Chapter 428

Morning light filtered through the curtains as Stella Valentine jolted upright in bed.

She massaged her temples, the exhaustion from last night's design revisions still lingering. Her fingers brushed against the cold, empty sheets beside her, and she froze for a moment.

Splashing cold water on her face, she forced herself to focus. Grabbing a beige blazer, she rushed out without even applying eyeliner.

"Director Valentine!" Penny Anderson intercepted her at the elevator, forehead glistening with sweat. "The clients are furious in the conference room. They said they'll leave in ten minutes."

Stella checked her watch—9:15 AM.

"Tell them I brought a new proposal."

When she pushed open the glass doors, three clients were drumming impatient fingers on the table. The middle-aged man at the head scoffed, "Can't New Frontier Group even be punctual anymore?"

"Mr. Ellison." Stella set her laptop down. "My apologies for the delay. But this will make your wait worthwhile."

The clients' expressions froze as the screen illuminated.

Three designs unfolded sequentially—a rosebud unfurling at dawn, lilies basking in midday sun, and a withering night-blooming cereus embracing moonlight. Every petal's vein was meticulously rendered.

"Is this..." Mr. Ellison's hand hovered midair. "A rendering with South African diamonds?"

"No." Stella clicked to the next slide. "Synthetic crystals."

The room fell silent. Seeing the awe in their eyes, she exhaled slightly.

After signing contracts and seeing the clients out, Stella locked her office door. With trembling fingers, she opened the original design files—the cereus had been closed when she saved it last night.

Now it bloomed with heartbreaking intensity.

Her phone vibrated. Penny's message appeared: «Legal says the deposit cleared.»

Stella stared at the altered cereus. Only one person could access her encrypted files.

The sound of wheelchair wheels seemed to echo in her ears. She recalled someone tucking her in during her half-asleep haze last night.

The phone rang abruptly. The receptionist's panicked voice came through: "Director Valentine! There's a man claiming to be your husband—"

The glass door burst open. Penny's shriek and security's shouts blended together.

Stella looked up to see a suited man leaning on a cane in the doorway. The diamond tie pin on his silk tie refracted blinding sunlight.

It was her Stellaris Collection design from ten years ago.