My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 56: Dreaming of Ethan Rhodes Means Bad Luck
Stella couldn’t describe how she felt. It was as if she were floating among the clouds, her very heart trembling.
And she hadn’t floated there on her own; Owen Rhodes had lifted her up.
Normally, floating in the sky should have been frightening.
But Stella wasn’t afraid, because she knew he would be there to catch her.
She didn’t know where this certainty came from, but she had an indescribable trust in Owen Rhodes.
She could hear his steady, powerful heartbeat, which seemed a little faster than usual.
Stella looked up, her gaze meeting Owen Rhodes’s deep eyes.
Those eyes seemed to hold something more tonight, looking deeper and darker than usual.
When she didn’t say anything, Owen Rhodes grew momentarily flustered.
He loosened his embrace slightly. "Did I scare you?"
Stella shook her head, still in his arms. Then she wriggled out of his embrace, scooted away, and pulled the blanket over her face.
After a long moment, she finally said in a muffled voice, "Okay."
Then, her voice still muffled, she added, "Good night, Mr. Rhodes."
Owen Rhodes ruffled her hair. "Good night, Mrs. Rhodes."
That night, Stella had a dream.
In the dream, there was a small room. The door faced a desk piled high with books and documents.
Someone was sitting at the desk, reading. The pages turned between his slender fingers.
He would occasionally read sentences from the book aloud. The voice she heard was Kieran’s, and it sounded a lot like Owen’s—so pleasant it was captivating.
When he finished reading at his leisurely pace, he picked up a pen and copied the sentences he’d just read.
Stationery was spread across the desk, and it looked very familiar to Stella.
She wanted to get closer for a better look—to see the paper, to see the book, to see the man.
Finally, the face slowly came into focus as if emerging from a thick fog. It was Ethan Rhodes.
The soundly sleeping Stella’s beautiful, almond-shaped eyes drifted open.
’Shit, a nightmare!’
It was a bad omen. She had a sinking feeling that the rest of the day was going to be horribly unlucky.
Despite the unsettling nightmare, Stella still slept for a long time.
By the time she woke up, Owen Rhodes had already left for the office.
After lunch, Stella got a phone call. She had commissioned a vase from a ceramicist at the Front Street Market, and they were calling to let her know it was ready to be picked up.
With nothing else to do, Stella decided to go pick it up shortly.
Before heading out, on a strange impulse, Stella sent Owen Rhodes a message to let him know: [Going to browse around the Front Street Market for a bit.]
Her original plan to visit the Front Street Market had been derailed by the sudden appearance of Ethan Rhodes and Kiana Sterling. Fortunately, Owen Rhodes had shown up in the nick of time, and she ended up picking another day to browse the market.
The Front Street Market really was a treasure trove. She had unearthed all sorts of little trinkets she loved there.
Her third-floor art studio was also nearing completion.
Just yesterday, in fact, Ken had been bugging her about the commissions from several of her high-paying clients, urging her to finish them as soon as possible.
Although the clients hadn’t set a firm deadline, Ken was an agent who planned ahead. If Stella didn’t finish her current workload, she wouldn’t be able to accept new commissions.
Ken wouldn’t stand for it, so Stella could only put him off by promising she’d finish them soon.
Once the studio was done, her work could get back on track.
All the necessary paperwork for her award-winning piece had been completed with Ken’s help. Next up was the exhibition.
Stella thought, ’Since this is the first time one of my paintings is being exhibited in such a prestigious venue, maybe I should make time to go see it in person.’
As all sorts of wild thoughts drifted through her mind, Stella drove toward the Front Street Market.
As she rounded a corner, her car was suddenly struck from behind.
The impact wasn’t severe, but it was enough to knock her head against the steering wheel.
She was still dizzy when someone tapped on her window. "Miss, are you all right? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
’I’ve been rear-ended...’
’I knew dreaming about Ethan Rhodes was a bad omen!’
She opened the car door and got out, her tone laced with complaint. "What’s your problem? Why would you just run into—"
Her words died in her throat.
’Oh, so it wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate.’
Joel Joyce walked up to her. "Second Miss, President Sterling has instructed me to take you home."
Meanwhile, the man who had just knocked on her window had already gotten into her driver’s seat. Without a word, he simply drove her car away.
"Joel Joyce, this is carjacking," Stella said coldly.
Joel Joyce remained expressionless, merely gesturing toward the open door of the car behind them.
"Second Miss, please get in the car. I’d rather not use force."
Stella gritted her teeth in anger. Of all the rotten luck, she had been so caught off guard when she got out that she’d left her purse and phone behind.
This stretch of road in Lanthos Bay had very little traffic, so there was no one to call out to for help.
She hesitated for just a moment, and Joel Joyce grabbed her, pulling her into the black van parked behind them.
Stella was trembling with rage. As Joel Joyce pushed her down into the seat, she swung around and slapped him hard across the face.
"You bastard, Joel Joyce!"
Joel Joyce lowered his gaze and said nothing. After fastening her seatbelt for her, he sat down in the seat beside her.
Stella was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
As the van headed for the Sterling residence, Stella was seething. She cursed at him the entire way.
"Joel Joyce, are you Chase Sterling’s dog? Do you just do whatever he tells you? How much is he paying you? I’ll double it!"
This time, Joel Joyce actually looked up at her. "And then? What would you have me do for you?"
Stella smiled, her voice laced with venom. "Let me beat the hell out of you."
Joel Joyce seemed taken aback for a second, but then he let out a soft chuckle.
’He must be crazy,’ Stella thought.
She didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive.
Stella had assumed that Chase Sterling was behind this whole charade. It wasn’t until she walked through the doors of the Sterling home that she realized the entire family was in on it.
This time, even Ethan Rhodes was present. The whole family was gathered, not a single person missing.
Stella walked up to them, her face full of contempt. "What’s all this? Still stewing over last night? Decided to have another go at it today?"
Gavin Sterling’s brow furrowed. "Stella, don’t think that just because Owen Rhodes feels indebted to you, I can’t do anything to you. I suggest you wise up while I’m still trying to be civil!"
"Be civil? Civil people don’t drag me here like kidnappers. If you have something to say, then say it. Don’t make this look like an interrogation."
Gavin Sterling nodded. "Fine. Then let’s start with this: where did that worthless husband of yours come from, and who the hell is he?"
Stella heard this and immediately knew his game. She scoffed. "Oh, did I ruin your plans for my strategic marriage? Are you lashing out because you’re embarrassed?"
Kiana Sterling, standing to the side, gently admonished, "Stella, don’t say that. Dad is just concerned about you."
"Concerned? You’re welcome to this kind of concern. Do you want it?"
Kiana Sterling immediately bit her lip, looking utterly pitiful.
The sight made Madeline Jennings’s heart ache for her. "Stella! Have you got rabies or something? Biting everyone you see!"
"Go ahead and assume I do. But I only bite dogs."
