Outside, Bella’s eyes were drawn to their old favorite storefront, now alive with activity, likely the renovation team hard at work.
Stella barely registered the commotion, focused on leading Bella away.
ALL of a sudden, a voice sliced through the air.
Turning, they spotted Lindsay in a wheelchair, a servant slowly pushing her forward. A smirk played across Lindsay’s face as she said, “What a coincidence.”
Her tone bristled with arrogance, setting Stella and Bella on edge.
Lindsay continued, “I’m here for store renovations. Didn’t expect to bump into you, Stella. What’s your business here?”
Stella locked eyes with her, now piecing together Fernando’s reluctant hints about the storefront’s location.
It was clear her first-choice commercial space had been earmarked for Lindsay.
Maintaining her composure, Stella replied evenly, “The same, store renovations.”
Lindsay’s smirk wavered. Her gaze flickered to the shuttered storefront nearby.
The size and prominence of that location dwarfed hers, igniting a spark of jealousy and frustration in her eyes. Her attempt to outshine Stella had crumbled.
Stella had no desire to linger on Lindsay’s drama and motioned for Bella to leave.
Just then, a group of children scampered past, their laughter ringing out. Stella, concerned they might collide with Bella, instinctively stepped in to shield her.
In the chaos, Stella was jostled, and her bag tumbled to the ground.
After ensuring Bella was unharmed, Stella gathered her spilled items and quickly departed with Bella.
Lindsay watched their departing figures with a simmering glare.
She begrudged Stella’s continual good fortune, always securing the best things.
Only once they disappeared did she signal the servant to wheel her back.
As the wheelchair pivoted, it struck an object, jarring Lindsay.
She muttered a curse under her breath and looked down to find a pen.
Upon picking it up, Lindsay noticed Stella’s name engraved on it.
Lindsay’s fingers wrapped tightly around the pen, her heart simmering with a raw, inexplicable anger. She couldn’t pinpoint who had gifted the pen to Stella, but it gnawed at her, the way Stella continually basked in the glow of others’ attention and gifts, while she lingered in the shadows, forgotten.
In the driver’s seat, Stella navigated the roads wrapped in a cloak of silence, each turn steering them further into the quiet.
Beside her, Bella’s gaze was lost to the passing scenery, her thoughts entangled in her recent encounter with Lindsay. The closeness between Stella’s and Lindsay’s storefronts troubled her, stirring fears of a brewing storm between them.