Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Discussion
A sudden gunshot—BANG!—startled everyone present.
Stephen Lawrence and his men remained calm. They glanced at the person on the ground before lowering their gazes, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.
The members of the Sterling family stared wide-eyed at the sudden turn of events. Seeing Magnus Sterling lying on the ground, they froze for a few seconds before covering their mouths in shock.
In this post-apocalyptic world, things like this happened all too often. They weren’t young anymore; they were used to it.
It was just that the one who died was someone they had known for years, a rival they had contended with for just as long. Moments ago, he had been speaking to them; now, he was dead at their feet.
A wave of sorrow washed over them. Marcus Sterling was also unsettled. His eye twitched, and his gaze upon Magnus Sterling was indescribably complex.
He was his brother, after all. How could he remain completely unmoved as he died right before his eyes?
Once the initial shock passed, they turned to look at the one who had fired the shot.
Marcus Sterling and Wanda Larkin couldn’t help but take a few steps back, their eyes fixed on Stella Sterling with an undeniable trace of fear.
It wasn’t that they had never seen someone kill before, but when the killer was a person they knew so well, it felt entirely different.
In their minds, Stella Sterling had always been the little girl who curried their favor, a puppet they could manipulate at will.
But now, seeing her kill a man with a completely blank expression, they felt nothing but fear.
Even though they now knew Stella Sterling was most likely their biological daughter, that fear still welled up inside them.
After so many years without any affection between them, facing Stella Sterling now only stirred up a complex mix of feelings.
And now, confronted with this cold-blooded, merciless side of her, their fear only intensified.
The two of them now knew the truth—they knew they had been played.
For a moment, they were at a loss for words, completely unsure of how to face Stella Sterling.
The only one who remained relatively calm and composed was Evan Sterling. To be honest, he wasn’t particularly interested in all the twists and turns of the situation.
He was calm about his uncle’s death as well. It wasn’t like they had any real bond.
All he knew was that the person standing before him was truly his sister.
’Besides, Mom and Dad were just deceived all these years. That’s why they treated her so poorly. I guess that’s understandable.’
’Now that they all know the truth, shouldn’t they be able to be a happy family from now on?’
At that moment, Evan Sterling felt he was not only safe, but some of the ambitions he had previously set aside were now resurfacing.
After finishing off Magnus Sterling with a single shot, Stella Sterling glanced at the remaining members of the Sterling family. Seeing their expressions, she let out a derisive laugh.
’It’s not like they haven’t done their fair share of evil. Why act so terrified now?’
Her thoughts turned to Sarah Sterling, and she abruptly aimed the gun at them.
The color drained from the faces of the Sterling family members, and they backed away.
They never expected that right after killing Magnus Sterling, she would turn the gun on them.
They remembered the cold, unhesitating look on her face as she delivered the fatal shot.
A chilling fear crept into their hearts. They were terrified they would be next, sharing Magnus Sterling’s fate.
Wanda Larkin could no longer stay silent. She blurted out anxiously, "Stella, Mommy was wrong! I was deceived by him all these years, too. To think you’re my real daughter... This is wonderful, truly wonderful."
Marcus Sterling quickly chimed in, babbling, "That’s right, Stella. We’ve wronged you for so many years and made you suffer. Back then, really... we were just deceived by him! If we had known you were our real daughter, we never would have treated you that way. We would have spoiled you rotten!"
"It’s okay. It’s not too late. From now on, it’ll just be our family. We can be a proper family. Your mother, your brother, and I—we’ll all love you dearly."
The two of them spoke with such heartfelt sincerity, their eyes welling with tears. Their gaze upon Stella Sterling was a complex one.
In that moment, they were truly filled with regret—regret for being played by Magnus Sterling for so many years.
They regretted pushing away such a capable woman.
Most of all, they regretted not treating her well before, which had led their family to this desperate standoff.
’But... but no matter what, we’re still family,’ they thought. ’She wouldn’t kill us, would she?’
’If we can just get through this, just this once, we’ll definitely treat her right from now on. We’ll make up for all the years of love she’s missed.’
Evan Sterling chimed in to support them, "That’s right! This is all his fault! If it weren’t for him, how could our family have ended up like this? We were supposed to be a happy, loving family. He’s the one who kept us apart for so many years and made us suffer so much!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing them act this way, Stella Sterling couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ’If they had said all this to me in my past life,’ she thought, ’I might have actually fallen for it and softened my heart.’
In this life, because she had changed, many of the events from her past life never came to pass. So, from the Sterling family’s perspective, they hadn’t done anything unforgivable.
’Perhaps they think that with a few nice words, I’ll just forgive them.’
’But I’m different,’ she mused. ’I remember my past life perfectly. I remember just how cruel these people were to me.’
She didn’t care what their reasons were for doing what they did—whether it was because they thought she wasn’t their daughter or not.
She only knew that the pain they had inflicted on her was all real.
In this life, she had never intended to bother with them again, as long as they stayed out of her way.
But these people were too greedy. They wanted to snatch everything she possessed, and they delivered themselves right to her doorstep.
She looked at them coldly. "That’s enough. Aren’t you tired of this act?"
They all spouted words of love and compensation, yet she couldn’t see a single shred of affection in their eyes. All she saw was fear.
’A lack of feeling is just that. Even if I’m their own flesh and blood, if they don’t love me, they simply don’t love me.’
This was a fact Stella Sterling had accepted long ago.
She tapped the pistol against her other hand, a mocking look on her face. "The three of you came all the way here to plot against my base. Tell me, should I just let you go?"
Hearing this, Marcus Sterling froze for a second, then hurriedly shouted, "You have to believe us! We had no such intention."
Evan Sterling added, his voice tinged with sorrow, "Stella, I truly have no designs on your base. I just don’t want to work for someone else. I only wanted to come here and help you."
"Yes, that’s right!" Marcus added. "This base belongs to our family anyway, so what does it matter whose name is on it? We have absolutely no reason to plot against you. Stella, you have to believe us on this."
