She took a deep breath and called Allen, “Sorry, I was offshore yesterday and there was no signal.”
“It’s fine, I guessed as much. Natalie, I’m at the airport now. I am going back with my grandmother,” Allen said softly.
Stella Grace felt guilty.
When she was in France, Allen took good care of her and never hesitated to help her. She promised to cook a meal for him, but she failed to do so in the end. “Will you come again?”
“Of course. I have yet to transfer the company to you and there are still a lot of things that I have yet to do. I mean, I have a lot of business in A country, and I have you and Jasper as my friends. This city is special to me because of you guys, so I will definitely come back again,” Allen said with a smile.
“When you come back again, I will treat you to a good meal,” Stella promised.
“No, I’m afraid that I would be reluctant to leave once I eat it. Anyway, I checked out of your room for you, so have fun outside,” Allen said meaningfully. He didn’t give Stella a chance to speak and hung up the phone immediately.
“How are you going to get a girlfriend like this?” Allen’s grandmother complained.
Allen smiled gently, “If I can’t find one, I’ll stay with you forever.”
“You want to accompany me forever, but I can’t possibly do that, could I? I think I’ll be content if I get to live for another four to five years. You should find a girlfriend anyway. I like Natalie very much. Unlike other girls, she is pure, just like her grandmother,” Allen’s grandmother said waywardly.
Allen smiled, “If I keep bothering her when she obviously has someone in her heart, she would only be annoyed, and I would eventually get tired too. I just want her to be happy. If Jasper can’t give her a happy life, then I will get her back. Alright, Grandma, it’s time to get on the plane.”
Allen put his arms around his grandmother’s shoulders and walked forward. As he was about to enter the platform, he looked back into the distance.
He knew that Natalie Wheeler would not come, but yet, he still turned his head back with a slight hint of hope. How foolish.
…
Next, Stella called Sean Yaleman.
“Where are you? You have to attend an interview if you want to hold a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have arranged it for you, so you have to come to the conference office this afternoon,” Sean said while suppressing his anger.
“Sorry, I can’t work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet. I’ve discussed it with Jasper, and we are planning to leave the country with no plans to return,” Stella said directly.
Sean paused, “You and Jasper are leaving? Did he think that he could just leave like that? Once he leaves, all his hard work over the past few years would be in vain.”
“Sean, we are different from you. Our dream is to live a happy life with our family. We don’t care about other matters,” Stella said in a low voice.
“Jasper’s parents won’t agree with it,” Sean said with certainty.
“We will try to convince them to leave with us. If they don’t want to, we will then leave by ourselves. So, I’m sorry. You don’t have to make any arrangements for me. Thank you,” Stella said straightforwardly.
“Where are you going? Are you really not coming back again?” Sean asked, deep in thought.
“If Jasper’s parents are leaving with us, then we may not come back again. You know just how much you have sacrificed in order to stabilize the regime and become the president now. We just want to be with the people we love. I think this is it. Anyway, I still have some other matters to deal with. Goodbye,” Stella said resolutely and hung up the phone.
Sean stood still in a daze for a while. He scrolled through the gallery on his mobile phone, which contained Eli and their baby’s photos.
He was very envious of Jasper and Stella, who could give up everything for the sake of being together. They could abandon their family, glory, responsibility, and country.
However, he couldn’t. Because he knew that his family would all die one after another if he gave up.
Stella hung up the phone. She still had to call Bettany Hadley.
“Stella, where are you now? Why haven’t you been answering my calls? Frederick never came to visit me even once after I was hospitalized. What did you promise me?” Bettany said angrily.
Stella was silent. She felt as though she didn’t want to care about anything anymore, including all those responsibilities, burdens, and promises she had made. Compared to Jasper, everything had become so trivial, “I’m on a vacation now. I’ll talk about it when I come back.”
“On vacation? I am in the hospital, and yet you are on vacation! Stella, I’m warning you, if you can’t do what you have promised, I will not let you go,” Bettany yelled.
She hung up the phone directly.
As soon as she resumed contact with the outside world, Stella could feel the pressure overwhelming her body and mind. If she could, she really wanted to be isolated and stay on this deserted island with Jasper without going back forever.
Before she could make a call, the unknown caller ID called her phone again.
She picked up the phone and asked, “Hello?”
“Stella, it’s Hale, thank you for saving me. Now, I have regained my innocence and the country has also compensated me. I am now the head of the Southern Region Military Office of A City, with the title of Lieutenant,” Hale Summer said excitedly.
“You deserve it,” Stella was also happy for her.
“When are we going to meet? I’ll treat you to dinner. I still have a lot of things to tell you,” Hale was still excited.
“Well, let’s meet when I come back from my trip,” Stella said in a low voice and hung up the phone.
The last person left was Frederick Addington. She didn’t want to call him or answer his calls, so she turned off the phone and continued to hang the quilt.
Jasper Milton stood in the corridor on the second floor and looked at her. His eyes were deep and there was a hidden emotion in them. He smiled slightly.
It was worth it to give up his dream to be with her and live a casual life with their children. Knowing when to give up was a form of pleasure in itself.
Stella turned back to look at him after she finished hanging up the quilt.
Jasper was hanging the clothes in the corridor on the second floor. He looked at her and both of them smiled at each other.
Stella then went to cook. She roasted the chicken in the oven first. Then, she put the carrots and potatoes on another tray and covered them with a baking sheet.
She seasoned the vegetables with some salt and pepper. Then, she sprayed on some olive oil.
She roasted the vegetables 20 minutes before the chicken was done so that the vegetables would not be overcooked.
When she was done, she went upstairs to call Jasper for lunch. When she was on the stairs, she overheard Jasper making a phone call, “I couldn’t be bothered anymore. I am leaving either way unless you kill me. Don’t you dare touch her. I die if she dies. Are you sure you want to do that? I am 34 years old, not 14 years old. I have the right to choose the life I want to live.”