Chapter 125

Stella

As soon as I step out of the bathroom, I spot Sebastian standing by the leather couch in the shared family area with my phone in his hand. I raise an eyebrow, unsure as to why he is looking around as if he is guilty. Was it somebody important on the other end of the call?

I casually approach him and gently place my hand on his shoulder. Sebastian is quick to turn around, looking down at me with a small smile on his face. My phone remains in his possession, and I extend my hand out to take it back.

“Who was it?” I ask and turn on the phone, looking at the recent calls.

“It was nobody,” he casually says with a shrug, stepping behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and leans down, his chin resting on my shoulder. “It was spam. I deleted and blocked the number for you.”

“Oh,” I hum with a small and slight nod. I turn my head to look at him, our eyes meeting. I smile at him, which he returns, before turning back to the cell phone’s screen. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Are you ready to go in?” Sebastian asks. His hand slips into mine and I nod, feeling him lace our fingers together. “Great. I think that your dad is finally open to us being together now.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, watching as Sebastian steps away from me, our hands still connected as he tugs me away from the living room, guiding me towards the lively sounds of the dining room where our family sits.

“Of course,” he says with a bright smile, “I think he’s finally past that initial stage of shock.”

I can't help but let out a breathy chuckle, shaking my head as we enter the dining room. My family greets us with a wave in a good morning, the last two seats available, sitting at the end of the table on the opposite side of my father.

Sebastian and I sit down and smile at our family. We all begin to eat in the room goes quiet, filled with the sounds of utensils, clinking against the plates. A few minutes pass by and my father begins to talk to Luca and Silas at their end of the table.

Dominic and Matteo sit beside Sebastian and I. Dominic and I smile at each other, not having seen each other for a short while after the divorce with Adrian. Matteo, though, keeps looking at me, making me feel just a little suspicious that he is hiding something or has something to say.

“Matteo?” I call out his name, placing my knife and fork down on the table in front of me. He finally looks up from his plate, an array of fruit and protein sitting in front of him. “Is everything okay? You feel a little…off.”

“Off?” Matteo asks, looking away for a brief moment. “I just had one question for you, really.”

“Yeah?” What is it?” I ask, leaning forward while Sebastian and Dominic talk about their businesses and how they can help each other out through their slight troubles.

“How is that blonde girl doing?” Matteo’s question shocks me. Even Sebastian pauses, looking over at us. “I think her name was Clara?”

I sink back into the chair, unsure what Matteo could possibly mean by his question. My body immediately slips into a fight or flight response at the sound of her name. Why would Matteo ask about her?

“I have no idea how she is doing,” I admit with a slight shrug, crossing my arms over my chest, just feeling slightly defensive around Matteo now. “I cut her out of my life for a reason.”

“Right,” Matteo nods, picking up his utensils once again. He stabs a strawberry with his fork and is about to eat it when he hesitates, hand dropping back down to his plate. “She has been in and out of the hospital a few times in the past couple of weeks, that’s all.”

I narrow my eyes at him. I know that he is saying the truth, knowing that my brother would never lie to me. But what I do not know is why he is bringing this up to me because he knows just how much I hate this woman and that she is a liar who deceives people into thinking that she is sick when she really isn’t.

“I don't think that's any of my business, right? Because of HIPPA or whatever the doctor and patient confidentiality is,” I comment, my eyes flickering over to Sebastian.

He reaches his hand beneath the table, the back of his hand resting on the top of my thigh. His hand is open for me to take and I let out a quiet sigh and hesitate before giving into his silent offer. Our fingers intertwine with one another and I feel slightly more comfortable, the hairs on the back of my neck finally going down.

“She left with consent forms, Stella,” Matteo lowers his voice, leaning forward.

“Consent forms?” I repeat his words, my grip on Sebastian’s hand tightens.

“Yes,” Mateo nods. He sucks in a breath and glances down at my father and mother, who barely pay attention to our side of the table. “she got them from the doctor who made you and her parents, and Adrian think that she was sick again. The papers look shady, that's all.”

“Thank you for telling me this,” I smile at him, my body feeling weak and tired at the fact that Clara definitely has something in plan for me. “I will be sure to look into it. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Mateo smiles, nodding his head at me.

My brother goes back to his morning meal while I look up at Sebastian, my shoulders and body tense from the new information that has been revealed to me. He gives my hand a gentle squeeze, bringing it up to his lips to press a quick kiss to the back of my hand. It brings me little comfort.

I look back at my plate, slipping my hand away from his. I begin to eat once again while my mind runs a mile a minute, thinking about all of the possibilities that could come from this. I know that Clara is not somebody I can trust, she is somebody who works for her and her alone.

Unable to get the feeling of anxiety out of my chest, I slowly stand from the table, swiping my phone from the space that sits between Sebastian and I. I quietly excuse myself and exit the room, finding myself standing in one of the many extra studies that the mansion has.

Adrian has to know about this. I haven't received a call or text from him that says that he knows what's going on, but I know that Clara is sure to have us both involved in this sadistic plan of hers.

I move through my context, trying to find Adrian's name, but it is not there. I run over the list multiple times, knowing the exact area in contacts that he sits by. He just is not there.

Did Adrian block me? Did he somehow hire a Hacker to delete my number from my phone? Why would he do something like this?

I let out a quiet grown and move my phone back into my pants pocket. Heading back towards the dining room, I push Adrian out of my mind, not wanting to think about how he blocked me after we finally agreed to be friends once again.