“She’s dead,” Jasper Milton said in a deep voice. There was no expression on his poker face.
Stella Grace’s eyes turned red.
She had seen too many problems in marriages. Couples got married because they were in love but in the end, they got overwhelmed by the tiniest things in life. They unwittingly took freedom away from their partners because they cared too much for their significant other.
Endless quarrels, hurtful words and misunderstandings. All these took a toll on their relationship and in the end there was no other choice but to separate.
The best outcome would be to separate in peace.
Usually, they would become like strangers.
Worst case scenario, they become enemies for the rest of their lives.
All their fond memories would turn into mistakes they made in the past. Nothing would be worth reminiscing about thereafter.
A living human could never compete with the deceased.
Bettany Hadley left him with the best memories.
She was cheerful, optimistic and beautiful.
She even died for him. She was deeply rooted in his heart and no one could ever replace her.
As for Stella, she had a lot of shortcomings. The more time they spent together, the more he would think that Bettany was better.
She didn’t want to be in a situation where they would eventually be sick of each other in the future.
More importantly, she couldn’t stand the fact that there was another woman in the heart of the man she loved.
She would rather not love him.
Stella changed the topic and walked into a French restaurant. “Let’s eat.”
Stella’s cell phone rang. It was Eli Wayne calling. She answered.
“Stella, I’m in trouble,” Eli said in a tearful voice.
Stella’s chest tightened. “What happened?”
“I.. I….,” Eli stammered. “Where are you now? I’m at the hotel you’re staying at now. Let’s talk about it when I see you.”
Stella was anxious. “Okay, I’ll come back now.”
She hung up and looked at Jasper. “Something happened to Eli. I have to go back to the hotel now. I’ll treat you a meal another day.”
Stella did not wait for Jasper’s reply. She grabbed her bag and ran out of the restaurant.
Jasper ‘s eyes dimmed as he watched Stella leave. He took out his phone and deleted every single photo he had of Bettany.
Stella saw Eli in the hotel lobby.
Eli’s eyes were red, and she was still wearing the same dress she wore yesterday. She did not look well.
“What’s wrong?” Stella asked.
“Stella, do you know what happened to me yesterday? Who took me away from the club?” Eli was distressed.
“You said you found yourself a companion and told me not to look for you.” Stella looked at Eli worriedly. “What happened?”
“I didn’t find one. I unknowingly fell asleep last night, and then I woke up in a hotel room this morning. Someone took advantage of me. The important thing is that person also took some nude videos of me,” Eli said with a pale face.
“Did you see the man’s face in the video?”
“No. The room was registered with my ID. I wanted to check the CCTV, but the hotel staff said it was broken yesterday.” Eli was very depressed.
Eli may look like an easy-going and open-minded girl,
but truth was, she was still a conservative woman.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t still be single now.
“Let’s go to the hospital for a check-up to make sure that you are not infected with anything. You can consider whether to report to the police after that.” Stella was trying to keep her head.
“Let’s go to a small district hospital. I’m afraid that I’ll be recognized in the renowned ones. Also, I feel very embarrassed to report to the police. Things like this would always be massively reported on the news.” Eli was annoyed.
Stella felt very guilty. She shouldn’t have left Eli alone. “Did that man leave anything behind?”
Eli could hardly bring herself to answer that and her face turned red. “There were seven condoms and I brought one of them with me. Aren’t you working with the police now? Do you think they can find any fingerprints on it and match it on their database?”
“There are protocols and procedures to go through. I’m afraid that I’m not influential enough to skip them, but…” Stella paused.
Power was a good thing. With power, procedures and protocols were nothing.
Jasper should be able to help.
“I will try,” Stella said with uncertainty.
“I’m counting on you then.” Eli took out a zip lock bag from from her handbag.
Stella felt uneasy as she took it from Eli.
She took Eli to a private hospital for an examination.
She could not stay with her at the examination room, so she walked to a window all the way at the end of the corridor. She took out her phone and stared at Jasper”s phone number.
She felt guilty about the way she kept asking him for help.
But she still made up her mind and called him.
He had turned off his phone.
She thought that he might be busy, so she texted him instead. “I need your help. Can you call me whenever you’re free?”
She put her phone in her bag and waited for Eli at the door for half an hour.
Eli took her test reports.
“Is everything okay?” Stella was concerned.
Eli nodded. “Yes. He used condoms. Is that person a pervert? He even recorded himself committing a crime, he’s mad.”
“If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have done this,” Stella agreed and put her arm around Eli’s shoulder. “Have you eaten?”
Eli shook her head. “Let’s go for lunch then. When we find that person, I’ll sue him and put him in jail for the rest of his life.”
“Let’s talk about this after he’s arrested.”
By the time they finished their meal, it was already 4:00p. m.
Stella had to drop by the research center, so Eli followed her there.
As they walked out of the elevator, they ran into Katty Davis.
Katty was very surprised to see Stella, and her face turned pale. “Why are you here?”
“Stella is the guest expert here. Is there any problem with that?” Eli was proud of her best friend.
“A guest psychologist? You changed your profession?” Katty looked paler.
Stella smiled but didn’t want to say anything.
Katty’s family connections were too strong, and she didn’t want to get herself into trouble.
She held Eli’s hand and walked away with her.
Katty called after her. “Can we talk for a while, just the both of us?”
Eli stood in front of Stella. “What do you have to talk to her about? Stella’s time is very precious. She charges ten thousand dollars per hour. Are you asking for a treatment session? If yes, I’ll give you an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll give you ten thousand dollars. I need one hour, for treatment!” Katty emphasized the last two words.
Stella frowned slightly. “Come with me.”
Eli was worried. “Stella, just ignore her.”
“Things won’t solve themselves if you ignore them. It’s better to talk face to face. Wait for me at the reception room. There’s a computer if you want to use it,” Stella said to Eli.
“Okay then. I’ll back you up no matter what you decide to do.” Eli raised her fist in solidarity.
Stella entered the office and took a seat. Katty threw her mobile phone in front of Stella.
“Look at it. There’s something you might want to know in the gallery,” Katty said coldly, her eyes full of hatred.