Chapter 49

Stella Valentine's fingers trembled slightly.

The matching couple's rings worth three million were indeed purchased with Mr. Alistair's card.

Adrian Roland's gaze was sharp as a blade. "Three million is no small sum. The Valentine family went bankrupt long ago. Where did you get the money?"

Stella's heart ached as if pricked by needles.

The Valentine family?

Now it belonged to Victor Lefèvre and Sophia Durand—it was Lily Savigny's family home!

After her father's death, she and her mother had been driven out, stripped of their last refuge.

She opened her mouth but remained silent in the end.

Explanations?

Hadn't she given enough over the past six years? Each attempt only brought deeper humiliation.

Besides, she couldn't drag Mr. Alistair into this.

"What, nothing to say?" Adrian sneered.

Stella took a deep breath. "Does what I say even matter?"

"Still going to see our daughter?"

"Of course!"

Joy Fairsprene grabbed Stella's arm. "Stella, ride with me."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Fairsprene, afraid I'll devour her?"

"I'm afraid she'll catch bad luck just by being near you," Joy shot back without hesitation.

In the underground parking lot, Zachary Ellison tried to follow but was stopped by Lucas Sherwood. "Let them handle it themselves."

As they left, whispers floated through the air. "They actually divorced? And Adrian cheated?"

Lucas started the car. "Fate works in mysterious ways."

After the incident six years ago, Adrian had become a different person. When he reappeared, he was already a rising star in Houston's business world.

No one knew what had happened during those missing years.

Dusk deepened.

Adrian drove a discreet Lexus today, clearly avoiding attention.

Joy gripped the steering wheel. "Stella, is your stomachache from not recovering properly after childbirth?"

Stella gazed out the window. "Maybe."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get your daughter back."

"No, I can't drag you into this. Adrian's methods..."

Joy fell silent.

Adrian drove slowly, taking over an hour before stopping at an old colonial-style house.

The paint was peeling, but warm light glowed from the windows.

Her phone vibrated.

[Don't worry. I'll find a way. Don't force it—leave it to me.]

Mr. Alistair's text warmed Stella's heart.

With him by her side, Luna would surely return to her!

"Stella, he's going inside!"

Stella rushed out of the car and followed.

The sound of a baby's cooing reached her ears.

Her heart clenched.

"Where is she?" She charged into the house, searching frantically.

Adrian followed leisurely. "She's my daughter too."

"No, she's not!"

"The DNA results were clear."

The elderly butler, Benjamin Langley, emerged carrying the baby, smiling kindly. "Young master brought little Luna home! I always said no mother could forget her child..."

Stella nearly lunged forward.

In the pink swaddle, little Luna's grape-like eyes sparkled. Seeing Stella, she suddenly giggled, tiny hands waving in the air.

"Let me hold her..."

The moment Luna was in her arms, Stella's tears nearly spilled over.

So small. So light.

The nurse had said Luna weighed only four pounds at birth due to malnutrition during pregnancy.

The butler chuckled. "Little Luna is so lively, just like the young master was as a child! But she looks like her mother—she'll grow into a beauty..."

Stella's voice trembled. "Her mischievousness comes from me."

"Had a little quarrel?" The butler beamed. "Young master, you should be more accommodating. Little Stella is still recovering..."

Adrian stood in the shadows, watching silently.

Stella had grown thinner, her arms worryingly slender as she cradled their daughter. Yet she held the baby steadily, her gaze tender enough to melt hearts.

He had imagined this scene countless times.

Stella holding their child, humming a lullaby.

Now, the dream had become reality.

In the cruelest way possible.