Chapter 222

Chapter 222:

It wasn’t good for Stella to say anything now because she would just be lying to her friend. To be honest, she felt guilty about it.

However, for the time being, Stella could only lie to Kelly and hope to explain everything in the future when she had the chance.

Kelly popped a grape into her mouth and smiled. “I don’t believe you...”

Stella was left speechless. Well, it wasn’t just Kelly who didn’t believe her—even Stella herself couldn’t quite get past the knot in her own heart. She didn’t fully believe her own words.

“Alright, alright, let’s drop the subject,” Kelly said. “I came to see how you’ve been doing these days. A few days ago, you were taken away by Mr. Kingston, weren’t you? I was worried something bad had happened! I tried calling you several times, but your phone was off. I couldn’t even get in touch with you!” Kelly had been very concerned.

It was because, that night, RK had taken Stella away from the karaoke bar and even removed the battery from her phone! As a result, she had been completely isolated from the outside world until now.

Occasionally, when she had access to the internet, she could chat briefly with Kelly, but it was always rushed. Kelly, who was working during summer vacation and often going out, could only exchange a few hurried words with her as well.

Stella was locked up in the mansion all day. Although it seemed like she had nothing to do, in reality, it felt more like she had lost her freedom.

“The battery of my phone was taken away these days... That’s why I couldn’t contact you...” Stella took a sip of juice and spoke with frustration.

Talking about this always made Stella think of him. Not only had he been gone for a few days, but he had also forbidden her from going out and contacting anyone. Was she being held hostage?

If it weren’t for the title of “husband,” she could have sued him! Stella’s heart ached at the thought.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

Unfortunately... she had married that man.

Your imagination begins with gαℓησν풆ℓs﹒ç허헺 And it wasn’t like anyone cared about Stella anyway. She didn’t have a mother, only her grandmother. Up until now, Stella hadn’t dared to tell her grandmother what had been happening, out of fear of worrying her.

“What? He even took away your phone battery?” Kelly exclaimed, more outraged than Stella.

“I knew it! There was no way you’d turn off your phone for so many days. Steven also tried calling you! We were all worried!”

Kelly went on to explain what had been happening in Stella’s absence. “Steven couldn’t find you or get in touch with you, so he went everywhere looking for you! He thought you had gone missing—he was really worried.”

“Stella, in my opinion, Steven is sincere. He really cares about you...” Kelly suggested kindly. “He seems to be really into you.

When he couldn’t reach you, he searched everywhere! He likes you so much. Why not give him a chance?”

“No! Definitely not!” Stella immediately turned down the idea, not even needing to think about it.

A few days ago, when she ran away from home and went to karaoke with her friends, she had faced the consequences after returning. This time... Stella didn’t dare to risk it again. She didn’t even dare to leave the house, let alone get involved with Steven. She didn’t want to face RK’s wrath.

“Why not? What’s wrong with it?” Kelly asked, puzzled by Stella’s strong reaction. Her friend’s response was strange. Then she asked, suspicious, “Stella, don’t tell me... You want to be with Mr. Kingston for the rest of your life?”

“No! No! Kelly, it’s not like that at all!” Stella lied quickly. “I live here because of... a family arrangement. And besides, he’s not even home.

He’s hardly ever home, let alone anything else...” Stella didn’t want to arouse Kelly’s suspicion. Plus, RK had forbidden her from talking about their relationship, so she didn’t dare mention it. She was afraid it might cause problems in the future.

Kelly looked at her with a strange expression but didn’t push her to say more.

They had been friends since high school, and Kelly knew that if Stella didn’t want to talk about something, she wouldn’t force it.

All Kelly really wanted was for Stella to be happy.

“Alright, I’ll drop it. I just thought I’d introduce you to Steven... He seemed really interested in you, so I thought you should know.

But don’t worry about it too much.” Kelly took a bite of a snack as she spoke.

Stella nodded, understanding what Kelly meant.

Although they had only met once, Stella could tell Steven was a good person. He was upright, calm, and honest, not as arrogant or cynical as some other rich young men.

To be honest, someone like Steven... was the type of man she should be with.

But life was full of unexpected twists. Who would have thought that RK’s wife was a student who had just been accepted into university and hadn’t even graduated yet?

It wasn’t just the outsiders who were shocked by it—Stella herself often couldn’t make sense of it.

Sometimes, she wondered how they had even met and how she had ended up marrying him.

Those were questions no one could have predicted.

After all, their worlds were completely different. It was probably why RK didn’t want anyone to know about it...

Stella lowered her head, lost in thought.

She didn’t know what was happening to her lately. Maybe it was because she was staying home every day during summer vacation, but she found herself thinking about that man constantly. Wherever she went, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

And RK was always busy with work, hardly ever coming home. Sometimes, he wouldn’t return for days, even weeks.

In the past, when Stella was attending college, she hadn’t noticed his absence as much. But now... things were different.

.

.

.