After Katty Davis left, Stella Grace needed to calm herself down.
She held a cup of tea in her hand, stood by the window, and looked out at the pedestrians passing by.
Some were smiling, some looked pale and sad, and some hid all their emotions and put on a poker face.
There were all kinds of expressions, emotions and mood.
Perhaps, this was life.
Everyone was lucky to have come into this world, God gave everyone an opportunity to experience life.
In life, there would be moments of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty. One could choose how they wanted to live their lives. To be happy? Sad? Worry? Or to take it easy?
People who were easily satisfied could find happiness in just a delicious piece of bread.
People who were not easily satisfied wouldn’t be happy even a table full of delicacies were set in front of them, they’ll still find something to complain about.
She should let go of all her desires in order to set herself free from suffering.
Give and take.
You could only get something once you let go of another.
She might see better days even if it meant letting go of Jasper Milton.
It was time to give up on the relationship.
Her phone rang.
It was Jasper.
“Stella, do you think it’s easier to ask for help from the Chief or a boyfriend?” Jasper asked.
Stella was stunned.
She almost lost her mind when she heard him.
She remained silent for a while, then said, “You should know, Chief, we are not meant for each other.”
“Why did you call me then?” Jasper was mad. He ended the call.
Stella:”…”
Perhaps it was better for him to hang up because he might not want to hear what she was going to say next.
Stella put her phone into her bag, walked to Greg Miles’ office, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.
Greg was standing in front of the whiteboard, his hair was in a mess. When he saw Stella coming in, he was delighted. His savior had come to rescue him. “Come, help me analyze. Who killed Tony? The Deputy Commander asked me to solve the case in three days. How is that even possible?”
Stella glanced at the whiteboard. “Is Katty Davis a suspect?”
“She has a motive for the murder. She contracted syphilis from Tony. She asked Tony to come to her and said she wanted to kill him, but she had second thoughts and decided to let him go in the end.”
“What time did she ask Tony to meet her? What time did Tony die? Who else did he meet in that time frame?” Stella asked.
“The forensic department has yet to pass us their reports. Do you know Nirvana Condominium? Katty rented a room there for her convenience. Tony went there at 10:00 p. m, but we did not see him leave Katty’s room from the CCTV. His body was then found by a janitor in the public toilet at 5:00 a. m. the next morning.” Greg was confused.
“Get the police to check Katty’s room. See if there is any trace or stains of blood on the floor. Then ask Katty if she saw Tony leaving. And, don’t stay in your office anymore, you should go to the police station. They will get the first hand information from the forensic department with a detailed analysis. These would help you,” Stella said with a smile.
“I’ll go to the police station now. The reports should be done by now.” Greg rushed out, leaving his pen behind.
“Well, Greg, if I wanted to perform a DNA test or fingerprint extraction for comparison with the national database, do you think you can pull strings for me?” Stella asked.
“If I could, I wouldn’t be waiting for the forensics reports here. I asked them to complete the necessary tests in an hour, not hours after they collected the specimens.” Greg was irritated.
Stella thought through it and agreed. After all, all these required formal procedures, unless…
She thought of Jasper again.
Stella suddenly had a bright idea.
She went to find Eli Wayne.
Eli was playing a game. She was focused on the screen when Stella came by. “Are you done with your work? Give me a moment. I’ll be done soon.”
“Okay.” Stella sat on the sofa.
Her phone rang again, it was Jasper.
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the call, but did not speak.
Jasper didn’t say anything either.
Stella waited for a while then said, “If there’s nothing you want to say, I’ll hang up.”
“I squeezed some time out in the evening. We can continue our meal then, you still owe me,” Jasper said.
Stella glanced at Eli. “Do you know where Eli stays when she isn’t at the base?”
“Yes, I know. Why?”
“Let me cook you a few dishes,” Stella invited.
“Okay, I’ll be there at about seven o’clock.”
Stella hung up. Eli stood in front of her, smiling. “Who did you invite to have dinner at my place? New boyfriend?” she teased.
“Jasper. Don’t leave me alone this time.” Stella stood up and held Eli’s arm. “Let’s go and make the police report. I will tell them that I was raped and pass them the condom. Let the police go through the normal procedures and they will find the criminal soon.”
Eli was stunned. “You got in touch with Jasper again? If making this report will affect your reputation, then it’s not a good idea. Never mind, let’s just forget about this. It’s not my first time after all. As long as I didn’t get any STDs, I don’t want to linger on it. ”
“I don’t care about my reputation. I can’t let the criminals go scot-free.”
“It’s okay, just forget about it. What you are doing could be considered an accusation, you’ll get into trouble too. It’s okay, I won’t bring this up anymore, it won’t affect my marriage in the future. If this went viral, I would be a joke in the military base. My parents would be affected too. Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay? Hey, tell me, what’s up with you and Jasper?” Eli was a little worried.
“Nothing. I owed him a favor. So, I have to treat him to a meal. We will have nothing to do with each other after that,” Stella said.
“Think properly. Jasper’s family will not accept you. It won’t be easy for you to live your life now. If you have to risk your life for a relationship, it isn’t worth it,” Eli reminded her.
“I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry,” Stella said with a smile.
She bought ribs, beetroot, french beans, instant pasta, tomatoes, eggs, capsicums, and minced beef.
She made some bolognese spaghetti, fried eggs, steak and borscht.
Jasper was on time. He brought roses and red wine and wore a black suit. He looked exceptionally charming.
Eli was still scared when she saw Jasper. She stood up and greeted him respectfully, “Chief.”
Jasper nodded and handed the roses to Stella. “Come with me after dinner. Tell me your final decision after that and no matter what it is, I’ll respect it.”
Stella was startled.
How did Jasper read her mind?