Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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The butler, Keith, approached with a slight bow, holding a dark ceramic bowl of medicine. Steam rose from the bitter liquid, carrying its sharp, herbal scent into the room.
When he saw the old master still seated, chest heaving with anger and his thin hand trembling on the desk, Keith’s expression tightened with concern.
“Sir,” he said urgently, “the doctor was very clear–you mustn’t get upset. If your blood pressure spikes again…”
Ernest stood rigidly, his profile sharp and unyielding. His eyes flickered over his grandfather’s pale lips and the medicine on the desk. His throat moved slightly, but he stayed silent.
Stella watched as Keith handed the bowl to the old man.
The dark brown liquid swayed inside, its bitter odor growing stronger–so potent it made her want to hold her breath.
Sebastian frowned deeply as he drank, his throat working with effort. When he finally finished, he let out a long, weary sigh. Tiny beads of sweat dotted his temples. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on.net
Quickly, Stella offered him a tissue. As her fingers brushed his thin, frail hand, she felt a pang of sadness.
The images from Irene’s Instagram was still vivid in her mind, but seeing Grandpa so weak now, the words of divorce she was about to speak were died away on her lips.
The medicinal smell hung heavily in the air, stifling any thought of stirring more trouble.
She handed him a glass of water next, and he drank gratefully, some color returning to his face.
Calmer now, Grandpa looked at Stella with softened eyes.
“You’ve always taken care of me, Stella,” he said, his voice gentle. “Not like this stubborn grandson of mine–all he does is upset me.”
Ernest’s brow furrowed. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but one look at his grandfather’s stern expression made him. hold his tongue.
“Don’t be angry, Grandpa,” Stella said softly. “Your health is what matters most.”
The old man gripped her hand tightly, as though afraid she might slip away. Then he turned to Ernest, his voice low but firm.
“Listen carefully. I watched Stella grow up. She’s the only granddaughter–in–law I will ever accept. If you lose her, you’ll spend the rest of your life alone–I won’t allow any other woman to enter the Lloyd family.”
Ernest remained silent, his gaze fixed on Stella’s face. Something complex and unreadable stirred in his eyes.
Finally, he replied quietly, “I understand, Grandfather.”
Seeing Ernest finally stop talking back, the old man let out a heavy sigh, his grip on Stella’s hand tightening just a bit more.
“Stella, I know these years in the Lloyd family haven’t been easy for you. But a marriage isn’t built on arguments–it’s built on patience. I won’t be around much longer. All I want is to see the two of you happy together… and to know you’ll always have someone to lean on.”
His voice grew softer, thick with emotion, yet every word landed like a weight on Stella’s heart.
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Chapter 16
She knew how much he cared for her–especially after her own grandfather passed and her stepmother took over. He was the one who brought her into the Lloyd home, who looked out for her all this time.
He had even pushed for her marriage to Ernest, hoping it would give her the family she’d lost.
Her gaze drifted almost unconsciously toward the man standing nearby.
Dressed in a tailored suit, tall and composed as a pine tree–yet there was a chill around him, something icy and distant that made people want to step back.
She used to believe she could melt that ice with warmth. Now… she felt herself freezing alongside him.
Seven years of marriage. They started out polite, respectful. Now they were little more than strangers. What Sebastian saw as stability had long been worn away by day after day of cold silence.
“Grandpa, don’t worry about us. Just focus on getting better,” Stella said, forcing a soft smile as she patted his hand.
But unlike before, she made no promises.
Sebastian looked at her, sighed deeply, and waved a tired hand toward Ernest.
“Go on. Leave us. I want Stella to stay with me awhile.” His voice wavered slightly. “Who knows how much longer she’ll be around to keep me company.”
Ernest paused, but said nothing. He turned and left quietly.
The moment the study door closed, a sharp voice carried in from the hallway.
“Brother? Why are you out here alone? Did Grandpa keep that woman in there again…”
It was Noreen.
She broke off abruptly, as if someone had cut her off, then quickly changed her tone.
“I’m just saying–I don’t get why Grandpa treats an outsider like some kind of treasure. Aren’t we his actual grandchildren?”
Ernest’s reply was too low to make out, but Noreen’s complaining only grew louder.
“It’s true! If Grandpa hadn’t forced her into this family, none of this would’ve happened…”
Their voices faded down the hall. Inside the study, Stella’s fingers curled slightly against her palm.
Their words were like needles–sharp, painful, and impossible to refute.
She had long grown used to the way the Lloyds treated her: polite at first, then distant, and now, with Noreen, outright hostility.
Grandpa had heard everything too. The calm that had briefly returned to his face vanished, replaced by tension. His breathing grew uneven again.
“Keith-” he began, ready to summon the butler to reprimand Noreen.
But Stella spoke first. “Grandpa, let it go. Don’t upset yourself over them.”
Her voice was soft, soothing.
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Chapter 16
What did it matter now? She was leaving soon. She wouldn’t have to hear these things anymore. There was no point making
a scene.
The old man looked at her forced composure, and his clouded eyes glimmered with pain.
“Stella, don’t listen to them. To me, you are family. No one has the right to look down on you.”
He paused, his tone growing solemn. “As for Ernest… You said you wanted to work, yes? Come to Lloyd Group, I’ll assign you shares. No one will dare make you leave.”
Stella’s eyes met his–full of concern and care–and she felt a sting in her nose.
“Grandpa, Ernest… hasn’t mistreated me.”
He just doesn’t love me.
But she couldn’t say it. Not under that hopeful, weary gaze. So she swallowed the words unspoken.
Their marriage had been doomed from the very beginning.
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