Mountside County was only a little over a hundred kilometers from Kenwest, and the accents were similar. Hearing the driver speak, Stella felt a sense of familiarity. Even though she had left Mountside County nearly ten years ago, she still considered it her hometown. On the way to the hotel, Stella reminded Aurora, "After sending the initial contract draft to Nevers, make sure Celestia forwards their feedback to us." Aurora nodded. "Got it." By the time they arrived at their hotel, it was already two in the afternoon. After entering her hotel room, Stella first sent a message to Ethan, letting him know she had arrived. He responded immediately with a voice message. "Where are you staying?" "The Emperor Hotel." "Room 1603?" "How did you know?" "Mrs. Powers, the hotel you're staying at is also part of our marital property," the man's voice was playful. Stella was speechless. It seemed she was now lagging behind in understanding their joint assets. Not having much appetite on the plane earlier, after hanging up the phone, Stella and Aurora went to the restaurant to eat, where Dorian was already waiting for them. After ordering and handing the menu to the waiter, Stella turned to Dorian and asked, "How's the new R&D center coming along?" Although the existing transformed production base in Kenwest could handle Nevers' supply needs, Lush Aura still needed a more integrated R&D center and production base. To compete for CF's partnership next year, the new base had to be operational by March at the latest. Dorian had previously scouted a location. "The original price they offered was quite high, but I was notified yesterday that they would lower it," Dorian hesitated before continuing, "Malone Group recently made a significant investment in Kenwest. We thought they might be interested in that factory, but they decided not to pursue it." Stella frowned slightly. Clearly, this matter was again related to Aaron. Dorian added, "I also heard that Aaron just arrived in Kenwest. We might run into him during this period." Even though Lush Aura and Malone Group had no business dealings, it was inevitable to cross paths at meetings with the investment bureau. Stella calmly nodded. "Okay." The last time Ethan asked her to re-add Aaron on SnapChat, the next day, she received a patent transfer agreement from Aaron. These were the research patents Dorian's team had previously applied for at New Era. New Era's research focused mainly on biopharmaceuticals for genetic diseases, with its few drugs priced exorbitantly. Years ago, New Era had essentially abandoned the less profitable business of cosmetic raw materials. Since those patents were Dorian's hard work, Stella sent the documents to him and deleted Aaron's SnapChat. Subsequently, Dorian and New Era coordinated to purchase the patents at a fair market price under the company's name. Stella had long since lost any emotional attachment to Aaron. She didn't plan to deliberately avoid him in business but would not have any personal contact either. If she did, considering Ethan's habit of pretending to be magnanimous, who knew what he might do. In the first two days in Kenwest, Stella and Dorian's team held meetings regarding cooperation with Nevers and planned for the upcoming overseas competition for CF's partnership. On Wednesday evening, they had a dinner appointment with the investment bureau, scheduled in a private room at the five-star hotel where Stella and Aurora were staying. After the meeting with Dorian, they returned to the hotel, and Aurora received a call. "The contact person from the investment bureau called and asked me to organize the qualification documents into a table and send it over," Aurora reported. As soon as Aurora finished speaking, the elevator they were in stopped on the floor where the private room was located. Stella responded with a light "Okay," then said, "You go back to your room and handle it first. Come over when you're done." She didn't think much of it and exited the elevator alone. After walking halfway down the hallway, she pushed open the door to the private room. The scene before her was unexpected. "Stella." In the large private room, Aaron was the only one there. Stella's eyes darkened the moment she saw him. Realizing the call Aurora had just taken, she instantly understood and frowned. "Did you have someone deceive me into coming here?" Aaron got up and walked over to her, sighing before he spoke. "I'm sorry, but if I hadn't done so, I wouldn't have had any chance to speak with you alone." "Aaron, when I handed over the New Era stock transfer agreement to you last time, I thought I made everything very clear." Stella couldn't understand why Aaron still refused to accept that there was no longer any relationship between them. "Very clear?" Aaron's face darkened, his voice tense, "Last time you said you were trying to be in another relationship. Is it Ethan?" Stella frowned at him, then suddenly smiled, her voice incredibly serious, "Yes, I love him. He is my husband." "You love him?" Aaron stared at her and asked. She had never told him she loved him. Her candidness seemed to provoke him, and his eyes reddened. She was so ruthless to him. After their breakup, she gave him no chance at all. There was no way to contact her, and no occasions to see her. All his attempts to get close and be kind to her were coldly rebuffed. Moreover, more obstacles started to appear, increasing the distance between them. Despite it being against his will, it seemed like from the day of the wedding, he had messed up everything between them. One wrong step led to another. He didn't know what more he could do. He hired someone to send flowers to Carlson Group daily, but after the first time, those flowers never appeared before her again. He had waited countless times in Carlson Group's parking lot, only to see Stella get into Ethan's car and disappear from sight. After their breakup, even having a chance to talk to her alone became a luxury. "I know I made mistakes, but tell me, what can I do now?" Aaron's voice was hoarse as he desperately grasped Stella's wrist. He couldn't believe she had sentenced him to an unforgivable punishment, nor could he believe she had fallen in love with Ethan. Yet, the look in her eyes was something he had never seen before. This realization filled him with panic. "Do what? Aaron, the only thing you can do is stop bothering me. I don't need your compensation. I just hope you can clearly draw the line. This way, maybe you can still retain a shred of dignity and avoid complete embarrassment," Stella said in a low voice, her cold gaze falling on Aaron's hand gripping her wrist, her brows furrowing tightly. "Let go. Or I'll call 911."