Chapter 398

Chapter 398:
When they reached the elevator, Shaun went to press the button, but Stella held back. “Let’s take the stairs instead,” she suggested.
Something about the place made her uneasy.
Shaun placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Syl, relax. I’m here.” She hesitated, wanting to argue… but under his calm, steady gaze, the words never made it out.
They headed up to the second floor. The hallway was lined with offices. As they passed by, something caught Stella’s eye—two familiar figures standing in one of the rooms up ahead. Willow and William. Her steps froze. “Wait… what are you two doing here?”
Earlier, when Stella and Shaun went upstairs, they hadn’t seen any sign of William or Willow.
Willow offered a gentle explanation. “This building has two entrances. We must’ve come in through different doors.”
Stella didn’t think much of it—just nodded and got back to combing through the room with Shaun.
Meanwhile, William looked like he was preparing to deliver a verdict in court—his expression stone-cold as he searched for clues.
Stella, not wanting Willow to get the wrong idea about her and William, made sure to keep a wide berth. If he was on the left, she went right—always keeping space between them.
Still, sometimes they’d unknowingly drift closer. And just when William was about to say something to her, she’d suddenly pivot away and call out, “Shaun, come check this out!”
He was left hanging—more than once—with an unreadable look on his face and a growing sense of irritation.
From William’s line of sight, it didn’t help that every time Stella leaned slightly toward Shaun, especially when she stood on tiptoe to show him something, it looked like she was practically in his arms.
Willow noticed too. With a soft voice and a faint smile, she murmured, “William, don’t they look good together? Mr. Smith and Ms. Gilbert?”
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William’s jaw tightened, his face growing darker.
Willow ignored his reaction, her eyes gleaming. She kept making little comments about how compatible the two of them looked.
Then, as Stella handed Shaun a folder, her foot caught on the edge of the carpet. She stumbled.
Before she could fall, Shaun caught her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Stella froze, then quickly pulled back, flustered.
“Sorry, Mr. Smith,” she murmured hastily. That kind of clumsy move felt totally unacceptable—especially in front of everyone.
But Shaun didn’t look annoyed at all. In fact, he looked almost amused, his eyes scanning her briefly, like he was making sure she wasn’t hurt. “As long as you’re okay, Syl.”
The soft “Syl” drifted over to William’s ears like a trigger. Between that and watching her fall right into Shaun’s arms, his mood officially tanked. His grip on the documents in his hand visibly tightened.
“I’m going out to make a call,” he said abruptly, heading for the door.
Willow gave Shaun and Stella a polite smile before following after him. Once the two of them were gone, Stella let out a quiet breath and instinctively stepped a little farther away from Shaun.
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