Chapter 6 No Sleeping Here
Chapter 6 No Sleeping Here
Ethan caught the look on Stella’s face, and his heart sank.
Stella was rarely serious–but when she was, it was terrifying.
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He absentmindedly twirled the bracelet on his right wrist with his left fingers. “You already know about me and Hannah?
Stella rolled her eyes. “You kidding? We live in a digital world. I scrolled through ten TikToks, and seven were about you and Hannah. The other three were about her and Lucas.
Ethan mentally noted, once again, how freakishly adaptable his sister was. Definitely his sister.
Then he said. “Hannah and Lucas are just pretending. It’s all hype Lucas forced onto her. It’s not real.”
Stella raised an eyebrow. “That what Hannah told you?”
No wonder this idiot of a brother fell for her like a simp.
Ethan nodded solemnly, “Yeah. Lucas is a womanizer. Zero morals.”
Stella tilted her head. “But what if she really did date him before?”
Ethan shook his head without hesitation. “No way. Don’t believe the gossip blogs.”
Stella knew her brother well. Once Ethan decided on something, no one could talk him out of it
She smiled faintly. “Fine. Just weird that my rankings dropped this morning.”
Ethan frowned. “What do
you mean?”
Stella took a sip of milk. “Never mind. Point is you can’t go off the rails like you did yesterday. You can’t just clear out an entire shopping mall on a whim. Ever think about the financial and PR fallout?”
Ethan took her words without protest, as if they were carved into his bones.
“I know. It won’t happen again.”
Stella tapped her fingers on the table. “Did Hannah text you last night?”
Ethan nodded. “She did.”
So she still cared, at least.
“Let me see, Stella said, hand out
Without hesitation, Ethan handed over his phone. He had no secrets from Stella.
Stella had told Tina not to manage the trending topic because she wanted to observe Hannah’s response–feel her out. With pale fingertips, she scrolled up the chat thread,
Most of the messages were from Hannah, giving the impression she was sweet and innocent. But her tone danced on the edge–neither 400 eager nor too distant. She knew how to play it.
Last night, she’d sent one text: “Ethan, did you spend the day shopping with someone else?”
Ethan had replied that morning: “That’s my sister, Hannah. Don’t overthink it.”
No reply after that.
What Stella couldn’t figure out was–how had a paparazzo just so happened to catch them in the mall?
If the photographer had been following Hannah, she never even entered the building. So how were there pictures of her and
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Chapter 6 No Sleeping Here
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Ethan inside?
The most likely explanation: Hannah hired the guy and planted him there ahead of time.
She didn’t go in herself, but the photographer still caught Ethan and Stella shopping. And Ethan had enough name recognition to be worth a snap.
Chances are, Hannah was trying to stir up buzz to provoke Lucas.
Stella’s long lashes dropped slightly, casting a pretty shadow across her cheeks. She tapped her fingers on the table again
The ploy hadn’t worked yesterday. So chances were, she’d try again.
She set down Ethan’s phone. “You really like Hannah?”
Ethan paused. “Yeah. I met her at a dinner. While everyone else was trying to butter me up, she didn’t even toast me. Showed she doesn’t take shortcuts.”
Stella understood. The classic “notice me, CEO‘ routine.
“After reading your messages, I agree–she seems like a good girl. And if last night’s trending topic upset her, then you should book a restaurant and apologize.”
Ethan’s dark eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t mind me dating Hannah?”
Stella shrugged. “As long as you don’t slack off on work, I’ve got no objections. You’re a grown man. Go date
A clear smile bloomed across Ethan’s face, making his already handsome features even more striking.
“Tina, make the reservation,” he said.
Stella finished getting her new ID in the morning, then waited at home for Tina’s update.
She was starting to think Tina was a superhero. Not only did she handle Ethan’s work chaos, she also dealt with all his personal stuff.
For a million–dollar salary, she absolutely earned it.
Stella had asked her for two things.
First: tell her where Ethan’s dinner reservation with Hannah would be
Second: help her find out which high school Lucas’s brother went to
By six–thirty that evening. Tina replied.
“Lucas’s brother is named Jackson. He goes to Ashford High.”
“Tonight’s dinner is at Serenity Restaurant. CEO and Ms. Hannah are meeting at 7:30 p.m.”
“Are you coming?”
Stella once again felt grateful for Tina’s perfection
Serenity Restaurant–even the name screamed carefully curated ambiance.
Stella replied, “Thanks, Tina. I’m not going.”
Tina messaged back quickly. “Cot it. By the way, the e
current owner of your old villa is someone named Nathan.”
The name made Stella’s eyes narrow slightly.
She’d nearly forgotten that guy–her old rival.
