Page 43 of King of Rage

A beat of silence passed.

“So why are you still not coming back to me?”

***

Stella walked out of the meeting room at the Frost Hotel surrounded by several of her business partners, all of whom had gathered to discuss the proposed deal with Frost Group.

She hadn’t known what was happening until she arrived that day. Only then had she discovered that everyone had already agreed to Frost Hotels’ expansion plan, which would bring Lucius into her hotel business and give Frost Hotels a stake in every one of her properties across the country and overseas.

With the benefits so substantial, the partners had accepted the proposal without much hesitation.

Stella, however, had gone through the entire agreement, searching for even one reason to reject it. She didn’t want to be associated with Lucius in a professional capacity, but there had been nothing she could object to. Everything was crystal clear, and the terms were so overwhelmingly favorable to her business that she couldn’t find a single valid reason to refuse the deal.

Her body stiffened as she stepped out of the meeting, her soft silk blouse tucked into a high-waisted, knee-length A-line skirt. The elegant yet understated outfit gave her a polished, professional appearance without seeming overly formal. Her low heels clicked against the polished floor as she hurried away.

‘When I told you that my café had won a competition, you literally pushed me aside and stormed off. And now you’re investing in my café?’

Her brows drew together as confusion and anger warred inside her.

‘What exactly are you after, Lucius?’

She glanced down at her phone as she stepped out of the elevator. The screen displayed Friday for a brief moment, reminding her of the arrangement she had made with Lucius.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

She remembered the deal they had made, and her expression tightened. For a moment, she stood there, troubled by the thought of seeing him again. Then, after considering it, she unlocked her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and dialed Shane’s number.

He answered a few moments later.

“I might come home late tonight,” she told him. “Don’t wait up. You can go to sleep.”

“All right. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, feel free to call me,” Shane replied.

“Of course.”

Stella ended the call and drew in a deep breath, forcing the frustration from her expression. She didn’t want to remain upset over something that, in the end, had benefited her business. The only reason she resented the deal was because it meant working with Lucius.

She started toward the hotel’s exit, intending to go to his house.

She had barely taken a few steps when her gaze landed on a familiar woman walking through the lobby with a young woman beside her.

Jennifer Frost.

Lucius’s mother.

Stella recognized her immediately. She had seen Jennifer in several photographs before, and the woman beside her was unmistakably Catherine Winters, the woman Lucius was rumoured to be involved with.

Stella’s steps faltered.

Nearby, a group of waiters hurried past, speaking among themselves. One of them glanced toward Jennifer and Catherine before leaning closer to the others.

“I can’t believe Mrs. Frost is already planning Miss Winters and Mr. Frost’s wedding,” one of them whispered. “They’ve already chosen the food and the cake for the reception. It shouldn’t be long before they get married, right?”

The others nodded, their faces bright with excitement as they continued watching the two women.

It seemed as though everything had already been arranged, and they were simply waiting for the wedding to take place.

Stella was already anxious, but the moment she heard the waiters’ conversation, the anger she had been trying to suppress doubled.