In her past life, her familial ties with the Sterling Family had already been severed. All her affection for them had been worn away by their actions, bit by bit, until nothing was left. Now, she felt no lingering attachment to them.
In fact, during the last few years of her previous life, she hadnāt seen the Sterling family at all. The apocalypse grew harder the longer it went on, and countless people fell along the way. She had no idea if the other members of the Sterling family were dead or alive.
To her current self, the Sterling Family were relatives she had only recently been reunited with. They hadnāt spent much time together, and they clearly favored their adopted daughter. The emotional bond was shallow. But to the self from her past life, the Sterling family were her enemies.
There was no need to be polite with them.
The only reason Stella Sterling was still entangled with the Sterling Family was to get some money out of them.
As expected, the disconnected call immediately came through again. She let it ring a few times before answering. This time, Mrs. Sterling got straight to the point. "Fine, if you donāt want to do that job, then donāt. Itās the family company anyway. Iāll have your father find you a different position next time. You havenāt been home in a while, have you? Come back today. We can all have dinner together as a family!"
"Alright, Iāll come back for dinner tonight!" Stella Sterling agreed crisply. "Is there anything else? If not, Iām hanging up!"
She hung up before Mrs. Sterling could reply. Glancing at the time, she saw it was about right, so she got her things together and drove her small, beat-up truck out the door.
ćThe Sterling Residenceć
Staring at the phone that had been hung up on her again, Mrs. Sterling was so angry she was speechless for a long moment. āThat girl is simply too much! Iām her elder, her mother, and she just hangs up on me like that! Just as I thought, not being raised by my side, her upbringing is severely lacking. Sheās nothing like Yara, who never causes me any worry.ā
With this in mind, she turned to the person beside her and said, "Yara, your sister agreed. Sheāll be back for dinner later. You can say whatever you want to her then!"
Mrs. Sterling felt very gratified. āYara is still the sensible one,ā she thought, ātelling me to call Stella back so the family can spend time together and build our relationship.ā
āThat girl Stella hasnāt spent much time with us,ā she mused, āand I canāt really manage her day-to-day. When she comes back this time, I need to have a good talk with her.ā
Yara Sterling didnāt hear her. Her brow was deeply furrowed. āWhatās going on? From the sounds of that call, thereās nothing wrong with Stella Sterling. But in the photos from yesterday, she was clearly beaten so badly. Even if she was lucky enough to survive, she should be in a hospital right now.ā
āDid that bald thug lie to me?ā
"Yara? Yara, whatās wrong?"
Yara Sterling looked over and saw Mrs. Sterling watching her with a worried expression. She smiled, stepped forward, and took Mrs. Sterlingās arm. "Mom, I was just thinking. When my sister gets back, I want to apologize to her for what happened last time. She wouldnāt have left the Sterling Family if it wasnāt for me!"
āRight now, everything is just speculation,ā she thought. āIn any case, Stella Sterling will be here soon. Iāll have to test her carefully then.ā
āI just hope the person who took the phone wasnāt Stella Sterling. Otherwise, Iāā
As Yara Sterling dealt with Mrs. Sterling, the worry in her heart did not lessen in the slightest.
Stella Sterling arrived at the warehouse she was renting and glanced at the time.
The timing was perfect. Not long after, several trucks pulled up in front of the warehouse. The rice shop owner had personally brought the delivery.
He hopped down from the truck and walked toward Stella Sterling with a broad smile. "Miss Sterling, the goods have all been delivered! You can check the count."
"Thank you for your hard work. Besides the rice I asked you to prepare for me before, Mr. Cheney, I have another business proposal for you. I wonder if youād be interested."