Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1977

The sound of a knock on the restroom door broke the tension in the air as Lambert called out, "Rella, are you in there?" Estelle's body instantly tensed up.

Jonathan scoffed with a wry smile, "We're husband and wife for crying out loud, acting like a couple of lovebirds sneaking around!"

Estelle looked up defiantly, "Are you blaming me?"

Jonathan paused, then shook his head, "No, not at all."

"You feel cornered, don't you? The great Mr. Alvis, the CEO of the Lamont Group, reduced to this, it's frustrating, isn't it?"

"That's not it."

Estelle frowned, "It is! It's because of me that you're enduring this, mmph!"

Jonathan's response was to cup her face and silence her with his lips.

The knocking continued, but neither of them paid any heed, lost in a fervent kiss.

Outside, Sylvia approached Lambert with a smile, "Looking for Rella?"

Lambert frowned, "Isn't she in there?"

"Mr. Alvis is in the restroom, so I asked Rella to go upstairs. You can wait in the living room, and I'll bring Rella down to you shortly," Sylvia said with a flawless smile.

Lambert nodded slightly, his devilishly handsome face a mix of jest and seriousness, "Alright, tell Rella I'm waiting for her downstairs, quite eagerly. If she doesn't come down soon, I might just have to go fetch her myself."

His words, though meant for Sylvia, carried a clear message: hands off Estelle!

His instincts told him that Beverly had a complicated relationship with Alvis, and while he was wary of Alvis, he wouldn't let anyone hurt Estelle again.

"Of course!" Sylvia laughed, "I'll take you to the living room."

After they walked away, Sylvia personally brewed Lambert a cup of hot tea, "I hear the Brennan family has some heritage from the old country and appreciates traditional customs. You must enjoy tea, then. How do you like the one I've prepared?"

Lambert took the cup, sniffed it cautiously, and a shadow of alertness crossed his deep eyes. He smiled thinly, "A fine green tea, but indulging in tea is my father's pastime, not mine." With that, he set the cup on the table.

The cup steamed gently, the tea leaves vibrant green, the liquid clear.

Sylvia apologized with a smile, "Then, I'll make you some coffee."

She stood up, ordered a servant, and then said to Lambert, "Mr. Brennan, please wait for a moment. I'll go fetch Rella."

"Sure," Lambert replied flatly.

Back in the restroom, it took a while before Jonathan finally released Estelle, his fingers tracing her rosy lips, "You know my feelings. Don't talk like that again."

Estelle rose on tiptoes to plant a soothing kiss on the corner of his mouth, "Then trust me, and don't get so cross."

Jonathan frowned, "I can't promise that."

Estelle sighed, "Then we should see each other less. I'll speed up and complete my mission."

"That's even more unlikely," Jonathan stated.

Estelle looked at him, speechless.

Her phone suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Emily, [Estelle, Charlie's going on a business trip to E City and he wants me to join him. I haven't agreed, but today my supervisor told me there's an architectural design symposium in E City and asked me to attend. Is this a coincidence or what?]

Estelle smiled as she typed back, [Go for it, don't let Charlie down.]

Emily replied, [When I get back from E City, will you be back in J City? I miss you.]

Estelle responded, [Likely, have a great trip!]

Jonathan kissed her gently, "What's making you so happy?"

Estelle looked up, "Emily and Charlie are heading to E City together. When they come back, we can go home too, right?"

"No problem at all," Jonathan murmured softly, capturing her lips once more.