Chapter 28 Blame the Dead, Spare the Guilty
Shane drove with a throbbing hand and a face like stone, not sparing Wendy a single glance.
Wendy fidgeted beside him, stewing in resentment.
“I just don’t feel comfortable leaving you here all alone. Maybe… maybe I should stay too.”
“Do what you want.”
Shane didn’t bother arguing over petty things. He messaged his assistant, ordering two new properties in Capital City.
One had to be near Stella’s Music Bay.
The other didn’t matter.
The moment Wendy overheard, she pouted, voice sweet and clingy.
“Shane, if I get sick living alone in a new place… what would I do? I don’t know anyone here…’
At a red light, Shane glanced over.
Her doe-eyed face was pale and trembling. His heart softened.
She really wasn’t strong. If something happened, he couldn’t just turn a blind eye.
“Fine. You can stay with me for now.”
“You’re the best, Shane-” Wendy leaned closer, eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction.
She wasn’t letting go of this man anytime soon.
Back at the villa.
Stella just wanted to collapse and close her eyes for an hour.
But James called.
“Where the hell are you?! You torched the entire cemetery and ran off without a word! The elders are so upset they’re falling sick! Get back here and apologize!”
“I’ve told you the fire wasn’t me. Do you people not understand plain language?”
She pressed two fingers to her temple, head pounding.
James’s voice shot back even sharper.
“We investigated. The fire started inside. You were the only one in there. If you didn’t set it, then it must be your mother’s ghost causing trouble! There’s no other reason for a freak fire! Now get back here, or I
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swear, we’ll strip your mother’s name off the family tree too!”
Click.
The call cut out.
Stella’s tired eyes flared cold.
They really thought they could erase her mother from existence?
Not a chance.
She called a ride and headed straight for the Johnson estate.
Everyone was already there, waiting. When she stepped in, every single pair of eyes turned to her with naked hatred.
“Unlucky, just like her mother. The cemetery’s stood for centuries, but this was the first time such a difficult situation had occurred.”
“Bringing these two women into the family was the worst mistake we ever made.”
Stella didn’t flinch.
Back straight, heels crisp, she strode to James’s side and met his glare head-on.
“Well?” he said coldly. “Was it you? If not, then it was caused by your mother’s ghost!”
“No,” Stella said calmly. “Someone else set that fire.”
Her eyes slid toward the corner.
Raine.
Raine didn’t panic. She actually smiled, smug and taunting.
Right on cue, one of her close allies stood up and pointed.
“Who else could it have been? You were the only one in there. If you didn’t do it, then maybe it’s god’s sign showing you shouldn’t do that. Either way, it’s your fault.”
“Exactly,” the man said, jabbing a finger toward her face. “The Johnson family’s cemetery has endured because of you and your mother.”
James nodded grimly. “We’ve all talked it over. This happened because you were too stubborn. Since you insisted on forcing her urn in, you can be the one to pay for the damages.”
“The repairs will cost two million. You’ll cover it.”
Two million.
Stella could afford it. But she wasn’t a fool.
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Raine lit that fire.
Why should she pay the bill?
She turned to look Raine straight in the eye.
“If I didn’t start the fire, why should I pay?”
“Who exactly came up with that number? Two million-what a coincidence. That’s the exact amount from my dowry. Looks to me like someone’s just using this fire as an excuse to snatch my money back.”
She let her gaze linger on Raine.
Heads began to turn.
Everyone knew Stella’s mother had died early. Her wedding-her dowry-had all been arranged by Raine. Of course Raine knew the numbers.
And who had been whispering that exact figure in everyone’s ears?
Some of the elders started murmuring.
“Huh… that is weird. Two million on the dot? Sounds like more than just bad luck.”
Raine froze.
Her heart stuttered. She stepped out of the corner and forced a tight-lipped smile.
Then she turned and clung to James’s arm, all wounded innocence.
“The money would be for repairs. What does that have to do with her dowry?”
She paused, then added sweetly, “But James, Stella’s young and running the company now. She’s already lost the firm so much money… maybe she doesn’t have the funds right now. Why don’t I ask the Lynn family for a million to help her cover it?”
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Sneaking Away from Him and His Show-Off Mistress
