Stella Grace didn’t sleep for the whole night. Her heart was throbbing in pain. She had been studying the diary that Wendy’s father had given her.
There were a lot of details registered in the diary. Almost every page of the book was filled. But there was no detailed information regarding the specific location of the treasure.
She was under the impression that Wendy’s father had already found the location of the treasure, but he didn’t want to share it. Perhaps he didn’t want his painstaking efforts to go to waste.
Hence he gave her the diary. But since he did not give her any specific details, she could only try her luck.
Stella studied the diary until nine o’clock in the morning. Her heart was still aching badly. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t been resting well these days, or it could be caused by the virus in her body.
She put the diary in her bag then walked to the window. She looked outside.
The sun was shining brightly outside and she could see the wind blowing against the trees. It was a beautiful day.
She wondered if Jasper Milton could be released on such a beautiful day.
The cellphone rang.
She saw Frederick’s caller ID and answered it.
“If I let Jasper out, would you stay loyal to me?” Frederick Addington wanted an ultimatum.
“Of course, where else could I go? In order to make my lies believable, I must stay by your side.” Stella replied coldly.
“He will be released in the morning. Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Stella. Otherwise, I won’t let him off next time.” Frederick warned in a harsh tone then hung up.
Hearing Frederick’s word, Stella’s heart, which had been in anguish for the whole night, finally settled down.
She put her cellphone away on the nightstand. She then lay down and closed her eyes.
She was so sleepy that she fell asleep instantaneously.
…
She was awakened by the ringtone of her cellphone.
Stella glanced at the time. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
It was Frederick again. She answered the phone with her head aching. “What’s wrong?”
“Where are you? Jasper has been released.” Frederick said coldly.
“Oh, that wasn’t necessary. I have nothing to do with him in the future. I’m going back to my nap. I’ll contact you once I wake up.”
“Where are you sleeping? Shall I keep you company?” Frederick replied seductively.
Stella could hear his teasing tone. “I’m not joking with you. I’ll contact you at 5 p. m. Dinner on me.”
After Stella said that, she hung up the phone without giving Frederick any chance to speak. She continued to lay on the bed and dozed off for a while, but she couldn’t fall asleep anymore.
She wanted to find the convict who massacred the villages as soon as possible. She got up and went to the bathroom for a shower. After changing into a dry and comfortable striped shirt, she came out while wiping her wet hair with a towel casually.
There was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Stella asked.
“Housekeeping.” The waiter’s voice came in.
“Just a minute.” Stella opened the door.
The waiter glanced to his side.
Frederick came over with a bunch of roses and handed them to Stella. With a seductive grin, he spoke, “You know, I will be able to find you even if you’re hidden at the edge of the world.”
“What about hell? Do you dare to come along?” Stella demanded. Her eyes were extremely cold, as if they were poison.
“If you go to hell, I’ll follow right after. If you go to heaven, I will also come along, even if I have to slaughter God along the way. Are you satisfied with this answer?” Frederick asked. He walked past Stella and went straight into her room. He simply threw the flowers on the table. He leaned lazily onto the sofa as he looked at Stella coolly. He ordered, “Come here.”
Stella left the door open and sat opposite of Frederick.
“Tell me what you know about the treasure. Don’t lie to me.” Frederick warned.
“Three years ago, Jasper and I went to Tavers Village and found Timmy Nine, the one who killed State Mayor Cher. He told me a secret, that the five of them who massacred the villagers did it for some treasure with a map leading to it.”
“Is the treasure hidden beneath that land?” Frederick wasn’t buying it.
“I guess so because I know one of the people who committed the massacre. He has a construction company and he is using it to buy the land. Thus I told Jasper to acquire the land before he could. As for whether the treasure is buried there, I can’t tell for sure as well.” Stella only told half of what she knew and kept the other half as a secret. She wasn’t planning to be completely honest with Frederick.
“Are you talking about Lionel Lausanne?” Frederick suspected.
“Yes.” Stella did not deny.
“No wonder Jasper was persistently investigating Lionel.” Frederick stood up. “I’ll take you to get some clothes and a facial. You’re almost 30 years old, you should be taking care of yourself.”
Stella lowered her eyes.
She was only twenty-seven years old, twenty-eight if you count by the year. She was not even thirty yet.
Would she be considered as dying young?
“Sure, I have one more thing to discuss with you.” Stella said politely.
Frederick put his arms around Stella’s waist and pulled her to his side. He looked at her with burning eyes and asked, “What do you want to discuss with me?”
“I want to continue with a task that I have accepted previously, for about three months. I have already received the down-payment for a month,” Stella replied softly. Because she was asking for permission, so she did not try to struggle from his embrace
Frederick did not speak. He brushed Stella’s hair aside, leaned in, and kissed her on the forehead. “Isn’t this nice? Having a peaceful conversation and getting along well. Our life will pass by in no time.”
“Can I take that as you’ve agreed?” Stella stared at him and queried.
“I’d rather you not start anything funny again, Stella.” Frederick refused euphemistically.
“I’m not trying anything. It’s just that I’ve already given my word and I’ve also received the payment.”
“Isn’t it a usual thing for you to go back on your words? You just need to return the money. If it’s not enough, you can ask from me.” Frederick chuckled, as if he had seen through her.
Stella was speechless, “I’ll get this done in three months. After that, I’ll be ready for our marital life.”
Frederick’s eyes gleamed with ecstasy, and his heart was beating frantically.
For them to live together as a married couple. It was a strong temptation for him.
“Are you telling the truth?” Frederick could not believe it.
“I don’t need to lie to you. If I fail to keep my words three months later, you can force me into submission. I can’t get away from you, can I?” Stella negotiated reasonably.
She was going to die three months later anyway. She was not afraid of Frederick’s coercion.
Frederick looked at Stella’s firm gaze and asked suspiciously, “Have you really thought this through? Would you stay with me willingly in the future?”
“It’s not that I’ve thought it through, I just don’t have a choice.”
Frederick’s eyes turned cold. “It’s good that you understand that clearly. Let’s go.”
Stella was afraid that Frederick would regret his decision and forbid her to go to Yale City, so she did not resist. She followed Frederick to buy clothes and got a facial treatment. After that, they went to have dinner. When she entered the reserved room, she saw Jasper…