Chapter 12
Yvonne stood there, dressed like a peacock in full display, her outfit dripping with gold and jewels, flaunting her wealth and superiority. Her voice carried an air of unrestrained arrogance.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Stellar Rivers, the illustrious representative of Riverside Corporation who just signed a deal with Brighton Group. What’s this? Picking up trash outside a school now?
She smirked, lifting her foot to step on one of Stellar’s scattered books.
Ha! So, what if Percy didn’t like her? He was still going to obediently get engaged to her,
Every time Yvonne complained to her parents about her frustrations, they coddled her endlessly. Not only did they pressure her
uncle to invest an extra two million dollars into her latest film, but they also arranged a dinner meeting with the Moore family
tonight at an upscale restaurant to finalize the engagement date.
Stellar’s gaze turned cold as she looked up at Yvonne.
“Move.”
“And if I don’t? What can you do about it?” Yvonne sneered, towering over Stellar with undisguised Jealousy in her eyes.
She despised the girl before her. How could someone from such a lowly background have a face so breathtakingly beautiful?
She already knew Stellar hadn’t been convicted of stealing company data. Instead, she was protected by Shane and even managed
to humiliate Percy.
What else could it be if not sleeping her way to the top?
“Stellar, you’ve really perfected the art of hopping beds. You dumped Percy and went straight into Shane Howe’s arms, huh? I wonder if that man who picked you up after the banquet knows about this?”
Stellar shoved Yvonne aside, picked up her book, and stood tall.
“Only someone with a filthy heart and mind like yours would assume the whole world stoops as low as you do. Maybe try reading a book for once, Miss Harlow.”
The memory of being called a “social–climbing Cinderella” at the gala flashed through Yvonne’s mind, reigniting her fury. She raised her hand to slap Stellar, but Stellar was quicker.
Smack!
But the sound of the slap didn’t come from Stellar.
Instead, it was her face that stung. And the one who slapped her wasn’t Yvonne.
er sent a
Even though she thought she had moved on, seeing the man standing protectively in front of Yvonne and glaring at her sharp, uncontrollable pain through Stellar’s heart.
It was Jonathan Brook–Yvonne’s maternal uncle.
The same man she once called “Uncle” for eighteen years.
If it had been anyone else,
she w
wouldn’t have felt this hurt.
+20 Bonus
But Jonathan was different. Although she addressed him as her uncle, he was only four years older than her.
From a young age, he treated her exceptionally well. Before learning that she was not the true heiress, he was the kind of uncle
who doted on her endlessly. He was even better to her than Yvonne’s own mother.
Once, when she fell into an icy river as a child, it was Jonathan who risked his life to save her. He injured his leg in the process,
leaving him with a condition that caused pain whenever it rained or turned cold.
But ever since Yvonne returned, everything seemed to change.
“Stellar Rivers, you’ve really grown bold, daring to lay a hand on Yvonne!” Jonathan reprimanded harshly, his gaze full of hatred.
toward her.
He then turned to Yvonne with a face full of concern.
“Yvonne, are you alright?”
Yvonne’s eyes immediately reddened, as though she had suffered a great grievance.
“Uncle, I was only trying to show some concern for Stellar. After all, she used to be part of the Harlow family. But instead, she
insulted me, called me meddlesome, said I was a country bumpkin with no class, and that my head was empty, telling me to read
more books.”
As soon as Yvonne finished speaking, Jonathan’s anger flared. He turned to Stellar and stared her down, speaking slowly and
deliberately.
“Stellar, do you even know why you had the chance to study? If it weren’t for you taking Yvonne’s place, forcing her to grow up in
an orphanage and suffer hardships, unable to even go to school, do you think you’d have gotten that privilege? As someone who benefited, you dare to flaunt it and bully the real victim? You disgust me!”
Stellar’s heart clenched.
Even though she had anticipated harsh words, hearing them still cut deeply.
He hadn’t even bothered to figure out the truth, yet he unhesitatingly believed Yvonne’s twisted story.
But she was used to this by now.
Stella let out a cold laugh, her tone indifferent. “She started it.”
“You’re still making excuses!” Jonathan snapped, his disbelief evident as he aggressively demanded, “Apologize to Yvonne immediately, or don’t ever think of calling me your uncle again!”
+20 Bonus
His face was as cold as ice, and his gaze held no trace of warmth as he stared her down.
Beside him, Yvonne shot Stellar a smug, taunting look, her satisfaction practically dripping from her expression.
Stellar lowered her gaze quietly.
She thought, “Digging out a festering wound might be excruciating, but some pain can’t be avoided forever.”
Her heart ached to the point of numbness, but after a brief
brief pause, she forced herself to endure it.
She raised her head, her eyes now calm and detached.
“Mr. Brook, have you forgotten? We’re no longer related. After that incident, you ceased being my uncle. So, there’s no need to discuss whether I can call you that anymore.”
She deliberately used a formal title to create distance between them and even glanced briefly at Yvonne.
The mention of that incident made Yvonne’s heart skip a beat with guilt, but so what? Stellar had no evidence.
Jonathan was momentarily stunned. For a second, through those strikingly beautiful eyes, he seemed to see the little girl who
used to follow him around, calling him “Uncle Jon, Uncle Jon,” flashing him innocent, affectionate smiles.
But now, that face held no trace of joy.
Thinking of that incident, a flicker of pain flashed in his eyes, but he quickly buried it beneath an angry scowl.
“You-”
Stellar’s gaze remained steady, her voice calm and unwavering as she stated, “With that slap, we’ve severed all ties. From now on, I owe you nothing, Mr. Brook ”
Then, her eyes turned cold as they landed on Yvonne.
“And as for that incident, I’ve said before–one day, the truth will come to light.”
With that, she stepped past them and walked away without looking back.
Yvonne and Jonathan stood frozen in place.
Yvonne’s expression turned anxious. She hadn’t expected Stellar to hold such a grudge or to be so ruthless as to truly sever ties
with Jonathan.
Still, she knew Jonathan held a unique place in Stellar’s heart. If he didn’t, she wouldn’t have restrained herself from striki
back just now.
Yvonne wouldn’t believe Stellar had let him go.
“Uncle,” Yvonne called out, her eyes red with tears. “She dared to threaten mel You know how she slandered me back then. You
have to stand up for me!”
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Tears began streaming down her face as she spoke, each drop a calculated part of her act.
Jonathan snapped back to his senses at her display, his brows furrowing deeply.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get justice.”
Stellar was just an orphan and abandoned by Percy. There was no way she could truly cut ties with them. She was just putting up a
front.
Yvonne’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she quickly put on a docile expression, meekly saying, “Thank you, Uncle. You’re the
best.”
Meanwhile, Stellar had barely walked a short distance before she ran into Claude, who came to pick her up for dinner.
She looked surprised, “Uncle Claude, I didn’t even call you yet. Why are you here?”
you. What a
Claude gestured for her to get in the car, smiling lightly, “I happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d wait for y
coincidence. I found you before you even called.”
But his expression shifted the moment he noticed the faint red mark on her face. His smile vanished, replaced by a sharp,
concerned look.
“Stellar, what happened to your face?”
Her own expression darkened for a moment before she quickly masked it, not wanting Claude to worry. “It’s nothing. I just bumped into something by accident.”
“Bumped into something?”
Claude’s gaze turned piercing. He wasn’t foolish; one look and he could tell someone had slapped her. He also knew she’d been
visiting her professor, and from his research, that old man wasn’t the type to lay a hand on her.
Which meant…
At that moment, his peripheral vision caught two figures emerging from the campus gates. His eyes narrowed instantly, his
expression darkening.
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