Chapter 27

The phone line fell into prolonged silence.

Stella Valentine decisively hung up.

"More spine than I expected." The man's voice carried a hint of amusement, his warm breath brushing against the back of her ear.

She instinctively leaned away.

"Mr. Alistair..." Stella clenched the hem of her shirt. "I don't understand why you're helping me, but there are things I can't do."

"Because of the children?"

"Yes." Her voice was firm. "I need money, but I'm a mother first. I can't let them know their mother..."

The man chuckled softly. "Relax. I'm not that kind of person."

"Then why—"

Sensing her resistance, he withdrew his arm from around her waist and stepped back. "You remind me of someone. I...owe her."

Stella's eyes widened. "So I'm a replacement?"

"You could say that."

She stared at her toes with a bitter smile. "If it saves my mother and brings my daughter back, I'll do it."

"That straightforward?"

"I have no choice." Her voice cracked. "The sooner, the better."

In the darkness, the man remained silent for a long moment.

"Sleep."

He took her wrist and led her toward the bedroom. Stella stiffened. "Mr. Alistair, I told you—"

"I won't touch you."

His movements were gentle, as if handling something fragile. He guided her to the bed, knelt on one knee, and removed her shoes.

"I haven't slept well in a long time."

"Because you miss her?"

"Yes." Moonlight stretched his shadow into loneliness. "Every time I remember, it feels like a knife cutting through me."

Stella's heart trembled. "Did she...leave you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

His Adam's apple bobbed, voice rough. "Because she—didn't love me."

The answer stole Stella's breath.

She'd imagined countless possibilities, but never this.

"Did she know you—"

"It doesn't matter now." He lifted her into his arms and laid her on the bed. "Sleep."

An unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar presence. Stella lay awake until late into the night before exhaustion finally claimed her.

In her drowsy haze, she felt a soft touch on her forehead. She strained to hear the whispered words at her ear but sank into darkness.

......

Pain tore her awake.

The painkillers had worn off. The other side of the bed was empty.

Her phone lit up.

[Thank you. First good sleep in years.]

Her finger hovered over the call button before she typed a reply: [What should I call you?]

[Mr. Alistair is fine.]

[When can I see my daughter?]

[She's safe. Focus on your mother first.]

[But she needs her mother!]

The reply came much later: [Every night at 9. There's a card on the table—$3 million. PIN is your daughter's birthday.]

The bank card gleamed coldly in the morning light.

When had Stella Valentine, heiress of the Valentine family, fallen this low?

The phone rang abruptly.

"Ms. Valentine! Your wound—"

"I'll pay the medical bills now."

She dry-swallowed painkillers and rushed to the hospital as soon as they took effect.

At the payment counter, the nurse handed back her card. "The VIP room will be ready this afternoon."

"Not now?"

"Isn't your family already here?"

Stella froze.

The elevator doors opened, revealing her mother's weak voice: "...Stella will take care of me."

"Of course."

Adrian Roland's voice turned her blood to ice.

Through the door crack, Lily Savigny placed supplements on the bedside table. "Aunt Grace, I picked these especially for your health."

"You're so thoughtful, Lily."

"Adrian brought me here—"

BANG!

The door slammed against the wall with a crash.