Chapter 934 Am I Violet's Substitute?
Charles dodged Carter and Violet, hit up Stella, and asked her to keep an eye on Hannah 'cause he had some stuff to figure out.
Right then, it clicked why Patricia and everyone else had been acting all weird, like they wanted to spill something but kept holding back.
Stella was all, "Chill, I got Hannah covered! You go handle your business."
Charles, still on edge, kept nagging, "Alright, but seriously, keep a close watch on her! I got a ton to sort out. Just tell her to give me some time."
Stella was like, "I got it! Leave her to me. No worries."
"Cool."
After hanging up, Charles shoved his phone back in his pocket.
Hannah watched Stella drop her phone on the dining table, feeling all kinds of frustrated.
Hannah asked, "Why didn't he call me?"
'He didn't come after me when I left, even though he's clearly worried. But he only called Stella to look after me. Doesn't he get that I need him?' Hannah thought.
Stella explained, "He didn't wanna get into it over the phone and make you stress out! Plus, I'm the one he trusts the most. With me here, he can focus on sorting things out!" She then glanced around at classmates passing by with their trays. "I used to think the food here sucked, but today it looks decent! Maybe they got a new chef? What do you wanna eat? Let's grab lunch!"
Hannah had been in a good mood earlier, but now she was down in the dumps, slumped over the table. "I'm not hungry."
Stella, catching a whiff of the food, felt her stomach growl.
"No matter how crappy you feel, you gotta eat!" She stood up and dragged Hannah to pick out lunch. Eyeing the tasty-looking food, she swallowed hard. "This looks awesome. They must've changed the chef! Look, there's your fave." Stella said, loading up her tray.
When they got their food, their old spot was taken, so they found another place to sit.
Stella was starving and started chowing down, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
Stella said, "They definitely got a new chef, no wonder this place is packed! Hannah, dig in. It's really good."
Hannah had zero appetite, just poking at her food while her mind replayed the image of Violet clinging to Charles.
Hannah said, "Stella, you know Charles pretty well, right? And that girl, Violet."
Stella's eating slowed, her eyes darting with guilt. "Yeah, I know her."
Hearing that, Hannah perked up, put down her fork, and stared at Stella. "So you knew from the start that we look alike, huh?"
Stella felt even guiltier.
She was usually straight-up and sucked at lying, except for little white lies.
Under Hannah's intense gaze, she felt her scalp tingle.
Stella replied, "No, I haven't seen her in years. We only hung out when we were kids. You know, memories get fuzzy, and her face kinda faded from my mind!"
Hannah wasn't buying it.
Her story was full of holes.
Hannah shot back, "You're lying! Stella, I know you too well. Whenever you lie, your eyes dart around, and you can't look me in the eye!"
Stella panicked for a second, closed her eyes, and silently cursed herself for being so dumb.
Hannah wasn't letting it go, pressing on, "Spill it, what's the deal between Violet and Charles? They can't just be childhood buddies! Charles might not be a clean freak, but he always keeps his distance from women. They aren't related, yet he lets her hang all over him."
Stella was smiling on the outside, but inside she was freaking out. "You really know Charles well."
Hannah even picked up on the little things.
Hannah reached across the table and grabbed Stella's hand. "You admit it, right? Their relationship isn't simple! I remember you told me Charles had a girlfriend from way back, and then..."
She seemed to realize something and stopped dead in her tracks.
Seeing she might've figured it out, Stella stiffened, looking down, not daring to meet her eyes.
Hannah knew her thought was crazy and ridiculous. But the feeling just kept growing.
Hannah continued, "Violet, she said her name is Violet, and she's the girlfriend who disappeared seven years ago, right? No. Maybe not an ex-girlfriend! They never broke up. Violet just went missing, and their relationship was put on hold! Now that Violet is back, they..."
Stella, afraid she'd overthink, quickly cut her off, "It's not what you think! Charles is super rational, so he can handle the situation between the three of you. Just trust him and give him time to sort it out."
'So, Stella's kinda admitting my guess?' Thinking this, Hannah's other hand clenched suddenly, slamming the table in frustration, startling the surrounding students who looked at her like she was nuts.
Stella immediately grabbed her fist, trying to calm her down, "Don't be mad. You gotta trust Charles."
Hannah's face turned red with disappointment, not buying it at all. "Why do we look so alike?"
Stella was speechless.
Hannah continued, "From the start, you knew we looked alike, didn't you?"
Stella was too guilty to speak.
Hannah pressed on, "I wondered why your expression was so weird when we first met, and Charles, and Randy, and your parents, and everyone around Charles."
Now she finally knew the reason.
It was because of her face.
Stella, feeling guilty, tried to explain, "Hannah, it's not like that. You got it wrong!"
Hannah wasn't listening, continuing on her own, "So, Charles doesn't really like me. He actually likes Violet. It's just that I happen to look like Violet, so he treats me as a stand-in for Violet."
Hearing her say this, Stella panicked, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, exclaiming, "No, it's not like that!"
Her extreme reaction made Hannah even more desperate.
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