Chapter 8
At this moment, Stella was sitting on Rowan’s lap.
One of his arms wrapped around her waist in a bold that felt both possessive and tender, like a gentle kind of captivity. He held her easily, as if she belonged there.
His breath was warm, and when he spoke, his lips almost brushed hers.
Stella’s breath caught as she saw the hunger in his deep eyes.
it was a look she knew all too well
In her past life, every time they got intimate, he would look at her just like that–like a hunter who had already marked his prey. And she was the one who could
But back then, she had always non.
After that night,
when he said he wanted to marry her, she told him to get lost.
He gave her space, thinking she needed time to cool down. But somehow, a video of him carrying her into a bedroom got leaked.
While people were still speculating about their relationship, a rumor surfaced that Rowan was supposedly about to get engaged to Diana Menzie, the heiress of the Menzle family from Londale. The news claimed the engagement had been arranged earlier this year
Diana even posted something on Twitter. It didn’t name anyone directly, but everyone could tell who it was aimed at “A bitch gets what she deserves.”
It was vagar, bet it didn’t take much to figure out everyone knew she was talking about Stella
Jovernight, Stella, who had already been cast as the cruel sister who bullied her poor sister and got kicked out of her family, was now labeled a mistress seducing
someone else’s flancé.
Even though Stella had beard countless croel insults, at that time, each laugh, insult, and malicious curse felt like a blade dipped in blood, stabbing her so deeply it was unbearable.
Ewn though the trending topics were taken down fast, and Diana later deleted her post and publicly apologized, and Rowan personally clarified on Twitter that he had nothing to do with Diana and had been the one pursuing Stella- —hone of it mattered.
No one believed her by then.
The Insults never stopped.
Her parents, Jessie and Lewis, called ber in a rage. They screamed at her, carsing her for humillating the Farichild name. They said they wished she had never been bom.
Randy was even worse. Once he found out Stella had slept with Rowan, he looked at her like she was something filthy, constantly calling her a slut every chance he
gul.
That time in her life had been agony. And since she had nowhere else to pour that pain, she dumped all of it on Rowan. She hated him with every fiber of her being
She had convinced herself that everything–the rumors, the betrayal, the shame–was his fault.
So, whenever he came close, she would lash out, shoving him, screaming at him like a madwoman.
But he never fought back
He would let her hit him, let her rage, and when she was finally too exhausted to conique, he would just pull her into his arms and loss her like he never wanted to
let her go.
As that moment, Rowan’s eyes were filled with the same hunger.
Back then, Stella had seen that hunger as something sinister. She believed he didn’t truly care for her, that he was only after her body.
Stella stared into his eyes, and only after a long moment did she realize that the hunger was really years of repressed desire. He had liked her for long time.
stella found herself lost in thought.
Rowan lowered his gaze, pressing his forehead against hers and softly askdot. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”
His breath was hot against her skin, and as Stella came back to herself, she instinctively placed her hands on his shoulders. “It’s not that.”
“Then, shall we kiu His voice dropped even lower, his breath growing hotter as his fingers tiglieised on her chin. Gently, his thumb brushed over herlips, caressing them softly
“I’ll open my mouth for you, Stell Will you kiss me?”
He had been calling ber Biella all day, but now, he was finally calling her Stell, more intimately than before.
Stella det her ears heat up at his words, the couldn’thelp but bize her lip, fighting the temptation. He was teasing her, pulling her in.
de wanted to bushim even without his teasing.
kut just than, something from her past life flashed in her mind. She felt there were still things left solved, and she couldn’t kiss him yer Herbandspersed gently against his shoulders, and she pushed him back sligludy.
ka be panzzowed his eyes, she directly asked, “Are you really getting engaged to Diana?”
a blended lai surprise, his boows furrowing in confusion. “Who is Diana
had almady brand an explain before that he and Diana ha elationship. They had met once through a family arrangement, but Howar had made it clear he
had rejected her outright
But roday, Stella had seen herself trending on Twitter with Rowan, and now everyone was speculating about their relationship. Though she hadn’t been drugged: this time, the fact that she and Rowan were trending was just like last time,
Stella was now more alert than ever. If history repeated itself, tomorrow, the news of Rowan and Diana’s supposed engagement would surface, and Diana would surely post something on Twitter.
This time, she needed to handle it before the news exploded.
She couldn’t wait until the tumors were all over Twitter to clear things up. No one would believe any clarification once the gossip spread.
She huffed lightly, reminding him, “Diana, the heiress of the Menzie family, just came back from abroad earlier this year. Didn’t you two go on a blind date? And now you’re saying you don’t know her?”
Speaking of which, Stella had even run into nowan and piana when they were leaving a restaurant together after their arranged meeting. They had walked side by side, looking like a couple.
