When Love Comes Late

Please make yourself comfortable.

Ill leave you to enjoy the evening.

With that, he turned and walked away.

Bella, glancing nervously at the bustling hall, couldnt conceal her unease.

Stella, do you think Matthew and the others even got the invitation? Or..

what if Matthew still hasnt woken up? Stellas brows furrowed as she considered Bellas concerns.

After a moment of thought, she replied calmly, I dont think theyd lie about something like this.

If they invited us to the party, it must be part of a bigger plan.

Lets wait and see. Reassured by her own reasoning, Stella led Bella to a relatively quiet corner of the hall, where they both sat down to wait.

But as time passed, their unease only deepened.

Not only was there still no sign of Matthew, but even the secretary and Howard had vanished without a trace.noveldrama

Stella felt a growing unease creeping over her.

After a moment of contemplation, she decided it might be wiser to take the initiativeperhaps walking around would help her gather some useful information.

She stood and gestured for Bella to follow as they began meandering through the banquet hall.

However, most of the conversations they overheard revolved around the food, the wine, and other superficial small talk.

There was nothing even remotely connected to the Archer familys affairs.

Stellas already dwindling enthusiasm plummeted further.

With a resigned sigh, she turned to Bella and said, Mom, it doesnt seem like were going to learn anything useful here.

But just as they were about to Leave, a sudden commotion erupted in the hall.

The mingling crowd froze in surprise before scattering in all directions, startled by the unexpected disturbance.

Stellas heart skipped a beat.

Her first instinct was to protect the baby she was carrying, panic rising at the thought of someone colliding with her in the chaos.

Amid the chaos, she lost sight of Bella, and the two were separated.

Desperately scanning the crowd for her mother, Stella felt a sudden, firm grip on her wrist.

Before she could react, she was pulled into a dimly lit corridor.

Once she steadied herself, she turned sharply to see who had dragged her away. The figure before her was masked, their face completely concealed.

Her voice carried a wary edge as she asked, Are you one of Howards people? Why are you sneaking around like this? What do you want, me or Matthew? Her questions hung in the air, unanswered, as though she were speaking to a void, Unable: to shake her unease, Stella studied the mysterious figure intently.

Aftera long, tense moment, something about them struck her as oddly familiar.

Without thinking, she blurted out, You remind me of someone I know.

Sanford froze slightly at her words, his body stiffening for just a moment.

As it turned out, Declan had received urgent news about a problem with a business deal in Lyllmann shortly before the party began.

With no choice but to leave early, he instructed Sanford to stay behind and handle the situation.

Sanford didnt fully understand the plans Declan and Howard were concocting, but he was certain of one thing-whatever they were plotting, it wasnt good for Stella.

When he saw Stella arrive at the party, an uncontrollable urge to warn her took hold of him.