My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 71: I Like You, I Like You Very Much
Under Owen Rhodes’s slightly surprised gaze, Stella Sterling had the dawning realization that she might have admitted it a little too easily.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, descriptors like "good-for-nothing" and "the obscure third young lady of the Sterling Family" were a better fit.
Stella Sterling had no intention of publicizing the fact that she was actually quite talented and had secretly won an international award under an assumed name.
She hurriedly added, "No one knows about this. You have to keep it a secret for me, okay?"
Only after she said it did Stella Sterling realize she was, without knowing it, starting to trust Owen Rhodes more and more.
The surprise in Owen Rhodes’s eyes was fleeting, replaced by a gentle warmth that suffused his deep gaze. "Mm, rest assured."
Although it was just a simple verbal promise, the moment Owen Rhodes said it, she believed him.
This baseless trust had no logical origin; she just felt a profound sense of security and never once doubted that Owen Rhodes would break his promise.
Owen Rhodes placed her empty bowl and spoon on the tray, then casually brought it up. "So, Stella quietly won an international award?"
Stella Sterling rubbed the tip of her nose with her finger, wondering how to explain, when Owen Rhodes’s large hand reached over and gently tousled her hair.
"That’s wonderful! Our Stella has always been one to bide her time, but when she finally makes her move, it’s a spectacular one."
Owen Rhodes’s words might have sounded like something one would say to praise a child, but Stella Sterling found them incredibly comforting.
She relaxed, letting Owen Rhodes ruffle her hair as she began to speak with a smile about her life as an artist.
"At first, painting was purely an emotional outlet for me. I didn’t know anything back then; I just chaotically piled colors onto the paper however I wanted. The first time I realized I might be different was when Kiana saw one of my paintings and couldn’t perceive the subtle differences in color. It was only after that I realized I might have a gift."
Some people may go their entire lives without discovering their own strengths. For Stella Sterling to have discovered her unique talent in that environment was both a blessing and a curse.
She later tried to study painting systematically, but Ms. Jennings had no intention of fostering her talent.
It was only because Kiana expressed an interest in learning to paint that Ms. Jennings sent Stella along to the art classes as well.
And so, painting became the one and only thing Stella Sterling had to fill her otherwise tedious life.
"After my coming-of-age ceremony, I went back to Portmere with Ms. Jennings. Kiana’s health had improved by then, so I had a lot more relative freedom. While I was out for a walk one day, I discovered a general store about two streets from where we were living."
Unlike a typical general store, this one had many unknown artisans and painters who would leave their works there to be sold on consignment.
As it happened, it was inconvenient for Stella Sterling to keep her finished paintings at home, so she started taking her own art there for consignment from time to time.
Perhaps she was just lucky, but nearly every painting she brought in was sold. The prices weren’t high, but Stella Sterling was still thrilled.
It was proof, at the very least, that someone out there appreciated her art.
She was already content with just selling a painting at the general store every now and then.
Perhaps her hidden talent was truly starting to shine, because after a while, a gallery actually contacted her through the store owner, hoping she would send her paintings to them to be exhibited and sold.
And that’s how Stella Sterling began her years-long collaboration with the Moore Gallery.
Although she has never met the gallery’s owner, the manager told her that their boss greatly admired her work and always prioritized recommending her pieces to potential buyers.
Thanks to the exhibitions at the Moore Gallery, Stella Sterling gradually built a name for herself, eventually leading to private commissions.
The income from the gallery and her commissions allowed her to, without even realizing it, accumulate a sum of savings that was, in her eyes, quite substantial.
"This money might be nothing compared to your fortune, but it’s more than enough to cover my own daily expenses."
As she spoke, Stella Sterling raised her left hand, showing him the wedding ring. "See? I might not be able to afford a pink diamond ring that expensive, but I do have enough money to buy a matching pair of wedding bands."
Her tone held a hint of unconcealed pride.
Owen Rhodes watched her with a gentle expression, his deep gaze filled with admiration, gratification, and a touch of heartache.
His Stella Sterling wasn’t a canary in a gilded cage, nor was she some pampered heiress with an empty title. She had the ability to build the life she wanted for herself.
He knew exactly what those savings meant to Stella Sterling.
It wasn’t just money she had earned; it was the foundation of her independence, her confidence to not be controlled by the Sterling Family or anyone else.
For years, to make her easier to control, Madeline Jennings had given her almost no money, forcing her to submit to the Sterlings’ authority.
And having these savings was her first step toward breaking free from that control.
Stella Sterling had always been on the path to freedom, taking each difficult yet determined step forward.
A stir went through Owen Rhodes’s heart. On some strange impulse, he caught Stella Sterling’s hand as it hung in the air, his thumb gently stroking the ring on her finger.
"Stella, these wedding bands are the best gift I’ve ever received."
The way he held her hand was so tender that Stella Sterling stared at him, stunned, feeling the heat slowly rise in her cheeks.
Owen Rhodes said, "You’re the bravest girl I’ve ever met."
As his words faded, a kiss landed on her forehead.
Stella Sterling blinked, bewildered and flustered, and her gaze accidentally met Owen Rhodes’s smiling eyes.
The pads of his fingers gently caressed her burning cheek. "Stella, there’s something I forgot to tell you."
Stella Sterling felt as if she were floating again. Each and every word from that familiar voice seemed to drift in one ear and out the other.
She asked in a daze, "What?"
"I like you. I like you a lot."
Stella Sterling’s mind went blank again.
"Why... all of a sudden..."
"It’s not sudden," Owen Rhodes corrected her. "If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have proposed. Stella, no one can force my hand in marriage. Choosing you was a choice from my heart. There was no other reason."
The words slowly deconstructed and reassembled in her mind, repeating over and over until they finally formed a meaning she could comprehend.
Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes widened even further.
She had considered many possibilities for her marriage to Owen Rhodes, and had silently accepted most of them, but she had never once imagined this one.
’Then what about that unspeakable "past" of his?’
"You... Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"
Owen Rhodes gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "To stop you from avoiding me."
"..."
’Great, just great. He knows!’
Stella Sterling, who thought her actions had been seamless, asked, "How did you know?"
Owen Rhodes let out a laugh. "You’re just rushing to meet a deadline, not putting your entire life on hold. Even if you have to pull an all-nighter to paint, you wouldn’t resort to sleeping in the art studio, would you?"
Stella Sterling averted her gaze. "Well, I was just afraid I’d disturb your rest."
Owen Rhodes curled a finger and gently flicked her on the forehead. "I can’t rest well at all when you’re not there."
With that, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. "This feeling isn’t just your burden to bear anymore. Can you please stop fighting this chaotic battle all by yourself, Miss Stella Sterling?"
This feeling was no longer her solitary turmoil, but a love shared between two hearts.
