When Love Comes Late

After a moment’s thought, she took out her phone, located a familiar number, and composed a quick message.

“I’m heading to Sothrea with Matthew.

Help me win his heart.

”

Three days later, Matthew, Fernando, and Lindsay embarked on their trip to Sothrea.

In the VIP lounge at the airport, Matthew sat back on a_ sofa, texting Stella about his schedule.

A few feet away, Fernando buried himself in a pile of papers, his face tightened in deep focus.

Lindsay perched on the edge of the sofa, her fingers tapping rapidly on her phone screen.

Every now and then, her eyes flitted over to Matthew, a mix of anticipation and nervousness crossing her face.

She studied the lines of his face and the sharpness of his jaw, determination flashing through her eyes.

With a quick breath, she typed out a message and glanced over it once more.

“Do you really think everything will work out this time?”

Her pulse quickened as she hit send, imagining a future that might, somehow, bring her closer to Matthew.

But then.

.

there was no response.

Seconds ticked by, stretching painfully into minutes.

The wait gnawed at her nerves, and just as she moved to type again, her phone buzzed.

One word came, “Yes.

”

It was short and clipped, but oddly reassuring.

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Her gaze settled on the phone number.

A thought lingered at the back of her mind.

Who was this mysterious person?

Whoever they were, they had once managed to contact the mercenaries Joann had hired and managed to escape untouched after everything fell apart.

Clearly, they had power and plenty of it.

Lindsay had no idea who they really were, but for now, that was beside the point.

If they could help her out of this situation, they were worth trusting, at least for now.

A staff member, dressed crisply in uniform, entered the VIP room with a friendly smile and announced, “It’s time to board, everyone.

”

Matthew sent one last message, telling Stella he was ready to board.

Lindsay slipped her phone into her bag, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

She could already picture it; when she returned to Seamarsh, everything would be different, better, brighter.

On the second day of Matthew’s business trip, Stella returned to Lucia’s home for dinner.

Lucia greeted her at the door with a smile that reached her eyes, pulling Stella into a warm embrace.

“I just knew you’d come today.

So I asked the chef to make all your favorites.

”

Stella felt a swell of gratitude and replied with a smile, “Thank you.

That’s so thoughtful of you.

”