The wrong girl 144

It felt like she had bitten into something filthy.

Stella spat several times, then grabbed her water and rinsed her mouth thoroughly.

Abraham’s gaze darkened.

His tone dropped instantly. “Tell him it concerns his son. That takes priority.”

Abel fell silent.

His son takes priority?

If Judson heard that, he’d probably want to beat Ethan half to death. As if Ethan had anything better to do right now.

He was completely wrapped up with Lillian, and the only thing he seemed to care about was this Verdant Villa situation.

Thinking of Ethan, Abel couldn’t help but sigh.

“How did Mr. Keene end up with a son like that? If he insists on being a playboy, at least pick someone decent. At this rate, he’s practically trying to wipe out the Keene bloodline.”

And Lillian’s character—based on what they had investigated—was honestly beyond description.

Abraham let out a low chuckle. “Which is exactly why Mr. Keene should be focusing on his son right now.”

Abel instantly understood Abraham’s meaning.

Scheming, as always.

Those people—Abraham might look indifferent on the surface, but after everything they had done to Stella over the years, there was no way he would let it go so easily.

Abel nodded. “I’ll go respond to him right away.”

Then he left.

Abraham waved a hand toward the butler standing quietly in the shadows.

The butler stepped forward respectfully. “Mr. Abraham.”

“Fire everyone in the kitchen today.”

The butler stiffened.

“…Understood.”

Abraham walked toward the dining room.

Stella had almost finished eating. His gaze fell on the wad of tissues containing what she had spat out.

“Didn’t like it?” he asked.

“There were pebbles in it.”

The butler, who had followed him in, felt his heart seize.

At that moment, he felt the kitchen staff truly deserved to be fired.

Everyone knew Abraham had extremely high standards when it came to food—especially anything Stella ate.

Stella, of course, had no idea that her casual remark had just doomed an entire kitchen staff.

“You heading out?” she asked.

Abraham nodded. “The Reed family is probably in chaos by now.”

Most likely, they’d been in meetings all night.

If they were smart enough to realize what was really happening, they’d soon come looking for Stella.

Stella was speechless.

Sweet fruits…

Right—she remembered now. Abraham had mentioned he was going to make a move.

Since he was leaving, she didn’t press him further.

Just as Abraham expected, the Reed family really was a bunch of idiots.

They still hadn’t figured out what had gone wrong.

Stella didn’t care much about the Reed family anymore.

Not long after Abraham left, her phone rang.

It was Kimmy.

“Stella, Louis just showed up at the studio asking for you.”

The moment she heard Louis’s name, Stella already knew what it was about.

“Tell him I’ll be there in an hour,” she said calmly.

That would give her just enough time.

After hanging up, Stella went upstairs to change.

Just as she was about to head out, a message came in from an unknown number.

The curtains at Verdant Villa are probably already installed.

Stella frowned.

She immediately knew who it was from.

Lillian.

Stella didn’t quite get it. Where did she suddenly find the courage to provoke her again?

Honestly, if Lillian were hit with three terminal diagnoses, Stella might’ve had to step in herself.

What Stella didn’t know was that Lillian could only find comfort by messaging her now.

Because that very morning, Lillian had woken up to find a large clump of hair on her pillow—her heart already on the verge of collapse.

Stella replied casually:

Didn’t you say “probably”? So you’re not even sure?

So Ethan was still stringing Lillian along?

And even Lillian herself wasn’t certain she’d actually be moving into Verdant Villa.

Lillian replied:

Whether I move in or not has nothing to do with you and Ethan anymore.

Oh?

Someone was getting bold.

Stella replied:

You’re not scared I’ll show this message to Ethan?

Lillian answered immediately:

Go ahead.

That number wasn’t even registered under her name.

In the end, it would just come down to whether Ethan chose to believe Stella or Lillian.

Stella typed:

Wanna bet 140,000 dollars you won’t move into Verdant Villa?

If Lillian wanted to show off so badly, Stella was more than happy to play along.

What fun was there in flaunting something without a wager?

On the other end, Lillian stared at Stella’s message and stopped breathing for a moment.

A flash of malice passed through her eyes.

She typed back:

140,000 dollars? You’ve got some nerve.