Early the next morning, an annoying loud noise filled the room.
Estrella's eyes blinked open, the sound irritating her ears.
She glanced at the bedside and saw an alarm. She pushed it off the shelf, and it landed on the floor with a screeching sound. She kicked her legs groggily. She hated being woken up.
She looked around the room. The place was a bit strange.
It gave off cold vibes, like a certain somebody.
Then she remembered she was in Luciano's room.
At that thought, Estrella's eyes flew fully open.
She turned to her side and touched the space beside her. It was cold, indicating no one had slept there.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Thank God, he hadn't tried to sleep beside her.
She glanced at the time. It was time to get ready for work.
Reluctantly, she stood up and went to her room.
In less than an hour, she appeared by the stairs, dressed in her work uniform with her backpack casually slung over her shoulder.
She descended the stairs and walked straight toward the dining room.
The maids, Aunty Smith, and Butler Neil all greeted her.
She returned their greeting before settling down to eat.
They couldn't help but glance at Estrella strangely. Why was the young mistress dressed in a waitress uniform?
Estrella understood the reason for their gazes, but she didn't care as she calmly devoured her breakfast.
She suddenly thought of Luciano and glanced around. She hadn't seen him since she woke up.
Butler Neil seemed to understand. "Is the young mistress looking for Mr. Banks? He left for work early this morning," he said with a knowing smile.
Estrella was annoyed by the man's smile. Who was looking for him?
"I wasn't looking for him," she said flatly.
Butler Neil nodded, but the knowing smile remained plastered on his face.
Estrella decided to ignore him and focused on finishing her food.
Once she was done, she stood up, ready to leave.
"The young mistress is going out?" Aunty Smith asked.
Estrella nodded. "Be careful on the way," Aunty Smith said.
Once Estrella was out of the house, Aunty Smith's smiling face disappeared as she turned to Butler Neil. "What is your mission here?"
"Chairman Banks sent me here," Butler Neil replied calmly.
"You must really enjoy being Chairman Banks' right-hand man," Aunty Smith scoffed.
"I…" Butler Neil tried to explain but was cut off.
"I don't care about the reason you are here. Just stay on your lane, and I stay on mine. Do you understand?"
Without waiting for Butler Neil's reply, Aunty Smith walked away.
Butler Neil watched her disappearing back with a bitter smile. "She is still the same as always, never wanting to listen to my explanation," he sighed and also walked away.
By the time Estrella arrived at work, she met Max setting up the café.
She greeted him. "Hey, Max."
Max turned toward her, his face lighting up. "You're finally back, Estrella. So how is your stomach? Did you see the doctor?"
Estrella nodded. "Yes, it's just normal stomach pains resulting from not eating early."
Estrella lied. She wasn't the type to burden the people around her with her problems.
She would rather suffer in silence.
"It's nice having you back. Sales dropped because of your absence," Max said.
"You don't need to say it. It's obvious," Estrella replied, glancing at the sales book.
Soon, customers began arriving. They were happy to see Estrella back and lingered for a while. Some even brought friends, most trying to admire Estrella's beautiful face for longer.
Sales increased significantly, and Max was delighted.
Estrella left work early. After all, she had to pick up Stella from the airport.
She waved down a taxi and headed for the airport.
On arrival, she sat in the waiting area.
She checked her time. There were still ten minutes before Stella's plane landed.
Ten minutes later, Estrella glanced around impatiently. She couldn't wait to see Stella.
Just then, she heard a loud voice call her name. "Estrella!"
She turned toward the source and saw Stella running toward her.
Estrella opened her arms wide, ready to embrace her.
But Stella bypassed her, causing Estrella to stumble forward.
Estrella turned to give an aggrieved look, and they both burst into laughter.
Finally, Stella walked over and pulled Estrella into a tight hug.
"I missed you so much," Stella said.
"I missed you too," Estrella replied.
A warm feeling spread through their hearts.
After hugging for as long as they wanted, they finally let go.
Stella draped her arm over Estrella's shoulder while Estrella helped her with her bag.
"It's so nice to be back in Milan," Stella said.
"You were only gone for a month," Estrella replied.
But Stella wasn't having it. The next moment she screamed, "Oh my baby Milan, I am back!"
Passersby couldn't help but glance their way.
Estrella shook her head. Stella was back, and so was trouble.
Just then, Stella blocked Estrella's path as if remembering something. "Gist me quick."
"About what?" Estrella asked in confusion.
"How you hooked up with the ruthless Lucifer," Stella said.