Chapter 627

Chapter 627:
But Nina wasn’t buying it. “Drop the act, Stella. No one else is here, so who are you performing for? If you don’t want him, why’d you kiss him? Why’d you invite him over for dinner? Stop pretending to be innocent when you’re clearly not!”
Stella opened her mouth to respond—but paused. Did she really owe Nina an explanation? No. She didn’t.
With that realization, Stella cut the conversation short.
“If you like William, go for it. Pursue him all you want. I’m not stopping you. But stop dragging me into your schemes—and don’t come for me again. I won’t let it slide next time.”
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Behind her, Nina shouted, “Stella! Face it! You and William aren’t from the same world!”
Stella didn’t even flinch. She kept walking—straight to the cafeteria.
She thought she’d be late and miss lunch, but to her surprise, Nathalia was there, sitting with a tray of untouched food.
The moment Nathalia saw her, she smiled. “Sylvia, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ve got a fresh meal here.”
Stella blinked, a little caught off guard by her sudden return.
Still, she was starving—so she sat down and picked up her fork without hesitation.
“You’ve been gone a while,” Stella said casually. “Haven’t seen you around the institute lately.”
Her tone was easy and warm, like talking to an old friend. No awkwardness, no resentment.
Nathalia leaned her chin on her hand. “I was abroad—further studies. William didn’t tell you?”
Stella raised an eyebrow. “Was he supposed to?”
Nathalia chuckled and shrugged. “Guess not.”
She had come back to wrap up her resignation, but after hearing all the buzz at the institute, she had deliberately waited to run into Stella. Now, she sat watching her, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Stella took a couple of bites and glanced up, exasperated. “Whatever it is you’re dying to ask, just ask. Stop staring.”
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Nathalia grinned, amused by her honesty. “So… I heard there’s a new heavyweight in the research team. That Nina—she’s got a thing for William, huh?”
Stella was caught off guard. Nathalia had only just come back, and she was already knee-deep in the latest gossip?
Nathalia clicked her tongue and said with a teasing grin, “Sylvia, it looks like you’ve met your match. I heard Nina’s actually pretty talented. Aren’t you even a little worried that William might fall for her and pick her over you?”
Stella could only sigh. “You’ve got two things wrong there. First, whether William is impressed by her or not has absolutely nothing to do with me. Second, he and I are just coworkers. If he does pick her, that’s his business, not mine.”
Nathalia shook her head as if she’d heard this line one too many times. “Seriously, Sylvia? Are you that dense, or are you just acting clueless? If William ends up dating someone else, you’re really telling me you wouldn’t feel anything at all?”
Stella felt a faint ripple inside her chest, but her face stayed calm. She met Nathalia’s gaze and asked, “Why should I feel anything?”
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