Chapter 72
Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Stella gave Ernest a look, silently urging him to comfort Irene and also provide some guidance, hoping it would really stick
with her.
When it came to raising children, parents had to play their respective roles-one being the “bad cop,” the other the “good cop.” Only by working together could they effectively teach their child.
Since Irene was born, their family had followed this pattern. Ernest hardly ever took care of their daughter, and in the early years, he was barely ever home,
This left Stella to assume the role of the strict mother, while Ernest, who was seldom around, played the doting father.
That was probably why Irene was closer to him-he was always the easygoing parent who never laid down the rules. No one liked being controlled, even if it was their own mother.
Ernest understood the silent message in Stella’s eyes. With a brief pause, he walked over to Irene, pulled her gently into his arms, whispered comfort to her, and-just as Stella wanted-slipped in a few words of fatherly advice.
This was the first time he’d ever tried to lecture Irene like a typical dad. Whether or not he was comfortable with it, Irene was definitely getting annoyed.
‘What happened to Mom and Dad? They’re both so chatty and naggy lately. Ugh, it’s driving me nuts. It’s all Mom’s fault. If she wasn’t acting like this, there’s no way Dad would be lecturing me, Irene huffed inwardly.
Just as Irene, still curled up in Ernest’s arms, was about to shoot her mom a resentful glare, she noticed that Stella wasn’t even there anymore.
Luckily, Stella had already left and didn’t see the flash of anger in Irene’s eyes.
Outside Lloyd Villa, Stella let out a long, heavy sigh. Even though everything seemed to be sorted out, she felt completely drained, both physically and mentally.
“I really hope this kind of thing never happens again,” she muttered to herself, feeling like she just didn’t have the energy to deal with it all over again.
She glanced one last time at the lit-up room on the second floor before turning and walking away.
It was close to midnight by the time she finally made it home. Even after washing up, Stella was so wiped out, but resting wasn’t even an option tonight.
The Tear of Thorns collection, the tiara for the jewelry show, plus the sketches she had to get to Jessica tomorrow-her to- do list was endless, and honestly, she couldn’t even think about taking a break.
She worked through the night, barely pausing to catch her breath. It wasn’t until the first light of dawn that she finally finished the sketches.
It wasn’t exactly a complicated design, but the way it could be taken apart had to be ingenious-at the very least, nobody could be able to tell just by looking.
“Wow!” Jessica exclaimed dramatically. “Stella, these designs are perfect. I almost don’t want to give them to Noreen. A masterpiece like this would be wasted on her.”
Seeing that Jessica didn’t seem to notice anything off, Stella smiled and played along. “Go ahead, give them to her. This is the only way she’ll trust you.
1/3
Chapter
“After all, we’re working together to deal with her, and having you as the undercover agent at her side is essential.”
“Alright, I’ve got a little time before work starts. I’m going to see her now,” Jessica said, practically bouncing with excitement to show off her work.
She wondered what she might be able to get from Noreen this time around.
‘If only she’d say yes to that request,’ Jessica thought, her mind running wild with hope.
“Go for it,” Stella said with a smile, watching Jessica leave, then turned and headed inside.
Stella always got to the office early, and right now, she was the only one in the design department. Sitting at her desk, Stella closed her eyes for a brief moment to recharge before diving back into her designs.
She planned to tackle the tiara for the jewelry exhibition first, before moving on to the Tear of Thorns collection. The source of thɪs content is ⓝovelFind.net
“Eclipsed Crown,” Stella whispered, thinking about Sylvia’s piece for the exhibition and feeling the competition heating up.
Her eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. “Let’s see whose work takes the crown, Sylvia-your Eclipsed Crown or my Auroral
Tiara.”
Yep, the Auroral Tiara. It followed the vibe of the earlier Kiss of Dawn set-a symbol of light, meant to last forever. It was clear Stella was planning to turn this into a full collection.
“Maybe you should take a break?” a voice suddenly said.
Stella jumped, startled. She turned to see Jeremy looking at her with a blend of concern and wry amusement. “Jeremy, why are you here so early?” she asked, confused.
“What do you think?” Jeremy teased, dropping into the seat next to her while rubbing his forehead, still groggy from getting up so damn early.
“You never even told me what really happened yesterday. If my secretary hadn’t given me a heads-up, I wouldn’t have known you were sitting here looking so beat up,” he said, obvious concern in his voice.
“Honestly, if I didn’t come check on you, I was seriously worried you might just pass out at your desk,” Jeremy added.
“I’m not-” Stella tried to protest.
But Jeremy interrupted, sounding dead serious. “Stop pretending you’re fine. I can tell. You need to go take a nap. Whatever you need to deal with can wait until you’re rested.”
“But the exhibition’s right around the corner. If I don’t keep pushing, I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish everything on time,” Stella said, worry etched in her voice.
If only she could, she’d gladly just curl up and catch some proper sleep for once.
“You’ve already got it all figured out, haven’t you?” Jeremy said, glancing at her unfinished sketches. “You just need to tell me the concept, the materials, and the style. I can handle the rest.”
“You?” Stella blinked, looking genuinely surprised.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his lips. “Come on, Stella, you don’t trust me to handle it?”
“Not really,” Stella shook her head. “But. since you started running Lumière Group, I haven’t heard of you designing anything in ages.”
Jeremy paused, a shadow flickering across his face. Truth be told, he was way busier than Stella.
2/3
The daily business operations, constant meetings, and corporate affairs left him no time to focus on design like he used to. Even if he tried to really focus, thoughts of Lumière Group would always sneak in, messing with his flow.
Jeremy had gone from being a jewelry designer to having his whole life wrapped up in running Lumière Group.
“Maybe I’m not quite what I used to be, but if it’s just about shaping the piece, and you handle all the clever tricks and secret details, that’s no big deal for me,” Jeremy said, acting casual.
Even though his tone was light, Stella could sense the underlying sense of compromise, and it stung her. If she hadn’t pulled Jeremy into this mess, maybe he would’ve been a famous jewelry designer by now.
“Alright,” Jeremy said softly, catching the look in her eyes.
With a genuine smile, he added, “Whether I’m designing or running Lumière Group, it’s all for the jewelry industry we love. It’s really not that different.”
Jeremy didn’t linger on the topic and quickly switched gears. “Just tell me everything you’ve got in mind. Then you’re heading straight to my office to rest-I even set up a private break room, just for you.”
“Okay,” Stella nodded, her expression turning serious as they got down to business. “For the Auroral Tiara, I’m planning to continue the style from the Kiss of Dawn duo I made a few days ago.”
“You’re building a collection?” Jeremy caught on instantly.
“That’s right,” Stella said without hesitation. “This jewelry exhibition is the perfect opportunity to promote the whole collection.”
If the Kiss of Dawn collection managed to steal the spotlight at the exhibition, then it wouldn’t even need any extra promotion. Once it was released, people would be scrambling to get their hands on it.