Chapter 844
Chapter 844:
They sampled local cuisine together, and later that evening, William walked with her along the banks of an ancient river.
The air was cool, the water reflecting strings of golden lights. It wasn’t the grandeur of the city that soothed Stella, but the easy silence between them. With William beside her, she felt a rare, unburdened calm, as if the shadows chasing her thoughts had finally paused.
On the second day, William surprised her by booking dinner at a Michelin three-star restaurant.
The restaurant was housed in a historic building, its stone arches softened by flickering candlelight.
Romantic in its understated elegance, the atmosphere all but revealed William’s intention. Stella noticed immediately. She didn’t point it out, but she didn’t push it away either.
They were just settling in, following the waiter’s guidance through the menu, when a sound broke the refined hush of the dining room—soft, broken sobs. The cries came from a corner booth, raw with helplessness. In such a polished setting, the sound was impossible to ignore.
Stella’s head turned instinctively. A girl, no more than eighteen or nineteen, sat alone at the table. Her shoulders shook as she wept, head bowed.
A menu sat untouched in front of the girl.
She looked completely out of place. Dressed simply, eyes swollen red from tears, she had the nervous air of someone far from home, stranded in a world she didn’t understand.
Stella’s chest tightened with sympathy.
William noticed too. He glanced once in the girl’s direction, then turned back to his plate, not wanting to get involved.
But the sobs grew louder, pulling curious glances from nearby diners. A few whispered behind their hands; others frowned at the disturbance.
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Stella could no longer sit still. She set her napkin aside and murmured, “I’m going to check on her.”
William’s brow creased slightly, as though he wanted to stop her. Instead, he gave a short nod, his gaze sharpening as he watched.
Stella crossed the room and crouched slightly by the girl’s table. She asked gently, “Are you alright? Do you need help?”
Startled, the girl lifted her head. Her face was blotchy with tears, eyes brimming with desperation.
The moment she heard Stella’s voice, her reaction was almost frantic. “You—you’re from home?” she blurted, recognizing the familiar cadence of her native tongue. She grabbed Stella’s hand as if clinging to a rope in the middle of a storm. “Please, help me. My boyfriend… he ditched me here after we had a fight.”
Stella’s heart softened at once. So, she was a compatriot.
Lowering her voice, Stella said, “Calm down. Tell me what happened, slowly. Why would he leave you?”
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