Chapter 156
As soon as Stella got into the car, Haynes noticed she was staring off into space, not bothering to buckle her seatbelt. He asked quietly, “What’s up?”
Stella didn’t respond, her gaze fixed intently on something.
Following her line of sight, Haynes saw the little reserved parking sign right in front of Stella and his eyes darkened slightly.
Suddenly, he leaned over, his tall frame casting a shadow. Stella instinctively backed away, frowning, but Haynes simply reached over to buckle her seatbelt. “Always buckle up,” he said in his low, clear voice, close to her ear.
Rachel, sitting in the backseat, watched the scene with a fleeting expression of irritation but quickly forced a smile. “Even in the front seat, you’ve got to wear your seatbelt, Ms. Cameron. Look how attentive Haynie is.”
Stella felt a cynical laugh bubble up inside her.
Sure, Haynes was attentive-attentive enough to let another woman’s things be in plain sight right in front of her.
“Buckling a seatbelt counts as attentive?” Stella retorted. “Ms. Pearce, your standards are a bit low, aren’t they?”
Rachel, trying to play the part of a good friend, continued chatting with Stella. “So, Ms. Cameron, what would you consider attentive?”
Stella replied coolly, “Someone who drops everything to be there when I call, no matter what they’re doing. Someone who’d automatically have my back if I messed up, and if someone else won’t forgive me, they’d make them feel bad for being unsympathetic and petty. Someone who, if I wanted something didn’t matter whose it was—would make sure I got it, even if it belonged to someone else. And if I shed a few tears, looking all helpless, they’d be so heartbroken they’d lose all reason and completely take my side. And one more thing…” Stella turned to Rachel with a slight smile. “If I got sick, he’d insist that his close family cook me nourishing soup everyday… Otherwise, how would he show he really cared?”
Rachel’s smile froze, turning a bit strained. Even if she played dumb, she couldn’t miss Stella’s loaded words.
Keen, listening to all of this, felt something was off.
What his mom described sounded an awful lot like Marvin, that troublemaker from school.
Curious and a bit confused, Keen asked, “Why does everyone side with someone just because they act all pitiful?”
Stella replied, “Because they put on a good act, and honestly, people tend to favor those who matter more to them. Even if they know something’s wrong, they’ll pretend not to see it.”
Keen felt a pang in his chest. “So, was Mom already starting to favor Marvin? Why?!” he thought.
A wave of fear at the thought of losing something important washed over him, leaving his face pale.
Haynes said in a serious tone, “Stella, you shouldn’t say such things-it sets a bad example for Keen.”
Stella replied with indifference, “Oh yeah, you’re right, but who taught him to lie?”
Stella had always been the quiet, agreeable type, never one to argue back. Now, her sharp words caught Haynes off guard.
After dropping Rachel off, Haynes drove toward the villa. The familiar scenery whizzed by, and even though Stella had been gone only a month, it felt like an eternity.
Once inside the living room, Haynes told Keen, “Head upstairs for a bit.”
Keen nodded obediently and was about to go when Stella stopped him. “Wait, there are some things he deserves to know.”