Chapter 21
+25 BONUS
After breakfast, Stellar noticed Mary was still busying around, so she stepped forward to help. She moved the antique pieces, paintings, and coffee table, placing fresh flowers into vases. The living room’s ambiance instantly became more elegant and refined.
Mary watched her efforts with satisfaction, silently appreciating Stellar’s graceful movements. When Stellar wasn’t looking, Mary took out her phone, recorded a short video, and sent it to a private account.
Hundreds of miles away.
In Southport, at the Rivers estate.
Laurence Rivers and Martha Whitmore were looking at the video sent to their phone. The girl in the footage stood tall and poised, her features delicate and radiant, outshining even the fresh flowers around her.
“Look at her! Doesn’t she look just like our daughter? Her eyes, her nose… our precious granddaughter is such a beauty!” Martha clutched the phone, her eyes brimming with tears.
Laurence leaned against the headboard, gripping the edge of the blanket as his eyes reddened. Though he tried to suppress his emotions, he couldn’t help but murmur, “When… when can we finally see her?”
If not for his health, he would’ve flown to her side immediately.
“Calm down, calm down,” Martha said gently, patting his back to comfort him. “Don’t get too worked up. By your 70th birthday next month, Stellar will surely come home.
“And with Mary looking after her, you know she’ll be in good hands. Mary’s skills are unmatched.”
“That’s right, Dad, Mom,” Claude, who had flown back overnight to see them, said.
“Stellar is an extraordinary young woman–not just beautiful, but incredibly talented and thoughtful. However, after everything she endured with the Harlows, she’s built walls around herself and carries wounds that will take time to heal.
“For now, I can only support her from behind the scenes. It’s best not to overwhelm her or disrupt her progress.”
Laurence and Martha exchanged a glance, their hearts aching with understanding. “We get it. We truly do.”
With Mary’s meticulous and well–balanced care, Stellar found her daily life increasingly comfortable, allowing her to fully focus on her studies. 1
As for the collaboration with Brighton Group, the agreements were already finalized, and her involvement wasn’t yet required. Shane called earlier to inform her of an upcoming meeting with several project partners scheduled for next week.
For now, her days revolved around leaving early and returning late, fully immersed in her studies.
By the weekend, Stellar decided to visit Victor at his home.
She knew her mentor had dedicated his life to research, remaining unmarried and living alone. Back when she was his student, she frequently helped him with household chores. It had been a while since her last visit, and she couldn’t help but worry about how he was managing
Her instincts were proven correct when she entered his home and found it starkly minimalistic.
+25 BONUS:
Chapter 21
Victor had always been this way—meticulous and thorough when it came to research, yet indifferent to the details of daily life, refusing to waste any time on household matters.
Stellar smiled to herself and set about tidying up the place
“Hmph. You think this will make me go easy on you?” Victer huffed in mock disdain, though his actions betrayed him as he shifted to his desk, leaving her plenty of space to work.
Stellar couldn’t help but laugh. “Helping my mentor isn’t about earning favor. It’s something I’m happy to do.” Her words were sweet, carefully chosen to please.
As she moved around, she noticed other tasks that needed attention. “Let me run downstairs and rinse the mop.” Without giving Victor a chance to protest, she headed down
At the water tap, she focused on rinsing the mop, unaware that a figure in the distance had taken out their phone and was discreetly recording her.
