Chapter 107

Folks had always bullied her, and she could have let that slide. But now, they had the audacity to mess with her friend? That was unacceptable. Jasper was strutting around with such arrogance, banking on the fact that even if they messed with Abby, Haynes wouldn’t do anything. Some things she could endure, but Stella would never let her friends suffer on her behalf. And how could this possibly have nothing to do with Rachel?

Haynes looked at her. “But Rachel can’t be left alone right now.”

Stella’s gaze turned icy. The issue seemed to be just between Abby and Jasper on the surface. But behind it, it was really between her and Rachel. It was obvious that when it came to choosing between Stella and Rachel, Haynes had picked Rachel.

Stella was about to speak, but Haynes acted quicker. He took her hand and said, “Stella, let’s step outside to talk.”

Once Stella and Haynes were gone, Jasper’s look of indignation faded, replaced by doubt and uncertainty. “Rachel, Haynes wouldn’t really throw me in jail, would he?”

Haynes would never.

“Of course not,” Rachel replied with a confident smile. “Don’t worry, Haynie wouldn’t do that to you.”

Hearing this, Jasper relaxed. “The more Stella pushes this, the more it’ll annoy Haynes.”

Rachel nodded in agreement. “You didn’t really do anything to Stella; Haynie won’t pay attention to trivial matters.”

“Besides,” she added, “the one who got hurt is Abby. To Haynes, Abby is just someone unimportant.”

In the hallway, the two stood facing each other.

“Stella, I don’t want this to escalate further.”

Even though Stella already knew where Haynes stood, hearing it still sparked some anger within her.

Haynes continued, “I’m busy with work, and Rachel needs someone to care for her right now. If Jasper were taken away, it would be hard on Rachel.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

Haynes said calmly, almost distantly, “You can keep going after this, but have you thought about what you actually get out of putting Jasper in jail, aside from a brief moment of satisfaction?”

Stella understood now. Even if Abby had been seriously hurt, Haynes wouldn’t hold Jasper accountable. Because, to him, Abby wasn’t worth it.

Stella stared into Haynes’ deep eyes. “What if I insist?”

Haynes’ expression didn’t change, remaining as composed as ever, but his words were colder than ice. “Stella, you won’t have any evidence.”

Stella’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile. “Haynes, being overconfident can be dangerous.” She waved her phone. “I recorded everything Jasper admitted to earlier. Does that count as evidence?”

Haynes looked down at her, a hint of something unfamiliar stirring within him. If she was just playing tricks to win his attention, he might understand. But now, she was showing no leniency towards his mother either. Could she seriously be considering divorce?

But that thought vanished as quickly as it came. Their kid was so grown now; how could she possibly—

Stella noticed Haynes staring at her silently and raised an eyebrow. “What, Mr. O’Brien, are you thinking of snatching my phone to destroy the evidence?”

Haynes’ eyes flickered, and he snapped back to reality. “And what if I am?”

Stella chuckled. “If I dared to mention it, I’m not afraid of you trying. Even if the phone’s evidence is gone, the cloud backup has plenty more.”