My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 28: Who Said Owen Rhodes Was Unfeeling?
The next second, a video call from Ariana Grant came blasting through.
Ariana was shocked. "Stella Sterling, are you serious? No way!"
She quieted down to think for a moment, then began to counsel her earnestly, "It was a flash marriage, after all. Maybe he’s just a little shy? Don’t jump to conclusions. Why don’t you try again?
"Let me tell you, a major reason for unhappy marriages these days is problems with one’s sex life. Keep an eye on him. If he really can’t perform, ditch him and find someone else. Don’t worry, I’m rich. I guarantee I can find you ten or eight guys who can satisfy you."
It was only then, hearing Ariana’s dead-serious tone, that Stella belatedly realized what she had just sent.
She quickly waved her hands and explained, "Ah, that’s not what I meant! Ariana Grant, don’t get the wrong idea!"
The lighting was poor, so Ariana couldn’t see clearly through the video call, but she could vaguely make out Stella’s beet-red face.
She narrowed her eyes like a fox and teased, "Stella Sterling, why is your face so red? If it’s true, that’s his problem. What are you blushing for?"
Stella had recently been trying to learn how to be "bad," wanting to do all the things she had never done, never dared to do, or was never allowed to do before.
But after being so well-behaved for so many years, she couldn’t learn it in a day, even with a sincere desire to be bad.
She had only learned the superficial basics from Ariana.
She wanted to emulate Ariana’s suave flirtatiousness, so she learned a few words, but she’d blush the moment she said them, ending up with a clumsy imitation.
Stella’s lips moved, but no sound came out. She looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
Ariana guessed it. "Don’t tell me you two haven’t done anything? What are you doing at night then? Just chatting under the covers?"
Stella stammered, "We just... sleep... under the covers."
"..."
Ariana fell silent.
A few seconds later, she spoke up. "Stella Sterling, I’m starting to doubt your judgment."
Stella hadn’t closed her door, so she didn’t notice when Owen Rhodes pushed it open and came in.
Blushing, Stella looked away, completely missing that Owen had appeared in the camera’s frame.
Not until Ariana, on the other end of the call, pointed at the space behind her. "Ste... Stella Sterling, is-is-is that Owen Rhodes behind you?"
Stella whipped her head around.
She’d learned her lesson this time and frantically mashed the ’end call’ button.
The phone vibrated wildly in her hand.
Owen looked down at her, his gaze a little heavy. "Why is your face so red? Are you not feeling well?"
Stella quickly shook her head and changed the subject. "I’m ready. Let’s go eat."
Owen was silent for two seconds before saying, "Are you very hungry? If not, let’s wait a few more minutes and have the family doctor take a look at the injury on your shoulder first."
Stella’s thoughts pulled away from ’sexual indifference’.
In the time it took her to take a shower, Owen had actually called a family doctor to the house.
All because she didn’t want to go to the hospital.
’Who on earth said Owen Rhodes was cold and unfeeling?’
’He’s clearly such a gentle person.’
She nodded. "I’ll listen to you."
"I’ll listen to you"—those four simple words pleased Owen greatly.
The family doctor was a woman. She came in to examine the wound on Stella’s shoulder after Owen left the room.
Although she had only been grazed by the tip of the cane, Gavin Sterling hadn’t held back. A bright red bruise stretched across her shoulder, and where the blow had been heaviest, small, sporadic pinpricks of blood surrounded the mark.
When the doctor applied the medicine, even the slightest pressure sent a stinging pain through her.
The doctor left her with some final instructions: "It’s not particularly serious. You can apply an ice pack to the injury for fifteen minutes at a time, once every two hours."
Only after hearing the doctor’s words was Owen finally able to relax.
After dinner, Owen first watched over Stella as she iced her shoulder for fifteen minutes, then went to the study to handle his work.
When Tate came looking for her, Stella was furtively curled up on the small sofa by the master bedroom window, researching "sexual indifference."
Tate stood outside and politely knocked on the open doorframe.
Stella was spooked now. She no longer dared to leave her door ajar; she left it wide open instead.
The spot where she sat was directly facing the door, so she would see Owen the moment he arrived.
Her calls with Ariana were really not very "pure," and she was afraid Owen would overhear something strange again.
Tate said, "Ma’am, would you mind if I helped you organize your clothes?"
Stella had nothing to do at the moment, and reading about sexual indifference was making her feel both embarrassed and flustered. ’I’d better do something else.’
"I’ll do it myself."
When she walked into the walk-in closet, she discovered that half of it was empty, while the other half was filled with Owen’s shirts, suits, and coats, all arranged by color and type.
Tate smiled and secretly divulged to Stella, "Just now, Sir specifically asked me to clear out space in the closet."
Stella’s lips curved into a smile.
’Owen really is a very thoughtful person.’
「Meanwhile.」
After Stella left, Kiana Sterling claimed her engagement ring was missing and even suspected Stella of secretly taking it.
Hearing this, Madeline Jennings froze for a moment, then frowned. "Have you looked everywhere carefully?"
Kiana hadn’t expected this reaction from Madeline, and the expression on her face faltered for an instant.
Madeline doted on her. To put it dramatically, she was practically at Kiana’s beck and call, which was why Kiana had become less and less guarded in front of her.
Now, she was making her suspicion of Stella plain, but Madeline hadn’t taken the bait. Instead, she had first asked if Kiana had searched carefully.
At least for that one moment, Madeline’s gut feeling was that Stella wouldn’t do such a thing.
Kiana dug her nails into her palm, a look of anxiety on her face. She nodded. "I’ve looked. The ring is gone... Mom, no one has touched that ring but me. The engagement party is almost here. What if we can’t find it?"
Madeline frowned, lost in thought.
After a moment, she patted Kiana’s hand soothingly and led her back to her own room. "Don’t panic. Go look carefully one more time. You might have overlooked it in your haste. I’ll go ask Stella for you later. Okay, no more crying now. Come on, let’s go put something on your face."
It was, after all, Stella’s first time slapping someone. It was all thunder and no rain.
It looked impressive, but her hand was actually trembling a little as she swung.
Kiana’s face looked red, but Stella’s three slaps didn’t have nearly the same destructive power as Madeline’s single one.
Madeline had a maid bring an ice pack and sat beside Kiana, personally applying the cold compress for her.
Kiana sat obediently, but her expression was anything but cheerful. She bit her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.
Madeline knew her well. The slightest twitch of Kiana’s brow told Madeline her mood.
"What is it? Is there anything you need to hesitate about with me?"
Kiana frowned, looking conflicted. "Mom, what kind of person is Owen Rhodes?"
Madeline frowned. ’How would I know?’
"Why are you asking that?"
Kiana said in a low voice, "Mom, what if Owen Rhodes is the type of person who values relationships deeply? And Stella doesn’t like me. Do you think... she might say something to him? Maybe I’m just being petty," her eyes reddened again, "but Mom, I really want to marry Ethan. If Stella says something to Owen, do you think he’ll help her out of a sense of gratitude?"
