Chapter 405

The interviews with the other four candidates concluded quickly.

Adrian Roland found his gaze drawn back to Stella Valentine.

She stood before the projector, posture straight as bamboo. Her calm voice detailed parenting philosophies with measured grace. Even hearing those familiar virtues from her lips still stirred something within him.

Unlike the other candidates reciting textbook answers, she spoke of intimate details from their children's lives. The bedtime stories Luna requested, strategies for Celeste's picky eating, Ethan's study habits—each observation revealed a mother's devotion.

Adrian noticed she'd grown thinner. The delicate wrists he remembered now showed prominent bones. Yet her eyes still sparkled like stars, transporting him back to their first meeting years ago.

He snapped the folder shut.

"Benjamin," he murmured, "escort everyone to the lounge."

The others followed the butler out, leaving Stella alone. Her fingertips traced the familiar contours of the sofa arm as she surveyed the unchanged living room.

Benjamin cracked open the nursery door.

"Children," he whispered, "your mother is here."

Celeste leapt up first, toys clattering to the floor. "Really? Mama's really back?"

Ethan feigned composure though his ears flushed red. "Come on," he said, grasping both sisters' hands. Three small figures barreled into the living room like a whirlwind.

The sudden impact nearly knocked Stella off balance as three koala-like children clung to her.

"Mama, I missed you so much," Celeste muffled into her neck. "I thought you left us forever."

Stella knelt, gathering them close. Strawberry shampoo from Celeste's hair, crayon wax on Luna's dress, sunshine clinging to Ethan's collar—she inhaled their scents like oxygen.

"How could I ever leave you?" Her voice trembled.

Luna tilted her face upward. "Mama, stay this time? Please?"

Stella's lips parted. Her gaze traveled over their heads to Adrian in his wheelchair.

"Ms. Valentine," his voice cut like ice, "you weren't selected."

The words cleaved through the tender moment. Adrian turned away, Adam's apple bobbing. "You need to leave."

She felt Ethan's grip tighten on her blouse.

"Mr. Roland," she met his gaze squarely, "I'm their mother. I have visitation rights."

"That's all you are."

"Then tell me," she stepped forward, "why am I unqualified as their nanny? Beyond academic credentials, how do those women surpass me?"

She knew him too well. The minute his brows furrowed, she anticipated every syllable before it left his lips.

The man in the wheelchair finally turned. When their eyes locked, Stella saw storms raging in his gaze.

Luna and Celeste had already swarmed their father, each clinging to an arm.

"Daddy," Luna cupped his face with small hands, "don't be mad at Mama, okay?"

Celeste climbed into his lap like a kitten nestling close. "You're the best daddy. Let Mama stay?"

Adrian sighed helplessly under their assault. When he looked up, Stella was whispering to Ethan, her gentle expression unchanged from years past.

The sight constricted his chest.

"Children," he massaged his temples, "some matters aren't as simple as you think."

Celeste pouted. "Then let Ethan explain! He's the smartest!"

Ethan clung to Stella's hand, small face set in stubborn determination.

As Stella smoothed her son's hair, her eyes remained locked with Adrian's across the room. An invisible wire stretched taut between them, vibrating with unspoken tension.