Now They Want My Forgiveness - Chapter 254: Chapter 254

Talking to Jordan made Stella feel much better. She'd had a tough time; sometimes she felt no one had it worse. But she was still alive, and the bad guys hadn't gotten what they deserved yet, so she had to keep going.
For now, Stella couldn't do anything to seek justice for Eleanor, but at least she could take care of the company for her.
Soon enough, she picked out the location, wrapped up all the product negotiations, and nailed down the business model and interior design. Stella gathered her team; time to get to work.
But then, out of nowhere, Nola came up to her and said, "Mr. Hayes, I spotted a store on my way home recently. The design, the concept; everything is just like ours, but it's not one of our stores."
"What's it called?" Stella asked.
"Back and Forth," Nola replied.
Stella frowned. Their supermarket was called "Forth and Back"; the whole idea was about people coming and going, just like in a supermarket.
She never expected someone would copy them so shamelessly, even down to flipping the name around. "Take me to see it," Stella said.
Nola nodded. They drove over, and sure enough, the place was still under construction. Just like Nola said, even the interior design looked almost identical to theirs.
Stella walked in and found the construction foreman. She asked who had hired them, and he answered directly, "Sorry, we signed a confidentiality agreement. Can't tell you."
Nola wanted to ask more, but Stella stopped her. As they walked out, Nola asked, still puzzled, "Mr. Hayes, why didn't we keep asking them?"
"Even if we keep asking, they won't spill anything," Stella replied. "No matter how much we try to pry it out of them, it's useless.
"Instead, let's just hang around here and keep watch. The person who's been contacting them is bound to show up. If not today, and then tomorrow."
Nola couldn't believe Stella was actually serious about staking out the place; she was totally thrown by her boss's determination.
But Stella was always like this, so there was no way Nola could just leave her there alone. Stella was patient; she could sit there all day as if she never got tired.
Nola, on the other hand, started feeling sore in her back after just a short while. Nola wanted to ask, "What if the person never shows up?" But seeing how focused Stella was on watching the place, she decided to keep quiet.
Just then, Nola's phone rang. After she answered, she said there was something important going on at the office.
Nola looked at Stella. "Stella, there's something important at the office. They want you to come back for a bit. You..."
"Is it urgent?" Stella asked.
"Yes," Nola replied.
Stella thought for a moment. She asked, "Can you handle it?"
Nola was taken aback. "If you can take care of it, go ahead and head back. I'll stay here," Stella said.
"Or how about I stay here and you go back to handle it? Mr. Hayes," Nola suggested.
"No, it's fine. We'll just go back together in a bit," Stella said.
Suddenly, Stella stood up. Nola had no idea what she was up to, but she watched as Stella started walking toward the other side.
'Has the mysterious person finally shown up?' Nola wondered. Worried about Stella, Nola quickly followed after her.
The road was packed with cars on both sides, and Nola could tell Stella was keeping her eyes glued to the other side, afraid that person might appear and slip away before she could do anything.
What worried Nola was the thought of Stella getting hit by a car; one careless move and it would be a huge loss for such a small mistake. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and they reached their destination.
Just as they were about to head inside, they ran right into the person coming out; he was walking straight toward them, and they met face to face at the entrance.
Stella fixed her gaze on him and said, "Lionel, I never would've guessed that this store was yours."