Chapter 447: Chapter 447

“If you were really friends with Rayna, you wouldn’t have vilified her in front of her mother and made it sound as though she’s a malicious, two-timing person. She broke up with Curtis before she left the country. Whether or not she has a new boyfriend, that’s something she’s free to do and is no one else’s business,” Xandra said with a sneer.

Stella bit her lip. “That’s just what I heard from others. I deeply respect Ms. Garland.”

Despite her reply, Xandra did not buy it. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have believed what others said. I’m over twenty years older than you, and I can tell what you’re thinking. I turned a blind eye because it’s not easy to be working at your age. If I choose to be petty, you can forget about attaining wealth or status anywhere else you go, let alone at Faymon Group.”

She spoke calmly but firmly. Stella was so intimidated that she could only bow her head without daring to utter a single word.

After a long pause, Xandra finally glanced at the younger woman. “All right, you should leave after finishing your drink. We’re about to close soon anyway.”

Stella turned to Linda and gave a slight bow. “I’ll be leaving, then.”

Linda’s expression remained cold as she ignored Stella.

I didn’t notice it before until Xandra pointed it out. I’ve only now realized how devious Stella is. She claims to be Belle’s friend yet speaks ill of her!

After Stella left, Linda took Xandra’s hand and said, “Thank you for standing up for Belle. I don’t mix with others much, so I had no idea how awful the youngsters are nowadays.”

“Don’t mention it. Belle is an amazing child. It can’t be helped if she and Curtis don’t get along. I hope you won’t cease to be my friend just because we don’t get to be in-laws,” Xandra replied with a smile.

Her response immediately put Linda at ease. “What are you talking about? I’m the one who worried you’d think I wasn’t worthy of being your friend.”

“Not at all. I couldn’t be happier to be friends with you.”

“In that case, why don’t you come to my house later and have a meal? When the sweet soup is ready, you can take some back for Mr. Faymon.”

Xandra nodded while beaming. “Okay. By the way, you don’t have to keep addressing him as Mr. Faymon. Just call him by his name.”

Meanwhile, Stella’s cheeks were still burning even after she left Obelisk Mall.

After learning that Linda was Rayna’s mother, Stella had deliberately said all those things to embarrass her.

However, she had never imagined that the woman next to Linda would be Curtis’ mother and would end up giving her an earful.

Naturally, outsiders wouldn’t know anything about Curtis’ relationship with Jefferson. The mastermind behind this plan was the one who told me about it, and the same person arranged for me to return to Norwal City.

A chill ran down Stella’s spine and her brows furrowed as she recalled Xandra’s contemptuous gaze and words.

“How dare she talk to me like that? Who on earth is that woman?”

Although she knew about the relationship between Curtis and Jefferson, she knew nothing about their biological mothers.

She hailed a taxi at the side of the road, got into the car, then made a phone call.

The international call went through almost immediately.

“What is it?” asked a muffled female voice. The person spoke fluent Chanaean.

Stella knew the other party had done something to change the sound of their voice. That was the case in almost every call, so she took no notice.

“I met Curtis Faymon’s mother today. Send me her details,” she replied.

The person on the other end of the line gave a bark of laughter. “You haven’t completed what I asked you to do, yet you’re already in a hurry to make your way to the Faymon residence?”

“It seems that you’ve overestimated me,” Stella responded. She took a pack of cigarettes from her bag, lit one of them, and rolled down the car window. “Beauty and coy behavior don’t work on him.”

“Why do you want information on his mother, then?” the other party asked.

Stella blew a puff of smoke out the window, seemingly mocking the person for being slow on the uptake. “Even the thirsty crow in the fable knew how to put stones into the pitcher so it could drink the water. Since I can’t make my move through him, I’ve got to think of another way.”

“You’d do well not to forget how you got here. Had I not destroyed your information in advance, do you think Curtis would’ve let you off the hook if he found out?”

The memory of the past made Stella’s eyes dim.

A moment later, however, her gaze softened again, and she spoke with much more restraint. “At any rate, you’re my backers.

Since you’ve already paid, I’ll do a good job. I’ll let you know if anything comes up here.”

“I’ll email you the information you want later.”

Stella murmured an acknowledgment while stretching a hand out of the car window and flicking the ash from her cigarette. “Oh, I’ve something to tell you.”

When the driver saw what she was doing, he wanted to stop her.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Stella sitting with her legs crossed. Her skirt had ridden up, exposing her fair thighs a little.

She also had a cigarette between her lips and exuded an imposing aura.

Too preoccupied with sneaking a few more peeks at her, he nearly rammed into the car in front.

He quickly continued driving as though nothing had happened and no longer dared to tell her off.

Stella looked up and glanced at the driver, then spoke into the phone in a low voice. “I bumped into Rayna today. She was very careful with her movements. It seems that she’s pregnant.”

“What?” The person on the other end of the line was so shocked that they practically shouted. “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Rayna’s pregnant?”

Thinking back to the moment she saw Rayna and her attire, Stella answered, “There’s no mistake. I read the information about her daily life, so I know she likes dressing up. Even when she goes to work, she always looks her best. How could someone who likes making an impression with her appearance suddenly change to a laid-back style after working at another company? She doesn’t have a noticeable bump yet, so she’s probably still in the early stages of her pregnancy.” Seeing that the other party was silent for a long time, she asked, “Are you so surprised that she’s pregnant?”

“Got it. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

The other person ended the call immediately after saying that as though they had some urgent matter to attend to.

Stella stared at her phone.

When I came to Norwal City, this person only gave me vague details and said Rayna and Curtis had dated in the past. I thought this person couldn’t care less about Rayna, but when I mentioned that she was pregnant, that person was so shocked that they didn’t say anything for a long time. Why would they be so surprised by her pregnancy?

Over in Yartran, Naomi had just gotten off the phone with Stella. After hearing the news, she changed her clothes immediately and went out.

It took her much effort to finally locate Arnaud at a club where he was in business discussions. Disguising herself as a waitress, she approached him discreetly.

When he recognized that it was her, his gaze clouded over.

He quickly excused himself, and Naomi followed him.

One after another, the pair walked into a private room.

Arnaud turned to look at her with a hard expression. “Do you have any idea how many people are watching you? Why did you still come here?”

“I just received word that Rayna is pregnant. She’s not showing yet, so it probably happened not too long ago,” she responded, looking solemn.

His expression finally shifted. “Didn’t Curtis attend that party the other night too?”

“That’s still too soon. You wouldn’t be able to detect it without a detailed examination. If it’s possible to detect the pregnancy through a urine test, it must be a month already.”

His gaze darkened, and his tone became harsher as he said, “It isn’t Curtis’? His body is in such terrible condition that he can barely live another year, so how is it that his reproductive system is still functioning?”

She shook her head. “I’m not too sure either. I—”

Suddenly, Arnaud kicked over the glass coffee table, using so much force that it flew through the air. Broken glass scattered across the floor. Terrified, Naomi fell silent.