Chapter 563

Chapter 563:
She quickly hung up before they could start bickering again.
She sent the address and drove straight to the restaurant.
A few minutes later, Sharon and Josie arrived one after the other.
The tension between them still lingered, but they were civil—for Stella’s sake. Once they’d ordered, Sharon noticed the smile tugging at Stella’s lips and raised a brow. “You look like you’re in a good mood.”
Stella didn’t deny it. “Yeah. The new property management at my place is way better now, so I’m moving back.”
Sharon and Josie immediately blurted out in sync, “You’re not staying at the institute anymore?”
Their voices were loud enough to turn heads. Stella hunched her shoulders and gestured for them to keep it down.
“I bought that place fully furnished and barely lived in it before I had to leave. It’s way more comfortable than the institute,” she said, already picturing the electric adjustable bed in the master bedroom.
Just thinking about it made her feel cozy.
Sharon, always curious, asked, “So what about William? You’re just going to leave him there?”
Stella paused, napkin in hand. She looked up. “What does my moving have to do with William?”
She looked genuinely puzzled. William wasn’t her father or anything—she didn’t owe him updates on her living situation.
Still, Sharon and Josie had long picked up on William’s interest in Stella. Him finding out she was suddenly moving out probably wasn’t going to sit well. “Did you tell him?” Sharon pressed.
Josie chimed in before Stella could reply. “You two work closely. He’s your superior. It’s just courtesy to let him know, that’s all—we don’t mean anything else.”
Stella blinked, silently admitting they had a point.
She picked up her phone to text William and let him know she wouldn’t be staying at the institute dorm anymore. But just as she opened the app, a call came in—from Rita.
𝐿𝑎t𝑒st ch𝑎pt𝑒rs in
She hesitated, then answered. “Hey, Rita. What’s up?”
Rita’s warm voice came through. “Ms. Russell, sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask—what ingredients do I need to make spicy diced chicken? Mr. Briggs asked me to cook dinner tonight.”
Stella frowned. Spicy diced chicken? She remembered William was still recovering. He definitely shouldn’t be eating spicy food right now.
“Rita, he’s still not fully healed. Better to keep it light. If he wants chicken, make scallion chicken instead—it’s easier on the system. I’ll text you the recipe.” Rita was all gratitude, thanking her over and over.
Then she added, “Ms. Russell, why don’t I come over to your place to cook, like before? I’ll take it to Mr. Briggs after. You know he doesn’t like the kitchen smell lingering.”
Stella pursed her lips. William was honestly tough to please. He wanted to eat but couldn’t stand the smell of cooking? Seriously?
“Sorry, Rita,” she said. “I don’t stay at the institute dorm anymore, so I probably can’t help you cook. If you still want to go over, you can use the passcode, but there’s not much left in the fridge.”
Rita froze for a second. “You’ve moved out? You’re not coming back to the dorm at all?”
.
.
.