Chapter 6

Stella heard Isabelle's oh-so-gracious words and felt a wave of nausea roll through her. She forced a cold, mocking smile. "Isabelle, I didn't come here for him. You might see him as some sort of prize, but trust me—he's not worth a dime in my eyes." Isabelle was still clutching Charles's underwear, watching Stella walk off toward the house next door. Her jaw tightened, teeth grinding with rage. The fabric crumpled in her grip, a pathetic little symbol of her so-called claim. She couldn't stomach it. Resentment twisted in her chest, and before long, she trailed after Stella without making a sound. When she saw Stella step into Jason's place, a crooked smile crept across Isabelle's face. She whipped out her phone, clicked a couple of times, and snapped a picture just as Stella disappeared through the door. Not long after, Charles came home with Olivia in his arms. Isabelle, already waiting for this moment, pretended to be half-distracted, nervously fiddling with the very same underwear still in her hand. Charles immediately spotted it and frowned, voice full of suspicion. "Why do you have my underwear?" Isabelle lowered her eyes, tone soft and full of fake vulnerability. "You left it here the last time you drank too much... I just kept it for you." But the truth was, she'd swiped it when he passed out, stashing it just in case she needed it. After speaking, her gaze intentionally shifted toward Jason's house, clearly uneasy—with something clearly on her mind. Charles caught on and followed her line of sight. Wasn't that Jason's place? Jason was his longtime friend and personal doctor. Their families had known each other forever, so his house being next door was no coincidence. "You feeling unwell or something, keep looking at Jason's place," he asked, eyebrows slightly drawn. Isabelle's fingers twisted nervously at the hem of her shirt. She fidgeted, a nervous wreck, looking like she was wrestling with whether or not to keep quiet. "Um... I'm just not sure if I should say it. It might make Stella look bad." Stella? What now? Charles frowned deeper, instantly annoyed. "She went to see Jason?" His voice was tense, slow, and sharp as a knife. His face grew darker by the second, even without a full explanation. The temperature in the air seemed to dip. Isabelle bit her lip. She was practically itching to spill it. "Yeah... I saw her go into his place. Not sure what they're up to." That was the final trigger. Charles's expression darkened instantly, gloomy like a thundercloud. His mind flashed back to the time when Stella had demanded a divorce. Back then, he thought she was pulling the same old stunt—playing hard to get, trying to get him to notice her. But now... she really was off seeing other men? And not just any man—his own friend? Then the memory hit him—six years ago, when Stella had drugged him and climbed into his bed. His whole body went cold. Was she really up to her dirty tricks again? Without another word, he stormed off toward Jason's house, fists clenched. Behind him, Isabelle held Olivia tighter and smiled faintly, covering the little girl's eyes. "Don't look, baby. Aunt Stella's doing something bad." Bang! Charles kicked the door open. Inside, Stella was going over a music score. She jumped at the sudden noise, staring wide-eyed at Charles's raging face, completely confused. "Charles? Why are you here?" He made his way to her in a few angry strides, eyes practically spitting fire. "Why? You really wanna ask me that? Stella, do you even have any shame? Sneaking into my friend's house to seduce him?" He sneered and added with venom, "Trying to play the same old tricks you did back then?" Those words—"seduce" and "same old tricks"—felt like invisible blades slicing right into Stella. Her throat tightened. "Charles, I'm just here for a job. This is my work!" Charles let out a cold laugh and stormed over, wrapping an arm tightly around her and squeezing her waist hard. "Your work?" he repeated, eyes darkening. "So what, I haven't touched you in a while, and now you're so desperate you're out here taking jobs like this?" The venom in his voice stung. Stella slapped him across the face without thinking, struggling like crazy to break free. "Get off me, Charles. I came to drop off a score. I'm not disgusting like you." Who did he think he was to judge her? He was all cozy and lovey-dovey with his sweetheart Isabelle, living the good life. "I'm disgusting? Stella, you better be careful with what you're saying, or—" Just then Jason, the client and Charles's friend, stepped in. "Charles, you've got it all wrong. Mrs. Hart is really just here to deliver the composition." That hit Charles like a brick. Yeah, he remembered now—he'd been too busy, so he asked Jason to find a decent composer for him. Jason had said all the big names were tied up, but money could fix that. Still, Charles wanted someone who'd actually put their heart into making something for Olivia. And the one Jason found... was Stella? Stella was still breathing hard, listening to Jason's explanation. She suddenly recalled what Renee had said when she got the assignment. A terrible thought hit her. She felt her knees go weak. "Mr. Bennett," she asked, voice shaking, "you said this music piece was for a little girl who was just released from the hospital. What's the girl's name?" When she took on this project, it was because she understood the pain. She had Sophie in mind the entire time she composed that melody—wishing her little girl could be free from pain too. "Olivia." Jason had recognized Stella the moment she walked in, but he didn't want to meddle in drama. Now that things had escalated, he figured out what happened. Stella froze when she heard that name. She stared, like she couldn't process it. Charles had planned a whole event for Olivia... had commissioned a celebratory score for his other daughter. And her Sophie? Her Sophie never even got to see her dad before she passed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bennett. I'm backing out." Her voice cracked. She snatched up the score, but Charles was faster and stopped her. "Stella, don't be ridiculous. You know the penalty for breaching the contract." She scoffed. "Charles, I'd rather pay the damn fee than give you this music. You planned a party for Olivia—what about Sophie? Did she deserve to be ignored, to be forgotten?" Her voice broke as tears welled up. She couldn't stop thinking of those last moments with Sophie, while somewhere else Charles was planning some grand celebration for his other daughter. Jason sighed, clearly uncomfortable. "Mrs. Hart, Charles only wanted Olivia to smile again. This penalty... it's no small sum. Are you sure this is worth it? Can't we talk this through?" "Mr. Bennett, thanks, but my mind's made up. I can't give you that music." When she was writing that piece, all she thought of was Sophie. Now Sophie was gone. And they expected her to hand it over to Olivia? She just... couldn't. Anyone else. Just not Olivia. Charles's patience snapped. His tone dropped cold. "Stella, don't push it. Do you really think you can afford to break this contract?"