Estrella lay on the bed with her eyes closed as if her body and soul were floating above, detached and
weightless.
Afterward, Jason lounged in the bed, lighting a cigarette for himsHe snuffed it out before he could take
more than a couple of drags. The rush had been so intense, so utterly satisfying, that he craved a
smoke, but Estrella wasn’t fond of the smell of tobacco. He didn’t want to risk her health just in case
she stirred. So, after only two puffs, the cigarette was extinguished.
Gazing down at Estrella, he watched as she quivered on the bed and chuckled, “Still feeling it, huh?
Women should enjoy it even more.”
Estrella’s bare shoulders peeked out from under the covers as she looked back at him and playfully
suggested, “Maybe next time, I’ll take the lead…”
Knowing that Estrella was not one to mince words, Jason shot her a stern look, and she promptly
mimed zipping her lips.
When it came down to it, their chemistry was seamless. Neither had others to compare to, but they
both knew they shared an uncommon connection – both were intellectuals, and they understood these
matters well.
The room fell into a serene silence, and Jason snuggled under the covers. Propping his head up with
his right hand, he lay on his side and began to tidy the stray locks on Estrella’s face, asking softly, “Did
you run into anyone today? Anything you need to tell me?”
Estrella just looked at him. He’d practically asked her point-blank. She might as well come clean.Pulling the blanket over her shoulders, she replied nonchalantly, “You already know, don’t you? So why
ask?”
Jason reached out to her, “It’s one thing for me to say it, another for you to admit it.”
Estrella shivered under his touch.
The night was quiet, the room charged with intimacy. Noticing Estrella’s silence, Jason pulled her into
his arms with a gentle tug. Their skin met, bare and inviting, despite their earlier exertions.
Estrella met Jason’s deep gaze, noticing the absence of the usual sharpness and coldness in his eyes,
only a hopeful expectation for her to speak her truth. She inched closer and wrapped her arms around
his neck, confessing, “I had a flat tire. Korey just happened to pass by and gave me a lift, and we
grabbed lunch together.”
Before Jason could respond, Estrella playfully pinched his chin, “But Jason, how come
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you know every move I make? Have you been having someone follow me?”
Jason was straightforward, “It’s not like that. A senior manager from the office saw you at
the courthouse.”
He wasn’t lying. Despite some distance between them, Jason would never stoop to having her
followed. He trusted her more than that.The conversation remained soft-spoken. When Estrella didn’t press the issue, she turned over and
playfully bit his chin, “Got any energy left for another round?”
Jason cradled the back of her head, drawing her into a kiss.
Their foreplay was brief as Jason lifted her legs and entered her, holding her waist as they began in
earnest. They were tightly intertwined as if the rest of the world faded away.
They spoke kindly to each other. The rare ease between them was palpable.
After a while, both satisfied, Jason held Estrella close as they drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Estrella was busy at work when a commotion erupted outside the law. firm with a
very familiar male voice.
“Where’s Estrella? I want her out here now.”
“She’s losing a case and got my car trashed. What kind of intellectual does that? What kind of lawyer is
she? She should be disbarred”
“Estrella, get the hell out here!”
“Sir, if you continue this, we’ll have to call the police.”
Though her colleagues tried to block Nick, he barged in anyway.
Estrella stood calmly from her chair. “Keegan, let him through.”
Hearing Estrella’s command, they let Nick go. Pointing furiously at Estrella, the man. bellowed, “What
kind of lawyer are you? I swear, I’m gonna get your license revoked!”As his finger nearly jabbed Estrella’s face, Keegan and the security guards intervened once more.
Unperturbed, Estrella retorted, “Nick, if you want to sue me, you need to get your facts straight. If you
carry on with this behavior in our firm, I could have you behind bars for a fortnight.”
“Fine, you deny it, huh!” His face was pale with rage. Nick took out his phone to show her photos. “You
dare deny that you trashed my car? Are you seeking revenge?”
noveldramaEstrella glanced at the photos on his phone-a Volkswagen SUV, battered beyond recognition,
practically totaled.
In an instant, Estrella knew what had happened. Without asking, she knew it was Jason’s
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doing, a way of venting his anger for her.
Estrella withdrew her gaze from the photos. “I didn’t trash your car, and I have no knowledge of this
incident. I suggest you report this to the police right away.”
She added, “But judging from what you just said, my tires were also slashed yesterday.” She then
turned to Keegan, “Call the police.”
Jason was meticulous. He wouldn’t have left any evidence behind, and if there were any, he would’ve
handled it. All Estrella had to do was act as if neither she nor her husband had anything to do with it.
At Estrella’s instruction, Keegan promptly reached for the phone to call the authorities.Nick lost his composure, realizing he wasn’t going to intimidate Estrella successfully and instead had
been outmaneuvered. “You don’t know? You couldn’t possibly not…”
Before he could finish, Estrella interjected, “The police will find out soon enough if I did it. They’ll also
help you investigate what actually happened to your car.”
Estrella’s words hit the man like a shot of bourbon, straight and fiery, leaving him speechless. He
pointed an accusing finger at her, his voice laced with grudging respect, “You’ve got guts, lady.” With
that, Nick stormed out of the law firm, his pride wounded and anger boiling under the surface. Estrella
watched him leave, a smirk playing on her lips as she turned to Keegan.
“Keegan, tail him,” she commanded crisply. She had a hunch that after Nick’s car had been vandalized,
he’d surely make a beeline to deal with it-likely slipping up in the process.
As Nick disappeared from view, Estrella’s mind wandered to the image of the woman in the fancy
Mercedes and how crestfallen he had appeared in her presence.
“Men like him,” Estrella thought, “I can read them like an open book.”
Keegan nodded, understanding the assignment. He grabbed his DSLR camera and followed Nick
swiftly on Estrella’s cue.