Chapter 59
Chapter 59:
Haley was panicking, backing away frantically. “NO! I didn’t do anything wrong! Why should I go with you? I’m not going—don’t touch me!”
The police didn’t flinch. Her outburst didn’t faze them one bit. When she refused to cooperate, one of the officers calmly reached for the handcuffs on his belt. “We’d appreciate your cooperation, ma’am. If you’re really innocent, the truth will come out. Justice always does.”
That word—justice—sent Haley into full-blown hysteria. “Mom, say something! We’re not from here, we don’t know how things work! Stella’s lying! Please—do something!”
Beatrice looked just as helpless. She reached out, but with the cuffs already closing in, there was nothing she could do. She could only watch as her precious daughter was led away in shame.
Meanwhile, Jazlyn had been slowly trying to sneak off through the crowd. But the moment she heard the officers call her name, she froze like a deer in headlights. “Jazlyn Walsh?”
She turned around, visibly shaking. “Officer—I swear, I don’t know anything! I’ll come with you. I’ll tell you everything I do know!”
To be fair, she really didn’t know much. Haley had done most of the scheming on her own. Since Jazlyn wasn’t resisting, the officers didn’t cuff her. One look at her terrified face, and it was clear she wasn’t the ringleader. Two down. One to go.
Marc never expected Stella to pull this move—calling the police right there at the gala and having them take him too. He might’ve tried to slip away quietly, but Jazlyn, clueless as ever, called out to him, blowing his cover.
And just like that, the grand charity gala came to a crashing, scandalous end. Guests stood around, whispering, wide-eyed and stunned. With Marc taken away, Stella finally turned to leave. She hadn’t come to party anyway.
“Where are you going?” a calm voice asked beside her.
She turned to see William walking up, his tone low and casual.
Find your imagination at; con
“Back to the research center,” she answered truthfully. Since deciding to end things with Marc, she hadn’t stepped foot in the villa. She’d already packed up everything important. No reason to go back.
William nodded. “That’s on my way. I’ll drop you.”
Stella blinked, surprised. It was already late—was he heading there too?
“There’s no need, Mr. Briggs. I can manage,” she said quickly. She didn’t want to keep riding around in his car. She already owed him a favor—racking up more debt wasn’t part of the plan.
William just kept walking beside her and smirked. “I help you out once, and now you’re trying to keep your distance?”
That comment caught her off guard, and she flushed. Yes, she owed him thanks for earlier—but what did that have to do with getting in his car? Still, she said nothing and awkwardly followed him to the vehicle. She opened the door, slipped inside, and sat quietly.
Luca was driving, and William sat in the back.
In her flustered state, she forgot to fasten her seatbelt. The ride was smooth at first, the silence almost comforting. Stella let herself relax just a bit.
But then, at a junction, the car made a sharp turn and suddenly braked hard. Before she could react, her body lurched sideways—and she crashed right into William. Her hands shot out to steady herself, but it was too late. She slammed straight into his chest.
And to make things worse, her chest—soft and unprotected—ended up pressed right against his arm.
As if that wasn’t enough, the sudden jolt tugged at her clothes, and with a loud snap, one of the buttons on her blouse popped open.
Stella froze, her face burning. If there was ever a moment to disappear, this was it. She seriously wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
.
.
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