Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1875

The Lamont Group had the market cornered when it came to Al technology. It was the untouchable giant in the industry. Anyone who hoped to get a slice of that lucrative pie had no choice but to play by its rules.

Jonathan let a half-smile play on his lips, while his face gave nothing away. "There's always a chance," he said, cool as a cucumber.

While the group was chatting away, Robin often found himself on the outskirts of the conversation. Seizing an opportunity, he excused himself and slipped out the side door into the garden.

Sophia was deep in conversation with Estelle until she noticed Robin's departure. With a sly glint in her eye, she scooped up his jacket and followed him out.

Magdalen watched their retreat, while deftly shelling melon seeds with her delicate fingers; a teasing smirk showed on her lips. "That Robin, he's not good enough for Sophia."

"Hm?" Estelle, picking through a bowl of jelly beans, glanced up. "What do you mean?"

She hadn't seen much of Robin, but on the surface, he seemed like a young man on the rise, both ambitious and competent.

And, to build a business from scratch at his age? That was no small feat!

Magdalen dropped the melon seeds she just shelled into Estelle's bowl. "Try the jelly beans with the melon seeds Trust me, it's a flavor explosion."

Estelle popped the combination into her mouth and nodded in approval.

She crunched on a jelly bean. "So, what were you saying about Robin?"

"He doesn't love Sophia," Magdalen stated bluntly.

"How can you be sure?" Estelle asked skeptically.

"I've seen more of life's theater than you. Just trust me on this." Magdalen continued her nut-cracking, "The guy's too focused on his goals. Call it ambition or call it opportunism, but either way, he's not in the right place for a relationship. If he'd already made his mark, maybe it'd be different. But right now? Sophia's bound to get the short end of the stick if she gets involved."

Estelle frowned with worry. "But Sophia's really into him!"

"That's exactly the problem. She's too into him to see the warning signs," Magdalen sighed. "Artists often get caught up in their feelings!"

Estelle objected. "That's a bit of a stereotype, isn't it?"

"How so?"

"Well, Sophia and I are both designers. Are you saying I'm all heart and no head too?"

Magdalen snorted. "Aren't you? You moved to J City for a guy, and you waited three years for him. I was beside myself with worry for you!" Before moving to J City, Estelle hardly knew what Jonathan even looked like.

Luckily for her, Jonathan lived up to her expectations. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a love story; it would have been a love disaster.

Estelle countered, "If he had let me down, I would've cut my losses."

Magdalen laughed dismissively. "A woman in love loses a lot of IQ points. She would be unable to see the truth for what it is, instead she would always find a thousand excuses to forgive and forget, and keep riding that high of so-called love."

Estelle crunched on another jelly bean, while staring blankly at Magdalen.

Magdalen, amused by her reaction, popped a piece of dark chocolate into Estelle's mouth. "Lucky for you, you don't have to make excuses-Jonathan will do that for you."

The bittersweet chocolate melted on Estelle's tongue. She glanced at Jonathan, who was now deep in conversation with Morrison, and felt her eyes softened.

Feeling her gaze, Jonathan looked up, furrowed his brow, and called out, "That's enough sweets for today. No more."

Estelle arched an eyebrow, turned her head towards the window, and propped her arm on the wooden side table, with her pale fingers resting against her forehead. She muttered under her breath, "No ice cream, no sweets. Maybe I should just give up on him too!"

Magdalen leaned back against her cushion, her laughter filling the room.