Stella appeared calm and composed, but her back was soaked with cold sweat.
“Mom?” she asked while resolutely putting on a calm facade, perhaps because she was hiding
something.” What‘s wrong?”
“Nothing...” answered Wendy with a shake of her head. Stella‘s voice brought her senses back.
Sure that Stella must‘ve not known about how poisonous the oleanders were, she tried to warn her.
“That plant over there...”
Crash!
Before she could finish, a loud noise coming from the window interrupted her.
The two women jumped in fright. They hurried to where the noise came from and saw a black figure
crashing into the room from outside. The window had been broken in, and the floor was littered with
shards of shattered glass “Careful!”
Stella‘s split–second response managed to stop Wendy from getting hit by the flying glass.
Wendy was so spooked that her face turned white as a
sheet. She stood motionless and stared at the figure lying on the floor. “What... What on earth is going
on here...?” she asked in a daze.
There was a gaping hole in the windowpane that brought a biting chill into the room as a gust of wind
blew in.
As soon as Stella regained her senses, she quickly called out for the bodyguards. “I think he‘s one of
the workers outside,” she told Wendy, trying to calm her down. “He probably fell in accidentally.”
Stella noticed that the person wore a work uniform while holding a wrench, so she assumed he must be
one of the maintenance workers.
“Are you okay?” she asked him.
The man moved slightly and groaned before answering.“ I‘m... I‘m so sorry...”
He slowly propped himself up, revealing his large plump face.
“I‘m here to repair the air conditioner,” he explained. “I was installing an overhead unit when I slipped
and fell. I was only hanging on a steel wire, and I had no choice but to break the glass window and
lunge in...
The man went on to apologize profusely. There were still bloodstains on his face from being cut by the
glass. He picked up his peaked cap on the floor with shaking hands, all the while apologizing.
Seeing this, Wendy frowned but finally calmed down. “That‘s enough...” she said, but before she could
continue, she had to catch a breath when she felt a sharp pain in her heart.
Stella noticed that the man was swaying slightly as he stood, so she asked in a gentle voice, “Are you
hurt?” “No, no...”
The man waved his hands, still looking terrified.
“I‘m fine...” he reassured her. “I really didn‘t mean to break in through the window like that. I‘m really
sorry. I‘ll... I‘ll pay for the damages...
Stella walked to the window and glanced at the broken glass pieces before saying, “You were here for
repairs. Accidents happen. Make sure you don‘t slip again, and be more careful. Nothing‘s more
important than safety.”
“I—I’ll be more careful...”
The man did not expect Stella to treat him so kindly. He kept glancing at her several times, but he didn‘t
dare to look at her directly.
With his head hung low and his eyes darting around frantically , the hands that he kept behind his back
still trembled.
Wendy was already resting on the sofa as they waited for
the bodyguards to come and handle everything. Suddenly, her face turned terrifyingly pale. She
grasped at Stella, who was beside her, and said, “Stella , get my medicine...”
Stella turned around and noticed Wendy‘s blanched face. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead,
and her breathing was short and unsteady, as if she was getting out of breath
“Mom, what‘s wrong?!”
“Quick... grab my medicine!”
Wendy breathed laboriously. Her face slowly turned from white to blue, and her lips trembled. She
seemed to be in a lot of pain. At first, she was still holding onto Stella‘s arm tightly, but now her grip
was loosening...
“Mom!” Stella was starting to panic. “Are you okay? Where is the medicine?!”
She guessed that Wendy was probably suffering from some underlying disease, so she began
searching her body for the medicine.
Wendy pointed at the coffee table.
Stella instantly understood her meaning, so she rushed towards the coffee table and grabbed Wendy‘s
bag. She reached inside and took out a white medicine bottle.
“How many do you need?” she asked.
She speedily obtained a glass of water and placed it near Wendy‘s mouth before feeding her the
medicine as instructed.
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