The wrong girl 145

What did shame have to do with any of this?

Pride didn’t pay the bills—money was the only thing that mattered.

Lillian stared at Stella’s arrogant words on the screen, her teeth grinding together.

“Fine,” she snapped. “Let’s bet!”

It was only 140,000 dollars.

She trusted that Ethan wouldn’t let her lose. If Stella lost, Stella would have to pay her the full 140,000.

Lillian thought of the man who had been threatening her nonstop.

Lately, with her stuck in the hospital and the Reed family assuming she wasn’t spending much, she barely had any money left to deal with him.

If she could squeeze 140,000 dollars out of Stella, it would be perfect.

She remembered that Stella’s studio had made 980,000 dollars last year. Giving her 140,000 wasn’t unreasonable at all.

With that in mind, Lillian sent another message:

“Don’t forget—you agreed to the bet. If you lose, you pay.”

Stella replied quickly:

“Yeah, I made the bet. Let’s just hope you can face the music when the time comes.”

Those words hit a nerve deep inside Lillian.

Then another message came in.

“Don’t you dare whine later and say I bullied you. And don’t start crying about how you don’t have 140,000 dollars. If you pull that crap, I swear I’ll teach you a proper lesson.”

Lillian nearly passed out from rage.

She deleted the messages furiously and shoved the phone back at the nurse.

When Stella didn’t get a reply, she knew she’d shut Lillian up successfully.

She preferred to make things clear from the start.

Every time I see her act like this, I seriously want to rip her mouth apart.

—

Stella arrived at the studio right on time.

Louis stood up the moment he saw her. “Stella, finally. I’ve been waiting for a while.”

The familiarity in his tone was unsettling. Anyone overhearing would think the two of them were close.

Especially when Louis tried to hook an arm around her neck—

Stella instinctively dodged.

Looks like Abraham’s lesson still wasn’t enough.

She got straight to the point. “Mr. Louis, just say what you need to say.”

She didn’t need this fake friendliness. It made her skin crawl.

Casually, she tossed her bag onto the couch.

Her smooth, confident movements made something flicker in Louis’s eyes.

A handmade designer bag—and she treated it like that.

Louis couldn’t help but think: Were the people in the Reed family blind?

What made them think Stella had grown up in some backwater?

What kind of country bumpkin carried herself with this kind of composure and confidence?

He recalled what Sharon had once said—

Jonathan’s sister came from the countryside. She knows nothing and embarrasses the Reed family.

Back then, Louis had believed it.

But now?

It was obvious the Reed family had no idea what they were talking about.

Stella noticed his gaze and said lightly, “If you like it, it’s genuine.”

Louis froze.

That bag wasn’t just genuine—it was worth hundreds of thousands.

It was a limited custom piece from a top-tier designer family.

His impression of Stella shifted again.

Trying to hide his surprise, Louis cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “About the ring…”

Stella stiffened slightly.

She had expected him to bring it up.

“I honestly thought you’d keep it,” she said calmly. “Turns out you don’t really care for it.”

Louis nodded. “That’s right.”

Stella’s lips curved faintly.

She glanced toward the trash can and immediately noticed it was empty.

Clearly, the box had already been taken away.

“What do you mean?” she asked coolly.

Louis hesitated for a moment, then explained what had happened after she left—and how Abraham had reacted.

As Stella listened, her gaze grew colder.

She finally understood why Louis had suddenly shown up again.

And she also understood—

This so-called gamble had just become far more interesting.