Just as she appeared on the first floor, she threw everyone there into a deep shock.
That familiar voice...
Everyoneâs first reaction was that they must have been mistaken.
But when they saw that familiar face of hers appearing among the crowd, the room got so quiet that the sound of a pin drop would be like a shriek.
Time seemed to stop at that moment. It was as if the moment had frozen in place, and the clock stopped ticking because of her.
Westonâs eyes were glued on that face in front of him, suddenly doubting if he was actually dreaming right now. 1 But the sun was still high in the sky. How could he be dreaming?
The little girl sensed something strange going on around her. She twisted and turned, but her chubby arms still clasped themselves around Westonâs neck.
âUnkie...?â she softly murmured.
Her voice brought Weston back to the present.
Before he could react, the woman in front of him took the little boyâs hand and rushed towards him. She reached for the girl in his arms and cried, âGive her back to me!â
Weston instinctively stepped away from her and held the girl even more tightly in his arms.
Seeing this, Stellaâs expression changed drastically. Initially, she was anxious and dismayed, but now she seemed to be burning with rage.
âGive my daughter back to me now!â she yelled.
The word âdaughterâ dropped like a bombshell in the room. Everyone exchanged looks with each other as they tried to digest the new shocking information...
Stella Sealey was still alive, and she had finally returned. She had even brought her daughter back with her.
But what about the little boy she was holding? Who was he then?
Emma had never seen Stella looking so angry before. Her eyes reddened, then suddenly bawled her eyes out. Warm streams of tears streaked down her cheeks.
She assumed Mommy was still angry with her because she made Eliasâ shirt dirty.
âIâm⦠Iâm sowwy Mommyâ¦â
A pang of pain spread out from Stellaâs chest at the sight of her daughter crying, as if someone was clutching at her heart in their hand.
âGive her back to meâ¦â she repeated, her voice shaky now as if she was holding back her tears.
She could not forgive herself for causing this. How could she have left her daughter alone at the table?
She shouldnât have trusted a stranger to look after her own child, assuming it would be fine since she would only be gone for a few minutes anyway.
Weston could see the sudden change in her face, but he did not move. His eyes still stared at her, but giant turbulent waves like the dark, tempestuous sea had long crashed against his heart.
After all these years, this woman had reappeared in front of him just like that. It all happened so suddenly without any warning signs at all.
Even for someone with steely selfâcontrol like Weston, the corners of his eyes couldnât hide an almost imperceptible sign of reddening.
He had to grit his teeth as he blurted out each word slowly to ask her, âTell me, who are you? Who is she?â
Stella took a deep breath and avoided eye contact, only glancing at Emma, who was still in his arms.
âSheâs my daughter,â she replied. âCan you give her back to me now, Mr. Ford?â
As soon as everyone there heard her call him Mr. Ford, it was as if the riddle was completely solved.
There could be no more doubts nowâthis woman was Stella Sealey.
She was not someone who looked exactly like her or sounded just like herâshe was definitely Stella Sealey!
Weston subconsciously tightened his grip around Emma, inadvertently hurting the girl.
âUnkie...â Emma couldnât help but complain. âIt hurts...â
Stellaâs voice turned raspy as she pleaded with the man,â
How much longer are you going to hold onto my daughter? Give her back to me, please. Sheâs afraid of strangers.â
It was only then that Weston got his senses back. He stared deeply at the girl in his arms, scrutinizing her eyes and her brows.
11 21 ALL She had looked so familiar to him the moment he laid eyes on her. So this girl was her daughter...