Chapter 107
Haynes chuckled, “You’re pretty sharp.”
“When dealing with people like Mr. O’Brien and Ms. Pearce, you have to be careful. Otherwise, you might not even know what hit you.”
For some reason, the wife he used to think was so dull was suddenly becoming really interesting to him.
“Stella, if this is your way of getting my attention, I can tell you, you’ve succeeded.”
Stella couldn’t help herself and let out a small laugh.
If narcissism had levels, Haynes would be in the SSS category, with a plus sign to boot.
Haynes wasn’t really going to snatch her phone away. Besides, Stella wasn’t that naive.
The last time he tried to stop her from holding a press conference, she made an even bigger fuss, showing she wasn’t as easy to handle as he thought.
“Stella,” Haynes said, “whether or not we pursue this matter isn’t up to you.” Stella was taken aback but quickly understood the implication in Haynes’ words. Her eyes flared with anger. “Haynes, are you threatening my friends again?!” Haynes glanced at her. “I’ll offer your friend a satisfactory compensation package.”
Stella was stunned once more.
Compensation?
She was familiar with Abby’s character; Abby wouldn’t just settle with Haynes for some compensation. However, because of Stella’s rash actions, Rachel had attempted suicide. Abby felt a deep sense of guilt for being indirectly involved. She was the kind to endure hardship herself rather than cause trouble for others.
Plus, Abby knew that going head-to-head with Haynes would only end badly for her. It was quite likely Abby would accept Haynes’ offer.
…
Sure enough, when Stella found Abby again, Abby had already signed a settlement agreement with Benson.
Stella looked apologetically at Abby, “Abby, I’m sorry.”
Abby chuckled, “What’s there to be sorry about? I just got a condo downtown as compensation. It’ll appreciate in value, and I could never afford it on my own.”
Abby patted Stella on the shoulder and lowered her voice.
“Stella, I know you’re worried about me, but you’re about to divorce Haynes. You’ll need a place to stay, and if he tries anything sneaky, this house will be untouchable. It could be your safety net.”
“Think about it, Rachel’s just pretending to be crazy. She probably instructed Jasper to do this, and if Jasper goes to jail, she’ll have even more reason to cling to Haynes.”
Abby paused and rolled her eyes.
“Did you see Rachel’s sudden ‘episode’ today? She’s acting. I don’t buy that there’s anything wrong with her mentally.”
After making sure Abby’s injuries were not severe, they left the hospital. Stepping into the sunshine, Stella noticed someone familiar. “Hey, isn’t that Foreman?” Abby, who had known Stella for years, also recognized him. “What’s he doing here?”
As they spoke, Foreman seemed to sense something and looked directly at them. Foreman walked over to Stella. “Stella, I need to talk to you.”
Before this, Stella had a particularly good impression of Foreman and trusted him. But after discovering he’d lied about Abby’s situation, her trust had completely shattered.
He was, after all, Haynes’ friend, and it was clear where his loyalties lay. How could he possibly betray Haynes for her?
Stella’s tone was distant. “Mr. Richards, I’m busy right now, I don’t have time.”
She grabbed Abby’s arm, ready to walk around Foreman and leave.
Foreman stepped in front of Stella. “Just one minute.”