CHAPTER 514: CHAPTER 514: FEELING WRONGED

Ruby Sullivan sat in the car for a while and still decided to call Stella Jennings, "Where are you?"

"I’m... at work, taking some photos for a magazine, still in the studio." Stella said with a chuckle, trying to get away with it.

Ruby Sullivan mercilessly exposed her, "You’re so quick to answer the phone while at work? I just left Aidan Sinclair’s house, haven’t eaten yet, I’m so hungry, let’s grab a meal together."

"What happened with you guys?" Stella sensed Ruby’s dejected tone and thought something was wrong.

"Tell me where you are first."

"Oh, oh, I’m just at home, come over." Stella sat up from the sofa, she was originally lying there debating whether to order takeout for the evening.

Ruby Sullivan got out of the car, "Then open the door for me in two minutes."

Before long, Ruby saw Stella Jennings, who was dressed in casual home clothes and wasn’t wearing any makeup.

"Come in quickly." She happily took Ruby Sullivan’s hand, "What do you want to eat, I’ll order takeout for you. Hmm... I can smell the aroma."

Ruby looked at her thin frame, "You’re already so skinny, still dieting?"

"I’ve had a bit less work these days, and in two months I need to join a production team. I’m worried I’ll gain weight before then, and it’s a romance drama. Though I’m just the third female lead, being heavy isn’t photogenic."

She really didn’t want to be criticized for gaining weight again.

Ruby patted her head sympathetically, "What ingredients do you have? I’ll cook something for you."

"Uh..." Stella shyly bit her lip, revealing two round dimples and blinking, "There’s only yogurt in the fridge, leftover from a brand promotion."

Ruby thought for a bit, and quickly called Ethan Sterling.

They had bought a lot of ingredients today, and ended up putting the leftovers in the fridge, thinking it was too much. Bringing those over would definitely be enough for her and Stella to have a meal.

A few minutes later, Ethan arrived with a bag, followed by Aidan Sinclair with a sly grin, obviously wanting to see Stella, but unfortunately, Ruby quickly sent him away before he saw anything.

Ruby held up the bag of ingredients with a smile to Stella, "Dinner is here."

After consulting Stella’s opinion, she made a fancy mixed fried rice, fragrant, with lots of vegetables, tasted really good.

Just smelling it made Stella give a thumbs up, and after taking a bite, she almost cried from how good it was, "Please give me the background music from ’The Little Master Chef of China’." She clasped her hands together, looking as if she was ascending to heaven.

"Your acting is a bit over the top." Ruby commented.

"Ah, really?" Stella blinked, "Do you think I could be a comedienne? A pretty comedienne like me might really shine in the comedy world."

Ruby looked at her forced smile and felt a bit of heartache, "Holly, if you find it hard, you can say so. You’re only sixteen, you have many options, you don’t need to push yourself."

Stella looked at Ruby, her eyes welling up with tears, "I don’t find it hard, just a bit aggrieved."

She wakes up early to catch schedules, only to be told she’s been replaced upon arrival. Advertisements getting scrapped, scripts she auditioned and were approved for would also get replaced. She even doubts that this current variety show wasn’t replaced because it perhaps wasn’t doing well in the first place.

Her agent told her to uninstall all news apps and Weibo, just listen obediently and follow instructions, but she increasingly couldn’t see any hope.

If she didn’t become as popular as Aidan predicted, what then? If she ended up achieving nothing in this field too, would she then have to go back to The Jennings Family? Perhaps, she’d just be used as a pawn to marry someone and live a desolate life.

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.

But these things, she didn’t know how to express them.

She knew these matters were things she had to face and resolve by herself, she didn’t want her friends to worry with her. She knew people in the company were gossiping about her and Aidan, calling her a fox spirit, so she kept her distance from Aidan, not daring to meet, not even accepting his calls.

Yet, her situation didn’t improve.

If it weren’t for her agent constantly persuading her, she really didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.

"My agent said all newcomers have to go through this phase, it’s nothing." She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, not wanting to amplify the sadness.

Ruby didn’t know how to comfort her and was still organizing her words when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"It must be Aidan Sinclair and the rest, if you don’t want to see him, I’ll send him away."

"Uh... better not meet him."

"Okay." Ruby got up to open the door, but no one was outside, just a package on the ground, the lid slightly open.

She frowned, squatted down to see what it was, but as soon as she opened the box, she screamed in fright.

Stella immediately put down the bowl and rushed over, kicking the box far away, squatting down to hug the trembling Ruby on the ground, "It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t be afraid." She shouldn’t have let Ruby open the door.

Ruby took a while to recover, looking at Stella’s calm demeanor. Hesitantly, she asked, "Do you often receive things like this?"

"Not often..." Stella stammered, "You get up, let’s talk inside."

Starting a week ago, someone would sometimes place dead rats at her door, with a somewhat gruesome appearance. She had told her agent, who initially wanted to report it to the police, but later said it would be best not to blow things up. She’s currently being exposed online, and causing a bad steer would be detrimental.

She also thought this was a random occurrence, maybe someone was just in a bad mood and was joking with her anyways she was brave, she was quite calm during the second time, and tossed the box to a nearby trash bin. This time was the third.

Since it had been three days after the last time, she had forgotten.

Ruby didn’t know whether to admire her large heart or call her silly.

"Anyone who can send things to your door like this is definitely twisted, and your agent doesn’t want you to go to the police, aren’t they afraid for your safety? What kind of agent did Aidan arrange for you?"

"My agent is really nice. She’s said to be the best at Morningstar, looking after a newbie like me is beneath her talent, so don’t blame Uncle, I’ve figured that she’s managed so many artists, she definitely has experience with these things. Plus, whenever I have work, there’s always a special car to pick me up. As long as I don’t wander around after coming back, there won’t be any issues. Besides, Uncle lives right next door, so he can conveniently help."

Stella’s innocent words only made Ruby more worried.

"Are you sure there’s nothing you’re hiding from me?"

"Oh, what could I possibly hide from you?"

"Alright, then listen to me on this, you must report it to the police!"