Chapter 269

Chapter 269:

Stella was about to refuse when RK’s intense gaze stopped her. To be honest, she didn’t have any particular clothing preferences.

She was never someone who cared much about wearing new clothes. In short, she didn’t want to owe him anything during their fake marriage. Once Sophia recovered, she would leave for France peacefully and never return.

By then, she would act as if RK had never appeared in her life. From that point forward, they would just be strangers.

“Ding!”

Stella was pulled back to reality by the sound of the elevator. She had reached the top floor.

The lunch break was relatively short. If she’d known, she would have gone to visit Adrian at the hospital instead of facing RK’s cold demeanor. Still, visiting him for a short while would have been better than nothing.

Upon arriving at the president’s office, she knocked on the door. No one answered. After knocking again, there was still no reply.

She thought maybe RK wasn’t there, which was a relief. She could just leave and say she had come by. The surveillance cameras would prove she had made the effort.

“Come in.”

Just as she was about to leave, RK’s voice called out from inside. Stella had no choice but to open the door and enter.

RK was eating his lunch.

“Why are you looking for me?” Stella asked curtly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head downstairs for lunch.”

The building was different from the main RK Group office, but his office décor was identical to the room where they used to have dinner. It was clear RK disliked change.

“There’s nothing urgent. Sit down and eat,” RK replied.

Find new stories on gⱯlnσν퓮ℓs.cøm Stella walked over and noticed there was a lunchbox placed across from him, filled with dishes she used to like.

It was a pity she didn’t care for them anymore.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the president and his subordinate to eat together. I should go to the cafeteria,” Stella said, politely declining.

But RK was not one to be swayed.

“I’m the president, and I decide what’s appropriate. At least in this building, that’s the rule,” he said firmly.

Stella had no choice but to sit down and start eating.

Halfway through the meal, RK noticed she hadn’t touched the tomatoes on her plate.

“Are the tomatoes not good today?” he asked, taking a piece of tomato from her plate. “Didn’t you always love tomatoes?”

It was as if he knew her so well.

“Adrian doesn’t like tomatoes, so I gradually stopped eating them,” Stella explained.

RK didn’t reply, and they continued their quiet lunch. They both knew that while the setting and the people were the same as before, their relationship was entirely different. Their thoughts and feelings had changed.

“Did you enjoy living with Adrian in France?” RK eventually broke the silence. Stella stopped eating for a moment, surprised he was asking about her life in France. It seemed he had come to accept that she had taken care of Adrian for so long.

“Yes, very much,” Stella replied, her tone softening as she spoke of Adrian. “Although life was tough back then, I did everything I could for him. Sometimes we would share a single meal for lunch just to afford milk for him.

But Adrian never complained, and he thrived. He was always cheerful. When he started kindergarten, he became a little leader, like a gang boss of all the tall French children. He would come to pick me up from work every afternoon.”

As Stella reminisced about Adrian’s childhood in France, she couldn’t stop smiling. Her love for Adrian was boundless.

“Compared to X City, I think Adrian preferred life in France,” Stella said with a sigh. “If I had known earlier, I would have never come back. I would have stayed there, and Adrian would still be the ‘king of the kids’ in France, growing up happily.”

RK didn’t seem pleased by her words. He put his spoon down and looked at her seriously.

“I believe a child is happier when they have their father’s company,” RK said.

“No, that’s not true,” Stella retorted. “Adrian isn’t happy. I can feel it. You won’t let him stay with me, so how can you be sure that he won’t feel sad and lonely?”

“If he were truly happy, he wouldn’t hide his emotions from me. Even after being disciplined in kindergarten, Adrian was always an optimistic child. Why won’t you let him grow up in peace and happiness?” RK said, his tone becoming more insistent.

Stella and RK were always at odds. With just a few words, tension flared, and a cold war was brewing between them.

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