A little over half an hour later.
The car was back at Promontory Apartments.
Stella Sterling, though utterly drained, had to force a relaxed air as she said goodbye to Roman Rhodes.
"Mr. Rhodes, thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate you letting the tea set go. Let me treat you to dinner some time when you're free."
The man, legs crossed in his seat, looked up from his phone. He raised a brow nonchalantly. "When?"
Stella was taken aback. She stammered, "You… whenever's good for you. I'm flexible."
'Why is he taking a polite offer seriously?'
Then again, he did me a huge favor. Treating him to a meal is only right.
Stella stopped agonizing over it and added, "We can work around your schedule."
Roman Rhodes set his phone down and glanced at Brandon Coleman in the front seat.
Brandon Coleman immediately took the hint and recited from memory, "Mr. Rhodes, you have a meeting with the chairman of Solstice Corp tomorrow morning, followed by a port inspection in the afternoon. Next week, you'll be on a business trip to Coronet City. As of now, your only free time is today."
The man hummed softly, then turned his head to gaze at Stella.
Seeing it was almost noon, Stella didn't hesitate. "In that case… shall I treat you to lunch?"
Roman Rhodes glanced at his watch. "Let's make it dinner," he murmured thoughtfully. "I'll have Brandon Coleman pick you up."
Stella agreed readily. "Alright, Mr. Rhodes. See you tonight."
The automatic door opened.
Stella straightened the man's jacket and draped it over the center armrest.
She picked up the heavy combination case and prepared to get out.
Brandon Coleman was already standing outside the door. "Miss Sterling, let me help you with that."
Stella was about to decline, but Brandon Coleman had already taken the case from her.
Once they were downstairs, Brandon Coleman said, "Miss Sterling, the combination for the case is 0527. Also, take this."
"What is it?"
She looked down and saw two boxes of cold medicine.
'Well now, he's a good person, too. Worthy of a good-guy card.'
However, Brandon Coleman felt the need to clarify, "Mr. Rhodes told me to buy this for you. Please be sure to accept it, Miss Sterling."
Stella: "…" 'Good-guy card revoked.'
It was just two boxes of cold medicine; she wasn't going to be dramatic and refuse them.
She took them and walked into the building.
...
Inside, Stella leaned back against the door, completely spent.
After a moment, she dragged her heavy body over to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
The first symptoms of her cold were setting in: a headache, a runny nose, and a crushing sense of fatigue.
Stella wanted to take a nap, hoping it would help, but her mind was racing, making sleep impossible.
Her inner monologue went something like this:
'For example: Why is he playing along with me instead of calling my bluff?'
'And: Why did he have Brandon Coleman buy me medicine?'
'And also: He gave up the Tea Bowl so easily. Is he just a good Samaritan, or is it…'
The questions piled up, but unfortunately, none had answers.
To stop herself from overthinking and getting embarrassingly carried away with wishful thinking, Stella decided to keep busy.
A moment later, she called Ian Jarvis.
Stella was concise. "I have the Tea Bowl. Promontory Apartments. Bring the money."
A piercing shriek from the playboy heir nearly shattered Stella's eardrum.
Less than twenty minutes later, Ian Jarvis showed up at her door, dressed in a ridiculously gaudy outfit.
In the living room, Ian Jarvis was hugging the combination case like a priceless treasure.
If he weren't afraid Stella would punch him, he would have pulled her into a hug and planted a few kisses on her.
"Cousin, you're my savior! I love you to death!"
Stella, curled up languidly on the sofa, said, "The invoice is in the case. See how much it costs."
"This tea set is valued at seven million on the market," Ian Jarvis said confidently as he opened the case. "Even if it's more, it doesn't matter. I brought twenty million, so it's definitely enough."
Stella propped her chin on her hand, watching him and wondering if she should fleece him for a handling fee of a few million. 'It would be a nice contribution to my own fifty-million-dollar venture,' she mused.
Before the thought could even take root…
…Ian Jarvis let out a strangled cry, staring at the invoice.
Stella's heart clenched. "What's wrong?"
'Did it actually cost more than twenty million?'
Stella was just about to brand Roman Rhodes a black-hearted profiteer…
…when Ian Jarvis, looking like he'd just won the lottery, exclaimed, "Three million! Cousin, it's only three million!"
Stella feigned a calm "Oh," but inside, her thoughts were in turmoil.
'A four-million price difference… It can't be the wrong invoice.'
'Roman Rhodes granted such a huge favor right off the bat. How am I ever going to repay him?'
'Damn you, Ian Jarvis!'
Just then, Ian Jarvis asked a question that made Stella want to murder him. "This tea set… it's authentic, right?"
Stella's expression went blank. She leaned forward to grab the case. "It's fake. You don't want it."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I was just kidding!"
Ian Jarvis wasn't an idiot. Both the case and the invoice bore the exclusive logo of the Rhodes Family Museum.
There was no way it was a fake.
But the price difference was so huge, he couldn't help but be suspicious.
After a flurry of jokes and frantic apologies, Ian Jarvis finally managed to placate Stella.
Seeing she was sick and low on energy, he volunteered to go out and buy her lunch.
He returned with eight dishes and a soup—a gesture full of sincerity.
Stella found his presence exhausting and urged him to just transfer the money and go.
His wish granted, Ian Jarvis happily transferred the money—plus an extra million. "Cousin, I'm heading out! Call me anytime you need a drinking buddy."
Stella waved him away.
When the transfer notification buzzed on her phone, seeing the extra money brought her a sliver of comfort.
But…
She may have earned a million-dollar handling fee…
…but she had also incurred an intangible four-million-dollar debt to Roman Rhodes.
Stella pouted. 'It's still a net loss.'
...
Stella didn't leave her apartment all afternoon.
She chose a restaurant for the evening, took two cold pills, and collapsed into bed.
At four-thirty, a call from Brandon Coleman woke her.
Stella shook her head, the grogginess from her cold having eased slightly.
'Looks like the cold medicine is working.'
Not wanting to keep her "creditor" waiting, Stella hurried.
She quickly chose a form-fitting black dress, applied some light makeup to look less pale, and was downstairs in under fifteen minutes.
But when she got in the car, she found Roman Rhodes wasn't there.
Brandon Coleman proactively explained, "Mr. Rhodes had something come up. I'll take you to the restaurant first, Miss Sterling, and go back to pick him up afterward."
"That's fine," Stella said magnanimously. "He should take care of his business. We have a reservation, so there's no rush."
Before long, the car was pulling into Sovereign Harbor.
The restaurant Stella had chosen to treat Roman Rhodes to was a three-Michelin-star French establishment near Sovereign Harbor.
It boasted a renowned chef and offered an unbeatable view of the harbor.
More importantly, Stella had done her homework, specifically asking Brandon Coleman about Roman Rhodes's preferences.
According to Brandon, Mr. Rhodes was a frequent patron of this particular three-star restaurant.
Stella decided to simply cater to his tastes, which saved her time, effort, and stress.
After arriving at the parking lot, Brandon Coleman turned the car around to go pick up Roman Rhodes.
Stella walked unhurriedly to elevator number three.
While she waited, a voice from behind suddenly called out, "Stella Sterling?"
Stella turned at the sound of her name. Her expression cooled when she saw who it was. "What a coincidence."
It was an acquaintance from her Calderin social circle, one she wasn't particularly close with.
The woman's name was Natalie White.
Dressed in Chanel haute couture and carrying a classic crocodile-skin bag, she sashayed up to Stella. "Well, well. I was wondering where you'd gone. Turns out you ran off to Port Vesper to enjoy yourself."
Stella's lips twitched into a tight smile. She turned back to the elevator display. "Whatever fun I'm having, it could never compare to yours, Miss White."