Chapter 350

The phone screen lit up.

That familiar number flashed.

Stella Valentine's finger hovered over the answer button, trembling slightly.

"Stella..." The voice on the other end sounded like it came from an abyss. "Come back."

She clenched the phone, her knuckles turning white.

The static amplified his ragged breathing, laced with desperate despair. "I've lost everything... I gave it all up to find you..."

"Calm down first," she said hoarsely.

"Calm down?" He suddenly laughed, the sound rough and broken. "Stella, if you leave, I'll jump from this window."

Her breath hitched.

"Remember to come collect my body." His tone softened eerily.

"Don't be stupid!" she nearly shouted. "What happened?"

"I was abandoned the day I was born." His voice grew quieter. "Parents, the world, everyone... until I met you. Now even you're leaving?"

Her heart constricted as if gripped by an invisible hand.

"Stella, you promised... as long as I wasn't Adrian Roland, you'd never leave."

Memories flooded back. "I remember," she whispered.

"Room 1231 at Houston Grand Hotel, the sunflower field, that 'snow' I made for you..." His voice faded. "And the proposal under the stars..."

Joy Fairsprene glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Stella?"

"A woman?" The voice on the phone sharpened. "Who's with you?"

"...It's Joy."

"Joy Fairsprene?" His tone turned icy.

"She's picking me up." Stella took a deep breath. "Mr. Alistair, you need rest. Once Celeste's surgery is over, I'll come see you."

"Three days." His voice was steel. "Three days later, Rose Garden. If you don't show..."

A howling wind suddenly roared through the receiver.

Her blood ran cold.

"Hear that?" His voice drifted. "If you abandon me too, I'll jump. Free as the wind."

"Wait—"

The call ended.

Joy tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "That impostor?"

"Did Julian tell you?"

"Stella." Joy's expression darkened. "His timing is too perfect. Right after you and Adrian went public. I think he's here to ruin you."

Stella frowned. "But his face, his voice, even his memories..."

"That's what makes it terrifying."

The Valois Group headquarters stood empty.

Joy stamped her foot impatiently. "Where's Julian?"

The secretary trembled. "Mr. Roland is in trouble. Mr. Valois rushed over. He said to go straight to the Roland residence."

"Which one?"

"The... the house you and Mr. Roland shared before."

A black MV Agusta sat on the lawn.

Julian Valois waited in the living room, his face grim.

"What's going on?" Joy demanded.

Julian looked at Stella. "You should see Adrian first."

A sliver of light seeped from under the second-floor bedroom door.

She heard Adrian's muffled groan. "Remember... three days... Mount Rainier..."

"What about Mount Rainier?" She pushed the door open.

Adrian yanked the blanket up, his face pale. "Why are you back?"

The sharp scent of antiseptic hung in the air.

Bloodied cotton balls littered the floor.

She pulled the blanket aside—

"Don't!"

His left arm was wrapped in bloodstained bandages.

"What happened?"

"Minor injury." He forced a weak smile.

"He's lying." Julian stood in the doorway, his voice heavy. "The doctor said... the arm is useless now."

"What?"

"The first injury caused permanent damage." Julian closed his eyes briefly. "This time... the bones are shattered."