StartNovelChapter 464
"It's been ages, ladies! How have you all been?"
Katrina and Abby had always been the outgoing ones of their group, quick to hit it off back during their days at
Neo-Vespera University.
The moment Katrina spotted Abby, her eyes lit up. She rushed over and wrapped Abby in a huge, exuberant hug.
"Abby! I've missed you so much!"
Even though it had been years since they'd last seen each other, there wasn't a hint of awkwardness between
them-just easy familiarity, as if no thad passed.
Lauretta, who'd been quiet for most of the reunion, hesitated before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Star, has the Williams family reached out to you?"
Of all of them, Lauretta cfrom the most prestigious background. The Chapman family, her own, was on
equal footing with the Williams family; the two had been close for generations. Recently, there'd been talk of an
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtarranged marriage between the families-Lauretta was being considered as a match for Stella's eldest brother,
Jonathan Williams. She'd even met Jonathan a few times over dinner recently.
Stella paused, her hand on the car door, and glanced back at Lauretta. “No, | haven't heard from them. Why do
you ask?"
Lauretta lowered her voice. "I heard from your brother that the Williams family is planning to bring you back
soon."
The mention of the Williams family didn't stir anything in Stella. It felt no different than hearing gossip about
strangers.
"Bringback?" Stella looked genuinely surprised. "After all these years of silence, why the sudden interest?"
Lauretta explained, "You've made the news a few times lately. Someone in the Williams family caught wind of it,
and Skyler found out you weren't doing so well on your own. He started to feel sorry for you and decided it was
tto bring you home."
Stella slipped into the car, her tone cool and distant. "We're just too different. | don't think we'll ever see eye to
eye."
Lauretta understood the deeper meaning behind her words. "Star, do you not want to go back?"
Stella shrugged. "Whether | go back or not... does it even matter?"
Ret
Lauretta almost protested, but after a second's thought, she realized Stella was right. Stella had gotten into Neo-
Vespera University all. her own, with no help from the Williams family. She paid he tuition and living expenses
with scholarships and money earned from performances. And even if she hadn't, it's not like she was ever short
on cash. Before Stella had anything to do with the Williams family, her mother had already given her a
substantial sum-enough to cover years of living and studying.
The truth was, the Williams family had never lifted a finger to support her.
After Stella moved in with the Williams family, Skyler Williams did treat her generously. She received a monthly
allowance of a hundred thousand, not to mention additional funds for clothes, bags, cars and other luxuries. But
Stella never touched a penny of it.
The day after she received her first allowance, her third brother, Coleman Williams, had pulled her aside.
"In the Williams family, we don't live off our parents," Coleman told her. "My brothers and | have all been working
for years now-we have no use for handouts. As for Aurora Williams..."
He paused, pride shining in his eyes.
"Aurora's a prodigy in physics. She filed for several patents before she was even an adult, and she's racked up
prize money from all sorts of competitions. She might be a trust fund kid, but she hasn't needed family money
for a long time."
It didn't take a genius for Stella to understand what Coleman was getting at.
She looked at him and asked, "So, you think I cback to the Williams family just to leech off you?"
Coleman replied, "Do you know why Dad didn't immediately announce your identity? Everyone in the Williams
family is exceptional-from Jonathan to Aurora, every one of us is at the top of our field. Right now, you're not
there yet. That's why we're giving you three years to learn the ropes and adjust to our way of life. After three
years, once you've beca proper Williams, we'll introduce you to the world."
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