Chapter 67

Ethan remained silent. After leaving the school, the two grabbed a bite nearby and then returned to the hotel. Stella noticed that Ethan seemed to be suppressing his emotions ever since they arrived in Kenwest. Whenever she asked him, though, he brushed off her questions with his usual nonchalant attitude. She didn't know how to get him to open up this time. The next morning, Director Caspian called early, saying that the child named Lulu had heard she was going to visit the graves yesterday and would leave Mountside County tomorrow, so she specially prepared a gift for her. So, before setting off to sweep the tomb for Director Caspian, Ethan drove her to the orphanage first. Stella got out of the car and went to fetch something from Director Caspian, while Ethan waited in the car. In the orphanage, the children had just finished breakfast and were playing in the yard. Walking through the long corridors of the dining hall, Stella was about to call Director Caspian when she saw him not far away, talking to a young man. The man caught sight of her and greeted her with a slight smile, "Hey." The person speaking with Director Caspian was Shane. "So you know Shane?" Director Caspian seemed somewhat surprised. "Yes, we know each other." Shane nodded and didn't elaborate further. When Stella returned to the Carlson family years ago, the Director advised her not to mention her return to the orphanage, hoping to avoid the repeated mention of her growing up in the orphanage, which would affect her life. Director Caspian glanced at the two of them knowingly and then said, "I'll go call Lulu." As Director Caspian walked away, Stella looked around but didn't see Wendy, so she asked, "Where's Wendy?" "We just arrived this morning. She was feeling very sick from motion sickness, so I told her to rest at the hotel. Her phone happened to be dead, and I didn't want Director Caspian to wait, so I came here first," Shane explained briefly, then smiled at her. "Did you come to Mountside County on your own?" Stella shook her head. "No, I came with my husband. We'll have to find some time to introduce you properly another day." Despite Ethan having felt jealous a few times over Shane, they had never met. Shane knew Stella was married and asked, "Is he the gentleman who called Director Caspian?" Stella hesitated briefly, then shook her head lightly. "No." Shane glanced at her expression and decided not to pursue the topic further. As they were talking, Director Caspian returned with Lulu, interrupting their conversation. Lulu still looked a bit shy, hiding timidly behind Director Caspian. She handed Stella a card she had drawn herself. Stella smiled gently, reaching out to take it and patting Lulu's head. "You drew this beautifully. Thank you, sweetie." Lulu smiled back at her, revealing her small, white teeth, then shyly retreated behind Director Caspian. After a while, another girl ran up to Lulu and whispered something in her ear, then they ran off together. Director Caspian watched the playful children for a moment, and Stella explained, "Lulu was kidnapped and brought here a few months ago. She still has some memories of her parents. Every time an adult comes to the orphanage, she sneaks out to see if it's her mom and dad. It's strange because she doesn't talk much usually, but she seems fond of you." "Maybe it's fate," Stella remarked, noting the similarities in their experiences. Stella finished speaking and glanced at the greeting card in her hand. A girl in a dress and a man in a suit were doodled on the card. Although the drawings were simple, it was clear that the two figures were meant to represent her and Ethan. After taking the card, she thought Ethan was waiting for her at the door. After a brief chat, she bid farewell to Director Caspian and Shane. As she was about to leave the corridor leading out of the dining hall, someone called out to her from behind. Stella turned around to see Shane. "Wait. Could you ask Mr. Sting for his grandfather's address?" he walked up to her and asked gently. "Mr. Sting?" Stella frowned, puzzled. Shane nodded. "Yes, his grandfather was the former director of Kenwest Hospital. I heard that his health is not well, and I'd like to visit him when I return to Kenwest in a couple of days. After all, Mr. Sting helped Director Moore, and I have some connection with him." When Shane got off the plane, he saw Mr. Sting, who had accompanied Director Moore to the hospital. However, he didn't dare to acknowledge him at the time, and so missed the opportunity. Upon hearing this, Stella clenched her fingers. The next moment, she bit her lip tightly and asked, "What's the full name of this Mr. Sting?" "Mark Sting." Coming out of the orphanage alone, Stella was lost in thought as she got into the car parked at the door. Seeing her blank expression as she got into the car, Ethan wondered what had happened. After checking the time on the car's screen, he decided to pull up the navigation for Moonshadow Mountain. But just a few hundred miles down the road, the car slowed to a halt. "Are you trying to stop me from driving?" Ethan lowered his eyes and looked indulgently at the woman clinging tightly to his shoulder. Stella didn't let go of his hand, paused for a moment, and spoke softly, "But I really want to hug you right now. Can you hold me while you drive?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, smiled, unbuckled his seatbelt with his free hand, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. "Weren't you fine yesterday? How come after going in for a while today, you come out all clingy?" Stella looked into his handsome face, her hand gently touching his cheek, her voice soft and ethereal. "Why didn't you tell me?" "Tell you what?" He blinked lazily at her, his tone casual. After a pause, Stella spoke with certainty, "The jade Buddha I received was sent by you through Director Moore." He had also arranged for her affairs. Mark was his friend, and he had helped initially only because of him. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked stubbornly again. Ethan finally understood her emotions. His eyes were full of indulgence as he smiled and rubbed her head. "At first, I thought it wasn't necessary." He understood Stella's personality well enough to know she wouldn't develop feelings for him just because he sent her a jade Buddha. Instead, she might feel indebted to him, causing unnecessary worry. He didn't want her to feel guilty. And he certainly didn't want her feeling guilty towards him. Besides, at that time, he couldn't be by her side. Listening to his understated tone, Stella stared into his blue eyes, her eyes moistening slightly as she murmured, "I'm sorry for making you wait so long." She wouldn't have fallen for Ethan just because she owed him a favor; in fact, she might have chosen to avoid him after repaying it. But now that she knew it was him, Stella felt a mix of bitterness and heartache, yet also admiration for him. She had hoped someone would love her unreservedly, but now that she had it, she couldn't help but feel sorry for his unknown sacrifices during those lonely years. The sour emotions in her heart were unstoppable. "So why didn't you say anything later?" Why? Probably because he feared she would feel pressured, just like she did now. Ethan sighed, pulling her into his arms. "Why are you making me wipe tears again? Just think of it as me being a bit cunning, waiting for you to figure it out yourself. Do you love me a little bit more now?" "More than a bit," Stella jokingly said, meeting his gaze directly. She wanted to love him just as deeply in return, not one-sidedly, and it pained her to see him love her so intensely. Ethan grinned and leaned close to her ear, teasingly saying, "Alright then, you'll have to make it up to me tonight." Make up for what exactly, was left unsaid. Stella blushed, complaining, "Ethan, I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you right now." How easily he diverted the atmosphere. "What I'm saying is the most serious thing." Ethan met her gaze, his eyes playfully smiling. The bitterness in her heart softened helplessly, and the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes refused to fall. He smiled, feeling relieved because she had managed to stop those tears. He couldn't bear to see her upset. Calming herself down, Stella cupped his face, her eyes showing a serious intent to get to the bottom of things. "Why haven't you been happy these past few days?" She could sense the emotions he buried deep inside, but he never told her the reasons. Ethan lowered his gaze and asked back, "Why don't you tell me first, why do you like me now?" Stella hesitated for a moment, furrowing her brow in thought. After a pause, she looked up at him. "Because you are so good." If beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, then the best was right in front of her—why wouldn't she love the best of him? "If someone else treated you as well as I do, would you still love them? Or if you found out I'm not as good as you think, would you still love me?" Ethan asked, his deep eyes showing curiosity. The current outcome stemmed from his meticulous understanding of her. In other words, her affection was something he had strategically earned. He knew what mattered to her and deliberately made her aware of his 'goodness' in every aspect. Being as rational as she was, she could control her emotions better than most, keeping everyone at arm's length. He loved her, but it took considerable effort to break down her defenses. Yet he also felt jealousy; upon learning that Aaron had come looking for her, he wasn't as calm as he appeared. Once possessed, he feared losing her acceptance of his good qualities while unable to accept his flaws. There were things he genuinely feared telling her. Seeing her silence and furrowed brow, Ethan brushed aside her stray hair and cleared his throat lightly, his gaze growing deeper. "I'm not as magnanimous as I seem. If I don't like Aaron getting close to you, I'll do what it takes to trip him up. If he pushes too far, I don't know what I might do. Sometimes, I just wish you could only see me, without paying too much attention to someone like Alex. I'm selfish." Yet he couldn't bear to see her upset, so he acted out of frustration. Once she tasted the care he gave her, there was no way he could let her go. He didn't want to pressure her and feared she might discover his selfish thoughts.