CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 148: STELLA HOLLIS WANTS TO SEE YOU

Half a month later.

Poppy Hale took Florence Lynch home upon her discharge from the hospital.

During this half month, she happened to finish the three pieces commissioned by the Hawthorne Group.

After sending all of them to the Hawthorne Group, she received a series of effusive praises.

It was almost as if Finn Young, this artist, was being praised to the heavens and back.

Among the several artists commissioned by the Hawthorne Group, Finn Young’s price was the highest, but so was the quality of his submissions.

As soon as you see the artworks placed together, the difference in quality is immediately clear.

At first, the art department had quite a few complaints, thinking all the budget went to Finn Young.

After seeing the final renderings, they couldn’t say a word, and only astonishment remained in their eyes.

This money spent on art—worth it.

The Hale Group’s case also went to trial.

Poppy Hale couldn’t speak, so Truth Hale, the largest shareholder of the Hale Group, personally appeared in court.

Poppy Hale sat in the audience, listening to Truth Hale systematically present all the evidence.

At first, Eugene Lynch’s face was full of disdain and sneering.

Just a food safety case, even charges of attempted kidnapping and extortion couldn’t convict him.

The food provided to the school wasn’t of very good quality, but no actual issues arose.

As for the kidnapping case, he neither personally participated nor received any money.

Florence Lynch and Anya Archer, those two little brats, were all safe and sound.

When it comes down to it, as long as nothing happened, even if Poppy Hale wanted to sue him, it wouldn’t matter.

Until Truth Hale presented the evidence and mentioned that case from a few years ago.

Eugene Lynch’s smile completely vanished in an instant!

He stared wide-eyed at the few sheets of paper in Truth Hale’s hand.

Transfer proof?

Connor Lynch is dead, yet left something like this!

He went to that old house so many times, how come he never found them!

Eugene Lynch was in a panic, "It must be forged by Truth Hale! I don’t admit to it!"

Truth Hale calmly said, "Whether it’s true or not, the prosecutor’s office can find out with a test."

Receipts and evidence might be falsified.

But actual transfer records always get exposed eventually.

This money was indeed transferred to the victim’s family.

But then Stella Hollis, under the guise of helping them, transferred it away without their knowledge.

In the audience, the family members knew the money had long been sent to them, even doubled, and they were momentarily stunned.

The man who had rear-ended Mason Rivers’ car looked blankly at Truth Hale.

The money was given to them by Connor Lynch?

But then Stella took it away!

Then last time, he crashed into Poppy Hale’s car... wasn’t that returning kindness with revenge?

Truth Hale tried to steady her voice.

"Before my husband died, he was still worried about this matter, asking our daughter if the money was properly delivered. Unfortunately, those he cared for have always resented him."

"After the money was taken, it should’ve been divided among you, right?"

Faced with Truth Hale’s questioning, the families in the audience also broke down.

A woman’s knees buckled, and she sat helplessly on the ground, wiping tears from her eyes.

The young man propped her up, dazed and embarrassed, only leaving a chilling hatred in his gaze at Eugene Lynch.

Eugene Lynch dared not answer.

He kept his head down, not even having the courage to look at Truth Hale.

He was convinced that as long as he kept silent, no one could convict him.

As he was being taken away, he glanced at the audience, trying to get Sean Lynch to find him a good lawyer.

Sean Lynch, however, turned his head away.

He didn’t even look at him.

Stride by stride, he walked out of the courtroom audience.

At that moment, Eugene Lynch was genuinely alarmed.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but there was no time to react as he was already taken away.

Poppy Hale wiped her tears.

She approached the victorious Truth Hale and gestured in sign language.

"Let’s go home. There’s still another court date in half a month."

She was worried about Truth Hale’s health holding up.

Though tears were in Truth Hale’s eyes, she was smiling at Poppy Hale.

"Let’s go home."

-

Just as they stepped out of the courthouse.

Poppy Hale received a call saying Stella Hollis wanted to meet her.

Stella Hollis, a pregnant woman, was now lying in the hospital.

Many people were guarding the entrance, and she couldn’t go anywhere.

Poppy Hale thought for a moment and asked for the hospital’s address.

She was in the same hospital as Declan Hawthorne, so visiting on the way was no problem.

She couldn’t speak now, but with Stella, there weren’t that many words needed.

They had long been at odds with each other.

At the hospital.

Poppy Hale stood at the entrance, accompanied by the police as she went in.

Stella Hollis lay there with a large belly, her hair in disarray, and her eyes empty and lifeless.

When she saw Poppy Hale, they brightened a bit.

Poppy Hale sat at the furthest position from Stella.

The policeman spoke, "If there’s anything you want to say, go ahead."

Stella Hollis chuckled self-deprecatingly.

She closed her eyes, her heart a swirl of hatred and resentment.

"When I was little, because I was a girl, I wasn’t valued. After my mother died, my dad quickly married a woman who could give him sons."

"From a young age, I had to eat the family’s leftovers and do everyone’s laundry, but it didn’t matter, at least I could survive."

"In middle school, because I didn’t have money to bribe the class teacher, the teacher led the whole class to isolate me. My notebooks were torn up, and my lunchbox was full of insects."

"After I got into college, as the only one from my area accepted to Arvum University, the village pooled my travel expenses, and I applied for a student loan for tuition."

Stella paused for a moment.

"I thought my life was going to improve that day."

"But why did I meet you on the first day of school!"

In the dormitory, Poppy Hale was glamorous—a little princess unaware of worldly suffering.

Yet she had such a good personality, with not a single trait for people to dislike.

When she found out Stella had no money, she quietly topped up her meal card with a thousand dollars.

Stella knew, but pretended not to.

She didn’t want to be grateful to Poppy Hale.

She felt it was all Poppy Hale’s condescension and suppression, an act of charity from on high, looking down on her.

From that time, Stella felt a strong sense of unfairness.

One bottle of perfume on Poppy Hale’s desk was Stella’s several months of living expenses.

The school she struggled to get into was the one Poppy Hale had casually said, "My dad invited many teachers home to get me into Arvum University, but too bad I was too dumb, so I could only go into the arts."

The dorms of the art college were full, and only then did Poppy Hale mix with Stella and others.

The girls were from different majors, and some were local to Arvum University, but Stella’s hatred for them was nowhere near as strong as it was for Poppy Hale.

She was like a shining star, while Stella was just a seedling in the field.

Stella chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Later, I discovered Judy Quinn, or Mia Quinn, was stalking Declan Hawthorne."

"I threatened her and cursed at her in your name. Clearly, I was helping you, why wouldn’t you appreciate it?"

Poppy Hale furrowed her brows slightly.

Stella thought that Poppy Hale always cursed and was ill-intentioned towards any girl who approached Declan Hawthorne.

That was all her own dark thoughts.

But she used Poppy Hale’s name, directing her actions towards Mia Quinn.