Stella’s eyes narrowed as a realization struck her. “Is Robin. Robin Wheeler?”
Dexter gave a firm nod. “Yes, it’s Robin Wheeler.”
Stella hadn’t anticipated that this matter would entangle the Wheeler family. Her thoughts grew heavy as she considered the implications, wondering if Lindsay was involved or if this was solely Robin’s doing.
Snapping out of her contemplation, she addressed Dexter with resolve.
“Keep investigating. We need concrete evidence. If the evidence is strong enough, ensure they face justice. We can’t let them walk away from this.”
Dexter gave a brisk nod. “Understood.”
He hesitated for a moment before adding, “However, the investigation into the warehouse fire hasn’t yielded much progress yet. I’ll need more time to dig deeper.”
Stella’s frown deepened, her expression clouded with concern.
Frustration laced her voice as she said, “I didn’t think the warehouse fire would be such a tough nut to crack. Could it have been orchestrated by someone else? Who else might I have offended recently?”
Unable to piece the puzzle together, she sighed and instructed Dexter, “Keep investigating and inform me immediately if you uncover anything new.”
Dexter gave a sharp nod of agreement and prepared to leave.
As the workday came to a close, Stella decided to leave as well.
As they walked together, she shared details of her conflicts with Robin, hoping the additional context might aid Dexter in his investigation.
At the studio entrance, Fernando was already waiting in the driver’s seat.
He stiffened at the sight of Stella, deep in conversation with a young man. Concern flickered across his face as he instinctively glanced into the rearview mirror at Matthew, who was seated in the back. Fernando’s eyes sought to gauge Matthew’s reaction.
As expected, Matthew’s face was grim, his eyes clearly showing displeasure. Fernando wanted to speak up and explain things on Stella’s behalf, but Matthew cut him off with a cold command, “Drive.”
Left with no choice, Fernando fell silent, started the car, and drove away.
Meanwhile, after finishing her discussion with Dexter, Stella was about to ask if he needed a ride home when a sleek, high-end car suddenly sped by.
The car moved so quickly that she barely caught a glimpse of it. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if it might belong to the Clark family, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
Her reasoning was simple-while her relationship with Matthew had improved recently, it hadn’t reached the point where they were inseparable. Unless something urgent had come up, he wouldn’t go out of his way to come to her studio at this time.
Shrugging off the thought, she turned back to Dexter and asked, “How are you getting back?”
Dexter replied politely, “Mr. Lowell arranged a car for me.”
Then, after a brief pause, he offered, “Would you like a ride?”
Stella declined with a smile. “No need. You go ahead, and take care on the road.”