CHAPTER 528: CHAPTER 528: A NEW IMAGE

Stella Jennings stood at the entrance of the healthcare building, taking a deep breath and turning to Ellie, "I don’t want to be some cute little girl anymore, maintaining this persona is too exhausting."

Ellie looked at Stella, awakened, with a face full of admiration, "Being yourself is the best."

In the hospital room, Winnie stared dumbfounded at Crystal Pierce’s swollen face. The nurse rushed over after being called, "What happened? An allergic reaction? Is there any discomfort anywhere else?"

Tears welled up in Crystal’s eyes, too embarrassed to admit it was from a beating, "I’m fine, I just pressed the wrong button... Sorry, I’m tired, I want to rest."

"If it’s an allergic reaction then..."

"I’m fine!" Crystal interrupted, "I just want some quiet, thank you."

The nurse turned and left.

Winnie cautiously came closer and asked, "Stella, should I get you some ice?" She waited for a response, but Crystal said nothing, so she quietly left.

The entertainment industry is truly terrifying, she realized today.

But what she didn’t know was that compared to Stella’s retaliation today, the things Crystal had done were even more frightening. If Stella really were a newbie with nothing, she would have probably been crushed to dust by now.

On the way back, Ruby Sullivan sent a message simultaneously to Ruby Sullivan and Aidan Sinclair: I slapped Crystal Pierce twice, once for when she hit me before, and once for her recent wrongdoings. Isn’t that awesome?

She quickly received replies.

Ruby Sullivan sent a laughing emoji.

Aidan Sinclair replied with just one line: You’re the best.

Stella felt delighted reading their responses, feeling grateful for the support.

Ruby Sullivan was in the lab and burst into laughter upon receiving her message, leaving her assistant bewildered.

Her curiosity was piqued, so she removed her protective visor and went to the window to call Stella, "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing much, I was just furious, so I rushed to the hospital and slapped her twice. Who told her to cast herself like a mummy, unable to move in bed and just waiting to be hit?" Stella laughed aloud after she spoke, then continued, "Thanks to you and Mr. Sterling for your help. I heard from Ellie that it was Ethan Sterling’s efforts that kept the news from spreading."

"No need for such politeness. Protecting your image now also helps with Nirvana’s sales. Just take it as a business decision."

Stella knew Ruby said this to relieve her of any burden, "In any case, thank you both. By the way, are you guys free tonight? Come over for dinner, I’m about to start filming, let’s celebrate."

Ruby Sullivan had a busy work schedule but remembering Stella’s "heroic act" today, she agreed.

Meanwhile, Aidan Sinclair was visited by Gavin Garrison, who came bearing numerous valuable gifts.

An hour earlier, Sylvia Fenton had called him about Crystal Pierce being hit and demanded an explanation, making his head spin.

He was baffled by his dismissal and wanted an explanation too, so he came with gifts.

Aidan Sinclair barely glanced at him, "I haven’t received your resignation letter."

"Boss, I’ve worked with you for about ten years now. Even if I haven’t made great achievements, I’ve put in efforts. Can you at least give me a reason for pushing me out?"

Aidan lifted his eyelids, "I find you unpleasant to look at."

Gavin was so frustrated he nearly choked, "Boss..."

"Your biggest mistake was not taking Stella Jennings seriously." Aidan said impatiently.

Gavin paused, "But you and Crystal..."

"You’ve been with me for ten years. In these ten years, haven’t I told you which company’s entertainers I’ve been with?"

Gavin swallowed, thinking to himself, maybe not all have been mentioned?

"When have I ever been with Crystal Pierce? The women I’m not interested in, how could you think she and I have a profound connection?"

Gavin was even more bewildered, "But when there were such rumors before, you never avoided them."

"That’s because they hadn’t provoked me before. This time they did." Aidan waved his hand, "Get out."

Gavin was expelled from The Sinclair Family, and thinking about the woman who wronged him, angrily called, "Are you and Aidan Sinclair dating?"

"Who ever told you that we were dating?" Crystal was also angry, and hung up after she spoke.

Gavin looked at the blackened phone screen, feeling even more frustrated.

The next day, Gavin brought a whole lot of gifts to Stella Jennings’ home.

After finding out Stella’s address, he realized how foolish his mistake had been.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough that sending a resignation letter was out of the question, but whether he could return to Morningstar depended on Stella.

However, seeing how Stella went to the hospital and hit Crystal Pierce, this little girl seemed soft on the outside but was actually quite tough.

Before arriving, he had prepared himself to slap his own face, hoping the situation wouldn’t escalate too badly.

But he rang the doorbell for quite a while and no one answered; instead, the security came first.

Due to the earlier incident at Stella’s home involving dead rats, the property’s management was very concerned, deciding it was a negligence of routine patrolling that needed rectification, and had deducted the relevant responsible person’s bonus. Hence the security team would frequently patrol by Stella’s home now.

Seeing Gabriel standing at her door, the security decisively detained him.

But Stella had an early engagement today, so she didn’t have time to deal with this, giving Ellie the great opportunity to vent on him instead.

At night, Ellie came to pick Stella up from work, her expression was a bit complicated.

As the car got on the main road, she hesitated, "Holly, did you know that your apartment isn’t the company’s?"

Stella shook her head, not knowing why Ellie suddenly mentioned housing. Was the landlord evicting her?

Ellie knew she wouldn’t lie about such things, "The apartment you’re living in is Mr. Sinclair’s." Although she was unclear about the precise nature of Stella and Aidan’s relationship, she believed Stella absolutely wasn’t involved with him improperly. However, given Aidan’s character was quite unpredictable, she felt compelled to caution Stella to fulfill her duty in protecting her.

"Does Mr. Sinclair like you?"

"No, of course not." Stella denied immediately, even imagining standing with Aidan Sinclair in her mind, there wasn’t a bit of chemistry between them.

"That’s good. You’re young and might easily be charmed by a man like Mr. Sinclair who’s had countless experiences. In any case, keep a clear head." Ellie earnestly reminded her.

"Rest assured, I’m fully focused on my acting career now, and aiming to get into a good university next year. I have no extra energy for anything else." She almost mentioned she often called Aidan "Uncle" but thought better of it, deciding it was wiser to keep her connection with Aidan under wraps to avoid Ellie becoming even more wary, so she swallowed her words and said something new.

Nevertheless, Ellie’s words prompted her to question, could Aidan Sinclair really see her as just a friend when he was so kind to her?