Chapter 367
Chapter 367:
“William, do you live here full time? Don’t you ever go anywhere else?” A woman stood close to him—almost too close. They looked like a couple wrapped up in something private. Stella froze. Not the best timing, clearly.
Then she heard the woman’s voice again, soft but serious, “William, the arranged marriage… it’s my family’s idea, but—”
The door opened, and William ushered the woman inside before Stella could hear the rest.
She gathered her thoughts and quietly slipped into her dorm, shutting the door a bit quicker than usual. Once inside, she finally let out a slow breath.
Seriously? Bringing someone home and loitering outside like that? Way to make things awkward for a neighbor. And what was that woman talking about? An arranged marriage?
Well, it wasn’t unheard of—wealthy families did that kind of thing all the time. The woman was definitely pretty, though Stella hadn’t gotten a proper look. But William… he liked men. Marrying her? That’d be a disaster for both of them.
Stella shook her head with a quiet sigh. She actually felt kind of bad for her. After a quick shower, she headed straight to bed.
The next morning, Stella got ready to go view an apartment and sign the purchase contract. She’d originally planned to stay put a bit longer, but after seeing William bring someone home, she figured it was time to move out. No point hanging around for more awkward hallway encounters.
Besides, it would give him space for… whatever that was.
The new place she found was in a freshly completed building—modern and spotless. It was ready for immediate move-in. Once the paperwork was signed, Stella headed back to start packing. She didn’t have much. Just two or three boxes.
She called a moving truck, grabbed the first couple of boxes, and was just about to head downstairs when the elevator doors slid open. William stepped out.
William’s brows drew together as he caught sight of her moving luggage. “You’re leaving?”
Stella paused, then straightened and gave a light nod. “I’ve already bought a place. Everything’s ready, so I thought I’d settle in this week.”
𝐿𝖆𝙩𝑒𝓼𝓉 сհ𝖆ρ𝑡𝓮𝓇𝘀
He hadn’t expected her to move so quickly, and she hadn’t mentioned anything to him beforehand.
His tone grew heavier. “If I hadn’t stepped out of the elevator just now, were you planning to leave without even saying goodbye?”
His question caught her off guard. Was it really that deep? They were just neighbors—was she expected to give notice before moving out?
“Mr. Briggs, this doesn’t affect work,” she replied calmly. “There’s nothing to worry about.” She figured he was only concerned about work-related communication and offered the explanation without much thought.
But William felt a strange tightness in his chest, one he didn’t know how to ease.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, the elevator beside them dinged open, and Willow stepped out. The moment she saw him, she smiled with a hint of teasing. “William, why are you out here? Were you waiting for me?”
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