In the end, after dinner, Stella Sterling ended up going to the Qillian Club with Ariana Grant.
At first, Stella Sterling was hesitant because of the reminder Owen Rhodes had given her before he left. But with her husband on one side and her best friend on the other, she was torn. So, Stella ca up with a compromise.
She would go to the Qillian Club with Ariana Grant, but she wouldn’t drink.
Owen Rhodes had told her not to drink when she was out. ’This way, it doesn’t count as disobeying him, right?’
Besides, the Qillian Club was Julian Chandler’s place, so nothing too serious could happen.
At 8:00 p.m., the Qillian Club was already bustling with activity.
Ariana Grant had co prepared tonight. Instead of settling for a booth in the main hall like last ti, she had booked a private room.
Ariana Grant had also thoughtfully ordered so male escorts.
Out of consideration for Stella, she didn’t order eight of them this ti, just four.
The four n were well-built, handso, and chatty, and each had his own unique style.
Ariana Grant said, "The gentle and refined young master, the sunny and cheerful puppy-dog boy, the well-built nurturing type, and the handso Florence. Which one do you like?"
Stella was freaked out by the flamboyant display. She held up her hand, showing off her wedding ring, and said, "Don’t you co near !"
Ariana Grant rolled her eyes at her and shot a look to the side. The young master and the puppy-dog boy took the hint and sat down on either side of Stella.
The young master smiled and said, "Miss Sterling, please don’t misunderstand. We’re professionals. Miss Grant was just worried the two of you wouldn’t have enough fun, so she asked us to liven things up. Don’t be nervous. There won’t be any of the shady business you’re imagining."
The puppy-dog boy obediently handed her a glass of water. "He’s right. We’ll just play so gas, sing, chat, and get to know each other. Don’t be nervous."
Stella was finding it hard to fend them off and shot a pleading look at Ariana, but Ariana was already hitting it off with the nurturing type and Florence. She didn’t even spare Stella a glance.
However, the young master and the puppy-dog boy were professionals, after all. They quickly found an opening and, after a few party gas, Stella wasn’t so tense anymore.
Even though Stella wasn’t drinking, she had to admit the gas were fun.
The young master seized the opportunity to show off his singing voice, and Stella genuinely thought he was quite good.
Sothing occurred to her, and Stella turned to the young master. "Do you know any of Zion Shawcross’s songs?"
"Of course."
The young master imdiately cued up a Zion Shawcross song and began to sing.
This was the first ti Stella had ever heard one of Zion Shawcross’s songs. Since it wasn’t the original artist, she couldn’t get a feel for the emotion in his performance.
But the lodies were all incredibly catchy. Even after listening distractedly for a short while, Stella found them pleasant, which was a testant to Zion Shawcross’s songwriting talent.
Since Stella wasn’t drinking alcohol tonight, she had downed a lot of juice during the gas.
She told Ariana she was stepping out and headed to the restroom.
On the way to the restroom, she sent a ssage to Ken.
She had already told Ken that she was planning to accept the collaboration with Zion Shawcross, but she was worried about not doing a good job. She wanted Ken to talk to his team again and see if they could prepare a Plan B in advance.
Having just heard a few of his songs, she added to her ssage to Ken: "Ken, ask Zion’s team if it’s possible to send a demo in advance. I want to see if I can find so inspiration. Of course, we can sign an NDA."
She was looking down at her phone, texting Ken, so she wasn’t paying attention and bumped right into soone.
She quickly offered a polite, "Sorry, my apologies," and continued toward the restroom.
But the person she had bumped into remained rooted to the spot.
The man’s face was flushed, and it was obvious he’d had a lot to drink.
After Stella bumped into him, he just stood there, turning to stare in the direction she was heading.
His companion asked him, "Mr. Hollis, what are you looking at?"
A glint appeared in Felix Hollis’s unfocused eyes. "Just saw a gorgeous girl. Interested?"
"Gorgeous? How gorgeous? More than Miss Kiana Sterling?"
"Kiana Sterling?" Felix Hollis paused. "Kiana can’t even compare to a single strand of her hair!"
"Mr. Hollis, you probably shouldn’t say that. Young President Sterling is our host tonight, after all. Aren’t you afraid of offending him by talking about his sister like that?"
Felix Hollis scoffed. "What’s there to be afraid of? You don’t get why they invited for drinks tonight? They pissed off my dad, and now they’re trying to use to nd the relationship. You think Chase Sterling dares to give a sour look?"
His companion fell silent.
After all, he was in the sa boat as Chase Sterling—tasked with maintaining a good relationship with the Hollis family through entertainnt. He didn’t dare offend Felix Hollis either.
He changed the subject. "Mr. Hollis, do you know that girl? If not, I can have soone find out who she is."
"Know her? Of course I do. Not only do I know her, she’s ssed with before. If I don’t make her regret it tonight, I’ll write my na, Felix Hollis, backward!"
’ssed with him?’
Felix Hollis was known for being generous with won; there had never been any rumors in their circle about him having a serious feud with one.
’If one had to na an incident...’
’It would have to be the third daughter of the Sterling family, the one who publicly humiliated him at the Rhodes family’s engagent banquet.’
The companion’s connections didn’t extend to the level of the Rhodes family, so of course, he hadn’t been there.
He didn’t know what had happened at the event, but he’d certainly heard the rumors.
Still, she was the third daughter of the Sterling family. If sothing really happened, Felix Hollis would be fine, but a small fry like him? There was no telling.
Just as he was wondering whether to try and talk him out of it, he saw Felix Hollis straighten up and start walking in a particular direction.
It was toward the sinks outside the restroom.
Under the warm yellow lights, Stella’s fair skin seed to glow. Her features were lovely and she had a distant air about her. Her eyes, though seemingly impassive, shimred with a radiant light.
No wonder Felix Hollis had said Kiana Sterling couldn’t compare to a single strand of her hair.
The man stood stunned for a second, and in that ti, Felix Hollis had already walked up to Stella.
"Miss Sterling. Long ti no see."
Stella saw the man in the mirror, unsteadily reaching a hand toward her.
The instant Felix Hollis’s hand was about to touch her shoulder, Stella sidestepped, dodging him.
Stella put so distance between them and, after a careful look, said, "Sir, I don’t believe I know you."
Felix Hollis froze, then laughed in anger. "Stella Sterling, you publicly humiliated like that, and you think you can just pretend you don’t know and everything’s fine?"
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