The ssage from the other side was full of warnings.
Stella Grant pressed her lips into a thin line, replying: Why should I believe what you’re saying is true?
Other side: Was your dad wearing a blue jacket the year he left?
Stella: ...
It was like a mory buried deep suddenly resurfacing.
Scenes from the day Mr. Grant left suddenly flashed in Stella’s mind.
Mr. Grant was indeed wearing a blue jacket that day.
Just like usual, Mr. Grant left for work with his briefcase, with a driver waiting for him at the door.
Before leaving, Mr. Grant hugged Mrs. Grant as usual and even bent down to kiss Stella.
Everything was exactly like every other day, showing no trace of anything unusual.
If it hadn’t been for that call Mr. Grant made to Mrs. Grant later, if she hadn’t overheard that call, she would have doubted whether Mr. Grant had really run off with the money or if he had been kidnapped.
Mr. Grant called Mrs. Grant not long after he left that day.
In the call, Mr. Grant told Mrs. Grant that the company owed a lot of money and was facing bankruptcy, that he couldn’t bear the pressure any longer and needed to go into hiding temporarily, urging Mrs. Grant not to worry and to take Stella back to her parents’ ho.
Having lived a life of luxury, Mrs. Grant’s first reaction to hearing Mr. Grant’s words was not to run with Stella, but to burst into tears.
By the ti she had cried enough, the debt collectors from the company had arrived and took the mother and daughter straight to the company.
Stella was deep in her mories when the phone in her hand suddenly rang.
Stella looked down, took a deep breath when she saw Sue Woods’ caller ID, and answered, "Hello, Sue."
Unlike Stella, Sue sounded cheerful, "My cousin fixed things over here. When do you have ti to et up?"
Stella was distracted, "I don’t have ti today, maybe tomorrow."
Sue, "Okay, let’s set it for tomorrow night then."
Stella, "Alright."
After hanging up with Sue, Stella sent a ssage to the earlier number: I don’t care what you’re up to, if this happens again, I will report it to the police.
The person on the other end didn’t reply after the ssage was sent.
Stella waited for a while, then swiped her screen to blacklist the number.
After thinking for a few minutes, Stella sent a ssage to Mrs. Grant: Mom, any news about Dad?
Mrs. Grant replied instantly: No.
Stella knew her mom was timid and wasn’t planning to tell her about today’s events, so she replied: I was just asking casually, take care of yourself.
Mrs. Grant: You should take care of yourself while you’re away.
After a brief chat with her mom, Stella closed her phone and got up to pour herself a cup of coffee, starting to prepare for tomorrow’s contract with Sutton Group.
Stella didn’t want to report the incident to the police because she had too many concerns.
Firstly, there was the fear that the person really knew sothing about Mr. Grant.
Secondly, since coming to Omni, she had stirred up a lot of trouble, and even though she was the victim in all of these troubles, human nature is shallow, only seeing the surface without digging deeper.
They tend to form a preconceived notion: you’re a troublemaker.
The Sutton Group contract was quite tricky, and while Silas Sutton had approved the feasible plan, many details still needed to be finalized.
By the ti the contract was drafted and confird correct, it was already afternoon.
Stella ate so fast food to quell her hunger, then glanced at her phone to check the ti, realizing there was still half an hour until the end of the workday.
Perhaps because too much had happened that day, Stella took a relaxing bath and went to bed early after returning ho.
In the middle of the night, while in deep sleep, the phone on her bedside table suddenly rang.
Stella jerked awake, took a deep breath, placed one hand on her forehead, reached for the phone with the other, and answered.
She had just swiped her screen and said ’hello’.
When she heard Silas Sutton’s hoarse and weak voice co from the other end, "Forrest, co over, I have a high fever."
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