Chapter 394 - 404: Asking for Trouble
Chapter 394: Chapter 404: Asking for Trouble
Felix Lawrence had no idea what Stella Sterling was thinking at that moment.
After a long moment, he finally spoke. "I’m truly glad to see you’re so confident, Miss Sterling!"
With that, he let out a hearty laugh.
Although he was highly skeptical of the figure she had mentioned, he ultimately decided that Stella Sterling was a trustworthy person.
Even if her chances weren’t as high as she claimed, her immense self-assurance still meant one thing: she had tremendous faith in the power at her disposal.
Stella Sterling saw the expression on his face. She could tell he was clearly unconvinced, yet he had said it anyway.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a slight smile.
Felix Lawrence continued, "However, ’know your enemy and know yourself, and you can win a hundred battles.’ Miss Sterling, after we get to my territory tomorrow, I’ll have someone prepare some files on Sanctyr Base for you to review. That way, you’ll have a better grasp of the situation."
’Once she knows more, Miss Sterling will have a clearer picture of Sanctyr Base’s strength.’
’That way, she’ll probably act more cautiously, which would be a safer bet.’
As Felix Lawrence considered this, he also felt a faint sense of anticipation.
’If Miss Sterling is still this confident after learning just how strong Sanctyr Base is, then her preparations must be truly thorough.’
’If that’s the case... if that’s the case, then my chances for revenge would be huge!’
Stella Sterling nodded, accepting his proposal.
’She was confident in her own abilities, but she had no intention of underestimating her enemy.’
’Even more, she didn’t want to cause heavy losses for her people due to some oversight.’
’After all, every person in her base was an expert she had personally nurtured, someone she had invested a great deal of resources into training.’
’The loss of even one would pain her.’
’There’s never any harm in being fully prepared.’
Seeing Stella Sterling accept his suggestion made Felix Lawrence happy, and he felt more assured about their arrangement.
Her cautiousness only proved that she wasn’t acting on impulse, nor was she the type to be all brawn and no brains.
’This meant that what she had said earlier was highly credible.’
In that instant, the two of them exchanged a smile.
Of course, Felix Lawrence was the happier of the two. As for Stella Sterling, this was all part of her plan, completely within her expectations.
There was nothing for her to be particularly happy about.
Her happiness was simply a product of being in a good mood that day.
But for Felix Lawrence, it was a completely different story. His gains today had been significant.
More importantly, the great weight pressing on his heart had loosened considerably and would soon be lifted entirely. This realization made him feel light and cheerful.
For the rest of the time, they didn’t bring up the topic again, instead chatting about the natural disasters of the past few years.
A long time passed without them noticing, and both began to feel sleepy.
Felix Lawrence planned to take Stella Sterling to his territory in the morning. Since they were both tired, he decided to just crash here for the night.
After a moment’s thought, Stella Sterling went back to her vehicle, retrieved a tent from her storage, and gave it to Felix Lawrence so he could make do for the night.
She then returned to her vehicle to rest.
When she got back inside the vehicle, Andrew Shaw, who had been on the verge of falling asleep earlier, was now wide awake.
He still had an uneasy expression, and the first thing he did was apologize to Stella Sterling.
It took Stella Sterling a moment to realize he was apologizing for what he had said earlier.
’Looks like what I said earlier made him uneasy, so now he’s trying to apologize to me.’
Stella Sterling waved a dismissive hand at him. "I said I wouldn’t hold it against you, and I meant it. Besides, do I look like that petty of a person?"
Andrew Shaw nodded vigorously in his head, desperate to say ’Yes, you do’.
’She might have said she wouldn’t hold it against me, but who knows how she’ll try to get back at me later.’
’That’s why, after thinking it over, he decided he had to apologize and get her forgiveness. Only then could he be at ease.’
Of course, he couldn’t possibly say any of this to Stella Sterling.
So, he put on a sycophantic grin. "Of course not! You’re as beautiful as you are kind-hearted, miss. And you’re so magnanimous, of course you wouldn’t hold a grudge against little old me!"
"It’s just that I feel terrible about it. I felt I had to apologize to clear my conscience, so... can you accept my sincere apology?"
He finished, looking at Stella Sterling with a sincere expression.
Stella Sterling opened her eyes, looked at him, and shook her head. "I can’t."
Andrew Shaw’s heart sank.
’I knew it! I knew it! This woman might say she’d let it go, but in her heart, she’s definitely plotting how to get back at me!’
’Look! I apologized so sincerely, and she still won’t accept it! If I hadn’t apologized, I can only imagine the outcome would have been even worse!!!’
He forced a stiff smile. "Tonight was my fault. I misspoke and upset you, miss. I deserve to be punished. So... as long as you spare my worthless life, you can do whatever you want to me!"
At that, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow.
’I really had no intention of holding this against him tonight.’
’But since he’s serving himself up for punishment on a silver platter, it would almost seem wrong not to oblige him.’
So she nodded. "Alright then, you just wait. I haven’t thought of how to punish you yet, so I’ll put a pin in it for now."
Hearing this, Andrew Shaw let out a huge sigh of relief internally.
’Putting a pin in it is fine! Maybe she’ll forget about it someday.’
He didn’t realize that Stella Sterling had never intended to hold it against him in the first place; it was only because he kept insisting that she decided to tease him a little.
But before he could even finish his sigh of relief, he heard Stella Sterling speak again. "However, I’ll collect a little interest today. I’d like to be alone for a bit, so get out of the vehicle. Go keep my old friend company in the tent!"
"Ah, no! There’s no AC out there, I’ll roast to death!"
Andrew Shaw cried out in agony. He definitely didn’t want to sleep in a tent; it was far more comfortable inside the vehicle.
But he had just said it himself, so he couldn’t very well take it back now.
All he could do was shoot a few resentful glances at Stella Sterling with his wide eyes before getting out of the vehicle with a look of resignation, closing the door, and going to find Felix Lawrence.