2
Ayana’s POV
Stellan stepped forward and helped me up, his eyes brimming with concern. Yet, beneath that tenderness, I caught the flicker of suspicion in his gaze.
“I just came downstairs,” I said softly, steadying my voice. “I wanted to talk to you about my brother.”
Swallowing down all the anger boiling inside me, I forced myself to appear as though I had heard nothing.
The lawyer, seizing the moment, quickly slipped out of the villa.
Stellan watched him leave, and then he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Darling,” he said gently, “I asked the lawyer about Jayven’s situation too, but…” His voice trailed off, and hesitation clouded his expression.
I looked at him without betraying my emotions, though sorrow welled in my chest. My voice rasped as I asked, “What is it? Is it that difficult?”
Stellan frowned deeply, and then he forced a smile.
“The evidence the other party presented is simply overwhelming. Even after consulting several lawyers, there’s no way to turn things around. And besides…” His eyes darkened. “Zella sent people to warn us. She said if you insist on suing, she’ll cut off your mother’s medication… and even have her thrown out of the hospital.”
As he spoke, he quickly reached out to steady me, as if afraid I would collapse from the weight of his words.
A sharp ache stabbed at my heart. I couldn’t stop myself from retorting, my voice biting, “Is Zella’s influence really so powerful? Stronger than you, the head of one of Alabama’s top financial groups?”
His expression stiffened. A bitter smile curved his lips.
“Darling, the company hasn’t been doing well lately. I truly can’t help it. It’s my fault. But if you push forward with the lawsuit, both your brother and your mother will suffer endlessly. I grieve for the child we lost, too… but please, just withdraw the case. Record a clarification video. Otherwise, I honestly don’t know what else I can do.”
Stellan had never shown weakness before me.
No matter what he faced in the past, he always carried the burden alone. He never once revealed such a vulnerable side.
But I knew the truth—Breitbart Corporation wasn’t in trouble at all.
All of this—his helplessness, his plea—was nothing but an act to make me withdraw the lawsuit. He was doing it all for the sake of protecting his precious first love.
How could he be so cruel?
I fixed my gaze on his eyes, unflinching.
His performance was flawless, even covering his face with his hand as though weighed down by grief.
If I hadn’t overheard the truth earlier, I might have been deceived. I might have been moved enough to give in and agree to withdraw the lawsuit.
But now…
I forced the words out from the tightness in my throat.
“Has it really come to this, Stellan? Zella killed our child. And you truly want me to withdraw the lawsuit?”
My voice trembled slightly.
A flicker of guilt flashed across his eyes, but in the next instant, he spoke without hesitation.
“Darling, I want revenge for our child, too. But right now, your brother and your mother matter more. I swear—when the time is right, I’ll make her pay for killing our baby. Darling, please… listen to me, alright?”
He coaxed me gently, pressing a phone into my hand.
“When you record the video, just say you fell by accident—that Zella only reached out to catch you.”
Eagerness glimmered in his eyes.
And at that moment, I finally understood. In Stellan’s heart, whether it was my brother, my mother, myself, or even the child we lost—none of us would ever compare to Zella.
I shut my eyes, despair washing over me. My voice came out hoarse.
“Fine. I’ll withdraw the lawsuit. I’ll record the clarification video. But it has to be seven days from now.”
His pleased expression froze instantly.
“Why seven days later?”
My hand drifted to my belly, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.
“Because I want… to at least mourn our baby for seven days.”
He probably saw the look on my face because guilt flickered again in his eyes.
“Alright. Seven days, then.”
With that settled, he drew me into his arms.
His embrace was still as warm as ever… yet I could no longer feel any sense of safety within it.
