Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 59: The Person You Want to Bring Home to Meet Mom Is Him?
The rare sunny weather in the late autumn of Riveria let warm sunlight seep through thin clouds.
On the early flight from Crestfall to Riveria, Mrs. Sterling, Isla Sutton, gazed at the gradually clearer landscapes of Riveria’s water towns outside the window, her face full of anticipation.
She had a delicate insulated bag on her lap, containing crab roe soup dumplings freshly made by her maid in the morning, still steaming.
As soon as the plane landed, she eagerly switched on her phone to call Aidan. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"Hello, Mom?" Aidan seemed to be in a meeting, his voice low and deep.
"Aidan, I’ve arrived in Riveria! Send me Stella’s current address; I want to visit her right away." Isla Sutton’s tone was light, tinged with a bit of the excitement of surprising her daughter.
On the other end, Aidan was silent for two seconds, with a somewhat helpless tone, "Mom, why did you suddenly go there? You didn’t even mention it beforehand."
"What’s there to mention? If I’d told her, that girl would surely find an excuse not to let me come! I’m just going to take a quick look at her and bring her some food without disturbing her work!"
Isla Sutton lowered her voice, "I brought crab roe buns; she used to eat several at one go when she was little!"
Aidan rubbed his temples, knowing he couldn’t dissuade his mother, and reluctantly agreed, "I’ll send you the address on WeChat. Be safe and let me know when you get there..."
"Got it, got it! You get on with your work, I’ll take a cab there."
Isla Sutton cheerfully hung up the phone, received the address, grabbed the insulated bag, and hailed a taxi directly to Stella’s apartment.
...
At this moment, inside Stella’s apartment, the atmosphere starkly contrasted with the bright weather outside, like fire and ice.
Stella stared at Shane Donovan’s neck, which now bore fresh, ambiguous bite marks and red imprints.
The embarrassing memories of last night flooded her mind uncontrollably—
——Shane Donovan... you’re so handsome...
——Don’t leave...
She had turned over, pinning him beneath her, clumsily kissing his Adam’s apple...
Breaths intertwined in the darkness, hot skin pressed against each other...
Each image was like a heavy hammer, leaving her dizzy and her cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.
Shane looked at her flushed face, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
He leisurely pulled his shirt collar open slightly with his fingers, revealing the clear marks on his collarbone, the corners of his lips curling into a teasing smile.
"Counselor Sterling," his voice was low, tinged with a hoarse morning barrier and an indescribable magnetism, "Even if I know you fancy me, you shouldn’t solely target my neck... I have an important signing ceremony tomorrow, how am I supposed to face people?"
"I... I didn’t!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Stella sprang from the bed, stumbling as she got off, babbling to explain and deny any involvement: "I was drunk last night! I blacked out! I remember nothing!"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, "President Donovan, we’re all adults, this kind of thing... mutual willingness... no... no!"
"It was an accident... a complete accident! Let’s just pretend... pretend it never happened!" Her voice grew softer, almost a murmur by the end, as she dared not meet Shane’s eyes.
"How heartless," Shane chuckled, his laugh sounding like little hooks, tickling at one’s heartstrings.
He casually leaned against the bedhead, the morning light outlining the sharp lines of his profile, and despite his lazy demeanor, he radiated a potent air of dominance, "Counselor Sterling, your quick denial is even slicker than us business folk."
Stella’s face was so red it could almost bleed, a mix of shame and annoyance rendering her speechless.
"You need to leave now!" She pointed at the bedroom door, "And don’t mention last night again!"
Her brain was in utter chaos, aware that this wasn’t the right time to talk.
Stella grabbed the scattered clothes from the floor, tossing them to Shane, and seeing him slowly dress, she quickly moved to the door...
And as soon as she opened it, there stood Isla Sutton!
"..."
Stella’s mind went blank, like a bolt of lightning striking her from above!
Isla Sutton scanned her up and down, frowning slightly, "What’s got you so flustered, child? Where are you headed in such a hurry?"
Saying so, she naturally attempted to enter the apartment.
Stella’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively blocking the doorway, laughing awkwardly, "Um... Mom, I was just about to go downstairs to buy breakfast! Would you like to join me?"
She said, attempting to take Isla Sutton’s arm, trying to steer her away first.
But Isla Sutton remained still, her gaze swept over her daughter’s shoulder, taking in the slightly messy living room, finally landing precisely on the black suit on the sofa...
Isla Sutton’s expression instantly turned nuanced, teasing her with a smile: "Stella, tell Mommy the truth... Do you have someone hiding inside?"
"!!!"
Following her mother’s gaze, Stella saw the black suit, feeling dizzy, almost fainting on the spot.
"No!" She was so anxious her tongue was almost tied, "That suit... was sent by mistake from the dry cleaners!"
She babbled, trying again to steer her mom toward the door, "Mom, let’s go get breakfast quickly..."
However, just as she finished speaking and her arm just wrapped around Isla Sutton’s—
"Click."
A soft sound echoed, unusually clear in the silent living room.
All of Stella’s blood seemed to freeze at that moment, and she instinctively turned back—
Only to see the bedroom door open.
The three of them found themselves suddenly face to face, caught off guard.
The scene instantly descended into silence.
Time seemed to completely stand still at that moment.
The air thickened, utter silence engulfing the room.
Stella felt a surge of heat rush to her head, buzzing in her ears with only one thought left—let her die! Right now!
She hung her head low, wishing to curl herself into a ball, only revealing her reddened ear tips, as if they bore the words—"alcohol causes trouble!"
Shane was the first to react, his brief surprise vanishing instantly, and he lightly curled his lips, "Hello, Mrs. Sterling."
His deep voice slightly alleviated the bizarre awkwardness lingering in the room.
Isla Sutton also snapped out of her initial shock.
She scrutinized Shane Donovan for a moment, her gaze lingering briefly on the ambiguous red mark on his neck, a look of realization flashing in her eyes, followed by a meaningful smile on her face.
"Shane?"
Then, Isla Sutton turned her gaze back to Stella, grinning, "So... is he the one you wanted to introduce to your mom?"
"..."
Stella opened her mouth—but it was over.
Now, there was absolutely no clear explanation that could wash this away.
