Chapter 26

Chapter 26:.

Stella’s back stiffened at those words. It had taken all her courage to go back to the Richard family, and now they were inviting RK as well.

Seeing that man’s cold face at work was more than enough; now she would have to face him again at the weekend.

Sophia hesitated before making the call. She wanted RK to come, but she also didn’t want him and Stella to meet again. However, under David’s watchful eye, she reluctantly dialed the number.

“Stella, your sister has always been like that. She may have grown up, but deep down she’s still a child. Don’t let her bother you.”

Compared to Sophia, David liked Stella’s nature better. Thanks to her, he was always calm and didn’t worry too much.

Everyone was gathered in the room, but it was David who spoke the most. Sophia and Isabelle remained silent, casting cold glances at Stella. As for Tristan, he sat quietly on a single sofa, speaking only when addressed.

Sitting like that, Stella felt embarrassed. She made an excuse to escape to the kitchen, in search of some fresh air.

Stella went to the refrigerator to get some water. However, she heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she saw a tall figure in front of her.

Tristan stood behind Stella and his eyes fell on her hand, which held the refrigerator door as she bent down to get water. Adrian had picked out a dress especially for her to cheer her up.

She wore a knee-length blue dress, and when she leaned forward… her long, beautiful legs were exposed.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze, Stella decided to leave after getting the water. But just as she started to move, she heard Tristan’s familiar voice. “Don’t drink cold water; your stomach can’t take it.” Stella paused.

Those words took her back to her childhood. Ever since she was little, Stella’s stomach had not been strong, and she could not eat cold food or drink cold water. Her stomach ached. In summer, when she came back from outside, she used to take something cold from the refrigerator.

But when Tristan discovered her, he scolded her.

That’s why, when she had cold drinks, she made sure to finish them before he came home so he wouldn’t find out. Although she tried to hide it, her stomach betrayed her every time she finished drinking.

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One summer night, after sneaking a cold drink, Stella doubled over in pain. It hurt so much that she broke out in a cold sweat and rolled uncomfortably on the floor. But no one in the Richard family cared for her.

In the middle of the night, barefoot, Stella went to Tristan’s room in a pitiful state. Because at that moment, only Tristan cared about her in the Richard family. When Tristan saw her like that, he didn’t even change his pajamas.

He grabbed the car keys and rushed her to the hospital, running red lights to get there.

When her stomach hurt, he never blamed her. He took good care of her. But once she recovered, Tristan would use all sorts of methods to punish her. Sometimes, when Stella refused to accept the punishment imposed on her, he would resort to 100 ways of framing her.

She felt as if he had a book titled “100 Ways to Frame Stella by Tristan Davis.”

For example, he would put cockroaches in her backpack to scare her, turn off the lights when she was in the bathroom, or take away her house keys so she couldn’t come in after school.

Once, when he took the key from her, Stella stood for hours in front of the front door and only let her in after she repeated a thousand times that she had made a mistake and would not do it again. After that, she took a cup of hot water and went downstairs to open the door quietly.

This man was five years older than she was. She was in high school and he was in college. But he was not behaving like someone in college, but more like an elementary school student….. Elementary schooler!

In the Richard family, Stella could only rely on Tristan. But this kind of dependence was only limited to the brother-sister relationship; there were no other complicated feelings in her heart. But…

Later, on the day she was to marry RK, Tristan confessed his feelings to her. He liked her, but not like a brother likes his sister… but like a man likes a woman.

She could only say, “Tristan, I have always seen you as a brother, nothing more.” After that, she married RK, and Tristan left the country. For years, she had not known where he was or what he was doing. But he had never reappeared to her.

It had been a long time since she had heard loving words from him. At that moment, Stella didn’t know what she was feeling. Was it nostalgia? Or… an apology? There were too many emotions for her to pinpoint. “I will,” she heard his soft voice.

After nine years, her voice had changed a lot. She had become more magnetic and mature than before. Tristan reached out and took the cup from her.

He poured half of the cold water from the cup and added half a cup of hot water. Then he put it back in her hand….

Silence.

The kitchen was very quiet, except for the faint sounds coming from the living room. Stella leaned against the fridge, looking at Tristan.

She was caught between him and the fridge, not knowing whether to run away in embarrassment or wait for him to leave.

After a moment, Tristan broke the silence. “You’ve divorced him.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yes,” Stella replied faintly. After that, there was silence again. Sometimes, some people were like that: the more familiar you were with someone, after having been separated from that person for so long, the more unfamiliar you became.

Tristan and Stella belonged to that type of people. Stella lowered her gaze and looked down at the floor because she realized she couldn’t look into his eyes calmly. There were too many emotions in those eyes, and she didn’t know what they meant.

“Brother, let’s talk outside.”

Stella decided to use this title to talk to him. It meant that their relationship had been reversed as in the past.

But as she was about to leave, a hand stopped her.

“Don’t ever call me that again. I never considered you my sister.”

Ever since David had brought Sophia and Isabelle into the Richard family, she had addressed him as “brother,” just like Sophia. She had always seen him that way, ever since she was little.

But what he hadn’t expected was that she would use it to reject him, just because he was her nominal brother….

Tristan hated this title and never liked it.

Stella pursed her lips and said nothing. She didn’t know what to say. Stella didn’t dare call him that again. She knew this man’s character very well; it was no good going against his wishes because if you did, you would not have a good end in the end.

Tristan grasped her wrist gently, but his touch conveyed deep affection. Lowering his voice, he said softly, “You may call me by my name, Stella.”

In the world, except for her grandmother, Tristan was the only one who had ever called her that. Well, RK had too, but only to pretend to like his grandmother and call her Stella in front of her.

Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Stella quickly replied, “Well, let’s go outside. We can talk.” She said, trying to keep things light. Tristan let go of her wrist, and the two of them walked out of the kitchen together. Compared to the atmosphere in the kitchen, the outside was more lively.

Stella noticed that RK had arrived, but after that, all members of the Richard family had only one thing to do: follow this man everywhere. He was still dressed in a suit and tie, as if he had just arrived from a formal event and not an informal family visit.

His manner made the entire encounter seem distant and impersonal.

Sophia looked in Stella’s direction and saw her coming out of the kitchen with her brother. They seemed very close to each other.

Sophia took RK by the arm and looked at him a couple of times before saying, “Stella, you’ve been in the kitchen so long…. Were you having a private conversation with my brother?”.

Her words silenced the room and all eyes turned to Stella. Tristan, standing behind her, replied calmly, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. It’s only natural that we have a lot to talk about.”

Sophia narrowed her eyes. Her brother had spoken on Stella’s behalf. She thought Tristan had long since moved on, but it seemed she was wrong.

“Hmmm. Stella, I don’t know what kind of magic you have. Even after all this time, my brother still hasn’t given up on you.”

She made sure to say it in front of RK, hoping to make him believe that Stella seduced men wherever she went.

But it was Tristan who responded once again, this time without any pretense. “It’s no secret that I’ve liked Stella since we were young.” Stella gaped.

“What’s going on? Isn’t he always a model brother to her? Why does he talk like that? Has he taken the wrong medicine? Why does he

Did he say all this in public? Didn’t he see that RK was still here?” Stella thought.

This time, Sofia was speechless.

He looked at RK, who, despite looking at his father-in-law and mother-in-law, seemed to have his eyes fixed on Stella.

“RK, do you think my dress is pretty?”

Sophia quickly changed the subject and chatted with RK. Only then did Stella look at her and realize that Sophia, who had just walked around the house in her pajamas, had changed her clothes and planted herself in front of him like a model.

She was also wearing a dark blue dress. But Stella’s dress came to her knee, while Sophia’s was very short, so short that it even exposed her panties.

Since RK was very tall in front of her, she didn’t want to look short. She was afraid of not looking good. That’s why, even though they were at home, she wore 10-centimeter heels, which made them not match perfectly.

Isabella awkwardly interjected. “RK, you may not know this, but Sophia cares a lot about you. She worried that you wouldn’t like her if she didn’t dress well.

That’s why she spent so much time picking out clothes and putting on makeup.”

“Mom, what are you saying?”

Sophia blushed, leaning against RK’s shoulder. Only then came a bland voice from above, “I like women without makeup.”

Sophia’s face turned crimson before she could hide it. She turned to look at Stella, who was sitting on the couch not far away.

Sophia realized that she wasn’t wearing makeup. She didn’t know if she meant it or not. But didn’t all men like to say they liked plain-faced women? But still, they would end up with the ones who wore a lot of makeup all day.

If not, why did he choose her and divorce Stella?

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