Stella spent the entire night by herself in the deserted room. Clarence appeared to have agreed to her idea, which called for them to live apart from one other yet act as husband and wife on paper.
After getting ready, Stella went downstairs to discover a number of maids hard at work. A broom abruptly materialized beneath her feet as she prepared to ask them where the kitchen was.
Stella lost her footing, stumbled, and toppled forward violently. "Ah!" She was going to fall, but someone grabbed her just in time with strong hands.
Stella , still reeling from her fall, glanced up to see a pair of soft eyes. "Are you alright, my dear sister-in-law?"
"Sister-in-law?"
"My name is Jude Conrad, Clarence’s brother.” He uttered in a quiet voice.
Stella heard a chilly voice say before she could respond , "It seems like I've arrived at the wrong time.”
"This voice." When Stella turned to face the source of the voice, she saw Joseph moving Clarence while he was seated in a wheelchair with a small blanket draped over his legs.
He appeared to be a proud monarch despite being in a wheelchair. His stare fell like a blade over Stella’s face, his eyes icy.
When she met his cold gaze, Stella shuddered.
She wasn't aware she was still in Jude Conrad's arms until that moment. She moved away from him swiftly, taking two steps back, and lowered her head guiltily.
"Clarence, it's rare to see you home." Jude grinned at his sibling.
Clarence , on the other hand, regarded him differently; he simply nodded without showing any emotion."
"Alright then, I'll be on my way for now." Jude then turned to face Stella and said something softly. "Sister-in-law, I have to go to work now, so I'll be leaving now."
At that, Stella gave a blank nod of her head and watched Jude walk away. She heard Clarence making fun of her as she turned her back on to face him.
“Are all women who have divorced this hopeless? Is it not the case that you are eager to entice men?”
After hearing these derogatory remarks, Stella regained consciousness. "What did you say?"
Clarence had black circles under his eyes and black eyes themselves. She sensed that he was against her.
She nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm not as nasty as you think."
"Really?" Clarence enquired, his lips curled into a sardonic smirk. Ultimately, women who were unable to retain their partners were the lowest of the lowest.
"How can you say a woman who got remarried right after her divorce isn't nasty?"
Stella felt a surge of wrath and balled her hands into fists. Did he honestly believe this was what she wanted? She had been compelled to wed him by her step mother.
“You'd better stick to your word and keep your distance from the Conrad. I'll punish you if I discover that you are acting dishonestly on behalf of the Conrad family or harbor any ill will toward my family."
Clarence turned and yelled out to the man behind him before Stella could reply. "Joseph.”
Joseph moved forward, moving Clarence with a wheel.
A maid approached her after they had left and gave her a curtsy. "Ms. Jenna, the old master wants to see you."
"Old master?" Clarence’s grandfather?‘ Stella stood there, her palms starting to perspire.
Before she went, her stepmother informed her that the reason the Conrad family married Stella off instead of Jenna was because none of them had ever seen Jenna or her before.
"Will I be exposed now that I'm going to meet the Old Master?" Stella hesitantly trailed behind the maid, contemplating all of that.
"Please, Ms. Jenna ,” The maid said, "The old master is waiting for you.”
After expressing her gratitude to the maid, Stella carefully made her way into the study. The study looked exactly like she had imagined it would, complete with bookshelves and classical furnishings.
The room appeared melancholy because of the various pens, ink wells, and paintings that were arranged on the shelves.
Stella glanced about her only briefly before turning her attention back to the person in the room. "H-Hello, Old Master."
Her eyes locked with the Old Master of the Conrad family's perceptive stare. He silently and blatantly gave her the cold shoulder.
Recalling that her intended identity was Jenna, Stella lowered her eyes in a panic, fearing Old Master Conrad would see the guilty conscience in them.
Though she had momentarily won Clarence over, what would happen if Old Master Conrad discovered she wasn't Jenna?
"Jenna ."
"Huh?" In response to the old master's stare,Stella instinctively raised her head, then swiftly lowered it.
Mr. Greg had a stern tone of voice and pointed eyes. "Clarence’s health issues date back to his early years. You owe it to him to take good care of him going forward since you are now married. I don't need me to educate you how to be a wife, do I?”
"I understand."
"From tomorrow onward, you'll work with Clarence as his assistant."
Stella looked up, startled by what she heard the elderly man say.
"But-"
"A decision has been made. You'll accompany Clarence to work tomorrow and be by his side." He gave her no opportunity to say no at all.
With a wave of his hand, Old master Conrad had made up his mind and told her to go.
Even though Stella was hesitant, she made the decision to resign from her previous position and carry out Old master Conrad's instructions in order to prevent needless arguments or reveal her true identity.
Old Master Conrad gave Clarence the command to bring Stella to the office with him.
"I know the reason you're not willing to hire an assistant, but since Jenna is already your wife, let her be by your side to take care of you."
Stella was astonished to learn that Old Master Conrad's tone of speech to Clarence was the same as his conversation with her.
What is happening?
Given that they are related, she expected them to be close. Stella was lost in concentration when she felt someone giving her a sharp gaze, and she instantly recognized who it was.
Clarence gave her a mocking glance and replied, "Yeah."
A little taken aback, Stella was certain he would say no.
"Well, go ahead." A small smile spread across Greg’s face.
Joseph nodded and Clarence sat in his wheelchair, expressionless. "Old Master Conrad, we'll head to the company first."
All Stella could do was go with Clarence .
Clarence scoffed while they were in the garden.
"You've built up such a strong rapport with Old Master Conrad so fast! Is it not your intention to watch me closely?"
She scowled, seeming shocked. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Humph!" Clarence scoffed. “It's best if you don't get what I'm saying. If not…”
Clarence did not finish his sentence, but Stella saw that he was putting her in danger. She was furious because she had recently resigned her job due to him and now she was stuck with him everywhere.They had first decided not to become involved in one another's life, but now they were compelled to stay together. It wasn't as though she desired it to occur. They made their way silently to the door. Clarence’s wheelchair was loaded into the trunk of his own vehicle. Stella leaned forward to get into the car out of habit, but Joseph stopped her with a hand. "Ms. Jenna, this is Young Master Conrad private vehicle."Stella was surprised. "What do you mean?"Clarence turned to face her, a mocking gleam in his deep, serene eyes. "You're still not qualified to be my assistant."Stella questioned as her expression changed upon hearing that, "Then why did you agree to your grandfather's request just now?"Clarence shook his head, ignoring her.Stella reached out to stop Joseph before he
Clarence and Stella walked into the conference room together, and when the people in the room saw her behind him, everyone in the room gasped in shock. Everyone was aware that Joseph had been Clarence’s lone servant for all these years. Now that a woman was unexpectedly showing up by his side, everyone began to speculate about the nature of their relationship. Although Stella had worked as an assistant before, she had never been present at such a formal event. The meeting room at Conrad Group was enormous. Conrad Group was, after all, North City's top leading group. Stella could feel the tension in the room the moment she walked in. Entering behind Joseph and Clarence, Stella felt the pressure of everyone's stares and instinctively stiffened her shoulders. Upon eventually taking their seats, all eyes were on Stella. "President Conrad , is she..." As vice president of Conrad Group,Jude would unavoidably be attending the meeting as well. He was taken aback to see Stella a
Stella was so fatigued that the room spun as she walked and was on the verge of giving up, not knowing how many cups of coffee she had prepared. Clarence had left as she carried the coffee into the meeting room. Had he not mentioned if she had passed his test and instead made a complete exit? After setting the coffee on the table, Stella turned around and went in search of Clarence. She observed his vehicle pulling out of the Conrad Group parking garage as she reached the ground floor of the office building. And she was left behind once more. Stella gave herself a mocking laugh. That's what she should have expected. A silver-white automobile pulled up in front of her as she was walking down the street with the intention of hailing a cab. The automobile window was down. Jude’s kind and attractive face came into view. "Jenna, let me drive you home." After a long moment of shock, Stella gradually shook her head and gave him a faint grin. "No need." Clarence would suggest Stell
Stella took a number at the hospital and lined up. She described her symptoms to the doctor when it was her time. The physician gave her a peculiar look. "Have you been sleepy lately?" She gave a nod. "Did you feel nauseous when you're brushing your teeth in the morning?"Stella gave another nod. "And do you occasionally have the urgency to urinate?" Stella was a little confused by this question. She paused to consider, then nodded once more. "Does this have anything to do with my illness?" With a helpless expression on her face, the doctor asked again, "How long has it been since your menstrual period?" When Stella heard that, she calculated, "A little over a month..." She didn't realize what the doctor was getting at until she said those words. Her expression gradually softened to one of comprehension. The physician grinned. "I take it you've engaged in sexual activity lately? You need to focus more on your physical well-being. I refuse to write a prescription for you. To b
Stella remained quiet for a while. She was staring at the maid. The maid had obviously knocked into her on purpose. She remained silent. Rather, she stood for a while before choosing to move on when a few of other maids came over. "Do you honestly believe that you become a noble lady only by marrying into the Conrad family? You are basically less important than a maid because Mr. Conrad dislikes you." “Indeed, have a look at her. I've heard that she passed out last night in the corridor outside of Mr. Conrad’s room. It seems like he drove her away. If I were her, I wouldn't stay here any longer to act foolish; instead, I would hastily pack up and head home." “Is she aware that she's doing foolishly? To them, money is the only thing." Stella could hear them chatting about her when they got far enough away. Her complexion went horribly pale. Giving herself an embrace, she eased her way down the wall toward the door. Why? Why had she to put up with all of that? Was it because she h
"What are you trying to do?" She tried to get away, but they stopped her right away. "Don't—don't come near me. Please release me!" One of them grabbed her off her feet and flung her over his shoulder as he darted away before she could say anything. The others trailed in close behind. What the people in the waiting room witnessed astounded them. They were unable to ascertain what was happening. ••• "Mr. Conrad, there is finally news from the hospital."Joseph hurried into his office to break the news, not giving the other person in the room a second thought. Clarence was first annoyed by Joseph’s interruption as he was conversing with a very significant customer. But his tense eyebrows dropped when he heard what Joseph had to say. "There's finally news?" Joseph gave Clarence a sidelong glance and then gave a solemn nod. Clarence gave the man in front of him an icy look as he spoke. “I apologize, Mr. Webb, but I must attend to some pressing affairs. I'll make plans for som
"Bring her to the hospital now." Clarence said in a frigid tone. “Verify if she is truly expecting a child. Please let me know the result as soon as you can." Joseph gave a quick nod. "Yes, sir!" "No!" Stella struggled against the men in vain. "Clarence, legally we are merely husband and wife. Who are you to give them orders to harm me in that way? Please release me!" "Let you go?" Clarence's eyes glowed in the darkness. With a chilly response, he said, "You should know what would happen to you if I found out you were pregnant. Bring her away, Joseph." How sympathy vanished out of his heart as soon as he realized she wasn't the person he was seeking for. "Bring her to the hospital now." Joseph got to work on his assignment. Stella objected to this, but she was coerced back into the vehicle. She fought valiantly the entire way, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to escape their hold. She was taken to the same medical facility and saw the same physician as befor
"Let me give it some thought." Ultimately, Riley told her to return to the Conrad residence. “In the blink of an eye, three days will pass. Make up your choice quickly, Stella, and phone me if you need anything." Stella’s heart was incredibly heavy right now as Riley’s comments continued to reverberate in her ears. "Honey, you will need to abort the kid if you wish to stay with the Conrad family in the future. It is not possible for the Radomil family to have two unsuccessful daughters!" Stella looked in the mirror at herself. How should I proceed? Was getting rid of her child truly the only option available to her? Wheels rolled along the floor into the room, still considering it. Upon witnessing Clarence enter the bathroom, Stella instantly tightened up and threw open the door. When their gazes locked, she looked away right away. She made her way trembling to the furthest corner of the space. He called his voice giving her a shiver, "Stop right there.”Stella came to a