---- Chapter 102 Lance paused mid-step, and his movements stilled. His gaze was icy as he looked at Stella. Stella felt wounded by that look. She gave a self- deprecating smile, and something unhinged flashed in her eyes. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I want to ask you something, Mr. Swain. Did you ever have even the slightest feelings for me?" She asked carefully, as if his no would shatter her completely. Lance didn't hesitate. His answer was as heartless as ever.

"You were hired as a housekeeper at the villa. Why would Thave feelings for you?" His words left no room for doubt, as if it were a mistake for her to ask that in the first place. Stella was bitterly disappointed . So, she had never even caught his eye. She looked up again and asked, her tone full of mockery, " What about Tara? She's a housekeeper here too." Lance said calmly, "She's my woman, so it doesn't matter. ---- His words hit her hard, making her head spin.

She never expected Lance to actually fall for Tara! Stella's eyes were filled with sorrow as she stared at him. Why could Tara still win Lance's heart when she was a housekeeper , the very same occupation he looked down. on too? Stella didn't even know if she was trying to anger Lance or what when she said, "Remember that last time you were drunk? The woman pinned under you wasn't me." Lance's gaze darkened. He remained expressionless, saying nothing.

Stella forced a bitter smile, but her eyes were filled with madness. "You didn't expect that, did you? You got the wrong person. You say she's your woman, but that day, the one pinned under you until she couldn't breathe was Tara." Lance didn't react. His gaze stayed icy as he waited for her to finish. Stella's words were full of scorn. "Not only did you mistake Tara, you thought she was me, and you threw her out." Lance pressed his lips together.

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He turned to walk up the steps without another glance at the rain-soaked, frenzied ---- Stella. Stella's laughter turned into tears as she let the downpour soak her. She had lost. After all her scheming , this was the ending she got. By the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, Tara didn't know what Lance and Stella had said. But she could tell that this was the start of the classic "win-her-back" storyline.

The usual plot would have the male leads regret letting Stella go after she left, while Tara would end up abandoned to the side. Soren might even shove her to the ground and scream in despair , "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Stella would never have left me!" Lance would probably look at her in disgust and say, " Stay away from me. I was blinded by you. Stella... She's the one I truly love. "You must have done something and forced her to leave. You'll never have my heart.

My love only belongs to Stella! Tara quickly patted her forehead to stop the scenarios playing out in her head. She couldn't help it. She had watched way too many TV shows in her past life, and her brain just conjured up the scenes. ---- Out in the rain, Stella slumped in place. The downpour didn't stop, and it wasn't letting up either. She sat in her wheelchair as if the whole world had let her down. Suddenly, a shadow fell, cutting off the light and the drumming rain.

Stella froze, her gaze rising to the umbrella now sheltering her. She thought maybe Lance felt sorry for her and had come out to take her in. Eagerly, she spun around, only to see that the one holding the umbrella behind her wasn't Lance. It was Tara. Stella's smile froze, her face twisting with shock. Tara secured the umbrella to the wheelchair and draped a thick towel over Stella's soaked body. The sudden warmth rooted Stella to the spot. She sat frozen, her eyes locked on Tara's every move.

Tara opened a second umbrella for herself and walked back inside without a word. To her, nothing mattered more than staying healthy. Stella had schemed against her when Tara went abroad. But now Tara had received a decent payout, and Stella had been fired too. ---- Yesterday, Gemma had called her. To make up for the near -disaster that day, she offered Tara a pay raise and monthly bonuses. With payday coming at the end of the month, Tara's bank account would finally no longer be empty.