CHAPTER 124: ALLIANCE

Stella arrived on the twenty-fourth floor, the COO’s office area.

She rarely came up here, but she knew exactly where Joseph Carter’s office was.

"Miss Walters, I’m Mr. Carter’s secretary," a young woman greeted her politely the moment she stepped out of the elevator. "He is already waiting for you inside."

She walked her to the COO’s office and opened the door for her with a slight nod.

"Thank you," Stella said with a faint smile before walking in.

Stella tried to appear calm, but her mind was restless. Joseph Carter wasn’t the kind of man who called someone without a reason, especially not her.

He sat behind his desk, surrounded by stacks of documents, eyes focused on the papers in front of him. For a moment, he didn’t even notice her standing there.

When he finally looked up, his expression softened slightly. He gave a small smile and nodded to his secretary to close the door.

Then he stood and walked toward the seating area with his usual composure.

"Stella," he said simply, his tone calm but carrying weight.

She nodded once, unsure what to expect.

He gestured toward the sofa.

"Have a seat."

She sat down across from him, her posture straight, her hands resting in her lap.

For a few moments, neither spoke, and the silence between them grew heavy with unspoken questions, making Stella uneasy. Whatever this meeting was about, she really couldn’t tell.

Then, Joseph suddenly asks, "Do you want coffee? Tea?"

Stella blinked, caught off guard. Coffee? Tea? What kind of question was that?

Of course, she didn’t need those. She only needs to leave this building immediately.

"No, sir," she said quickly, shaking her head. "What I’d like is for you to be straightforward... Would you mind telling me why you asked me, insistently, to meet you?"

Joseph didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up again, walked to the door, and locked it.

Stella froze.

Her eyes widened slightly. ’Did he just... lock the door?’

A brief wave of panic ran up her spine. She sat up straighter in her seat, her fingers clutching her handbag tighter.

"Sir? Why are you locking the door?"

"Relax, Stella," Joseph said, his voice sounding calm. "I won’t do anything to you."

That was not reassuring at all. But she said nothing, only saw him, confused.

He sat back down, placed his laptop on the table, and began typing quickly. The rapid clacking of keys filled the room.

Then beep, a familiar dialing sound.

’A video call?’ Stella blinked again, frowning. ’Who the hell is he calling now?’

Before she could ask, a familiar voice came through the speaker.

"Sister Eve?"

Stella leaned forward in shock, her jaw nearly hitting the floor when she saw the woman on the laptop screen.

"Y-You... What are you doing? I mean... does he... does he know you’re back?"

Evelyn laughed softly on the other end. Her tone was calm, but her eyes gleamed with purpose.

"Yes, Joseph knows. Joseph is part of our alliance to bring down that old man and his ugly bitch."

Stella gasped. Wider.

"Wow, sis, I didn’t know you knew and trusted Mr...."

"Jo," Joseph interrupted with a smirk. "Just call me Jo, Stella. It’s just us here; you may drop the formality."

"Uh... right. Jo."

He turned his attention back to the laptop, his tone shifting as he spoke to Evelyn.

"Eve, what’s your next move?" His voice was steady, respectful, almost soft.

Stella watched him closely, her suspicion now replaced with curiosity.

’Oh no. No way. Don’t tell me this man likes my sister. Wait, wait... in the past, they worked together, right? That’s why my sister knows him. And they seem close.’

She studied the way his expression softened when Evelyn spoke, the way his voice lowered just a little whenever he said her name. He looked like a man watching someone he missed dearly.

’Oh crap,’ Stella thought, glancing between Joseph and the laptop screen. ’He totally likes Sister Eve. Great. Did he even know Sister Eve was already married?

Instantly, Stella feels bad for Joseph. This man will be heartbroken if he finds out Evelyn is already married to Axel Knight. Right?

Meanwhile, Evelyn continued explaining her plan; something about shareholders, internal leaks, and timing.

Stella only half-listened. She was too busy watching the subtle back-and-forth glances between her sister and Joseph.

If she didn’t know better, she’d say there was chemistry.

Then Evelyn’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Stella?"

"Yes, sis?" She straightened immediately, pretending she hadn’t just been staring at them and starting to gossip in her mind.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Y-Yes! Of course," Stella said quickly. "There’s a shareholders’ meeting in two days. You want me to attend with Mom, right?"

"Correct." Evelyn nodded, her tone turning serious. "Make sure Alicia comes. Actually, I’d like to see her first. Can you arrange that for tomorrow?"

Stella was surprised to hear that, "You’re meeting Mom? Seriously?"

"Yes," Evelyn said. "There’s something I need to warn her about."

"Okay," Stella said softly, smiling a little. "She’ll be happy to see you, Sis. She... she really misses you."

Evelyn’s eyes softened for a moment. "Hmm... Me too."

Then her tone shifted back to business. "Listen carefully, Stella. Joseph is part of our plan now. You can trust him... at least where this operation is concerned. He’ll help guide you through the shareholders’ meeting. But make sure no one knows you’re working with him. Understood?"

"Understood, Sis."

"Good. I have to go now." Evelyn looked at Joseph, her voice gentler. "Jo, thank you for your help."

"Anytime, Eve," he replied, smiling faintly.

"See you soon." Evelyn smiled, waved, and ended the call.

The moment the screen went black, silence filled the room.

Stella blinked, still processing everything. Her sister was back, plotting, and apparently, the COO was in on it.

Joseph leaned back, crossing his arms casually. "You seem surprised."

"Surprised?" Stella repeats. "Surprised... was an understatement. You locked the door, made a secret call, and suddenly my sister... shows up talking about revenge plots. You think that’s what normal people do, Mr. COO?"

Joseph chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re just like her."