Chapter 18 What Else Should I Ask For?
Jenny immediately began flooding her with texts.
“Why’d you hang up on me?! You don’t love Shane anymore, but do you not love me either?!”
“Waaah I’m sorry, next time I promise I’ll be the one telling you to make up, not break up!”
“Okay Star-”
What the hell was she even talking about?
Stella didn’t have time to deal with Jenny or Moses at the same time. She sighed and quickly lowered her head to type a reply.
“Of course I still love you. I’m just meeting the in-laws at my husband’s house. Not exactly the best time for a phone call.”
There was a pause on Jenny’s end.
Moses had walked up and now stood right in front of her, his gaze falling on her phone.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“No, I was just showing a friend the garden. It’s beautiful here.”
Stella shook her head.
Her phone buzzed again.
Jenny was still going.
“Husband? You broke up with Shane and already found a new one??”
“Height, looks, background-send everything to me within three seconds.”
“Shirtless photo too, if you’ve got one.”
The messages kept popping up one after another.
Stella’s heart skipped a beat.
Seriously? You’ll say anything?!
If Moses saw those, how could she show her face again?
“We’ll talk later.”
She typed quickly, then put Jenny on Do Not Disturb.
All that texting in a blur-and Moses watched the whole thing with a frown. It was the first time he’d seen her this glued to her phone.
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“If staying at the Landon house makes you uncomfortable, I can have Liam take you home early.”
“Huh?”
Stella looked up in surprise, putting her phone away. “We haven’t even had dinner. That wouldn’t be polite, would it?”
“Up to you.”
To Moses, her comfort was more important than a meal.
He said it so casually, like he could defy any tradition just because he wanted to.
But Stella shook her head.
very
“You’ve helped me a lot. I’ll do my part as your wife. Besides, if we left early, your grandfather probably wouldn’t be too pleased.”
As she said it-
She took the initiative to gently loop her arm through his.
Moses stiffened slightly-
Then gradually relaxed.
“I’ll take you to the study so you can rest for a bit first.”
“Okay.”
She walked beside him, arm in arm, past the flower fields.
Behind the glass, countless eyes in the house were glued to them, watching closely.
Moses’s study wasn’t anything special.
Aside from the desk stacked with documents and a full wall of business and finance books, the only thing that stood out was a single lounge chair-Stella’s favorite.
With Moses’s permission, she accepted the soft pillow and blanket from the housekeeper and curled up in the chair to nap.
When Moses came back midway through, he found her fast asleep, completely unguarded.
He couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Liam stood by, reviewing a file. “Your brother probably won’t make it back from overseas-”
“Shh.”
Moses stopped him and walked over to sit across from Stella, resting his head in one hand—half reading,
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half watching her.
Liam took the hint and slipped out quietly.
By the time evening came, Stella was half-asleep, sitting at the mirror, touching up her makeup. Moses waited patiently by the door.
“Tonight, my father and Cain are abroad. Only Abel is here. Don’t worry about anything he says.”
“Alright.”
Stella wore a violet mermaid gown, elegant and glowing, as she lightly placed her hand in Moses’s.
They headed downstairs to dinner.
Everyone was seated-Homer at the head, Moses and Stella to the right, and Abel, the eldest grandson, on the left.
Abel was nearly twenty years older than Moses. He looked more like an uncle than an older brother.
Stella had just picked up her chopsticks when Abel’s voice cut across the table.
“Moses might have his… limitations, but marrying a Johnson girl? Even without their old family background, the Landons can stand just fine in Capital City.”
“That said, for someone like Moses, it’s rare to find such a pretty, gentle wife willing to marry him.”
His tone was light.
But in just two lines, he managed to insult both Moses and Stella.
Stella said nothing, continuing her meal in silence.
The Landon family… Definitely a deeper, darker pool than she imagined.
She had no intention of stirring up trouble.
Moses didn’t even look up.
“Stella is indeed beautiful and gentle. I’ll thank you on her behalf for the compliment.”
Stella blinked, surprised.
That’s one way to respond…
Abel’s eyes flickered with surprise too. Around the table, everyone’s expressions shifted.
They had all assumed Moses and Stella were just putting on a show.
They didn’t expect Moses to defend her-even in front of Abel.
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Hearts
Abel recovered quickly and smiled.
“She’s right here. Why not let her thank me herself?”
“The Johnson family might be in decline, but even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. According to their family rules, one shouldn’t speak while eating or lying down. Unlike us Landons, who clearly have no such
restrictions.”
Moses still didn’t lift his head. His tone was cool.
“If you weren’t sitting to my grandfather’s left, Abel, you’d never get to speak before him. At the Johnson table, you’d be sent out for breaking the rules.”
In truth, the Johnsons weren’t that strict.
But the point landed all the same.
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