The conference officially began at ten o'clock sharp.
The long, tedious content of the meeting made Stella Sterling drowsy.
Less than an hour in, Stella hunched over and slipped out quietly from the back row.
Next to the main conference hall was a break room.
Stella asked a staff member for an Americano and downed more than half of it in one go.
Her mind cleared and refreshed, Stella stared at the door to the break room as if she had PTSD.
'The meeting is in full swing. Roman Rhodes can't possibly drop from the sky again, right?'
The door opened, and conference attendees filed in one after another.
Brandon Coleman was at the front, with Roman Rhodes behind him, accompanied by representatives from the event organizer.
The crowd surrounded the man as he walked to the lounge area, their words full of praise for the Rhodes Harbor Group's recent contributions to The Grand Delta.
Compared to her previous frantic encounters, Stella was now more seasoned. She calmly accepted this 'arrangement from the heavens.'
It was a mid-conference break; coming to the break room for a rest was perfectly normal.
After giving herself a little pep talk, Stella picked up her document bag and prepared to head back to the conference hall.
After a few steps, she unintentionally brushed past an attendee from another company.
A low cry reached her ears. "Stella? You..."
The voice was vaguely familiar.
Stella raised an eyebrow and looked. It was indeed an acquaintance.
It was her ex-boyfriend, Justin, who, despite their recent breakup, was already dead and buried in her mind.
After a moment's thought, Stella vaguely recalled that he worked for a major internet company that focused on online game development.
Stella nodded, having no intention of catching up with him.
A proper ex should be like a widow to the other—respectfully silent and not at all disruptive.
But Justin, it seemed, did not share this sentiment.
He scanned Stella from head to toe, then lowered his voice. "I've already made myself very clear. What's the point of pestering me like this?"
Stella: "?"
'The nerve of this guy.'
God knows that brush of their shoulders just now was the most intimate contact they'd had since they met.
Stella's eyebrows lifted slightly, her eyes holding a faint, feigned confusion. "Excuse me, you are...?"
Justin's expression changed in a flash, putting on a live performance of Sichuan-style face-changing.
"Stella, stop pretending." Justin tilted his chin up slightly, his eyelids lowered in a condescending posture. "Whatever you want to say, I'll give you one chance to say it all."
Stella rolled her eyes at him. "Do you own a theater or something? You're so dramatic."
With that, she turned to leave.
But Justin wouldn't let it go, convinced that Stella was just putting on a brave face. "Stop acting. Didn't you follow me all the way here to..."
"Miss Sterling, excuse me."
Brandon Coleman's voice cut in abruptly.
Seeing the familiar face of Brandon Coleman, Stella instinctively scanned the surroundings for any sign of Roman Rhodes. It had truly become a conditioned reflex.
"Hello, can I help you?"
Brandon Coleman took a step and gestured to the side. "Mr. Rhodes would like to see you."
In the sofa area diagonally across from them, Roman Rhodes sat leisurely, one long leg crossed over the other, sipping his coffee.
Despite the bustling, noisy break room, the seats next to him were empty, and no one dared to approach and disturb him.
It was as if he was surrounded by an invisible barrier that repelled strangers, insulating him from all the restless clamor.
Stella walked over, her expression as normal as she could manage. "Mr. Rhodes, you were looking for me?"
Roman Rhodes lifted his gaze, his eyes first landing on Brandon Coleman.
The latter, knowing he was in the wrong, shrugged and tried to make himself as small as possible.
In truth, what Mr. Rhodes had actually told him to ask Stella was: "Do you need any help?"
Brandon Coleman had really taken matters into his own hands.
Roman Rhodes didn't question him, though. He set down his coffee cup with his well-defined fingers, his deep voice clear and resonant. "Were you having trouble just now?"
Stella was surprised by his keen observation. Their brief interaction must have looked like a confrontation to an outsider.
"A small one, but thank you for getting me out of it, Mr. Rhodes."
A corner of Roman Rhodes's thin lips tilted up. The sharp, deep lines of his profile softened with an almost imperceptible warmth. "You're welcome."
Stella pressed her lips together, stealing a glance at the man's profile. She thought awkwardly, 'Setting aside all the times I've embarrassed myself in front of him, he's actually a pretty good guy. A warm-hearted person, at the very least.'
The man just labeled "warm-hearted," Roman Rhodes, flipped through two pages of his documents and glanced sideways nonchalantly. "Is there something else, Miss Sterling?"
Stella froze, then forced a smile. "No, please, carry on. I won't disturb you."
'I must have been blind to think he was warm-hearted.'
'He was the one who called me over, and now he's the one shooing me away.'
Maintaining her composure, Stella prepared to grab her bag and leave.
Roman Rhodes raised his eyes slightly, his gaze resting on the soft flesh of her clenched jaw. A small smile played on his lips. "The conference hall is crowded and chaotic. If you run into any more trouble, you can find Brandon Coleman."
Taking the hint, Brandon Coleman stepped forward. "Miss Sterling, my phone number is on my business card. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."
As the saying goes, you don't slap a smiling face.
Especially not with Stella's personality—she responded to kindness, not coercion.
She accepted Brandon Coleman's business card, said her thanks, and hurried away.
After Stella left, Brandon Coleman stole a glance at his boss's expression, his heart pounding with anxiety.
'Oh no, it seems my attempt at reading the boss's mind backfired spectacularly.'
Brandon Coleman's eyes darted around. 'If I confess my mistake proactively, will the punishment be lighter?'
With that in mind, he leaned forward and bowed his head. "Mr. Rhodes, I..."
Roman Rhodes raised a hand, his low, cool voice laced with a warning. "Don't overstep in the future."
A cold sweat broke out on Brandon Coleman. "Yes, Mr. Rhodes."
...
After the mid-session break ended, Stella returned to the conference hall.
This time, she was determined to stay put in her chair, no matter what happened.
As long as she stayed firmly planted in her seat and went nowhere, she wouldn't run into any more troublesome people.
The morning session of the conference ended at exactly twelve o'clock.
Lunch was a buffet on the third floor, offering a wide variety of choices to cater to different regional tastes.
Stella filled her plate with some specialty dishes and picked up three desserts. As she was getting some juice, the bun on top of her head suddenly bounced twice.
Stella shook her head, covering the back of it as she looked left and right.
A voice from behind her said, "Over here."
Stella glanced back, and their eyes met.
The man had his hands behind his back and was about thirty years old.
He wore a staff ID on his chest and was smiling like a crafty old fox.
Stella eyed him warily, then suddenly shoved her juice cup into his hand. "I'm not going home, so don't try to convince me. We've never met." With that, she turned and scurried away.
The old fox chuckled. "Heh."
'So she's out here 'experiencing life' to the point she won't even acknowledge her own people, huh?'
Stella wandered aimlessly through the dining hall with her tray. She finally found a relatively empty area and sat down at a vacant table.
Stella poked at the cake in her bowl, sighing.
'Calderin is too small. How can I run into people I know everywhere?'
"Um, Miss Sterling."
'Another acquaintance.'
Just then, Brandon Coleman was standing by the square table, holding his utensils and looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
Stella absently shifted her own tray to the side. "Go ahead and sit. It's empty."
Brandon Coleman opened his mouth, then, with his gaze lowered respectfully, placed the utensils on the table across from Stella.
Then, he stepped aside and called out deferentially, "Mr. Rhodes."
The mousse cake in Stella's bowl instantly shattered.
The sound of steady footsteps approached from behind her and to the side. A dark shadow passed by, bringing with it an aura so powerful it was impossible to ignore, and sat down across from her.