Paid To Care, Destined To Conquer Novel

Chapter 195 True Masters Win Without Flashy Moves Jake was stunned. He stared at the empty doorway, his eyes wide as saucers. He instinctively glanced at Sebastian. He thought, 'Mr. Gray, you'd better never piss off Ms. Carter again. 'We're seriously scared we can't take her on!' Sebastian caught Jake's strange look and felt speechless. "Stella, Mr. Gray, what took you so long?" Blake, who had been holding back his tears, suddenly broke down. He cried his heart out, sniffling and hiccupping like a little kid. He looked absolutely pathetic. Stella was speechless.

'Why do I feel like we're being called Mom and Dad here?' Stella wondered. "Stella, Mr. Gray, get back at him for me! He dislocated my wrist and made me sign the contract!" Blake wailed. He was bawling his eyes out. Stella didn't know what to say. 'It's just like a kid snitching to Mom and Dad after losing a fight, Stella thought. "I'm dying here. Boohoo..." Blake sobbed. Stella didn't know what to say. 'Seriously, what the heck is with all the sobbing?' Stella thought. Stella gave Sebastian a look that seemed to be saying, "The kid's been bullied this badly, and I'm still not stepping in?

"That's just messed up, right?" Sebastian caught exactly what Stella meant with her look. He let out a sigh. "Go ahead." As he spoke, Sebastian shot a look at the thug. The thug blinked. 'How come I'm actually seeing pity and sympathy in that cold gaze?' he thought to himself. Before the thug could even react, Stella shot him a breezy, almost careless smile. She casually rolled up her sleeves and walked toward him, taking her sweet time like she had all day. Penelope barked, "Beat her up!" Her tone dripped with both old grudges and fresh resentment.

The thug threw his best shot right at Stella's face, but in the blink of an eye, she just smiled and snatched his fist out of the air, catching it effortlessly in her palm. Stella's fingers tightened around his fist. A blood-curdling scream tore through the office. The thug felt like his hand had been shoved into a meat grinder, and his bones were crushed to powder in a split second. The agony was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but drop to his knees before Stella with a heavy thud. He didn't even get a chance to fight back. The thug spat, "You fucking-" 1/4 Successfully unlocked!

Chapter 195 True Masters Win Without Flashy Moves Before he could finish, Stella grabbed a vase from the desk and, without missing a beat, smashed it straight into his forehead. The vase shattered instantly. "Shh," she said, raising a finger to her lips in a quieting gesture. A thin line of blood streamed down the thug's forehead as his eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold. Stella shot a look at Xander and Penelope, a hint of regret in her voice. "Tsk... Too weak." Xander and Penelope just stared, lost for words.

For a second, neither of them could tell if she meant the thug or them. "Get up," Stella said, giving Blake a light kick with her foot. "Stella." Blake sniffled, tears streaming down his face. He struggled to get up from the desk, his dislocated right arm flopping around helplessly. Stella answered in a slow, casual tone, "Mm." Blake said, "That vase was kinda pricey..." He kept sniffling. Stella didn't know what to say. Her face stayed utterly blank. 'Honestly, I think you got off easy, Stella thought. Blake fell silent.

'Hey, I'm just being honest here!' Blake thought, feeling all aggrieved. Stella lifted her hand. Blake instinctively flinched, trying to get out of the way. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." A loud crack echoed through the room. Blake froze. Stella smoothly set his dislocated right arm back into place. She did it in one smooth, effortless motion. "Go stay with Mr. Gray," Stella said calmly. 'You're just getting in the way, Stella thought. "Okay!" Blake chirped, his voice full of relief. He hurried over to his 'dad', looking all eager and clingy. "Mr.

Gray!" Blake practically bounced over, calling out with way too much excitement. Sebastian was speechless. With a look of mild disgust, he nudged his wheelchair away from Blake. Stella stood at the desk, giving the "joint development" agreement a lazy flip, a faint smile playing on her lips. She shot Xander a look and said, "Even if you forced him to sign, it doesn't change a thing." Her voice was cool and steady, like she hadn't just gone full savage a minute ago. Xander's eyes darkened. "What do you mean?" Stella shot him a look, and then casually dialed a number.

The call was picked up almost instantly. "Stetson, I'm putting you on speaker," Stella drawled, sounding totally unbothered. 'Stetson?' Xander's eyes widened in shock, his heart skipping a beat. Suddenly, it hit him. His face drained of color, panic written all over. 2/4 Chapter 195 True Masters Win Without Flashy Moves As soon as the speaker was switched on, the mayor's chief secretary Stetson's voice came through, clear and respectful. "Ms. Carter, go ahead." His tone was surprisingly respectful.

Stella said, "Read the supplementary clause from my agreement with Blake for Xander, Pierce Group's CEO, to hear." Stetson, living up to his reputation as the mayor's chief secretary, didn't ask any questions and just started reading. He read, "According to the supplementary clause, if Mr. Blake Pierce gives the development rights for the South District to anyone else, like Xander Pierce or Pierce Group, Ms. Stella Carter could immediately reclaim the land and sue him for damages." Stella hung up, planted both hands on the desk, and looked up at Xander with a fierce glint in her eyes.

"Got that?" Xander was speechless. 'I should've seen this coming!' Xander thought, his heart sinking. Stetson's sudden appearance at the Lane family dinner that day was already suspicious. He was clearly there to give Blake some clout. But what really blew Xander's mind was what Stetson read just now. He just said, "Ms. Stella Carter can take the land back whenever she wants." 'So Stella was the one who fought to secure the South District land for Blake!' Xander thought, his mind reeling. Jealousy twisted Xander's face into something unrecognizable.

He wondered, 'How the hell did that idiot ever catch Stella's eye?' Suddenly, it hit him. Xander demanded, "You knew this was going to happen from the start?" Suddenly, it all made sense. He thought, 'If she hadn't already predicted this, why would she bother adding that extra clause? 'How can someone so young be this shrewd and cunning?' Stella asked, "Do you play Go?" She didn't answer him directly, but just gave him a cool, almost distant look. "Real pros don't need fancy tricks to win the whole game." Not far away, Blake was completely baffled. 'Man, that went right over my head.

I have no clue what she's talking about, he thought, feeling totally lost. He ducked his head, instinctively looking to Sebastian for help. Jake followed suit, lowering his head as well. Both of them stared at Sebastian, eyes full of desperate hope. Sebastian was speechless. With a cold look on his face, Sebastian finally spoke. "When true masters play Go, they don't chase after flashy or instant-win moves.

"They stick to the flow of the game, patiently wait for their opponent to show a weakness, and then deliver a decisive blow when the time comes." Blake and Jake both dragged out a long "Oh", nodding like they totally understood, though their blank faces made it obvious they were still confused. "Xander," Stella said, holding up the contract Blake had been forced to sign halfway through his name. "From the very first moment I met you, your ambition and greed were practically screaming from your eyes." As soon as she finished, there was a sharp rip.

Stella tore the contract in half right in front of Xander, and then 3/4 Chapter 195 True Masters Win Without Flashy Moves chucked the scraps into the trash like they were nothing, her face full of contempt. "No way! There's no chance a kid like you could pull off something this huge! Is Mr. Gray the real mastermind here?" Penelope yelled, her voice full of disbelief and contempt. She just couldn't accept that Stella had anything to do with the South District land at all. Sebastian was speechless. Suddenly getting blamed out of nowhere, he didn't know what to say.

Stella completely ignored her, turning her attention to the pile of resignation letters stacked on the desk. She sneered. Stella beckoned for Blake to come over. "Come here," Stella said. 4/4 Subscribe Editorial Board Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.