SWNOVELS Chapter 2
Yorick's face turned drastically. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from Stella. Her stance took him by surprise.
Call off the wedding? Had she...lost her mind?
Yorick's voice wavered with emotion, "She's sick, once she recovers, she'll leave again, and then I'll give you the grander wedding you deserve."
"Is it sickness, or is she pregnant?"
The moment those words were uttered, the air around them seemed to still.
Yorick stared at her, his eyes cold, "What have you found out?"
Stella didn't respond directly; instead, she said, "You and her, showing up unashamed at the hospital, at the gynaecology and obstetrics of all places. Talking about giving me a grander wedding, don't you find it ironic?"
Their wedding was just a week away. He and Ursula were seen at a gynaecology and obstetrics, and another second he was here to talk about the scale of their wedding?
Did he really think she wouldn't have the guts to leave him if he was playing both sides?
As Yorick heard her words, his expression grew even more grim, "She's not pregnant, she's ill."
"Ill enough to need you accompanying her to the hospital? What exactly is your relationship with her now?"
Her sharp counter-question made Yorick's face darken further.
Stella didn't want to see his face anymore, standing up to walk towards the office door.
As she walked, she said, "Since she's back, she might as well stay. After all, she won't be able to repay her debts to Portis City overnight."
Two years of calm and now, turmoil. Yorick, because of Ursula, had torn a rift, and Stella, following suit, had made it irreparable.
Relationships, after all, were about mutual effort, not one person striving alone.
Yorick's face darkened, "Don't make hard for her!"
Stella let out a cold laugh, her hand already on the doorknob.
Yorick clenched his teeth, "The wedding, do you think you can just call it off? Or do you think you have a way out with the Larkin family?"
The Larkin family, the mention made Stella's gaze grow colder, a family that couldn't differentiate between their own.
No way out, so be it.
She didn't care.
The Larkin family, her blood relatives, who also raised Ursula. Years ago, Ursula's biological mother, a maid of the Larkins, was pregnant at the same time as Stella's mother. Desperate for her girl to grow up in affluence due to her unreliable, gambler husband, Ursula's mother switched the babies at the hospital after the delivery.
Ursula's mother wasn't exactly conscience-stricken; after taking Stella, she didn't raise her herself but abandoned her.
She continued working as a maid for the Larkins, watching her biological daughter enjoy a better life and staying constantly by her side.
It wasn't until Mrs. Larkin's car accident three years ago that it was revealed Ursula wasn't her biological child.
A shocking secret unveiled.
What followed was a dramatic search for the real daughter.
Sadly, even after finding Stella, the family always favored Ursula, the one they had raised.
Yorick was right...
Calling off the wedding, she had no way out, as the Larkin family had no place for her.
Yorick stepped forward, grabbing her delicate wrist, "Once she recovers, I'll send her away, okay?"
He tried to lower his voice, as if to soothe her.
Stella glanced at him, her eyes icy, slowly pulling her hand away.
"You..." Yorick's expression darkened further.
Stella couldn't bother with another word, turning to leave the office.
The sound of her heels clicked away, proud and aloof, just like her!
Yorick, always adored and sought after, was left fuming, unbelieving that Stella would actually call off their wedding.
After all, everyone had seen her devotion to him over the past two years.
With that thought, Yorick didn't chase after her, instead slamming the door behind him with a loud 'bang'.
...
The secretarial department, having heard the commotion, all harbored their own thoughts.
The dramatic events from two years ago had everyone thinking Stella was trying to steal Yorick from Ursula. So now, with Ursula's return, they relished in the drama. Whispers among the employees went like, "Ursula has finally come back, serves Stella right!"
"Exactly, Ursula was forced to leave because of her two years ago. What's stolen will eventually have to be returned."
Overhearing the chatter, Stella, heels clicking, walked directly towards them.
The two gossiping assistants were suddenly overshadowed, hurriedly silencing themselves.
Stella reached out, forcefully tilting one of their chins up, the assistant was quite beautiful up close.
As their eyes met, the assistant was visibly shaken by the fierceness in Stella's gaze, "Ms. Quinn!"
Stella's eyes narrowed slightly, "Enjoying the gossip about me?"
The assistant went pale, "No, I wasn't......."
Seeing the fear, Stella released her with disgust, her gaze sweeping across the secretarial department with intimidating sharpness. Everyone quickly looked away, too scared to even breathe too loudly.