Do you like me?(2)

"Do you like me?"

The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them, and even she was surprised. Despite the mess of thoughts swirling in her mind, that was the question that had formed — and now that it was out there, there was no taking it back.

The air around them seemed to still, as if time itself had paused for a moment.

Mathews stared at her, his gaze sharp and unreadable almost like he was trying to figure out if he'd really heard what she just said. His expression shifted slightly, serious yet uncertain, and Stella met his eyes with a firm stare of her own.

"Don't flatter yourself, Stella." His voice was flat, but his eyes lingered on her for a few seconds longer than necessary before he finally turned and walked away.

Only when he was out of sight did Stella realize she'd been holding her breath. She exhaled sharply, feeling her chest loosen.

"Don't flatter myself?" she repeated under her breath, her tone sharp with disbelief. "Oh, please. You're the one who keeps acting weird, Mathews. Don't turn this on me"

Was she just imagining things? no. He'd grabbed her hand twice and for the whole ride home, too. That wasn't nothing... was it? Was she supposed to believe she'd imagined all of that?

Fine. If Mathews wanted to play games with her, so be it.

If this is what he wants, why not go along with it? she thought.

If Mathews was going to keep acting this way, then she'd make sure to play her part...

And make damn sure she wouldn't lose.

The dining room hummed with conversation low voices mingling with the soft clink of silverware. Stella sat beside Mathews, her gaze fixed on her plate. The Windsor family occupied the left side of the table, while the business partners including Leon were seated on the right.

She told herself to focus on her food, to just get through dinner without overthinking things. But it wasn't easy. Every now and then, her eyes betrayed her, flicking toward Mathews.

He hadn't looked at her once. Not even a glance. Instead, his focus stayed on his plate, posture relaxed. Too relaxed, like nothing had happened earlier. Across from him, Leon seemed far more engaged, joining in the conversation with an easy smile.

The adults had spent most of dinner talking about business ,company expansions, new investments. The usual topics that Stella barely paid attention to. She was grateful for it, hoping they'd stay too focused to notice the tension simmering beside her.

But then, Mathews' grandfather chuckled.

"Well, Leon" he said, loud enough to catch everyone's attention, "you've been sneaking glances at Stella all night" He grinned. "What do you think, is she pretty?"

Stella nearly choked on her drink. She grabbed her glass and took a quick sip, willing her face not to flush.

"Grandpa…" Mathews muttered, his tone casual yet firm. Not irritated, but far from amused.

Leon, however, barely seemed fazed. He leaned back in his chair, one arm casually draped over the backrest. "Well" he said with a playful grin, "I'd say 'pretty' doesn't quite cover it"

The table filled with light laughter, but Stella barely noticed. Leon's smug smile lingered as he shot her a wink.

Stella set her glass down, taking a moment to steady herself. If Mathews wanted to stay calm and unbothered, so could she.

"Well," she said smoothly, meeting Leon's gaze, "thank you. You're not so bad yourself" She smiled sweetly, her tone light but intentional.

The room reacted instantly. Leon's smile widened, clearly pleased with her response. A few people chuckled, and Mathews' grandfather gave a hearty laugh, nudging his son-in-law, Stella's father with his elbow.

"Looks like you've already found a future son-in-law" the old man teased.

That comment earned a few amused remarks from the others at the table, but Stella didn't miss the way Mathews' hand paused over his fork for just a second before he resumed eating. Still calm, still composed... but that brief pause told her she'd struck a nerve.

The warmth of the evening lingered as the elders retreated to the guest living room, their laughter and conversation fading behind closed doors. Left behind, Stella found herself on the plush couch with Leon on one side and Mathews sitting silently on the other.

Leon had claimed most of her attention throughout dinner, and it wasn't hard to see why. He was naturally chatty tossing out jokes that kept her laughing more than she realized.

"You're kidding" Stella chuckled, leaning slightly closer. "You seriously locked yourself out twice in one day?"

"I'm telling you" Leon grinned, "the security guy doesn't even ask for my ID anymore, just rolls his eyes and says, 'Back again?'"

Stella laughed again, the kind that comes too easily after a long day. Warm, light, and effortless. She hadn't noticed how relaxed she felt until now.

She also hadn't noticed how close Leon had shifted. Somewhere between his story about getting locked out and his impression of the security guard's exasperated sigh, he'd slid closer, their knees almost touching.

Mathews noticed, though.

From across the room, he hadn't said much all evening, only adding the occasional comment when directly addressed. Now, his gaze flicked toward them more often. brief, fleeting glances that never lingered long enough to draw attention.

But Stella felt them.

It wasn't obvious, nothing dramatic but the tension in the room shifted.

"You should've just climbed through a window" Stella teased, ignoring the way Mathews' stare burned at the edge of her vision.

Leon chuckled. "Trust me, I considered it. Figured I'd end up on the news — Local idiot mistaken for burglar arrested in bunny slippers"

That earned another laugh from her, and Leon smiled wider a little too satisfied.

"You're funny" Stella admitted, still grinning.

"Yeah?" Leon's smile turned playful as he leaned in slightly, resting his arm along the back of the couch dangerously close to her shoulder now.

That's when Stella noticed how little space was left between them. She hadn't meant to get this close, but somehow... here they were.

Mathews shifted in his seat. His fingers tapped lightly against his glass, slow and deliberate. His gaze lingered longer now sharper, colder.

Stella pretended not to notice. Instead, she leaned back a little, just enough to add some distance without making it obvious.

Leon didn't seem to mind or if he did, he played it cool. "I've got more stories" he grinned. "But you might start thinking I'm a complete disaster"

"Too late" Stella shot back, her smile easy but her thoughts tangled.

Mathews hadn't said a word. But somehow... his silence said enough.