Chapter 78

Meanwhile, in an apartment downtown, Lionel gripped his phone, brows furrowed, looking at Avery across the table. "How is this possible? It hasn't been long, and all the online news has been retracted. Does Stella have such great influence?" Previously, Dean had been detained for embezzling company funds, and all his assets were frozen. Lionel himself had been involved in shady dealings during his tenure at Carlson Group. Seeing how ruthless Stella was, he had to cover up the previous loopholes before resigning. During this period, he had been living quite frugally. He had spent quite a bit of money to bribe those marketing accounts, only to have them deleted in the blink of an eye. Avery remained calm. "It's not surprising. Either Aaron deleted them, or it was Ethan." Or perhaps, both of them were involved. "Aaron? Wasn't he about to get engaged to you? Why is he still helping her?" Lionel asked. "Yes, he's still helping her, " Avery lowered her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed softly. And then she looked up at Lionel and asked, "Is the person you brought really Stella's uncle?" "How would I know? I heard even if they did a paternity test, it wouldn't be accurate." Lionel pursed his lips and added, "But the human trafficker who was recently arrested confessed that there were three children abducted initially, so Stella may not actually be a grandchild of Thomas." When Stella was at the Carlson family, her parents had already passed away, so they couldn't undergo a parental DNA test. The grandfather-granddaughter DNA test wasn't definitive, and the test results with Thomas weren't conclusive. Dean had questioned this before but was blocked by Thomas, simply because Director Moore had Stella's clothes from when she went missing, with her grandmother's name sewn on the cuff. However, according to the confession of the human trafficker, the three children abducted at that time were of similar ages and frequently wore exchanged clothes. Although Stella bore some resemblance to her mother, Octavia, it couldn't be confirmed that she was the child of Griffin and Octavia. Thinking about this, Lionel furrowed his brows and looked at Avery. "If we muddy Stella's identity, will she withdraw the lawsuit?" After Dean's case went through the first trial and he applied for an appeal, it was just delaying tactics. The outcome was almost certain unless Stella withdrew the lawsuit. It seemed unlikely, but if Stella wasn't actually a member of the Carlson family, what right did she have to inherit the family's estate, and why was Dean sent to prison? That's why Lionel had brought people to find Wyatt. Avery glanced at Lionel but didn't say anything because she wasn't sure what Stella would do either. She only knew that if Stella might not be Thomas's granddaughter, Aaron would have no chance with her. The Malone family would not agree. Whether Stella would give up her share and whether she would withdraw from Dean's trial were not the most important things in Avery's eyes. In other words, she was also using Lionel. When Stella and Ethan arrived at the villa, it was already past midnight. The moonlight was sparse, and the slightly cool air dispersed their weariness as they got out of the car. Ethan helped her with her luggage to the room. As he came back downstairs, he glimpsed Stella sitting on the couch, her serene eyes looking towards him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "When did you get here?" she inquired. He sat down next to her, pulling her close. "About half an hour before you." Stella paused for a moment, then murmured softly, "You didn't contact me for two days." Her gentle voice carried a hint of reproach. Ethan sensed her low spirits, pursed his lips, and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, I got caught up with some last-minute errands. It won't happen again." Stella buried her head in his chest, silent for a while before reluctantly letting go. "I'll go take a shower first then." "Okay," Ethan responded softly, watching her walk upstairs, his brow furrowing slightly. Since they met, she had been more clingy than usual. He knew it wasn't just because she missed him. The living room quieted down, and after a while, the phone rang. He picked up the phone from the coffee table and answered it. "Boss, Mr. Everwood's flight is scheduled to arrive at Seattle tomorrow morning." Ethan lowered his eyelids upon hearing this, rubbed his forehead lightly. "Okay, I got it. I'll personally go to the airport to pick him up." "Do we need to inform Mr. Donovan?" Ethan glanced at the closed room upstairs, silent for a few seconds before replying, "Not for now." "Alright, understood." After briefing Isaac, Ethan hung up, stood up, and went upstairs. After pushing open the door to the master bedroom, it was pitch black inside. He frowned momentarily, scanning the room before approaching Stella, who sat silently on the edge of the bed in her robe, sighing softly. "Why are you sitting here in the dark? Why didn't you turn on the lights?" His voice broke the silence abruptly. Stella snapped out of her daze, murmuring, "Oh, I forgot." It wasn't really forgetting; she had turned off the lights again after taking a shower. She always felt her thoughts were clearer in the darkness. Ethan looked at her but didn't call her out on it. Instead, he asked, "What are you thinking about?" "Did my uncle tell you?" she asked quietly. "Yeah," he admitted without hesitation. Stella took a deep breath, reaching out to embrace him. "I've been thinking lately, if I'm not Thomas's granddaughter, not my parents' daughter, then who am I?" During these moments alone, she felt like she was lost in a dim labyrinth, trying desperately to find a way out but not knowing which path to take. When Wyatt finished telling her everything, Stella realized that the identity she had painstakingly built might be shattered again. Leaving the orphanage and finally accepting her identity might not have belonged to her after all. Ethan gently stroked her head and said slowly, "Even now, you haven't figured out who you are? You're my wife, the one and only Stella Powers," his voice softened, and he continued, "You have family and friends, you're not alone. So, don't be afraid." As his wife, she didn't need any other identity. Stella's eyes were slightly red. The man's words seemed to dispel the fog that had troubled her for so long. At the end of the road, his figure reached out to her firmly. For some reason, though not saddened, tears couldn't help but flow. Her once suspended heart seemed to finally find solace. "Do you think I'm being weak like this?" Her voice was muffled, soft. "Actually, I pretended to be very calm in front of Wyatt and Aurora." But the calm and strength she feigned in front of them dissolved like foam in front of him, fragile and fleeting. Ethan wiped away her tears. "That just means we are special to each other." "Special?" "To some extent, everyone else is an outsider," his deep eyes flickered in the dim light, his voice carrying certainty. "In this life, you might have to part ways with many people, but I'll be there with you until the end." Stella smiled through her tears. "You're spoiling me." She paused, then added, "Is my mindset like this wrong?" "There's nothing wrong, Stella. In this world, you're the most important." Stella hesitated, as if there were emotions she found hard to express, suddenly feeling choked up. Perhaps she had always hoped to have this kind of selfish, protective love, longing for someone to tell her that she was the most important person in the world.