Paid To Care, Destined To Conquer Novel

Chapter 188 The Owner Of The Patek Philippe Their gazes landed on the person standing in front of Stella. Declan reached out and gave the guy a pat on the shoulder, and the guy quickly moved aside so Declan could join the line. "Chantel, they're just switching places," one of her friends tried to reassure her. Just as Chantel's face started to relax, everyone watched as Declan casually turned around, hands in his pockets, and leaned down right in front of Stella. All the students were speechless. Chantel's expression turned stormy. Declan grinned.

"Hey!" Standing at 6 feet, he deliberately stooped down a bit, raised a hand in greeting to Stella, his chiseled features and the slight curve of his lips giving off that easy swagger. He didn't spare a glance for all the eyes glued to him. Stella looked up, her face unreadable. After a while, she finally recognized him. It was that "10 million". Stella just replied with a simple nod. Her expression didn't change at all, and her beautiful face remained cool and distant. But even that tiny response made Declan light up. "I'm Declan Knight." Stella was speechless.

'Is there something wrong with his head?' Stella thought. 'Didn't he already say that last night at the bar?' "Oh," Stella replied, her tone clearly perfunctory. Declan started, "I..." "Declan!" Chantel called out as she walked over. With just a look, the people around her quickly made way for her. "Do you know the transfer student?" She moved to stand closer to Declan, but he stepped back with a frown. Stella didn't know what to say. 'These people are so annoying, Stella thought.

She lowered her long lashes again, drifting off, which only made her sharp, elegant features seem even more distant and icy. Chadwick, who'd been watching the whole thing, was nervously swallowing. Chadwick stammered, "D-Declan!" After all, Chadwick had seen her last night. She grabbed that bottle without even blinking, looking fierce and savage. No matter how innocent she seemed now, she was totally pretending. Suddenly, Chadwick got a text. He glanced at it, frowned hard, and then leaned in to whisper something in Declan's ear. Declan shot Stella a look before following Chadwick out.

Not far away, Hazel was stunned. She thought, 'Seriously, when did Stella get to know Declan? 'I'm literally losing my mind here! 'Seriously, what has Stella been up to since she left home?' Up on stage, the weekly morning assembly officially kicked off. Just when everyone was bracing for another long speech from Zack, he wrapped it up int f Successfully unlocked! 1/4 Chapter 188 The Owner Of The Patek Philippe After whispering something to the dean, he announced, "Next, let's welcome our new board member at Edenbury Academy, Mr.

Sebastian Gray, to give a speech." Stella, who'd been looking bored, raised an eyebrow at that. She looked up and saw Sebastian in a wheelchair, being pushed onto the stage by John. His pale, strikingly handsome face was completely expressionless. The whole place went dead silent for a few seconds, and then the crowd erupted in an uproar. In the corner, Hazel's eyes went wide with fear. She thought, 'The new board member at Edenbury Academy? 'Sebastian Gray? 'Mr. Gray? 'That guy who secretly called all the shots at Nova Mall, the one who gave off that killer vibe at the Lane family's dinner?

Everyone was scared stiff of him... And now he's actually our board member?' But that was nothing compared to what came next for Hazel. The very next second, when Sebastian raised his wrist to grab the mic, looking cold and untouchable, Hazel froze, her breath caught in her throat. That 15-million Patek Philippe men's watch, the one she'd obsessed over a thousand times, was right there on Sebastian's wrist. Hazel felt like she'd been struck by lightning. She was stunned. She thought, 'So it was Mr. Gray who brought Stella to school and handed her the backpack?

'And what about that whole Nova Mall incident? 'Was Stella behind us being held for five days?' Still in shock, Hazel watched as the stone-faced bodyguard behind Sebastian stepped off the stage and strode straight into the student crowd. Since he was dressed all in black and had that cold, impassive look, everyone instinctively backed away to let him through. Stella didn't know what to say. Stella felt a sense of dread creeping in. Especially when she saw John heading straight for her, no detours. Everyone stayed silent..

They watched as the new board member's bodyguard strode right up to Stella, stopped, and with both hands respectfully offered her a neatly folded piece of paper. "Ms. Carter." Stella was speechless. With an expressionless face, Stella shifted to the side, poking her head out from behind John to steal a glance at Sebastian up on stage. Sebastian, who'd been talking while secretly keeping tabs on Stella, suddenly paused awkwardly for a split second. He smoothed it over so fast that nobody caught on, but compared to him, John-ever the loyal bodyguard- was a whole different story.

Wordlessly, John shuffled a couple of steps over, blocking Stella's line of sight. He lifted the folded paper a bit higher. Stella didn't know what to say. Stella reached out and took the note. 2/4 Chapter 188 The Owner Of The Patek Philippe John immediately turned and walked away. He'd seen the fire in Stella's eyes and knew better than to stick around. 'Better get out of here before things get heated,' John thought, making a quick exit.

"Hey, what's on that note?" Chantel, who'd been all snooty just a second ago, suddenly started egging her on right in front of Declan, clearly wanting Stella to open it for everyone to see. Stella looked up, her eyes cold as knives, totally unfazed. She shot back, her voice icy, "None of your damn business." Chantel's face instantly fell. She looked at Stella like she was about to devour her. Stella just stayed as lazy and defiant as ever, casually unfolding the note. It read: [Ignore him.] Stella didn't know what to say. She thought, 'Him? 'Who exactly?

'That '10 million?' She glanced up, giving Sebastian a sidelong look as he spoke up on stage, all cold and to the point. Suddenly, he made a subtle gesture with his hand, and it hit Stella. She instinctively flipped the note over. Then she was speechless. On the other side, it read: [First day, no fighting.] Stella's face stayed blank as she thought about crumpling the note, but in the end, she just folded it back up and stuffed it in her pocket. Chantel watched coldly, shooting a look at her crew. 'This new transfer student is way too cocky. Time to put her in her place, Chantel thought.

The morning assembly wrapped up. Back in the classroom, Jude was trying to arrange a seat for Stella. Classes had been going on for a while, and most seats were already taken. The only spot left was right next to Declan, but he wasn't sure Declan would agree. Just as Jude was hesitating, Chantel suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Brown, I want to sit with Stella." She raised her hand in a careless, provocative gesture, her eyes full of challenge as she mouthed, "You're not scared, are you?" "Stella, what do you think?" Jude asked, a little nervous since he knew how much trouble Chantel could stir up.

But Stella suddenly smiled, her tone light, almost teasing. "You sure about that?" Chantel smirked, "Welcome." She started the applause herself, making a show of it. The girls in her usual clique joined in, clapping along. Stella just said, "Alright." She strode right over to Chantel, and others could feel the tension crackling in the air. Class started. Chantel rested her chin in her hand, and then slid a note across the desk to Stella. It read: [After class, meet me in the restroom. Dare you?] Chantel tapped her fingers on the desk, smirking coldly. Stella was speechless.

'She really thinks I have nothing better to do than play her little games?' Stella thought, unimpressed. 3/4 ΔΙΔ Chapter 188 The Owner Of The Patek Philippe 'Annoying.' Stella frowned, her irritation growing. She reached up, wanting to tug at her school tie, but remembered it was Sebastian who had fixed it for her, so she held herself back. Time ticked by. The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. Chantel got up first, tapping the desk as a signal to Stella. Stella watched her walk away, her gaze growing colder and colder.

'Sebastian said no fighting, she reminded herself, feeling the frustration build. She felt annoyed. But a moment later, she still stood up. Subscribe T 6 Likes Editorial Board Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.