Chapter 4 Blacklisted All of Them

After a chaotic mess, Jason finally managed to pull Stella away. Lillian was in so much pain that her face twisted, tears welling up as she looked pitifully at Ethan. "Ethan, I…" Ethan’s face was stormy with rage. He turned to Jason and barked, "Get her out of here. Now!" Stella tried to shake Jason off, but there was no way he dared to let her go. Jesus, how is she this strong? "Miss Dawson, let’s go," Jason urged. Stella huffed. "My bag." She had just used it to smash Ethan, so now it was lying right at his feet. Furious, Ethan grabbed it and threw it at her. Jason caught it mid-air and shoved it into her arms. "Alright, alright, you got your bag back." The whole situation was a mess. In the end, Stella was dragged into a car by Jason. Jason wanted to send her home, but there was no way in hell she was letting Ethan’s people drive her. She got behind the wheel and sped off herself. Ethan, still dazed from getting hit, took a moment to register everything. By the time he snapped out of it, Lillian was sitting there with her hair a mess, her leg swollen. His anger toward Stella only grew. He scooped Lillian into his arms. "I’ll take you to the hospital." Lillian nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked absolutely pitiful. Ethan turned to Jason. "Go get the car." Jason glanced toward the parking spot from earlier. Empty. "Uh… Miss Dawson took it." During all the chaos, Jason had intended to drive Stella himself, but she had taken off instead. Ethan’s face darkened even further. Jason swallowed. "I-I’ll go to the underground lot and get another one." The keys were still in the office. He’d have to go get them first. As Stella waited at a red light, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID. Her biological mother, Susan Carter. "Come home tonight. I have something to discuss with you." Stella twisted open a water bottle and took a sip. "I’m busy. No time." She already knew what they wanted to talk about, and she couldn’t care less. Susan clicked her tongue. "Busy with what? You’re not exactly bending over backward for Ethan." Susan had always had a complicated mix of emotions toward this biological daughter of hers. Stella smirked. "So you let Lillian come back to do it instead?" There was a brief silence on the other end. Stella wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly why Susan was calling. Two years ago, her fight with Lillian had gotten ugly. If Lillian hadn’t left back then, she’d probably be rotting in prison by now. Now that she was back, both Ethan and the Reed family had to be worried that Stella would make trouble again. Since she already knew, Susan didn’t bother hiding it anymore. Her tone softened slightly. "That was years ago. Can’t you let it go?" The wind from the half-open window carried a chill, brushing against Stella’s neck and seeping into her chest. For a moment, she felt cold. But just for a moment. "Madam Susan," she said flatly. "I almost died in that car accident. It’s only been three years. Have you already forgotten what I looked like when I first came back?" When they finally found her, she had spent two full months in the hospital. Lillian had orchestrated the whole thing. She had been terrified that Stella would return to the Reed family and take away what was hers. That accident had been meant to kill her. To stop her from ever making it home. And now Susan wanted her to just let it go? Susan sighed. "It really wasn’t her. You can’t keep assuming the worst of her." Stella casually tossed her empty water bottle into a street-side trash bin. She rolled her eyes. "Lillian says I’m treating her unfairly, and you just believe her? If you trust her so much, why even bother looking for me back then? You love her so much—should’ve just stuck with her." "Stella!" Susan snapped. "Can you be reasonable for once? Do you have to throw a tantrum every time we bring this up? When will it end?" Every single time the topic of Lillian came up, it turned into a fight. Susan was sick of it. She sighed heavily, clearly trying to hold back her irritation. Then she got to the point. "Fine, you don’t have to forgive her. But this time is different. She’s sick. Very sick." Stella let out a cold laugh. "She’s sick, so my wedding with Ethan has to be postponed? So Ethan has to stay by her side?" She didn’t give a damn about Ethan, but the way these people thought was so twisted that she couldn’t help but throw in a few jabs. Susan sounded even more annoyed. "She and Ethan grew up together. She’s always relied on him. Don’t worry—Ethan will still marry you in the end. But for now, can we all just focus on Lillian’s health?" Right. They could treasure Lillian all they wanted, but they expected her to step aside, too? What kind of logic was that? Susan noticed her silence. "Are you listening?" Listen to what? This ridiculous attempt at brainwashing? Stella let out a sharp scoff. "Focus on what you want. Just don’t drag me into it." Then, without another word, she hung up and blocked Susan.