As Leo pinned Stella against the door of their home, she began to seriously question why she had provoked him earlier.
The elevator doors slowly closed, and the lights in the stairwell gradually dimmed. In the darkness, Leo's eyes glowed with an intensity that reminded Stella of a predator hunting its prey, capable of making its victim surrender with just one look.
"Stella," Leo's voice was husky and low, "what did you call me just now?"
Stella felt weak all over, unable to say a word. This version of Leo was too seductive; she could barely handle it.
Leo leaned in, their foreheads touching, and whispered, "Say it again, please."
His tone was impossibly tender, almost hypnotic. Stella couldn't muster a "no," but her legs felt like jelly, afraid that speaking might drain the last bit of her strength. With her back against the door and her hands fumbling on the smooth wall tiles, she finally hooked her fingers into Leo's trouser pocket for support, unaware that her action made his eyes darken further.
After steadying herself, Stella cleared her throat, blushing furiously, and obediently spoke, "H-husband."
Leo's Adam's apple bobbed, his jaw clenching and unclenching. He raised Stella's chin with a finger, his thumb caressing her soft lips. She hadn't applied lipstick, but her lips were naturally vivid, with faint teeth marks that made them even more tempting.
Leo brushed his nose against hers, his breath hot, "Stella, may I?"
Stella closed her eyes softly without saying a word.
The next second, Leo's lips pressed down on hers.
The instant their lips touched, both of them trembled. The electric surge was too intense for Stella; her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed, but Leo caught her, holding her tightly.
Leo's kiss was inexperienced but fervent, his tongue exploring hers and eliciting a soft, low moan from her. The sound was barely audible, but it drove Leo wild, making him tighten his grip and deepen the kiss.
"Mmm…"
Everywhere Leo touched seemed to ignite, the tingling sensation building up and overwhelming Stella. Her mind went blank; she couldn't think of anything but clinging to Leo's shirt, surrendering to his every move.
The motion-activated lights flickered on and off. It felt like an eternity before the moisture on her lips was gently wiped away by his warm thumb, and Stella finally regained her senses, opening her misty eyes.
Leo's face bore an irrepressible smile, his eyes unblinking as he watched her. He played with her burning earlobe here, smoothed her silky hair there, more out of a compulsion to touch her than to comfort.
Perhaps her lips felt numb from the kiss; Stella kept her mouth slightly open as if tasting something spicy, her tongue curling back, obediently. Leo felt his heart itch, ready to steal another kiss, but they were interrupted by two unexpected coughs.
"Uh, can you two wait to continue this?"
There was someone else here?!
Stella was startled, too embarrassed to even turn and check, burying her face into Leo's chest.
Leo turned, spotting his brother, Evan, leaning against the corner with crossed arms, eyes closed, seemingly adhering to the principle of "see no evil."
"Why are you here?" Leo asked, displeased.
Evan opened his eyes in disbelief, speaking each word deliberately, "You… asked me to come."
Leo, clearly annoyed, emphasized the critical part of his question, "I meant, why are you here?" indicating the exact spot. Why didn't he wait downstairs?
"…" Evan couldn't believe his ears. He hadn't seen his brother behave this shamelessly in years. He threw Leo a "have some decency" look and then turned to Stella, his tone much softer, "Of course, I came to greet my sister-in-law."
Stella, recognizing the voice and demeanor, lifted her head, surprised to see Evan. "Evan?"
"Yes, it's me," Evan replied cheerfully, giving her a playful salute. "Hello, sister-in-law."
Sister-in-law?! Stella's shock turned to realization as she looked between Leo and Evan… Leo, Evan…
Though their temperaments were different—one cold and serious, the other laid-back and casual—their facial features were indeed similar upon closer inspection.
"He's your brother?" Stella asked Leo.
"Yes, my younger brother," Leo confirmed.
So that's how it is, Stella thought, finally understanding how Leo knew about the forum posts. She nodded at Evan, offering a slightly embarrassed but genuine smile. Meeting her brother-in-law so unexpectedly, especially after being seen kissing his brother, was a bit awkward.
As they entered the house, Leo asked, "When did you get here?"
Evan, putting his bag away, responded casually, "Oh, just a few minutes before you guys. I saw you both get off the elevator."
Leo frowned, "Then why didn't you say anything?"
Evan gave him a disdainful look, "I wanted to, but you didn't give me a chance. The moment you arrived, you were all over each other. Do you even realize how old you are? Act a bit more mature. I thought I had turned invisible…"
Leo: "…"
Stella quickly escaped to the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks, pretending she hadn't heard the embarrassing exchange.
When she returned, the brothers had reconciled and were sitting side by side, looking at something on Evan's laptop.
"Stella, come here," Leo said, taking the tray from her and indicating she should sit where he had been.
Evan pulled up a page on his screen, showing the forum post Stella had made earlier.
"There are already thousands of comments," Evan scrolled through a few, showing her the general sentiment. "Most are supporting you and apologizing. Your department also issued a statement on their website, so public opinion is now overwhelmingly in your favor."
Stella nodded, "What about the original slanderous post? Did the poster say anything else?"
Evan brought up a "404 Not Found" page, "She deleted it after your statement. The marriage certificate was too solid; she couldn't argue against it."
"Don't worry," Leo reassured her, patting her head. "Evan has taken screenshots and backups, and we've identified the person. She won't get away with it."
Stella pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is it Bella?"
Evan looked surprised, "You knew?"
"Yeah, I figured it out. No one else would go to such lengths to slander me," Stella said calmly. "Plus, Ken talked to me yesterday. I thought he was being weird at the time, but now it makes sense. Bella must have told him about the post beforehand."
Evan glanced at his brother, "What did Ken say to you?"
"Um… he asked if I was really in a relationship and where I was living now," Stella rolled her eyes. "I said I didn't want to tell him, and he told me to behave myself… As if it's any of his business!"
Evan saw his brother's face darken immediately and couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire, "Exactly! He's got some nerve. He's got a girlfriend but keeps thinking about you. You don't know this, but he's been telling everyone that you're head over heels for him."
Stella, frustrated, drank her chocolate milk and then handed Leo a cup of tea, her tone turning sweet and compliant, "Are you tired, Leo?"
Leo's expression softened, but before he could respond, Evan interrupted, "Leo? You two have pet names for each other?"
"Stop talking nonsense," Leo asked, "Did you finish writing your post?"
Stella, blushing, asked curiously, "Are you posting something too?"
"Yeah, your department's statement said they'd investigate the slanderer. The official report will probably take a couple of days," Evan grinned mischievously. "I figured I'd stir things up a bit first."
Stella's eyes widened in surprise. Today, Evan seemed completely different from the calm and gentle campus heartthrob she had met before.
Evan turned to Stella with a cheeky grin, "Sister-in-law, if you keep staring at me like that, I might not make it out of your house alive."
"Oh, and by the way, my persona at school is that of a humble and gentle gentleman from a modest background. Please, sister-in-law, help me maintain that image and don't expose me."
Stella retorted, "I didn't realize you were such a drama queen."
"Can't help it," Evan replied, looking dramatically sorrowful, "I'm already dazzling enough. If my true, unique personality was also on display, it would just be too much for others to handle."
Stella rolled her eyes, speechless.
Ten minutes later, while eating dinner delivered from Nine Creeks, Stella finished reading the post Evan had anonymously published.
Evan truly had a knack for stirring things up. His post was humorous, logically sound, and meticulously detailed, exposing the various big and small accounts of the slandering ID-Flower1314 and their turbulent activities on the university forum over the years. Essentially, wherever there was conflict, there she was; and if there was no conflict, she created one. The post painted a vivid picture of a narrow-minded, mean-spirited individual who thrived on sowing discord and backstabbing others.
As the readers, now fully engrossed, reached the climax of the post, the IP address—serving as undeniable evidence—was revealed, identifying the culprit as Bella.
In one day, the university forum exploded again.
Stella didn't bother reading the comments below. Judging from the reaction when she was accused of being a homewrecker, she could easily imagine the shock and excitement over the collapse of Bella's goddess image. Bella's current predicament was predictable and deserved, with no one else to blame.
After dinner, Evan left. Leo cleaned up the dining table and found Stella sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the brightly lit university campus in a daze.
Leo hugged her from behind, kissing her on the forehead. "What are you thinking about?"
Stella rubbed her head against his chin. "I'm thinking about what Evan said."
Leo frowned. "Why are you thinking about him?"
"Not him, what he said," Stella turned around, her eyes a bit lost. "He said it's important to hide one's talents. I always thought that keeping to myself and staying quiet was being honest and straightforward, but maybe it comes off as another form of showing off, as being aloof and pretentious. I never cared about these things before, but this time it affected so many people, I…"
"Stella," Leo lifted her onto his lap and gently massaged her, "you were right not to care before, and you don't need to care now. Everyone views the world differently. We don't try to change others, nor should we be harsh on ourselves because of it."
Stella nodded thoughtfully.
Leo continued, "As for Evan, did you know that five years ago during the financial crisis, a super hacker clashed with several foreign funds, repeatedly defeating them?"
"Yes, I've heard about that."
"That was Evan. He's very arrogant. He pretends to be low-key at school just for convenience, not because he believes in it. Don't believe his nonsense," Leo said with a deadpan expression.
Stella was speechless.
Seeing her stunned expression, Leo couldn't help but kiss her again. "You never need to ingratiate yourself, compromise, or be cunning."
"Your husband is very capable. Remember that."