My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 35: I Also Handle Divorce Lawsuits, and I Can Make Him Leave with Nothing
In the Sterling Family, no one liked cilantro.
Except for Stella Sterling.
And the reason Stella Sterling liked cilantro was because of Ariana Grant.
She first met Ariana Grant the year she turned twelve.
That year, autumn came unusually early to Aethelburg. The continuous rain was bone-chillingly cold, as if winter had arrived overnight.
On a day that cold, Ariana Grant, a girl about her age, was soaked to the bone. Her face was pale as she stood motionless on Crownfall Bridge, staring at the turbulent River Aethel.
Stella Sterling felt that at any moment, she might leap and vanish into the inky black water.
So, she walked over and held her umbrella over the girl.
"You don’t have an umbrella?"
Ariana Grant said, "I don’t have one."
She didn’t have an umbrella. And she no longer had parents.
Afterward, Stella Sterling shoved her own umbrella into the girl’s hands and made a pact to meet on Crownfall Bridge every Wednesday.
Their second meeting was on a clear night. The temperature had risen a bit.
Ariana Grant hadn’t brought an umbrella. When Stella Sterling arrived, she was still staring blankly at the River Aethel.
Stella Sterling said, "The wind is so strong by the river. Aren’t you cold? Why don’t we go for a walk? I just arrived in Westerfall and don’t know my way around. Let’s go explore, shall we?"
And so, on every free day that followed, the two girls, with Joel Joyce trailing behind them, passed by Silvane Palace, walked past City Hall, saw the jewel exhibition at The Westerfall Spire, and ate at a restaurant in The Sky Garden.
They sampled delicacies at Breyer Market, took pictures of the night view from King’s Way Bridge, and pretended to be Catholics at Glaston Cathedral.
The first time Ariana Grant coaxed Stella Sterling into trying cilantro, she avoided it like the plague. But later, cilantro became one of her favorite things.
But no one in the Sterling Family liked it.
Once, a housemaid added some cilantro to the beef stew as a garnish. Kiana Sterling disliked it immensely, and the maid was scolded by Ms. Jennings for a long time.
So, Stella Sterling never mentioned that she liked cilantro.
Of course, no one had ever asked her what flavors she liked.
To maintain her body’s various health metrics, Stella Sterling was only allowed to eat bland, healthy food.
The fact that she liked cilantro was something she had only mentioned once, in a letter to Ethan Rhodes, right after the maid was berated by Ms. Jennings over it.
She had mentioned it only that one time.
It was a passing remark, so insignificant that even Ethan Rhodes hadn’t remembered it.
When she was dating Ethan Rhodes, they went out to eat once. When the waiter came to ask if they had any dietary restrictions, Ethan Rhodes immediately said, "No cilantro."
Stella Sterling assumed he had long forgotten, or perhaps that he disliked cilantro himself, so she said nothing.
But now, the person revealing her love for cilantro was, surprisingly, Owen Rhodes.
Stella Sterling stared at him blankly and asked instinctively, "How did you know I like cilantro?"
Owen Rhodes’s movement paused for a brief, inexplicable moment before he returned to normal, pulling out a chair for Stella Sterling like a gentleman.
"I heard about it."
Silas Jacobs, sitting to Stella Sterling’s left, overheard their conversation and teased with a smile, "Well, look at you. Being a married man really changes a person."
Owen Rhodes shot him a cold glare.
After Stella Sterling sat down, Owen Rhodes added, "I don’t like green onions or garlic."
Hearing this, Julian Chandler’s eyes widened from the side.
’Since when does he not like green onions and garlic?’
’Have I been friends with a fake Owen Rhodes all these years?’
Only the head chef, standing by cluelessly, acknowledged the requests before heading out to prepare dinner. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Now, with only five people left in the private room, Owen Rhodes began to introduce them to Stella Sterling.
"Silas Jacobs, whom you’ve met. His business is mainly in the entertainment industry."
Silas Jacobs was actually dressed rather presentably today in a light gray suit. He wore no tie, and the top three buttons of his shirt were undone. He slouched in his seat, arm draped over the back of the chair. When he turned to face Stella Sterling, his collarbones and a faint outline of his pectoral muscles were revealed.
The small, delicate blue diamond stud on his earlobe and the two canine teeth that showed when he smiled—his whole person exuded a roguishly charming aura.
He was handsome, a real charmer.
He had the classic look of a "player."
Owen Rhodes glanced at him and said coldly, "Button up your shirt."
Silas Jacobs burst out laughing. "Whoops! My bad, my bad." As he buttoned his shirt, he said, "Beautiful painter, one of my little starlets didn’t know the rules and managed to piss off Rhodes. He’s still mad about it. How about you help me calm him down? The bastard only listens to you now. I’ll toast you with this tea in place of wine."
Stella Sterling understood at once. It must have been about the time Owen Rhodes announced he was married.
It had all started when a reporter asked him what he thought of the award-winning actress’s public confession of love.
She leaned closer to Owen Rhodes and asked in a low voice, "Are you angry?"
Owen Rhodes didn’t speak, which Stella Sterling automatically took as a yes.
Silas Jacobs added, "Of course he is. Catherine Linden had already landed a role in a major film production—the cast was even officially announced—but he insisted the crew replace the female lead at the last minute. That’s not something you can just do on a whim. Beautiful painter, do me a favor, will you?"
Stella Sterling instinctively looked at Owen Rhodes, but he had an air of being completely uninvolved, clearly not wanting to interfere.
’In that case, I’ll just play it by ear.’
’Besides, if I do something wrong, Owen will definitely step in and stop me.’
She cleared her throat, picked up her teacup, and adopted a serious tone. "Since President Jacobs is asking for my help, you can’t come empty-handed, can you? President Jacobs, you can’t expect something for nothing. Even blood brothers keep clear accounts. Give Owen Rhodes another two percent of the movie’s box office revenue, and I’ll grant you this favor. How about it?"
Silas Jacobs was stunned.
Aside from Owen Rhodes, he had known Stella Sterling the longest of anyone present. In his mind, she was still that otherworldly, ethereal fairy, detached from worldly affairs.
Who knew she wasn’t some ethereal fairy, but a savvy woman of the house!
’Look at that shrewdness!’
"Rhodes, you’ve really found yourself a good wife!" Silas Jacobs gritted his teeth under his breath.
He glanced over at Owen Rhodes.
His brows were arched high, his eyes soft, a smile playing on his lips—the very picture of a man delighted to be taken for a ride.
Stella Sterling wasn’t actually trying to get the two-percent share; she was just making a point. She raised her teacup to touch it against Silas Jacobs’s.
"I’m just kidding, President Jacobs, please don’t take it seriously. We don’t need the share. As long as you manage your artists well and make sure they don’t come bothering my husband, that’s enough. I’ll toast to you with this."
It was as if Silas Jacobs was truly getting to know Stella Sterling for the first time today.
He accepted with a laugh. "Rhodes, where on earth did you find such a fascinating woman! Beautiful painter, do you have any friends like you? I’m still single, you know."
Owen Rhodes shot him a cold look. "Don’t go corrupting them."
Then he turned to introduce the man on his right. "Wyatt Keating, a top lawyer at Argus Law, and also Kyros’s legal counsel. We’ve known each other since university—for more than ten years."
Stella Sterling filled her teacup and raised it to him. "Hello, Attorney Keating. I’m Stella Sterling."
Wyatt Keating raised his cup and gently tapped it against hers. He took a sip of tea, his phoenix eyes sharp behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
Barrister Keating spoke, "My team also handles divorce proceedings. If you ever need it, you can come to me. Getting half of Owen’s assets in a divorce won’t be a problem."
’Good lord, what kind of person brings up divorce at a get-to-know-you dinner...’
Stella Sterling looked at Owen Rhodes, at a complete loss.
Owen Rhodes’s expression was placid; he showed no reaction.
Wyatt Keating continued, "You’re aware, I assume, that you and Owen didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement. Therefore, all of Owen’s post-marital income is considered joint marital property."
Barrister Keating gave her a meaningful look and added, "Of course, if he is the party at fault, I can make sure he leaves with nothing."
