Chapter 79: You Can’t Call Me Stellan
Galatea froze at the nickname, her mind racing to process the unexpected familiarity. She stood there for a moment, caught off guard, before she quickly found an excuse to leave the room. “Stay here and rest. I’ll go get you a glass of water.” She practically fled from the room, her thoughts muddled by the slip of Alaric’s words.
Alaric, still reeling from his headache, shook his head as if trying to clear the fog from his brain. Just then, the door creaked open, and Mia entered, her presence calming yet curious.
“Mr. Knight,” Mia greeted gently, and Alaric immediately jumped to his feet in polite surprise.
“Mia,” he said, his voice thick with the lingering effects of alcohol. The events of the day, especially his embarrassing drunken stupor, were fresh in his mind. He hadn’t realized Mia had been there until now.
Mia, always the gracious host, smiled warmly. “It’s getting dark. Why don’t you stay for dinner before heading out? My cooking may not rival that of professional chefs, but after all these years, I can assure you it’s pretty good. You could give it a try.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mia. I apologize for any inconvenience,” Alaric replied, feeling a bit awkward but touched by her hospitality.
Mia smiled, her expression softening. “Of course, no trouble at all.”
She glanced over to where Galatea had just left the room and then turned back to Alaric, her tone becoming more direct. “Mr. Knight, are you planning to marry our Stellan?”
The question hit Alaric like a sudden jolt, and he didn’t quite know how to answer. Could he admit the truth—that he had already been rejected? His mind struggled to find the right words.
Seeing his hesitation, Mia’s smile softened as she continued, “If you’re truly interested in her, you should pursue her properly. I’m not just saying this because she’s my family—our Stellan really is something special. You’d be incredibly lucky to marry her. Stellan is a natural beauty, clever, and has a heart of gold. There’s no shortage of people trying to win her heart.”
Alaric, although taken aback by the intensity of Mia’s praise, couldn’t help but agree. He’d seen enough of Galatea to know the truth in Mia’s words. His gaze softened, and he decided to probe a bit further. “I’ve noticed you calling her ‘Stellan.’ Is that a pet name?”
Mia paused, momentarily caught off guard by the question. Galatea’s birth name was Stellan Storm, and Mia had always called her that since childhood. Even after Galatea changed her name, Mia had never stopped using it.
“Right,” Mia answered with a smile, trying to keep things simple. “It’s a pet name.”
At that very moment, Galatea walked back into the room, holding a cup of warm water.
Mia turned to her and said cheerfully, “Stellan, you take care of Mr. Knight for a bit. I’ll get dinner started and call you both when it’s ready.”
Without waiting for a response, Mia headed to the kitchen, leaving Galatea and Alaric alone together.
Alaric quickly explained, “Mia insisted I stay for dinner.”
Galatea raised an eyebrow but couldn’t help but smile. “Well, consider yourself lucky. Mia’s cooking is a lot better than what your chefs could prepare.”
Alaric took a sip of the water she handed him, then met her eyes. “Stellan.”
The sound of the name caught Galatea off guard, and she froze for a moment. Her heart skipped a beat, and a wave of discomfort washed over her. That was the name only her father, Mia, and Ambrose called her.
“What did you just call me?” she asked, her voice tense.
Alaric blinked, surprised by her reaction. “Stellan. I heard Mia call you that, so I thought it was your pet name.”
Galatea sucked in a breath, feeling a pang of shock at his words. “Stellan?” she echoed, her voice barely a whisper. “It does have a nice ring to it,” he mused. “I’ll call you that from now on.”
“No!” Galatea’s response was immediate and more intense than she intended. The thought of another man calling her by that name—especially Alaric—was too much for her.
She quickly realized how her reaction had sounded and tried to cover it with a nervous laugh. “Just call me Galatea, please.”
Alaric’s expression grew even more confused. Something in her reaction told him there was more to this than met the eye, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. His instincts told him that Galatea’s past was complicated, and the name “Stellan” clearly held a deeper meaning for her.
Before Alaric could inquire further, Galatea quickly changed the subject, perhaps trying to shift the focus away from her discomfort. “By the way, Cormac Nash came to see me today,” she said, her voice a little softer. “He showed me Ravenna Nash’s medical report. She has mid-stage stomach cancer.”
Alaric’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Is it really cancer?”
Galatea nodded. “Yes. But there’s still a chance for recovery. The chemotherapy will be difficult, though.”
Alaric sighed, wishing it was just a scare and not something so serious. “Cormac is a doctor; he must know plenty of specialists. I’m sure he’ll find a way to help her,” he said.
“Let’s hope so,” Galatea replied, her tone reflective.
At that moment, Mia’s voice called out from the kitchen, “You two, come out and eat.”
Galatea responded immediately, “Okay, coming, Mia.”
Once they made their way to the table, they found Mia had prepared a spread of dishes. As they sat down to eat, Mia smiled and said, “You two eat up, I’ll go out for a walk.”
Galatea looked at her, slightly confused. “Mia, you haven’t eaten yet.”
Mia waved her off. “I had too much for lunch. My stomach’s still full. I’ll walk it off. You two enjoy your meal.”
Galatea couldn’t help but wonder—how had Mia become so perceptive of everything around her?
With Mia gone, it was just the two of them. Galatea looked at the dishes on the table, her expression softening. “Today’s your lucky day. Mia’s cooking is really something special.”
Alaric, ever curious, decided to ask, “I’ve always been curious about your relationship with Mia. How did you two meet?”
Galatea thought for a moment before answering. “Mia has been with my family since I was young. To call her a nanny is more accurate. She practically raised me.”
Alaric, remembering their past interactions and how well Mia had behaved in various settings, was struck by a new realization. “Was your family wealthy before?”
Galatea was caught off guard by the question, but after a long pause, she responded vaguely, “You could say that.”
Alaric’s mind raced. “In that case, even with your parents gone, they must have left you quite an inheritance.”
The question hit Galatea unexpectedly, and she lost her appetite, her gaze growing cold. She looked at him, her voice sharp. “Alaric, are you doing this on purpose? Going from wealth to poverty obviously means the family fell on hard times. It’s not hard to guess. You seem to enjoy rubbing salt in other people’s wounds.”
Alaric’s face softened with genuine concern. “I’m just genuinely curious. There’s nothing more to it,” he said, trying to ease the tension in the room.
Galatea’s expression remained a little guarded, but she couldn’t help but notice the sincerity in his tone. The conversation, despite the awkwardness, had been an eye-opening exchange.
Meanwhile, across town, Cormac sat with Griffon Nash, keeping the news of Ravenna’s diagnosis between them. Neither of them planned to tell Ravenna just yet—and they certainly wouldn’t tell Orion, knowing how hard it would be for him to keep the secret. As the evening wore on, Cormac stayed for dinner with the Nash family, while Ravenna found herself troubled by his unexpected presence.
“How long has it been since you got angry with your dad? You never come home, let alone stay for dinner,” Ravenna remarked, her eyes narrowing as she studied Cormac. “Is this because my test results were bad?”
Cormac’s tone shifted, his usual lightheartedness gone. “What’s wrong with having dinner with my family? Are you upset to see me here?”
“Of course not,” Ravenna replied, her suspicion rising. “It’s just… strange.”
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt something was off. The pieces of the puzzle weren’t fitting together, and the uncertainty weighed heavily on her.