Chapter 389:

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Stella gazed at the unyielding door, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Was Matthew deliberately ignoring her, or was he genuinely not in the room?

She was about to press the doorbell again when a soft ding echoed from the elevator.

A surge of nervous energy propelled her eyes to the sound. Exiting the elevator was Matthew, much to her surprise.

For a moment, Stella’s mind went blank. She looked around for a place to hide, but failed.

Upon noticing Stella, Matthew seemed to doubt his eyes. A mixture of surprise and delight washed over him. He advanced towards her, hand outstretched as if to envelop her in a hug. But she took a reflexive step back.

Matthew’s features froze. Realizing she had perhaps been too quick to react, Stella wanted to explain herself.

But before she could speak, Matthew moved closer once more, this time successfully pulling her into his embrace. Stella was momentarily stunned.

Matthew nestled his face into the nape of her neck, taking a soft inhale, relishing the unique fragrance that was distinctly Stella.

Eventually, he lifted his head, his gaze intensely focused on her. «Why are you here so late?» he asked, his voice tinged with huskiness.

The question snapped Stella back to her purpose. She gently pushed Matthew away and regained her composure. «Let’s go inside first, then we can talk.»

Though puzzled, Matthew complied and used his keycard to unlock the door.

As it swung open, Stella entered, quickly surveying the space.

The room was as it appeared in the photographs.

Unoccupied, with no sign of anything unusual.

She turned to face Matthew. «Where were you just now?» Instead of taking umbrage, Matthew seemed almost pleased by her query. It meant that she cared.

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A slight smile played at the corners of his lips. «So you do care about me, don’t you?»

«You want to know why I’m here?» Stella pulled out her phone and tapped through her album. «I received photos of you with another woman. I came to check if the man in the photos was you.» She extended the phone screen to Matthew.

Ignoring the photos entirely, Matthew confessed without hesitation, «Yes, it’s me, but rest assured, nothing happened between us.»

His hand found Stella’s, and he looked into her eyes, his voice filled with conviction.

Matthew’s voice was calm and sincere. «Something happened to the project. The woman was sent to my room to set me up. I was sedated with sleeping pills, completely unconscious, unaware she was taking those photos to send to you. But I’ve already taken care of the issue.»

Matthew’s visible unease allowed Stella to exhale in relief.

She smoothed his furrowed brow and grinned. «I believe you.»

Matthew was emotionally moved by Stella’s trust in him. His hands gently cupped her face, his eyes fixating on hers, about to speak when his phone broke the tension.

The intimate moment was disturbed.

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