“I’ve done the necessary paperwork here. Normally, it would be approved within three days. I will use my connections and it should be approved by tomorrow evening. I will give you a call after it’s done. If everything goes well, I should be able to arrive at your place tomorrow.” Jasper Milton stated.
Stella Grace smiled. She was quite excited when she thought about him coming tomorrow.
They had just parted their ways today, but she felt as if they had been separated for ages.
“Have you eaten?” Stella asked out of concern.
“Yes, and I made a phone call just now. The director of the Yale City police department will pick you up tomorrow. You have full authority over this case.”
“That’s great. Let’s talk about the details after I’ve seen the information tomorrow. I’ve checked the perimeters today. There is a surveillance camera installed outside their room. If the camera is working, not only would it be easy for us to find the murderer, there might be an unexpected surprise waiting for us too.”
“Okay,” Jasper replied. “There’s still one minute left, get the door.”
“What?” Stella’s heart was racing wildly. Could it be that Jasper had arrived?
She immediately got out of bed and walked to the door. She looked out of the peephole but found no one.
“Are you coming today?” Stella asked directly.
“No, but I’d guessed that you haven’t eaten anything yet. Yale City is famous for its lamb shank and burgers. I’ve ordered it from The Scholar. Don’t skip your meal next time,” Jasper said softly.
“When did you order them? That’s fast.” Stella was astonished.
“I ordered them after our call ended. I guessed that you would probably go back to the hotel first. Besides, since The Scholar is famous for them, they would always have these two dishes ready at all times. Thus, it won’t take long for them to arrive at your place.” As soon as he finished, the doorbell rang.
Jasper laughed.
Stella heard his laughter through the phone.
“It should be here by now. If you can’t fall asleep after eating, feel free to give me a call.” Jasper said in a loving tone.
Stella felt warm in her heart.
He was so considerate, how could she bear to keep him awake?
“Got it.” Stella replied. She then hung up the call and opened the door.
A man in uniform was standing by the door. He greeted politely, “Hello, it’s your delivery.”
“Thank you.” Stella took the package in, placed them on the table and opened them.
Jasper had ordered her a lamb shank, a beef burger, some baked potatoes and a bottle of milk.
How could this man be so attentive?
She grinned and ate in joy.
After taking a shower, she went to bed without calling Jasper. She turned on the TV and started watching.
Her cellphone rang.
She couldn’t recognise the number. She answered it apprehensively.
“What are you trying to do by blocking my number? Did you change your decision?” Frederick Addington’s overbearing voice came from the phone.
“It was Jasper who blocked you,” Stella explained.
“Weren’t you two already separated? Do you still need to listen to him even after you had parted ways? You could unblock my number after you left, couldn’t you?” Frederick said in a strange tone.
“Aren’t you omnipotent? I had just arrived at Yale City today. My friend’s ex-girlfriend is dead, so I have long forgotten about your number being registered in the blacklist.” Stella snapped in an upset tone.
“Stella Grace, did you request those three months from me because you wanted to cure Ryan’s son?” Frederick was suspicious.
“He promised me a fortune. If I want to be with my son in the future, I need to make more money.” Stella answered truthfully.
“You’d better not do anything funny. Otherwise, I may not be able to cover for you. Titus misses you so much, do you want to have a video chat?” Frederick softened his tone.
“Yes.” Stella immediately got up from the bed.
“Answer it,” Frederick said.
Stella picked up the call immediately and saw a tiny figure on the screen.
“Mommy, I miss you so much. Why didn’t you come to see me today?” Titus asked in a sweet voice.
“I’m sorry, Titus. Mommy is on a business trip to Yale City and I will be back in three months. We will be together every day then.” Stella stared intently at Titus. It was never enough no matter how long she stared.
“Mommy, look at this picture I drew today.” Titus put the picture in front of the camera.
Stella saw a golden sun, green trees, red apples, a green lawn, all kinds of flowers, and colorful butterflies in the picture.
On the pavement, a man and a woman were walking hand in hand with a child.
The word “Mommy” was written on the woman, “me” was written on the child and the man was written as “Daddy Frederick”.
Stella took a deep breath.
Children’s thoughts were very simple and their emotions could be expressed easily through their paintings. When the picture was colorful and full of shapes, it showed that they were in a good mood. If the pictures were dark and colorless, it proved that they were in a bad mood.
Frederick treated him well.
But she believed that Jasper would treat Titus even better.
After all, Titus was their child.
“You draw well.” Stella praised.
“Mommy, I did something else apart from drawing too. Daddy Frederick taught me self-defence skills. In the future, I can protect myself and you as well,” Titus said sweetly.
“Titus, where are you now?” Stella questioned.
“I’m at…” Before Titus could finish the sentence, the video call ended.
Stella was frustrated. She knew that she shouldn’t have been so hasty.
Frederick made another video call.
Stella answered the phone and saw Frederick instead of Titus. She couldn’t hide the strong disappointment on her face. “Where did you bring Titus?”
Frederick scoffed. He picked up a syringe and waved it in front of the camera. “Stella, do you know what this is?”
“What’s this?” Stella asked nervously.
“A virus, in short. Those who were injected with this will live each day wishing they were dead. They will eventually die a slow and painful death. You should get rid of the funny ideas that you have in your mind. Titus won’t be able to bear one of these.” Frederick warned.
“Frederick Addington, are you out of your mind? How could you be so cruel to Titus, knowing that he likes you so much?” Stella couldn’t mask her nervousness.
“Didn’t you treat me the same way as well, knowing that I liked you? As long as you don’t start anything funny, the three of us shall live together happily ever after.” Frederick’s lips curled.
That smile was profound. It was as if he had seen through something, just waiting for her to fall into it without a word.
Stella’s heart skipped a beat.
With Titus in his hands, she had to take every step carefully. What if she also had something useful against Frederick? Would she have a higher chance of winning?
“I know. Let’s stop here today. I’m sleepy, good night.” Stella hung up and threw her cellphone on the nightstand before Frederick could speak another word.
She was originally in a good mood. But because of Frederick’s call, she was feeling dispirited again.
Stella knew that she would be having insomnia again tonight, so she instinctively reached for the pills in her bag. However, when she recalled how caring Jasper was to her, she threw the bottle back into her bag…