Chapter 83

Haley stood stiffly beside Marc, trying to make sense of what Steven had said.

That outrageous compensation clause?Maybe-maybe-she could pull some strings with her father to cover it. But the rest? The cutting-edge tech Stella claimed to have?She had nothing.

Haley's expression soured. She squeezed Marc's arm like a vice and shot Stella a venomous glare.

"What new technology could you possibly have? Besides WAY2, what else is there? The Walsh Group already mastered WAY2. Don't talk big just to show off-you'll only dig your own grave."

Stella looked at her like she was watching a toddler throw a tantrum in public."WAY2?"she said, one brow raised. "Miss Smith,are

you sure that's the name? Because I think what you meant was WAY MORE-the upgraded version of the original WAY tech."

A hush fell over the small group. Haley's face flushed beet red. She'd gotten the name wrong in front of everyone-a painfully obvious sign she had no idea what she was talking about.

She was obviously big talk, a joke to everyone.

She clenched her fists but said nothing.What could she say?

Stella turned back to Steven, her voice calm and steady. "Mr. Harrison, WAY MORE dropped three years ago. It was groundbreaking at the time, sure-but three years is a lifetime in tech. If the Walsh Group is still peddling that, then that's honestly kind of sad."

Marc stared at her under the dazzle of the chandelier, momentarily lost. The light danced on her skin, but it wasn't just the

glow that struck him-it was her.

In the six months since she vanished, she'd transformed into someone else entirely.

She stood taller, spoke sharper, moved like a woman who no longer second-guessed herself. Stronger. Smarter. Untouchably radiant.

What had she been up to for the past six months? Had she really emerged with brand-new technology in hand?

Steven's gaze lingered, his interest sharpening into something more serious. His admiration for Stella wasn't just growing-it was cementing.

His smile deepened, and he turned back to Marc. "So,Mr.Walsh? Anything to add?"

Marc's lips parted, but no words came out.He had nothing. Stella had walked out with her patent, and the Walsh Group hadn't produced anything worth bragging about since.

Steven gave a light clap, as if the performance was over. "In that case, the project will go to Nebula. I trust you have no objections, Mr.Walsh?"

Marc stood frozen. He had just been publicly outmaneuvered. Again. He couldn't even deny it. He simply kept silent.

Stella didn't bother lingering either. She turned to leave without another glance.

But Marc, clearly out of his depth, scrambled after her like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline. "Stel-wait! Are you really working with Nebula? That company's brand new. It has no backing, no stability. You can't be serious."

She ignored him completely, walking as if he didn't exist.

Marc wasn't ready to give up. "Stel, don't do this. I know I messed up, okay? But you've been gone for six months. You've had time to cool off. Come home. You don't need to work for some unstable startup. Come back to the

Walsh Group. It's your company too. You're my wife."

At that, Stella stopped.

She turned around slowly, her tone razor-sharp. "First of all-I am not your wife.Second-Nebula, even as a brand new company,just beat your Walsh Group in a fair bid. And third-you're clinging to outdated tech like it's some kind of achievement. Let me remind you-you lost."

Marc's face turned a deep shade of crimson,but he swallowed his pride and tried again."Okay. Fine. Scold me all you want, I don't care. Just come back to me,okay? You want to stay at Nebula? Fine. I'll support it. I'll support anything. Just... don't shut me out like this."

Stella stared at him like he was speaking another language.

Before she could reply, Steven reappeared at her side and casually laid a hand on Marc's shoulder. "Mr. Walsh, I'm going to stop you

right there. We all know your wife disappeared six months ago. But that doesn't give you the right to claim a random woman as your spouse. That's called harassment."

Stella gave Steven a sideways glance,gratitude flickering in her eyes.

Marc clenched his jaw. "You're wrong. She's not a random woman. She's Stella Russell.I know my own wife-l'd never mistake her."

Steven let out a short laugh. "You must have incredible eyesight, then, because I'm pretty sure the name on that ID wasn't Stella Russell. It was Sylvia Gilbert. You still think they're the same person?"

That did it. The crowd, already whispering,broke out in a fresh wave of hushed giggles and scandalized murmurs.

"I heard about this. His wife left him after he cheated,right?"

"Men like him always come crawling back when it's too late."

"Didn't he show up with that other woman earlier? And now he's playing the heartbroken husband? Seriously?"

The remarks stabbed Marc from every angle,but Steven wasn't done.

"Mr. Walsh," Steven said coolly, voice carrying through the murmuring crowd, "a true gentleman doesn't harass a woman.Show a little class, will you?"

Marc froze. That one sentence pinned him to the wall harder than any slap.

If he kept pushing now, he wouldn't just lose face-he'd confirm every whisper in the room that he was nothing more than a possessive fool, clinging to a woman who no longer belonged to him. And in Choria's elite circles, reputations didn't bend-they shattered.

This would put Walsh Group in a bad light.

He glanced at Steven, jaw clenched so tight it could've cracked teeth. But the man standing before him wasn't just anyone-he

was Steven Harrison.

So Marc swallowed his pride, forced a stiff nod, then turned to Stella.

His eyes lingered-desperate, pleading, full of regret. But she didn't flinch. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the hall.

Haley, still reeling from the earlier humiliation, didn't dare stay a moment longer. She lifted her gown and scurried out after him. The spectacle was over. The ballroom slowly returned to its usual rhythm.

Stella let out a small breath and looked at Steven. "Thanks for stepping in just now."

Steven gave a lazy flick of his hand,lips curled into the faintest of smiles. "Don't thank me," he said, eyes twinkling. "I'm not the one you should be thanking."