Chapter 84

Stella was no longer the girl who was mocked and ridiculed for her unconventional appearance. Even after breaking up with Aaron, she still had the fortune of being cherished and pampered by Ethan. As for herself, Avery knew that Jonathan was planning to announce her engagement to Aaron after today's birthday banquet. But she also understood that Aaron would never agree to it. If Aaron refused the engagement on the spot, she would become a laughingstock once and for all. With these thoughts in mind, she lowered her eyes and stopped a passing servant, saying softly, "I see that Aaron just had quite a bit to drink. Please take him a cup of honey water." Both Claire and Aaron had the habit of drinking honey water, so her request didn't seem out of place to the servant. After greeting Jonathan, Ethan was intercepted by Cameron, who suddenly approached and started a conversation. Looking around, Stella finally saw Natalie sitting alone in the corner and walked over to her friend. "Are you feeling okay?" Stella asked as she approached, noticing that Natalie looked a bit weary. She knew Natalie had just returned from abroad, and they hadn't seen each other in a while. Natalie usually had a radiant demeanor and rarely showed signs of exhaustion. Stella was about to inquire further, but Natalie waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing, just been really busy with work lately, non-stop." She glanced over at Ethan, who was surrounded by Cameron, and added, "I didn't expect Ethan to accompany you." Stella had not been attending many banquets since her marriage, especially after the recent scandal, which had attracted quite a bit of scrutiny towards their relationship. However, the intimate display between them earlier at today's event had effectively discouraged anyone with suspicious intentions. "I didn't expect it either," Stella chuckled in response. She hadn't expected him to be so generous this time, but she wondered if it was just another pretense. As they spoke, a woman in a red evening gown approached them enthusiastically, saying, "Stella, long time no see! You've been so busy these past months, hardly ever coming to our gatherings." Stella never liked these insincere social occasions. In the past, she would attend to appease Claire's requests, but after marriage, she found no need to attend such gatherings and avoided them whenever possible. Recognizing the woman as Ember Thaddeus from the Thaddeus family, she nodded politely and replied softly, "Yes, I've been quite busy." Ember sensed her polite distance but didn't seem to mind. After the news of Lionel's arrest spread and the identity turmoil around Stella settled down, the Thaddeus family had recently been warned by their own household, so they were not ignorant of the situation either. At this point, Stella couldn't afford to offend anyone. Moreover, Ethan's clear attitude by accompanying her to the Malone family's banquet was already quite evident. Sitting beside Stella, Ember glanced around and pointed to the woman standing next to Cameron, saying, "You should be a little cautious. I've seen Crystal Glow in Ethan's room before." Crystal, the woman accompanying Cameron today, was a somewhat famous actress, someone Stella had heard of before. However, Ember's reminder was the first time she had heard such a thing. Stella's gaze lightly furrowed as it fell on the seductive figure next to Cameron. Meanwhile, Aaron restrained himself from approaching Stella nearby, knowing that his current status and this kind of occasion would only invite gossip if he did something inappropriate. "Master, the kitchen just made honey water. Miss Fletcher asked me to bring you a cup," a servant interrupted. "Thanks," Aaron nodded upon hearing this, withdrawing his gaze and accepting the cup of honey water the servant brought over. He didn't rush to drink it but instead lowered his eyes, lost in thought. Aiden, who had just walked over, noticed his silence and called out, "Hey" Over the past six months, William took advantage of the losses incurred by Luminary Entertainment to liquidate and sell it off. Aiden was no longer the general manager of Luminary Entertainment, having returned to Wood Group. Aiden knew that Aaron had become distant because of his past favoritism towards Avery. During this time, Aaron had been somewhat cold towards him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Aaron looked up at him, his deep eyes showing a hint of depth. After a moment, he smiled and said, "I'm not in the mood for something sweet. You drink it for me." As Ethan set down his cup, he caught sight of William approaching him. He calmly lowered his gaze, abandoning any thoughts of circling around with Cameron. Instead, he said, "Mr. Reeves, you can rest assured that Horizon Group has no interest in the land in Havenridge. Sorry, I'm here with my wife today, so I'll take my leave." With a nod, he bid farewell and walked towards Stella, who was speaking with Natalie on the other side. Earlier, he had directed William as a way to trip up Aaron, not wanting any interaction with him in front of everyone. As Jason had mentioned, there were still things he couldn't let her know. By the time he arrived, Ember was no longer there. Natalie caught sight of Ethan and smiled as she greeted him, then tactfully stood up and walked away. Ethan stood tall and straight, watching Stella's cheeks, which were faintly flushed. He asked, "Had a drink?" "Just a little while chatting with Natalie," Stella replied, tilting her head back and smiling at him. Ethan sighed softly as he helped her up and asked, "Shall we go home?" "Sure," Stella nodded lightly. They were about to bid farewell to the surrounded Jonathan, but from a distance, they saw a servant walking up to him and saying something. The Jonathan's face changed slightly, and with assistance from Aaron at his side, he stood up. Amidst their confusion, Stella's phone in her bag buzzed twice. She took it out and saw a message from Kate on SnapChat: Come upstairs. At today's banquet, Kate was afraid that Claire would take advantage of the occasion to introduce her to some 'young talents', so she had been hiding in her room upstairs. Stella then turned to Ethan and said, "Wait for me a moment. I'll go talk to Xiang Xiang." "I'll come with you. I'll wait for you at the staircase," Ethan replied. It wasn't that he didn't trust her; it was just that Aaron had just helped Jonathan upstairs, and who knew if it was a trick from the other side. Stella thought about it and nodded in agreement. Little did they know, as soon as they went upstairs, they were met head-on by a hurried figure. Stella stumbled and leaned into Ethan's arms. Looking up, she saw Avery's slightly disheveled figure, her hair a bit messy, clearly having just rushed out of a guest room. Obviously, she hadn't expected to run into Stella at her most disheveled moment. Avery stood frozen in place, feeling absurd as she met Stella's calm, indifferent gaze. She couldn't help but bite her lip. In her memory, whenever she was in a sorry state, Stella always looked at her with that arrogant, cold, mocking gaze, indifferent to her troubles. Thinking about the recent situation, she felt that fate was too ironic to her. Why did she always have to come out on the losing end to Stella and accept that lofty gaze of hers? "Satisfied with my embarrassment, huh?" Avery's words made Stella furrow her brow. But when she saw Aiden, also looking somewhat disheveled, standing behind Avery, and Claire quickly stepping away from the guest room door, Stella vaguely understood what was going on. Kate stood there signaling with her eyes, and Stella knew she was being deliberate. Unable to reveal Kate's message, she simply chuckled and said, "If that's what you think, then sure." Avery clenched her teeth, half-lowered her head, eyes filled with suppressed resentment.