7

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 Stella  was casually hitting on people if he spotted Jude assisting her.

"Get in, you've been running around for several hours, you're probably pretty exhausted." Jude unfastened his seatbelt and exited the vehicle to facilitate her entry. He truly was a gentleman, and it would be foolish of others to reject his generosity.

Stella hesitated for a short while before deciding to get in the car. "Thanks."

"No problem."

With a soft smile, Jude  gave her a quick look before pulling away. "Don't forget to fasten your seatbelt."

Silently, Jude drove Stella back to the Conrad residence. He let her out of the car at the front of the house without asking her anything about her day or herself.

Stella made her way upstairs to her room slowly. She was still enjoying how kind Jude was to her. They were brothers, the two of them. Why, though, did their personalities differ so much?

She froze as she walked into her room. Her bag was carelessly thrown upon the floor in the center of the room. After staring at it for a few moments, she  raised her head to face the intruder.

"Who said you could fill my house with your stuff?"

After a little period of silence, Stella  moved forward to prop her bag upright.

“ You departed without exchanging words?" Clarence had left her alone the whole night of their wedding, and Joseph had rolled him out of the room. She therefore assumed he would not return.

"Well, this is my room."

Stella said nothing. Biting her bottom lip, she said, "But I'm your wife."

"A wife who marries me under her younger sister's name?"

Stella couldn't say anything. It seemed he would not let her remain in the space. He obviously hated her a great deal based on his words and deeds, but she had nowhere else to turn. When she  realized all of that, her eyes begged for his attention. "Please, if you could just let me stay in this room's corner, would you? I don't need more room; I simply need the corner."

"No!"

"But Grandpa will find out if I leave," Stella  said, her face going white.

Clarence issued a directive. Joseph  took a step forward. "Ms. Radomil , please leave; don't make me do something you'll regret."

Stella nibbled on her bottom lip. "Is this really not negotiable?"

Clarence’s ferocious, flashing eyes made her think of a wolf. Following a brief exchange of glances, she  pivoted and hauled her bag out the chamber.

After her, Joseph  shut the door. "Mr. Conrad, it seems she really shrinks back from difficulties and is choosing to give up."

Clarence’s lips twisted contemptuously. She gave up so easy, even though he believed she was really determined. She is extremely vulnerable, haha.

"Have you sent your men to the hospital?" Clarence  questioned brusquely.

Joseph looked different, saying, "No, not just yet."

"Then why are you still standing around here?"

"I'll get right on it!"

With a quick step, Joseph left the room. He noticed Stella was still standing at the door with her bag as he closed the door behind him. With a scowl, he walked away.

*******

Joseph  went in search of Clarence  the following day. He could not contain his surprise when he saw Clarence's door wider. He crept into the room, roused Clarence  from his sleep, and assisted him in getting dressed for the day.

Joseph, though, was forced to mention what he had witnessed halfway through. "Mr. Conrad, Ms. Radomil..."

Clarence winced at the mention of Stella’s  name from Joseph. His aura brightened instantaneously.

"Mr. Conrad, it's not that I mentioning her deliberately, but she.." After he ran out of time to continue circling the issue, Joseph said, "I think you should go and take a look by yourself."

"Alright, roll me out then."

Clarence was astonished to see the woman sleeping in the doorway with her jacket thrown over her like a blanket, even though he had braced himself for what he was about to witness.

She had slept with her back to the wall, with her luggage next to her and a jacket over her. Probably from fatigue, her body sagged to the floor. She tried to cover her body with the jacket, but she shivered because of the cold in the hallway. Her pale face was the portion of her that was visible. Her pale skin gleamed in the sunlight. She had left her hair sleek and straight, without any specific style. She looked innocent, with a few strands of hair glued on her forehead. As she stared at her trembling figure, Clarence  began to feel a little sorry for her.

After a short while, he turned to face Joseph icily. "Wake her up."

Joseph was shocked by Clarence's order. "How do you want me to wake her up?"

Clarence said, "Is there any special way to wake someone up?"

Joseph approached Stella, lifted his foot, and gave her a soft butt kick.

Clarence’s voice became cold and his features darkened instantaneously. "What are you doing?"

Perplexed, Joseph  turned to face Clarence again. "I'm waking her up."

He dabbed at his nasal bridge. "Do you think I'm not kicking her hard enough, Sir? I can give her a more forceful kick." Joseph  felt that Clarence ought to despise Stella to the hilt.

"I told you to wake her up, but I never told you to hurt her." Clarence was going to explode with rage, but he controlled his anger.

"Got it!" At last, Joseph  understood what he meant. Without delay, he bent down to give Stella a gentle shoulder shake.

After being shaken for some time, Stella  finally opened her eyes with much difficulty and fell asleep like a log.

"Ms. Radomil, it's already morning, wake up."

Was it not already morning? She remained disoriented for some time before sitting up and appearing to be thinking about what had happened the day before. Glancing around, she saw that the hall was already well lit. She then gave her eyes a massage. She had not intended to spend the entire night outside Clarence's room.

Time passed quickly. A question was thrust at her with a hard stare as she was still attempting to piece together what had transpired. "Who said you could sleep in my doorway?"

When Stella looked up, she found Clarence glaring at her. Then, a moment later, she murmured and wrapped the jacket securely around herself, "I have nowhere else to go,"

Stella had slept on the floor all night without a suitable cover, so her voice sounded rather nasal.

"So, instead you chose to make an ass out of yourself by sleeping here?"

Stubbornly, Stella  bit her bottom lip and raised her head to meet Clarence's icy stare. "If you think I make an ass out of myself, you should’ve let me sleep in your room instead."

"You..." Clarence  ran out of things to say. Unexpectedly, she ventured to dispute with him.

Stella kept her eyes fixed on him. Her face appeared unusually pale now, in contrast to the previous night. It appeared as though she was ill.

Clarence's heart strangely melted at her somewhat fragile expression, and he snorted. "Let's go."

Joseph moved in front of the wheelchair to push it. "Mr. Conrad, what about Ms. Radomil?"

Clarence pivoted and cast a backward glance. His eyes were piercing. "Don't make an ass out of yourself at the door."

Stella got up, holding her jacket, after the two of them had left. His last statements implied that he would let her into the room, correct? It didn't matter if the response was yes or no. She made the decision to go in and get ready for the day since he had left.

She  became sick to her stomach while she was cleaning her teeth. Before she could finish brushing her teeth, she braced herself against the sink and vomited multiple times.

Stella felt cold after washing her mouth, so she had a hot shower. She took a hot shower, but her cold feeling persisted. She was unable to talk normally since her throat was too raw from discomfort. She was even a little lightheaded. After giving it some thought, she  headed to the hospital to pick up some medication.