Chapter 521

Chapter 521:
Time ticked by, and as it got later, he became increasingly uneasy. He picked up his phone, then put it down, over and over again, before finally giving in and sending her a message. “You’re not in the dorm?”
At that moment, Stella was helping Sharon get ready for bed—removing her makeup and making sure she was comfortable. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen.
“My friend’s drunk. I’m staying over at her place to take care of her.”
She paused for a second, then added a follow-up message, just to be polite.
“Did you need something, Mr. Briggs?”
William stared at the screen, unsure what to say for once.
He typed out a response, deleted it, and retyped something else—then deleted that too. Finally, after several failed attempts, he sent, “I wanted to go over the research data with you. But if you’re busy tonight, we can talk tomorrow. Good night.”
Reading his reply, Stella only felt more convinced that he didn’t feel anything for her.
If he had even the slightest interest in her, would he really bring up work in the middle of the night?
In her eyes, Sharon had just been talking nonsense, the kind that came from one too many drinks.
She stayed the night at Sharon’s place and dozed off shortly after.
The next morning, Sharon was still fast asleep when Stella got up. Quietly, she slipped into the living room and started preparing breakfast—beef sandwiches with a side of yogurt.
The smell wafted through the apartment and slowly roused Sharon from her sleep. Barely awake, she stumbled out of bed, her eyes still half-closed. “Stel, did you make breakfast?”
Stella couldn’t help but smile, both fond and exasperated. “Yeah. Your favorite beef sandwich. It’s still warm on the table.”
The moment Sharon heard that, she perked up like a kid on Christmas morning and rushed to the dining table, devouring her breakfast in no time.
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Resting her chin in her hand, she watched Stella sit across the table, eating slowly and calmly. It brought last night’s conversation back to the front of her mind.
“Stel, I’m serious—think about what I told you yesterday.”
Stella blinked, chewing thoughtfully. “What are you talking about?”
“William, of course—”
“Stop right there.”
Clearly not in the mood to hear more, Stella cut her off. But Sharon just sighed, sipping her yogurt as if resigned to her role as the persistent matchmaker. She still believed in this pairing wholeheartedly. She believed that William wasn’t just Choria’s most eligible bachelor; he clearly had feelings for Stella. From where Sharon stood, the two of them getting together was the perfect ending waiting to happen.
After breakfast, Stella headed back to the research institute. She wanted to check in with William about the research data he mentioned last night, so she went straight to his office. But after knocking and waiting, it was clear he wasn’t there. With no other leads, she returned to the lab and continued working on her experiments.
That afternoon, a message popped up on her phone—it was Sharon again. “Stel, come with me to a wine tasting event tomorrow. It’s kind of a big deal.”
Stella raised a brow. Wine tasting? That wasn’t really her thing. She didn’t even drink that much, let alone attend fancy wine events.
.
.
.