My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 74: A Date, Want to Go?

Mr. Joel was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected Stella Sterling to be so unconventional.

Rhodes had come to their home to call her to account, yet she not only defused the situation in a few words but also dared to just walk out on her guest.

Although Sun Tzu’s "Art of War" states that of the thirty-six stratagems, retreating is the best, she was still the lady of a prominent family. Most people wouldn’t dare to act in such a manner.

But Stella Sterling didn’t care.

Then there was the birthday party invitation.

At first, Mr. Joel also thought it was a hot potato.

He had pieced together the general cause and effect from their conversation. From the looks of it, the birthday party was most likely a trap.

Forcing the birthday girl to apologize at her own party—they were clearly trying to make a fool of Mrs. Rhodes.

If things went poorly, she would get a reputation for being petty and difficult to get along with.

In that case, the old man’s prejudice against Mrs. Rhodes would likely deepen.

Fortunately, Mrs. Rhodes was a sensible person.

Mr. Joel thought what Stella Sterling said made perfect sense. They were digging a pit for her and expected her to spend money on a gift before jumping into it? How could that be right?

Did they take his Mrs. Rhodes for a fool?

So, Mr. Joel happily agreed and promptly tossed the beautifully designed invitation into the trash.

「Kyros Group.」

Only after his meeting did Owen Rhodes see several sixty-second-long voice messages from Mr. Joel.

He patiently listened to them one by one.

Liam Hawthorne watched as his boss’s brow furrowed, then slowly relaxed, and finally, he let out a soft chuckle.

For some reason, Liam Hawthorne detected a hint of doting affection in that soft chuckle.

Then, he heard Owen Rhodes command, "Get Ethan Rhodes back here. Find him a rock-bottom position in the project department."

"Understood, President Rhodes."

As for Bernard Rhodes, the Rhodes Family banquet was in a few days.

It was an old Rhodes Family tradition: a family banquet on the fifteenth of every month, which all direct descendants in Jandor had to attend.

It was the perfect opportunity for him to give the old man a face-to-face warning.

With that in mind, he sent Stella Sterling a message.

Owen Rhodes: [What are you doing?]

Stella Sterling: [(loopy_gasping.jpg) Oh my god, you actually messaged me]

Owen Rhodes: [Is it that strange for me to message you?]

After sending the message, Owen Rhodes scrolled up through their chat history.

It was true; he rarely initiated conversations with Stella Sterling.

In truth, he wanted to. He even wanted to know what she was doing every moment of the day, but he didn’t dare to show it.

’Stella doesn’t like the feeling of being watched.’

’She’s free. She can do whatever she wants without needing anyone’s permission or having to report her every move.’

That was why he had always suppressed the urge.

Only when he really couldn’t stop worrying would he message Mr. Joel and Tate to ask about her.

As a result, Mr. Joel and Tate received a flood of messages from him every day. The messages were short, and the question was always the same—what is Mrs. Rhodes doing?

They would basically get one every half hour or so.

Sometimes, Mr. Joel and Tate also wondered why the master didn’t just ask his wife directly.

But that wasn’t their place to interfere.

They just answered whatever he asked.

Stella Sterling’s reply came back: [It is pretty strange]

Stella Sterling: [(Image) I’m rushing to finish a draft. I suddenly got a burst of inspiration, so I feel like I’ll be done soon.]

Owen Rhodes: [That’s great. When you’re done, I’ll give you a gift.]

Stella Sterling: [What kind of gift? (sparkling_eyes.jpg)]

[I’m not telling you yet.]

[Okay (pouting_baby.gif)]

Stella Sterling always chose very common and popular memes.

Even though the memes were all different, Owen Rhodes could effortlessly picture Stella’s face in place of them.

The thought of her with sparkling eyes, the thought of her puffing out her cheeks with a sigh—it all put Owen Rhodes in a great mood.

An unconscious smile spread across his lips.

After a while, Owen Rhodes sent another message: [Stella, if I message you often, would you find it annoying?]

Stella Sterling replied quickly: [No, I wouldn’t]

Owen Rhodes felt relieved: [Go on with your draft. I won’t bother you.]

Stella Sterling was busy with her draft for the next few days, so when Owen Rhodes came home at night, he deliberately avoided disturbing her.

He and Stella had talked about it before, so he knew how ephemeral her inspiration could be.

Now that she had inspiration, she naturally had to seize it.

However, Stella was no longer pulling all-nighters to work on her draft like she had been just days before.

Sometimes Owen Rhodes would already be asleep, only to be woken up by the heat of someone snuggling into his arms in the hazy state between dreams and consciousness. He would know then that Stella was back.

The draft was finished three days later.

When Owen Rhodes returned home that evening, he saw Stella Sterling sitting on the living room sofa, munching on an apple.

He changed his shoes, walked over, and sat down beside her. "Finished?"

With her cheeks full of apple, Stella nodded happily. "Mhm, want to see it?"

"Am I allowed to?"

"Of course."

Stella then led Owen Rhodes to the third-floor art studio.

As they walked, at some point, Owen Rhodes’s hand found hers. It felt so natural that she didn’t feel any aversion to it.

Holding hands just like that, Stella led him to the painting.

The painting depicted a single, deep-set eye. Reflected in its pupil was a vast, tranquil sea, its surface shimmering with light, conveying a sense of serene, all-encompassing peace.

Stella tickled his palm. "Now that I’ve shown you the original, you can’t ask me for a licensing fee, okay?"

Owen Rhodes could tell. The eye in the painting looked very much like his.

Owen Rhodes laughed. "Mrs. Rhodes, if you went into business, you’d definitely be better at it than me."

’What a bargain, canceling out a licensing fee with just a single look.’

Owen Rhodes asked, "May I ask what the commission fee for this painting is?"

Stella scratched the tip of her nose. "Five hundred thousand."

"Five hundred thousand... and you’re settling the licensing fee with just a glance? Mrs. Rhodes, you really know how to strike a bargain."

"Hehe, how else could I be your wife?" Stella quickly changed the subject. "Didn’t you say you were giving me a gift? Where is it?"

Owen Rhodes gave a resigned smile. "A date. Want to go?"

"Huh?"

Stella was stunned.

After knowing him for so long, it seemed she still couldn’t get used to Owen Rhodes’s directness.

Owen Rhodes squeezed her fingers. "I said, I am inviting Mrs. Rhodes on a date with me. Will Mrs. Rhodes do me the honor?"

’This isn’t quite how I imagined things would unfold.’

’I originally thought our marriage was just a mutually beneficial partnership, but not only has he said he likes me, now he wants to take me on a date.’

’Everything was heading in the direction it should for a normal couple.’

Stella’s heart trembled. A little happy, she smiled and replied to him, "Okay, Mr. Rhodes."