A youthful voice suddenly broke the tension in the room.

“She’s not Keen’s mom; Stella is.”

At that moment, Marvin had already picked himself up from the floor and was by Stella’s side, helping her to her feet.

“Stella, are you okay?” he asked, concern etched in his bright eyes.

Stella met Marvin’s anxious eyes, his concern striking her so deeply that her throat tightened.

“I’m fine,” she replied, though her voice came out hoarse and shaky.

She tried to stand, leaning heavily on Marvin’s small frame. But her legs were still trembling from the shock, and she nearly stumbled again.

Marvin, small for his age, wobbled under her weight. He braced his feet and pushed up with all his strength-but it was like trying to hold up a falling tree.

Just then, a slender hand caught her firmly, preventing her from falling.

“Thank you,” Stella murmured instinctively, glancing up to see the cool, handsome face of Haynes. Her expression quickly turned frosty.

She instinctively pulled her hand away, but Haynes tightened his grip gently on her wrist. “Keen’s not out of the woods yet. Don’t you want to go see him?”

Stella hesitated, her eyes reflecting her inner turmoil.

Beside her, Marvin chimed in, “Stella, let’s go to the hospital and check on Keen together, okay?”

Stella looked down at him, her gaze softening considerably. She took Marvin’s hand and nodded, “Alright.”

Haynes gave Marvin a brief glance, his expression losing some of its chill.

Meanwhile, Rachel stood as if forgotten, watching the trio walk away. The onlookers around them began murmuring amongst themselves again.

“Who is that woman anyway? She was causing such a scene earlier, misleading everyone and saying the kid’s mom was just after money.”

Who the hell worries about cash when their kid’s collapsing? That woman’s straight-up villainizing the mom!”

“She physically stopped the rescue, then bribed witnesses. If that isn’t attempted murder, what is?”

“The mom had an emergency inhaler with her. That woman acts all caring but didn’t even know what to do when the kid had an allergic reaction… Sounds like an evil stepmom to me!”

“I was sitting at the next table. The kid’s dad went to make a call, and then the kid had a reaction while eating with her. Who knows, maybe she did it on purpose!”

“Typical snake in the grass, only a blind man would fall for her.”

The whispers around her left Rachel’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She hurriedly followed them into the ambulance, avoiding the judgmental stares.

Inside the ambulance, the atmosphere was tense. Stella borrowed some disinfectant wipes from the paramedic and began cleaning the scrapes on Marvin’s arm.

Marvin winced slightly, letting out a soft “ouch” and instinctively pulling his arm back.

Stella looked at him with concern. “Does it hurt?”

Trying to be brave, Marvin offered his arm back to her, “I’m fine… Stella, you can do it!”

The paramedic, charmed by Marvin’s courage, couldn’t help but smile. “Is he your son? He’s such a sweet, well-mannered kid.”

Stella was about to explain, but then she caught a glimpse of Marvin’s tense little face and the hint of disappointment in his eyes. She smiled gently and didn’t correct the paramedic.

Just then, an unexpected voice cut through the air. “Ms. Cameron, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”