Now They Want My Forgiveness - Chapter 158: Chapter 158
You are reading Now They Want My Forgiveness, Chapter 158: Chapter 158. Read more chapters of Now They Want My Forgiveness.
Stella's blood ran cold. "Do you have proof?" she pressed.
"Sending it to you now."
She hung up after saying thanks. Moments later, her phone chimed with a series of grainy, time-worn photos—Anna and Emily, heads bent together like conspirators.
The images were faded, but Stella didn't need HD clarity to recognize the smug tilt of Anna's smile or the way Emily clutched whatever Anna had handed her, looking like she'd just won the lottery.
A slow-burning fury coiled in Stella's chest. She knew Emily had a tendency to be a bit opportunistic, but it wasn't a big deal. Stella had never made an issue of it.
But she never expected Anna to take advantage of that and win Emily over, making her a friend.
She had never been the type to micromanage her friends' social lives. If Emily really didn't like her and wanted to be friends with Anna, Stella wouldn't stop them.
But the idea that Emily might have been involved in the kidnapping from the beginning, helping Anna, was too horrifying for Stella to even consider.
Her phone buzzed again. "One more thing—while digging into Lionel, I noticed the Quinn family's company is circling the drain. Looks like someone's been systematically dismantling them behind the scenes."
Stella had suspected as much. When the Hayes family had been in crisis, the Quinn family—supposedly their closest allies—hadn't lifted a finger to help. That kind of calculated silence didn't happen without a reason.
The Quinn family were all about maintaining their pristine image. They'd bend over backward to appear benevolent—unless they were in someone's crosshairs themselves.
For the Quinn family, keeping up appearances was crucial, and it earned them a lot of respect. They were just like the Hayes family in that regard.
But the Quinn family had never stepped up when the Hayes family needed them. The Hayes family hadn't been angry about it, which meant only one thing. The Quinn family must have offended someone over the years, and this could be their comeuppance.
Stella didn't care about the Quinn family's troubles, but Lionel was a different story. She was going to make him pay.
When Jordan came back and saw that Stella had cooked again, he felt a pang of guilt. "You shouldn't have gone to this trouble," he murmured.
"Go ahead and eat," Stella replied, waving her hand. "I'm fine. I just wanted to make something for you."
Jordan's gaze lingered—heavy with something new these past weeks. A quiet intensity that made her pulse stutter. She told herself she was imagining things.
"Let's eat before it gets cold," she said abruptly. "I've actually had an appetite lately."
A slow smile softened Jordan's features. "That's progress. You should eat when you need to." His voice carried that same gentle tone he reserved only for her.
They ate in silence for a while, until Jordan broke the silence. "Kevin came by the office today. Aren't you curious what we discussed?"
"I trust you." The words came easily, without hesitation.
Jordan's lips quirked with bittersweet amusement. Fate had dealt him the winning hand—he knew Kevin had proposed to Stella first. Knew she'd gently refused. Then he'd entered the picture, and the fragile detente between Stella and the world had shifted.
"Sending it to you now."
She hung up after saying thanks. Moments later, her phone chimed with a series of grainy, time-worn photos—Anna and Emily, heads bent together like conspirators.
The images were faded, but Stella didn't need HD clarity to recognize the smug tilt of Anna's smile or the way Emily clutched whatever Anna had handed her, looking like she'd just won the lottery.
A slow-burning fury coiled in Stella's chest. She knew Emily had a tendency to be a bit opportunistic, but it wasn't a big deal. Stella had never made an issue of it.
But she never expected Anna to take advantage of that and win Emily over, making her a friend.
She had never been the type to micromanage her friends' social lives. If Emily really didn't like her and wanted to be friends with Anna, Stella wouldn't stop them.
But the idea that Emily might have been involved in the kidnapping from the beginning, helping Anna, was too horrifying for Stella to even consider.
Her phone buzzed again. "One more thing—while digging into Lionel, I noticed the Quinn family's company is circling the drain. Looks like someone's been systematically dismantling them behind the scenes."
Stella had suspected as much. When the Hayes family had been in crisis, the Quinn family—supposedly their closest allies—hadn't lifted a finger to help. That kind of calculated silence didn't happen without a reason.
The Quinn family were all about maintaining their pristine image. They'd bend over backward to appear benevolent—unless they were in someone's crosshairs themselves.
For the Quinn family, keeping up appearances was crucial, and it earned them a lot of respect. They were just like the Hayes family in that regard.
But the Quinn family had never stepped up when the Hayes family needed them. The Hayes family hadn't been angry about it, which meant only one thing. The Quinn family must have offended someone over the years, and this could be their comeuppance.
Stella didn't care about the Quinn family's troubles, but Lionel was a different story. She was going to make him pay.
When Jordan came back and saw that Stella had cooked again, he felt a pang of guilt. "You shouldn't have gone to this trouble," he murmured.
"Go ahead and eat," Stella replied, waving her hand. "I'm fine. I just wanted to make something for you."
Jordan's gaze lingered—heavy with something new these past weeks. A quiet intensity that made her pulse stutter. She told herself she was imagining things.
"Let's eat before it gets cold," she said abruptly. "I've actually had an appetite lately."
A slow smile softened Jordan's features. "That's progress. You should eat when you need to." His voice carried that same gentle tone he reserved only for her.
They ate in silence for a while, until Jordan broke the silence. "Kevin came by the office today. Aren't you curious what we discussed?"
"I trust you." The words came easily, without hesitation.
Jordan's lips quirked with bittersweet amusement. Fate had dealt him the winning hand—he knew Kevin had proposed to Stella first. Knew she'd gently refused. Then he'd entered the picture, and the fragile detente between Stella and the world had shifted.
End of Now They Want My Forgiveness Chapter 158. Continue reading Chapter 159 or return to Now They Want My Forgiveness book page.