Chapter 49
After finishing his piece, he placed the lunchbox he brought onto the table, done with the crowd.
“Star, you haven’t had breakfast, right? I brought you some,” Neville said kindly.
“Thank you, Mr. Connolly,” Stella replied with gratitude.
Seeing this unfamiliar man visiting Stella, Jasper couldn’t help but sneer, “Oh wow, not even divorced from Haynie yet, and you’ve got someone lined up? Here is a hospital. Even if you’re in a rush, maybe try to be discreet?”
He paused, aware of Haynes’ presence, and refrained from going too far but added with disdain, “Stella, have you no shame?”
Neville ignored Jasper, turning his amused gaze toward Haynes instead. “Mr. O’Brien, no matter how much you dislike Star, is it necessary to gang up on her with your first crush and buddy while she’s injured and at her weakest?”
Haynes’ handsome face seemed to darken with a chill. “Since you know she’s my wife, Mr. Connolly, why are you here, so early in the morning, showering attention on my wife?”
Neville, heir to the Connolly Group, had been residing in Aetheria for some time. Rumor had it he had a five-year-old child, with the mother’s identity a mystery. Gossip suggested the child was illegitimate since there was no word of Neville ever marrying. The Connolly Group was a powerhouse, on par with the O’Brien Group, and had leaned toward collaborations with enterprises in Novaris, hinting at expanding there.
Neville met Haynes’ gaze with a calm smile. “Mr. O’Brien, knowing you’re Star’s husband, why aren’t you concerned about her well-being or whether she’s had anything to eat? Instead, you parade around with your first crush, flaunting your relationship?”
“Mr. O’Brien, if you don’t care for Star, someone else will.”
Jasper couldn’t hold back. “We’re here to ask Stella, this murderer, why she deliberately hit Rachel and nearly killed her!”
Neville glanced at Jasper and said leisurely, “You’re not the police. You have no right to interrogate Star. If there are questions, let the police handle them. Right now, Star needs rest. So please, leave.”
Jasper bristled, “Hey, who do you think you are to tell us to leave? I haven’t even settled the score with her for knocking Rachel and me to the ground!”
“Star knocked you to the ground?” Neville asked as if hearing a joke. “Maybe you should check with the doctor to see if Star, in her current state, could even get out of bed to kick anyone.”
Though his words were directed at Jasper, his gaze remained fixed on Haynes. “Star’s foot isn’t broken but got a minor sprain. She can’t get out of bed or put any weight on it for three days.”
A subtle smile played on Neville’s lips. “Mr. O’Brien, do you think a woman confined to her hospital bed has the strength to harm this gentleman and Ms. Pearce?”
“Besides,” he added as if struck by a thought, “Mr. O’Brien, if you doubt it, you can always have a doctor check Star’s injury to see if I’m lying.”
Haynes’ eyes narrowed, his intense gaze suddenly turning toward Jasper.