Chapter 1815:
“Josie, get out here now! Something’s wrong—William’s got Stella trapped at the villa and he won’t let her go!”
Josie, who’d been about to step into the shower, froze. “What are you talking about?”
Sharon’s voice pitched higher with panic. “Aren’t you listening? We don’t have time for questions! We need to go get Stel right now before William does something terrible!”
Josie snapped into action and rushed after Sharon. Once they were in the car, Sharon’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
F𝗼l𝗅𝗈w 𝘶𝘴 o𝘯 𝗴𝖺𝗹𝗇𝗈𝗏е𝗅𝗌.𝖼o𝘮
“Do you think just the two of us can handle this?”
Josie caught Sharon’s eyes and immediately understood what she was suggesting. Without wasting another second, they both reached for their phones and called Lance and Milford. Within minutes, all four of them were headed straight for William’s villa.
Less than twenty minutes later, the doorbell at the villa rang out in sharp, insistent bursts. Tasha pulled the door open and found herself faced with a group of people, every one of them wearing a stormy expression.
“What’s going on? All of you—”
Sharon didn’t even let her finish. She pushed past the door and hollered up toward the second floor.
“William! You’d better let Stel go right now, or I swear you’ll regret it!”
The noise brought William to the top of the stairs almost immediately. One look at the group gathered in the doorway told him everything he needed to know. He nodded at Tasha to let them inside.
“I figured this might happen. Come in, sit down. Stel just lay down to rest upstairs—you’re welcome to go check on her yourselves.”
His voice was steady and unhurried, and he had used Stella’s nickname “Stel” without even thinking about it. That small detail made everyone freeze—everyone except Milford. They all knew that nickname only ever came from William when he was truly himself.
Upstairs, Stella had heard every word of the commotion and was already making her way to the top of the staircase.
The moment Sharon spotted her, she pushed past everyone and rushed forward. “Stel! Are you alright? Did he do something to you?”
Josie was right behind her, stepping close and scanning Stella from head to toe.
Stella looked around at their anxious faces and sighed.
“I’m completely fine. My phone died before I could explain properly. I chose to stay here tonight—no one forced me. Milford’s antidote worked. William is back to himself.”
Lance turned his gaze toward William, who sat quietly across the room. Doubt still flickered in his eyes.
“Is that true? You’ve really recovered?”
William met his stare without flinching and nodded.
“I understand why none of you trust me right now. If it would put your minds at ease, you’re all welcome to spend the night here. There’s more than enough space.”
The old William—the one under Arlo’s influence—would never have said something like that. With just those few words, much of the tension in the room began to dissolve.
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