Chapter 20
Some of the gifts Anthony had prepared could be found right away, while some could only be obtained by winning a game or solving a riddle. Stella spent a lot of effort and used every method she could think of. So far, she had only managed to collect seven gifts. They were items such as expensive jewelry, electronic devices, clothes, and so on.
After finishing a round at the drop tower, Stella plopped down on a bench listlessly to rest. She would not budge, no matter how long Anthony had tried to persuade or encourage her.
Eventually, Anthony left to buy some food to keep Stella energized.
Not long after Anthony walked away, someone reached their hands out from behind Stella and covered her nose and mouth with a cloth. Stella lost consciousness before she could even put up a resistance.
By the time she opened her eyes again, Stella found herself all tied up with a rope. She could not move a muscle.
A chilly wind was blowing. Stella noticed she was on a suspended board, which was secured to an extended structure found in a corner of the rooftop.
The suspended board creaked noisily in the wind. It sounded as if it might snap and fall to the ground at any moment.
When she looked down, Stella was so frightened that she shuddered and tried to back away. However, Ariana placed her foot on Stella.
She stared smugly and delightedly at Stella, who seemed quite miserable. Then, Ariana laughed hysterically.
“Stella Atkinson, you’re finally getting what you deserve. If it weren’t because you had slept with Jules for the last three years, he would not have chosen to abandon me instead and allowed others to scorn and ridicule me. It’s all your fault!”
Stella spat on Ariana’s shoe in disgust. She yelled furiously, “He left you because you betrayed him. What does it have to do with me?”
“You’re still denying it? We’ll see if you still have anything to say after I drop you and let you fall to your demise.”
Ariana gave her a little nudge with her foot. Stella was sent rolling forward slightly. It made the suspended board sway quite a bit.
Stella was filled with despair as she watched what was happening around her. Sadly, there was nothing she could do to stop Ariana from pushing her.
She wondered if she was going to die soon. If she were to fall to the ground from this height, would Ethan be able to recognize her once she arrived in the underworld?
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Stella also wondered whether Ethan would blame her for doing all those distasteful things during the past few years. She had even fallen for his younger brother.
Stella shut her eyes and waited for it to happen. Suddenly, someone kicked the door to the rooftop open.
Stella opened her eyes and looked toward the door expectantly. Yet, she found that the person who had shown up was Julian.
It was obvious Julian had run all the way here. He was covered in sweat and panting for breath. When he saw that Stella was being pushed to the edge of the suspended board, Julian shouted anxiously.
“Stop! Ariana, I’m here now Hurry and let her go!”
Ariana stopped pushing Stella upon hearing those words. Meanwhile, Stella was momentarily stunned. It appeared Julian was there to rescue her.
Ariana alternated between crying and laughing after seeing Julian. It was as if she were really in a disturbed state. She shouted angrily, “I knew it! You’ve fallen in love with her! Julian, how could you do this to me?
“We grew up together. You said you would make me your bride. Yet, how could you do this? You betrayed me and abandoned me!”
Julian felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest as he saw how Stella could fall from the suspended board at any moment.
AS
He bellowed fiercely, “So what if I’ve fallen for her? How dare you say these things about me after everything you did? I had, at most, fallen for just one person. What about you? You slept with more than a dozen men and still wanted to make me marry you? Dream on!”
“I don’t care! I did that because I was trying to get pregnant so that I could marry into the Chapman family. You have no idea how hard it has been for me!
”
Ariana screamed and leaped off the suspended board. She pounced on Julian and seized his throat in a tight grip. The two of them were engaged in a brief tussle.
The board shook violently when Ariana leaped off the structure. With a devastated look on her face, Stella closed her eyes since she could tell she was about to fall.
Surprisingly, she did not meet her end. Instead, Stella fell into a warm, familiar embrace. His tears brimmed over when Anthony saw Stella opening her
eyes.
“Anthony!”
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Stella circled her arms around his neck as various emotions surged through her. The two of them were extremely grateful that they were both still alive. They hugged each other tightly.
Just then, they heard someone letting out an agonized cry. Ariana had pushed the tip of a knife into one of Julian’s eyes!
