It was all very sudden.
Stella didn't know if this was Roman Rhodes's exclusive seat.
To avoid any misunderstanding, she set down her chopsticks, which were covered in cake crumbs, picked up her tray, and made to leave. "Sorry, I'll find another spot."
Just then, Roman Rhodes took the towel Brandon Coleman handed him and spoke mildly, "It's no bother. We're not formal here. Please, sit."
It was the lunch rush, and the cafeteria was packed.
A quick glance around revealed hardly any empty seats.
If she really had to carry her tray and find another seat, it would be a huge waste of time.
It was just a simple meal. Roman Rhodes didn't think it was worth making a fuss over.
Brandon Coleman observed for a few seconds without a change in expression, the urge to decipher his boss's divine will sprouting like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Mr. Rhodes was indeed more lenient with Miss Sterling than with others.
Himself, for example.
And many others.
If this had happened in Port Vesper, many people's jaws would have dropped.
It was true that Mr. Rhodes was low-key, but he also had a great many rules.
Back in Port Vesper, forget sharing a meal with him—just getting a meeting required booking at least half a month in advance.
When had he ever so graciously accepted someone who had taken his seat?
'Perhaps the mainland's atmosphere has influenced Mr. Rhodes,' Brandon Coleman mused, 'making him more approachable without him even realizing it.'
Stella, unaware of what was going through Brandon Coleman's mind, took a calming breath and sat back down.
To avoid an awkward silence, she took the initiative to start a conversation. "Are you getting used to the food on the mainland, Mr. Rhodes?"
Roman Rhodes was wiping his long, well-proportioned fingers. He looked up at the sound of her voice. "It's acceptable."
The man hadn't picked up his chopsticks, so out of courtesy, Stella didn't start eating either.
After a moment of silence, she offered a suggestion in her capacity as a local host. "The local cuisine in Calderin is quite heavy, not light like the food on Vesper Island. There's a Port Vesper-style café in Westerfall that you could try when you have some free time, Mr. Rhodes."
Stella couldn't claim to know much about the culture of Vesper Island.
But she had Ian Jarvis, a Vesper Central native, who had complained more than once about how greasy and heavy Calderin's food was.
'Come to think of it,' she thought, 'the aristocratic Roman Rhodes is probably even pickier than Ian Jarvis.'
You could tell as much from the light dishes on his plate.
Roman Rhodes listened patiently to Stella's introduction, setting down the towel while adjusting the pinky ring on his finger.
And so, Stella finally got a clear look at the pattern on the face of the black and gold ring. It was an intricate design.
She had long heard that some families with deep-rooted heritage had their own exclusive family crests and tokens.
The one Roman Rhodes was wearing was likely a signet ring imbued with his family's significance.
"Are you an expert on Port Vesper-style cafés, Miss Sterling?"
The man's deep, magnetic voice pulled Stella back from her thoughts.
She shook her head and admitted honestly, "No, I've just been to a few Vesper-style cafés before. The one in Westerfall has that authentic Vesper feel, so I thought I'd recommend it to you, Mr. Rhodes."
Roman Rhodes gazed at Stella's makeup-free yet still fair and delicate face, then lowered his eyes and replied, "Since you're recommending it, I'll give it a try when I have the chance."
Stella felt the satisfaction of a successful recommendation and directly gave him the address. "Number 36, Old Street, Westerfall."
Brandon Coleman, hearing the exact address: "?"
'Number 36, Old Street, Westerfall, Calderin... Isn't that the chain café created by one of Rhodes Harbor Group's own restaurant brands?!'
During the meal, both Roman Rhodes and Stella Sterling remained silent, eating quietly.
Both perfectly adhered to the table etiquette of not speaking while eating.
The atmosphere wasn't as serious or tense as one might have imagined.
On the contrary, Roman Rhodes, this legendary tycoon from the Vesper area, was extremely considerate in his dealings with people.
Approachable, self-restrained, and courteous—every gesture was steeped in a gentlemanly character that went bone-deep.
This meal successfully reshaped some of Stella's perceptions of Roman Rhodes.
After lunch, Roman Rhodes left first.
Stella, on the other hand, planned to go back to the breakroom downstairs for some coffee to wake herself up.
Just as she reached the corner by the elevators, a chilling voice called out from behind her, "Niecey."
Stella stopped, sighed, and turned to look at the man with a cold smirk on his face.
This was the 'old fox' she had run into earlier in the cafeteria.
His full name was Liam Shelby, and he was the legal consultant for the conference.
In terms of family hierarchy, he was technically Stella's maternal uncle.
The two were close in age and their families were close, so they didn't really adhere to the generational hierarchy.
Liam Shelby was in his early thirties, with a naturally smiling face that made him seem completely harmless.
But anyone who knew Liam Shelby knew that in a courtroom, his slick tongue was like a machine gun, firing relentlessly.
That warm, smiling face, ironically, was his best weapon for deceiving people.
Liam Shelby leaned against the wall, his gaze meaningful. "Come on, let's talk."
Stella pouted. "Talk about what?"
Liam Shelby strode forward with a humored smirk and pinched Stella's cheek. "Well, well, Second Sterling. Running away from home. You've gotten bold."
Stella slapped his hand away. "I didn't run away from home."
Hearing the lack of conviction in her denial, Liam Shelby slung an arm around Stella's shoulders and forcibly led her into the fire escape stairwell.
「In the stairwell.」
Liam Shelby held up his phone, reading out word by word, "OmniConnect, Human Resources and Administration Specialist, Stella Sterling. Employed for 32 days, base salary 4,500. This is you, isn't it?!"
Never in a million years would Liam Shelby have imagined that his niece would give up being a pampered heiress to go work a job for money.
'What could have possibly driven her to this?'
Stella had her own plans but didn't want to reveal too much to Liam Shelby. "I'm just... experiencing life..."
"With a monthly salary of 4,500, you're dreaming of making 50 million a year? Is the life you're 'experiencing' the life of a daydreamer?" As a lawyer, Liam Shelby dealt with numbers and data all the time and could do the math in his head. "With that salary, even if you don't eat or drink, it would take you 925 years to earn that much. You think you'll live that long?"
'His words are so vicious.'
Stella shot him a look. "Who told you?"
"I have my ways, of course." Liam Shelby scanned Stella from head to toe. "Earning 50 million in one year... Where did you get the nerve to make that kind of bet with your father?"
Stella looked serious. "Fortune favors the bold."
Liam Shelby suddenly smiled, a look of understanding on his face. "It's for your sister, isn't it."
Stella corrected him. "It's for myself, too."
Back then, Sylvia Sterling had refused an arranged marriage and left for love. While it wasn't a complete break with the family, the relationship between the Sterling elders and Sylvia had dropped to a freezing point.
Not only did they cut off her trust fund, but they also froze the assets under her name, and they remain frozen to this day.
Later, Sylvia Sterling was forced to sell her startup company and fled with her lover, taking a sum of cash with her.
For two whole years, she hadn't been back to Calderin.
Few people outside the family knew about this; the Sterling Family kept it hidden as a family scandal.
This generation of the Sterling Family had no sons, only two daughters: Sylvia and Stella.
They say daughters are like caring little quilted jackets.
But this pair of Sterling sisters were more like drafty ones, each letting in more of a chill than the last.
The older sister, Sylvia, was bold in love and life, breaking the mold and forging her own path.
The Sterling elders couldn't stop their headstrong older daughter, so to prevent the younger one, Stella, from following in her footsteps, they had begun searching for a marriage partner for her over the past year.
The bet Liam Shelby mentioned was born from this confrontation between Stella and her parents.
Mr. Sterling promised that as long as Stella could earn 50 million within a year by her own efforts, the family would not interfere in her marriage and would even consider accepting that poor, never-before-seen son-in-law.
This was clearly Mr. Sterling making things difficult for her, but Stella chose to rise to the challenge.
It was a chance to kill two birds with one stone; there was no reason to refuse.
The price for accepting the bet was that her trust fund was also suspended, and her car and house were taken back.
If it weren't for a few minor businesses in her name that generated regular income, Stella would have starved to death by now.
Seeing Stella's do-or-die expression, Liam Shelby narrowed his eyes and probed, "So, tell me, what's your game with Roman Rhodes? Are you trying to make money off him?"
"Me?" Stella pointed a finger back at her own nose. "Getting close to Roman Rhodes?"
"Aren't you?" Liam Shelby gave a half-smile. "Think carefully before you spin a story."
Stella gazed into the empty stairwell, and a sudden idea flashed in her mind—'You know, that's actually not a bad idea for making money.'
'Rhodes Harbor Group is incredibly wealthy and involved in a wide range of industries. If I follow in the footsteps of a capital giant, they can eat the meat while I drink the soup. Winning the bet would be just around the corner.'
The moment Liam Shelby saw the sly glint in Stella's darting eyes, he knew she was scheming.
Immediately, the uncle figure adopted the tone of an elder and advised her earnestly, "Second Sterling, the Rhodes Family of Port Vesper has deep roots and a powerful background. Roman Rhodes's position in the Vesper Circle is unfathomable. He's not someone you can handle. It's not worth throwing yourself away for a mere 50 million."