Chapter 71

Chapter 71:
“Careful!” A firm voice called out from behind, and before Stella could react, a hand reached out and steadied her just in time.
Her heart skipped a beat as she turned to see William standing there, his hand still loosely holding hers.
“Thanks,” she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
As soon as she regained her balance, William let go without a word. Just then, the rest of the group caught up, their eyes lighting up as they spotted the plant tucked in the shadows.
With William’s brief assistance, Stella managed to carefully collect the plant.
“Finally! We’ve found it!” someone exclaimed.
The atmosphere lifted instantly, and any earlier doubts about Stella faded away.
One colleague walked up to her with a grin. “Stella, you’re incredible! I can’t believe you actually found it here by the river!”
Stella was just about to explain that it was simply a coincidence when a cold, mocking laugh suddenly rang out from the back of the crowd. She turned to find none other than Nathalia Fuller standing behind the group, with her arms crossed and eyes full of disdain. Stella hadn’t even realized Nathalia had tagged along.
With icy sarcasm, Nathalia sneered. “Ms. Russell, we’re here to work, not to watch you throw yourself at men. That fall of yours—you planned it, didn’t you? Just so William would catch you. Honestly, your behavior is downright shameless.”
The accusation hit Stella like a slap. For a moment, she was stunned, completely caught off guard.
What was Nathalia even talking about?
The rest of the team exchanged confused glances, no one quite understanding where Nathalia’s anger was coming from.
Nathalia pushed her way through the crowd and stopped right in front of Stella. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the plant in Stella’s hand. “William must’ve told you the location, didn’t he? He’s the most experienced here. Let’s not pretend you found this on your own.”
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Stella had no idea why Nathalia was so riled up, but she knew there was something complicated between her and William.
But who was chasing whom? From the look of it, Nathalia seemed to care more than William did. Maybe seeing him help Stella had stirred some jealousy. Whatever it was, it clearly burned.
For a second, Stella was at a loss. First, she’d been wrongly accused by Haley before even joining the project team, and now she was being dragged through the mud by William’s so-called unattainable ideal.
Maybe she had been too quiet, too tolerant all this time—so much so that people thought they could walk all over her without consequence. Without a word, Stella handed the plant to a colleague and stepped up to Nathalia.
“Miss Fuller, I don’t know what kind of grudge you have against me, but let me make a few things clear. First, I found this spot on my own—it had nothing to do with Mr. Briggs. Second, I didn’t fake that fall. The path is slippery. You were all a good fifteen feet behind me when it happened.”
Stella hadn’t thought William would catch up to her so quickly. If she were really trying to pull some stunt, she would’ve waited until he was right behind her. Doing it earlier would’ve been too risky—it made no sense.
She squared her shoulders and then added, “I came here to work, and I take this seriously. And if Mr. Briggs really knew the location all along, are you suggesting he just stood by and let everyone wander aimlessly?”
That shut Nathalia up right away. If she pushed her argument any further, it would mean accusing William of deliberately watching everyone struggle.
Left with no comeback, Nathalia could only shoot daggers at Stella with furious eyes.
Stella quickly looked at William, thinking he might be upset that she spoke up, especially since Nathalia seemed important to him. But to her surprise, he didn’t look annoyed at all. He stayed composed and unbothered, ignoring Nathalia entirely. The crowd stayed quiet, their eyes bouncing between the three of them, too nervous to say a word.
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