Chapter 1984
When Love Comes Late
Then he turned to Kristian and said, âThank you for arranging everything.
â
Kristian smiled.
âBella is my wife and Stella is my daughter.
Itâs my responsibility.
Now that weâve all agreed, letâs enjoy our dinner.
â
He picked up his cutlery again, his eyes flickering downward briefly.
The four of them resumed eating, each lost in their thoughts.
After they had eaten, Stella and Matthew left together.
Once they were in the car, Stellaâs thoughts drifted to Kristianâs actions earlier that day.
She felt a sense of discomfort but couldnât pinpoint what was bothering her.
Was she just overthinking things?
Stella pondered for a while but couldnât come to any conclusions.
Turning to Matthew, she inquired, âHowâs the investigation going regarding Alissaâs best friend? Have you found any leads?â
Her mind was not at peace.
Matthew shook his head and replied, âNeville hasnât reported back yet.
Heâs probably still on it.
â
Noticing Stellaâs worried expression, he offered some reassurance.
âDonât worry.
Shall I give him a call now?â
Stella gave a nod of agreement.
Matthew reached for his mobile phone to call Neville, but there was no answer, He followed up with a message but got no response.
Matthewâs brow furrowed slightly
.
After a pause, he said to Stella, âWe donât know much right now.
Maybe you could talk it over with Bella and let her know youâre planning to head to Dorburn later? Or perhaps wait until I wrap up my tasks, and then I can join you both.
â
Stella had already considered this, butâ¦
She bit her lip and let out a sigh.
âThe itinerary is already arranged, and my mother has scheduled meetings with some well-known designers and clients from past projects for me.
Iâm worried that changing plans now might leave a poor impression.
â
Matthew understood her dilemma.
He took Stellaâs hand reassuringly and said, âThatâs alright.
Iâll arrange for additional bodyguards to accompany you.
Iâll handle my responsibilities quickly and then meet you in Dorburn.
â
Matthew believed that if Kristian was indeed scheming something, he would surely take action in Dorburn.
After all, that was a place Kristian knew well.
Matthewâs eyes grew darker.
The following morning, Kristian and Matthew were at the airport to see Stella and Bella off.
Matthew extended his arms and embraced Stella warmly.
He patted her head gently and said, âBe careful on your journey.
Have a safe trip.
â