He wore a ticulously tailored black haute couture suit, every inch of fabric exuding understated luxury, perfectly outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
The light cast faint shadows on his chiseled face, astonishingly handso yet chillingly cold.
A high nose bridge, thin lips tightly pursed, a jawline sharp as if carved by a knife, especially those eyes, deep as an icy pool, devoid of warmth, with just a glance conveying a sense of oppressive authority, an indifference and dignity that cos from long-held power.
An ordinary person facing such gaze would probably be so scared their knees would buckle, unable to speak coherently.
Yet at this mont, those eyes capable of freezing anything lted as they saw her in an instant.
Ice and snow thawing, leaving only an indescribable, almost... gentle emotion.
Yes, gentle!
Using this word on him was simply inconceivable.
But it actually happened.
She was completely frozen in place, her mind blank.
Andy Lockwood!
How could he be here?
Before she could recover from the massive shock, Andy was already moving.
He stepped forward, extended his long arms, and without giving her a chance to resist, pulled her tightly and firmly into his embrace.
"Bang," the sound of the door closing isolated them from the outside world.
His embrace was broad, strong, carrying a reassuring warmth and a faint pine scent, instantly enveloping her.
His grip was forceful, making her bones ache a bit, yet strangely, it brought her an unprecedented sense of security.
A distinctly jointed hand gently stroked her soft hair, sliding from the crown to the tips, the movent impossibly gentle.
He said nothing.
Yet she felt that in this silent embrace, thousands of words were conveyed.
The repressed longing, the unknown waiting, the worries that couldn’t be expressed aloud.
Three years.
Whole three years apart.
"Stella, I’m back." His deep voice sounded above her head, carrying a trace of almost imperceptible hoarseness, "Three years is so long."
To him, three years was almost like a lifeti.
Waiting for her ridiculous, paper contract marriage to end, before he dared to slowly approach.
"From now on, no one will be able to bully you again." His voice was emphatic, carrying an undeniable promise.
Her nose tingled sharply, her eyes instantly ward.
She broke free from his embrace, not in rejection, but needing so space to breathe.
She lowered her head, turned towards the kitchen, "Do you... want sothing to drink?"
"The usual." Andy’s voice followed her.
She expertly found the coffee beans, ground them, brewed them.
Every movent was engraved in her bones. This coffee was also Aiden Fordham’s favorite.
Unfortunately, he never drank the coffee she brewed.
Soon, a fragrant hand-brewed coffee was handed to Andy.
He took it, the temperature of the bone china cup just right.
He lowered his head and sipped a taste.
Uh, both bitter and llow, with a subtle aftertaste.
It’s the beans she always used, her unique brewing thod, the familiar taste etched deep in his mory.
"Why did you... suddenly co back?" She finally lifted her head, her voice still a bit shaky, cautiously asking.
Andy put down the coffee cup, letting it clink crisply against the table.
He raised his eyes to look at her, a faint curve at the corner of his mouth, the smile harboring so teasing and an undeniable assertiveness.
"What? Three years and you’ve completely forgotten our wager?"
Wager?
Her heart skipped a beat, fragnts of deliberately hidden mories began to surface.
"Of course, I ca back to fetch you." Andy slightly leaned forward, his gaze locking onto her eyes with a burning intensity, an aura instantly engulfing her, "Waiting for you, to reerge in the world."
Reerge in the world...
These four words exploded like a thunderbolt in her mind.
"Then," he paused, his voice deep and magnetic, each word striking at her heart, "Together with , stand atop the world again."
She was completely stunned.
Her heart felt seized by sothing, aching and swelling.
She instinctively wanted to pull out a smile, to say sothing witty to mask the tumultuous emotions.
Like, "Big brother, haven’t you gotten over your teenage angst yet?"
Or, "The wind at the world’s summit is too strong, I’m afraid of the cold."
But she failed.
Just as her mouth moved, tears rolled uncontrollably down first.
Big droplets, landing on the back of her hand.
Scorching hot!
Andy was her senior.
Back then, while she was pursuing her doctorate abroad, with no one to rely on, it was he who took care of her like a real elder brother, sheltering her from storms.
He was also her most synchronized partner.
Together, they spent endless days and nights in the lab, and eventually, she derived that world-changing "equation."
But at that very mont, she chose... to retire.
She married a man she’d only t a few tis, willingly agreeing to his three-year marriage commitnt.
No one understood her.
Everyone thought she was crazy.
Including Andy.
At that ti, he was almost so angry he flipped over a table but ultimately just gave her a deep look, left a three-year wager, then turned away, heading overseas to conquer new territories.
And she, vanished completely from everyone’s sight.
These three years, she lived... very peacefully but also, very oppressively.
Like a bird with broken wings, trapped in a gilded cage.
Now, the cage door has opened.
The one who once soared alongside her has returned.
Bringing an unrefusable force, to take her back to the sky.
Only she knows, so things must be completed.
He didn’t dare to wipe her tears, afraid he couldn’t resist... just calmly said, "God N’s tears are precious, don’t waste them. Change clothes, taking you to eat. You’ve beco skinny."
Stella nodded, walked into the master bedroom.
Fifteen minutes later, Andy and Stella descended the stairs together.
Downstairs, a luxurious fleet of cars awaited, Andy opened the car door, sharing a ride with her.
He loved the faint scent on her, having her beside him felt like owning the whole world.
Half an hour later, they arrived at The Arboria Club.
The car door opened, revealing a handso smiling face, "Senior sister."
As Stella got out, junior brothers and sisters bowed respectfully, "Welco back, senior sister."
Stella looked at them in surprise, those familiar faces were partners who fought alongside her, "You’re all back?"
Carlos Fenton approached affectionately, hooking Stella’s arm, "Senior sister, we’ve missed you to death. Fortunately, big brother kindly allowed us to all co back, firstly to accompany you, secondly to manage our global dical summit."
Cindy Chandler also ca forward, looping her arm affectionately, giving a sweet smile, "Yes, with senior sister around, we don’t have to toil every day, big brother’s quite strict on us."
"Little girl, getting more feminine now. Not the crybaby you used to be."
Stella pinched her little face gently.
Andy swept a sharp glance over, prompting Carlos to quickly let go, heart trembling.
So frightening!
Andy slightly parted his lips, "Let’s go in!"
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