Stella followed his gaze and instantly recognized her aunt's car.

"It's the Waverlies," she said tightly. "They must have realized the contract was fake."

Lemira raised an eyebrow. "They'd have to be brain-dead not to figure it out by now."

The two exchanged a look and stepped out of the car. They always knew this confrontation was inevitable.

But with Caleb standing right there, Lemira wasn't worried in the slightest.

Sure enough, the car aggressively screeched to a halt nearby.

Mrs. Waverly stormed out, her eyes bloodshot with rage the moment she spotted Stella.

"Stella Waverly!" she snarled. "You actually dared to conspire with that little homewrecking slut to play me?!"

In Mrs. Waverly's eyes, Stella's stepmother was nothing but a cheap tramp who wasn't even fit to shine her shoes.

Lemira scoffed loudly. "It's rich hearing the person who used literal kidnapping and extortion call anyone else names. I've never seen someone so utterly shameless."

She had been harboring a fierce grudge over what Mrs. Waverly had done to Stella. Hearing that, Mrs. Waverly's fury boiled over. She pointed a trembling finger at Lemira. "And you! You helped her do it, didn't you?"

How else would that spineless stepmother have suddenly grown a backbone? Stella stepped forward, placing herself firmly in front of Lemira.

Her face was stony. "You tried to steal my assets using illegal force. You're the despicable one here, Auntie."

"W-What did you just say to me? Lemira has thoroughly corrupted you. You actually have the nerve to talk back to me?!"

Mrs. Waverly was vibrating with anger. "I never should have arranged for you to share a dorm with her!"

Stella used to be so obedient, so easy to manipulate.

She had orchestrated the dorm arrangement hoping Stella would network with the Langstons, only for it to backfire spectacularly.

Stella gave a cold, hollow laugh. "I actually have to thank you for that. Otherwise would have spent my entire life under your thumb, being bled dry until there was nothing left."

"You really have been poisoned by this girl. You're coming with me, right now."

Mrs. Waverly had come prepared. She signaled, and a squad of burly men moved in, completely surrounding them.

Lemira grabbed Stella's arm and leveled a cool stare at the older woman. "There are a lot of people around. Aren't you worried about making a scene?"

"Who in this city would dare report on Waverly family business?"

Mrs. Waverly was dripping with arrogance. "I heard you can fight, Lemira, but let's see you take all of them on by yourself. You don't have Orion here to save you today."

Lemira realized why she had chosen today to strike-she must have known Orion wasn't with them.

She simply smiled. "We have security too."

Mrs. Waverly finally noticed the tall,

imposing man standing silently behind the girls. As she registered. his face, the color drained from hers. "You... You didn't die overseas."

"Thanks to you, I narrowly survived," Caleb replied, his voice deadly calm.

Stella looked at him in shock. "What does that mean?"

Before he could answer, Mrs.

Waverly shrieked, "You were leading Stella astray back then! I paid people

to get rid of you.

Itho you were

dead in a ditch somewhere. Pcan't believe you crawled back!"

Stella went deathly pale. "You had no right to do that!"

"I did it because you refused to obey me!"

Mrs. Waverly's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Get them! Grab Stella and bring her

to me!"

She was determined to make the girl suffer today.

Lemira pulled Stella back and looked at the man beside them. "You're up, bodyguard."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. Bodyguard?