Chapter 80

When Avery returned to the Malone family's villa, the lights in the living room were on, and Aaron was silently sitting on the sofa, as if waiting for her. "You had Wyatt come forward because you wanted to force Stella to hand over her shares?" The man's voice carried a clear note of displeasure. Everyone knew that if Stella's identity couldn't be confirmed, Wyatt would be in the most difficult position. No matter what, he couldn't disregard the possibility that Griffin's biological daughter might still be out there. "Force her?" Avery sneered, her eyes filled with emotion as she looked at him. "If Stella isn't Thomas's granddaughter, would you still side with her?" After all, Stella had only lived with the Carlson family for 3 years. If she wasn't really Griffin's daughter, those shares shouldn't belong to her. Avery was indeed resentful. She had stayed with her grandfather for so many years, but after Stella appeared, he constantly favored her out of pity for her past misfortunes. Even now, she couldn't shake off Stella's presence. Aaron's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked at her calmly. "If you can stop pursuing this, I can send you abroad. I'm sure the Fletcher family won't trouble you anymore." "Abroad?" Avery bit her lip, unable to stop herself from asking, "So, even if those shares rightfully aren't hers, you're asking me to give them up?" Aaron wanting to send her abroad meant he had never intended to get engaged to her, even though Stella was already with someone else. So what was the point of everything she had done? She had gone to great lengths to break him and Stella apart, done so much to bind him to her, and in the end, her reputation was in ruins, and her company was already a mess. Aaron looked up at her, his voice devoid of emotion: "I'm just giving you a choice. You don't have to answer right now." If Avery agreed, he wouldn't do anything more, out of respect for Rita. This was his final act of mercy. If she refused... Aaron lowered his gaze, silently turned around, and went upstairs. In another room, Kate had just finished her shower and opened SnapChat. She immediately saw the chaotic messages in a certain socialite group. Ember Thaddeus: Ladies, have you heard? Stella might not be Griffin's daughter. Adeline Juniper: Even if she isn't, she's already inherited shares and married Ethan. Everyone envies her good fortune. Thea Sandberg: Oh, how times change. Avery used to be so high and mighty, with everyone fawning over her. Now her father is in jail, and she's dependent on others. Her engagement party keeps being postponed. Who knows what Aaron is thinking? Adeline Juniper: Isn't Aaron still pining for his ex-fiancée? If Stella isn't Griffin's daughter, and she returns the shares out of pride, can her marriage to Ethan survive? Ember Thaddeus: Are you eyeing the position even before Stella steps down? Adeline Juniper: Oh, come on, don't just talk about me. Don't you have any thoughts about a husband who's rich and without a mother-in-law? This was a socialite group that often arranged gatherings for fun. It wasn't very large, with only about a dozen members. The socialites in the wealthy circles were also stratified. Not everyone had career ambitions; most were just gilding themselves with titles like "designer" while living off their families and waiting for arranged marriages. Someone like Stella, with a good family background and academic excellence, praised by the elders, wouldn't mingle in a group that only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun. After all, she was the kind of daughter-in-law that even the picky Claire couldn't find fault with. In the socialite circles, she was the perfect child everyone envied. Kate read the long string of messages and puffed up her cheeks in anger. She frowned. Kate: Their relationship is doing just fine. Do they need a bunch of idiots like you to worry about them? After sending that message, she immediately exited the group. Still feeling indignant, she took a screenshot of the messages and forwarded it to Jason, thoughtfully labeling each person's identity. Jason would know, and that meant Ethan would know too. Kate didn't want Stella to be upset because of these people. Complaining behind their backs? Of course she knew how to do that. After doing all this, she opened her chat with Stella. Kate: Did that bitch Avery come to see you? Damn, I knew something was off with her. She's causing trouble again, isn't she? Are you okay? After leaving the Carlson family's mansion and just getting into the car, Stella received Kate's message and quickly replied: I'm fine. Don't worry. After meeting with Ronan and his son, she roughly understood why they would come looking for a "niece" who had been missing for over 20 years. Seeing through their intentions, she actually felt relieved. Even if they were blood relatives, she would never let such people leech off her. There was no need to care. No matter how much Lionel attacked her, she would not drop the lawsuit against Dean. As for the shares of Carlson Group, they no longer meant much to her, but if she had to return them, she would only give them to Wyatt. The so-called high society life had never suited her. If she could withdraw from it all, she might be more at ease. Putting down her phone, Stella glanced out the car window and realized this wasn't the way home. She turned her head and asked, "Where are we going?" Ethan glanced at her and said, "Taking you to meet someone." "Who?" Stella asked, puzzled. The man smiled. "You'll know when you see them." Stella frowned slightly but swallowed her curiosity. Half an hour later, the car stopped at a quiet, private club in the city center. Stella followed Ethan out of the car, and a club attendant led them down a long corridor before helping to open the door to a private room. Inside the quiet room sat a man with a stern expression and sharp features, dressed in a perfectly fitting suit, exuding an aura of maturity and stability. There were faint lines at the corners of his eyes, suggesting he was in his thirties. When he noticed them, he turned his head, his penetrating gaze lingering on Stella's face for a while before he said, "You must be Stella. You bear a striking resemblance to your grandmother in her youth." Stella was a bit surprised. "Yes, I am. And may I ask who you are, please?" Evander Everwood looked at Ethan, who stood silently to the side, and smiled slightly. "I should be also your uncle." Ethan gently guided the stunned Stella to sit down and said, "Thank you for coming all this way." "It's nothing. I should have come back sooner." After speaking, Evander handed the item on the table to Stella.