CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 59: THAT WAS QUITE THE FIRE SKIRT DANCE

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, and his tone carried a teasing note, "A life-saving grace, does it mean so little to you?"

So little? It had been repaid for twelve years, even costing a marriage and half a life.

Enough is enough!

Stella Grant looked up at him, "Do you know what it feels like, thirty meters underwater?"

Aiden Fordham was taken aback. Of course, he knew. It was an unshakable nightmare, filled with fear and suffocation.

"Stella Grant, what exactly are you trying to say?" His eyes locked onto her, with a hint of impatience.

She smiled lightly, "Nothing, if it’s forgotten, let it be forgotten."

He didn’t care about anything about her, and she deliberately brought it up again, forgetting was just fine!

"Stella Grant, you can’t even swim, how did you grow up?" he teased her in a casual manner.

Stella Grant sniffed, her voice faint, "I actually... used to be able to!"

"Used to?" He smirked, could she have forgotten how to swim?

"Young Master, Young Master." A voice called out.

Aiden Fordham took a few steps outside and saw three horses galloping on land and two speedboats in the river.

...

When Stella Grant woke up, her head was still a bit heavy, she didn’t know she had a fever when she returned and slept for several hours.

She was wearing clean, soft pajamas, with a bandage on the back of her hand where the IV had been.

The room was very quiet.

She moved slightly, and the maid who was keeping watch immediately noticed.

"Ma’am, you’re awake?"

The maid hurried forward, her tone concerned.

Stella Grant replied with a faint "Mm," her throat a bit dry.

"I’ll call the doctor, and Mr. Fordham." The maid said, then quickly retreated.

It wasn’t long before footsteps approached from afar.

Aiden Fordham walked in, followed by Frances Fordham with her head bowed, eyes red and swollen.

As soon as Frances saw Stella Grant on the bed, tears began to fall again.

She moved forward two steps, her voice thick with tears.

"Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have joked like that with you, I shouldn’t have spooked the horse."

"I really didn’t know it would run so fast, almost... almost hurt you."

"Sister-in-law, you can hit me or scold me, just please forgive me this once."

Frances sobbed with her shoulders shaking, looking extremely pitiful.

Stella Grant looked at her, her face expressionless. Such acting, it’s a shame she doesn’t go into acting.

She sneered inwardly.

Frances continued her performance, "Brother has already punished me by making me kneel for a long time, Sister-in-law, I really know I was wrong."

Stella Grant pulled at the corner of her mouth, her voice still somewhat weak.

"Frances, don’t cry. Aren’t I fine now?"

"Look, with your brother around, even The Grim Reaper doesn’t dare to take me."

Her words sounded like comfort, yet also like sarcasm.

Aiden Fordham stood by, saying nothing, just watching Stella Grant.

He could hear the oddity in her words.

Stella Grant spoke again, this time to Frances, "Frances, do you know how to make barbecue?"

Frances was stunned for a moment, not reacting.

"Huh?"

Stella Grant continued, "I’m a bit hungry and I’d like some barbecue. If you can make some for me yourself, sister-in-law will forgive you."

Frances’s eyes lit up, as if she had grasped a lifeline, and quickly nodded.

"I can! I can! Sister-in-law, what would you like to eat? I’ll prepare it immediately!"

"Beef, chicken, anything," Stella Grant said plainly.

"Alright, alright, I’ll go right now!" Frances wiped away her tears, "Sister-in-law, wait, I’ll bring it to you once it’s ready!"

"No need," Stella Grant interrupted her, "Barbecue is best enjoyed fresh off the grill."

Frances quickly agreed, "Okay! Whatever Sister-in-law says! Uh... shall I prepare it in the garden?"

"Go ahead."

Frances felt as if she had been granted amnesty, and turned to run out, her footsteps filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Aiden Fordham watched Frances’s retreating figure, then looked at Stella Grant.

Her face held an inscrutable, faint smile.

Half an hour later.

The aroma of barbecue indeed wafted in from the garden.

Aiden Fordham supported Stella Grant at her determined request, as she wanted to try and walk slowly on her own.

Stella Grant’s jumps were slow.

However, most of her weight leaned on him, her body swayed gently with each jump, the thin fabric felt impossibly soft.

Quite... arousing!

Aiden Fordham’s Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbed, a complex emotion surged within him, making it hard to bear.

The stairs weren’t long.

Each step came with that tantalizing touch.

Each step tested his self-control.

Aiden Fordham could even feel the muscles in his arm slightly stiffen.

He was resisting.

And yet... indulging?

This realization made him even more irritable.

He directly pulled her back into his arms, finding it too tormenting to endure, "You’re dancing so slowly, the BBQ is going to get cold."

Stella Grant: "..."

Arriving at the small table in the garden, Frances Fordham immediately obligingly brought over a plate of freshly grilled meat.

"Sizzle—"

The slices of meat were still sizzling with hot oil on the plate, their charred yellow color enticing.

"Sister-in-law, brother, quickly try some! This is grilled Angus beef, and this one is Orleans grilled wings!"

Frances Fordham pushed the plate forward like she was presenting a treasure.

Stella Grant picked up the knife and fork, leisurely cutting off a small piece of beef.

She put it in her mouth, chewed a few times, "Mmm, delicious."

A satisfied expression appeared on her face as she looked at Frances Fordham.

Frances Fordham let out a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a smile, "As long as sister-in-law likes it!"

Stella Grant took another piece, then put down the fork.

"The taste is very good," Stella Grant said, "it’s just that with just food, and no music, it feels a bit lacking."

Frances Fordham immediately responded, "There is! There’s music!"

She turned and ran toward the living room.

In no time, melodious music drifted from the direction of the villa hall, mingling with the aroma of BBQ.

Frances Fordham ran back, a hint of wanting praise in her tone, "Sister-in-law, is this okay?"

Stella Grant took a sip of juice, nodding, "Not bad, this kind of atmosphere, food, music... if there were a fire dress dance, it’d be perfect."

Fire dress dance?

Frances was baffled.

"Sister-in-law... I, I can’t dance," she said, a bit flustered.

Stella Grant laughed, "You can."

Her tone was very assured.

"Stand over there," Stella Grant raised her hand to point in a direction, an empty space near the center of the lawn.

Frances Fordham didn’t understand why, but obediently walked over.

"Yes, take three steps back," Stella Grant directed.

Frances Fordham retreated three more steps.

"Yes, that’s right there," Stella Grant nodded with satisfaction.

Frances Fordham stood in place, somewhat at a loss.

She was wearing a light-colored cotton and linen long dress, and as the wind blew, the skirt hem fluttered gently.

Stella Grant’s gaze fell on her coldly, lips murmuring a faint count, like a gentle breeze brushing across one’s heart.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

The final number fell.

"Woosh—!"

Without any warning, the long dress on Frances Fordham seemed to have been doused in fuel, suddenly igniting!

The flames soared high, instantly engulfing her entire person!

The dress turned into a burning cone!

"Ah—!!!"

Frances Fordham let out a shrill scream of terror, a sound that instantly ripped through the surrounding tranquility, quivering the air, tightening one’s heart.

She was completely petrified, instinctively leaping and jumping erratically, hands wildly slapping at the flames on her body.

"Help! Help! Brother! Help!"

She screamed while frantically jumping and spinning on the lawn, trying to rid herself of the horrific flames.

In that state, she truly resembled some form of frenzied dance.

Aiden Fordham’s pupils suddenly contracted!

He abruptly stood up, looking at Stella Grant.

How did she do it?

Hadn’t he been with her this whole time!

Yet Stella Grant acted as if nothing had happened, picking up the fork again, skewering a piece of grilled chicken wing, and slowly putting it in her mouth.

Eating as she watched Frances Fordham struggle and scream in the fire.

While still commenting, "Not bad, quite the dance."

The servants nearby were already frightened to the point of losing all color in their faces, some covering their mouths, others nearly collapsing to the ground in fright.

The butler was the quickest to react, grabbing the nearby fire extinguisher to rush over.

"Butler."

Stella Grant’s cold voice rang out.

"Don’t waste that fire extinguisher," she pointed to the decorative fountain not far away, "isn’t there water over there?"

Frances Fordham seemed to hear the directive, or perhaps it was the survival instinct, screaming as she rolled and crawled toward the fountain.

"Splash!"

She jumped into the pool like a burning cannonball.

Water sprayed everywhere.