After signing the agreement, Stella left the room with Joshua in tow.
This time, no one from the Williams family—or Leonard’s side—tried to stop them.
The hallway was silent, the only sound the muffled thud of Stella’s heels on the crimson carpet.
Joshua walked by her side. “Were they always like this to you?” he asked quietly.
Stella knew exactly who he meant: the Williams family.
“More or less,” she replied.
Back then, whether it was her, or Coleman, or Israel, they’d all been younger. People said what they meant, sometimes bluntly, often cruelly. Things were out in the open.
Now, their attitude hadn’t changed, but the cruelty wore a mask of politeness. The malice was just dressed up in false concern.
They walked in silence for a while before Stella finally asked, “Joshua, do you really have any proof?”
He shot her a sidelong glance. “You’re only asking me now? Don’t you think it’s a bit late for that?”
“It’s not too late,” she said calmly.
Joshua regarded her. “And what if I lied? What if I just bluffed and never had proof at all? Would you have actually sold your original shares to them?”
Stella’s lips curled into a small smile. “Of course not. If you didn’t have any evidence, I’d simply back out of the deal.”
He stared at her, surprised. “Back out?”
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