She was just so refreshingly direct.

And to think I’d been worrying for so long, hesitating over whether or not I should even ask.

‘Only now do I realize I was overthinking things entirely.’

He suddenly felt a bit dejected. ‘I don’t even understand her as well as Zane Xavier does.’

‘I was so worried that if she found out I knew she was reborn, she’d become suspicious of me.’

‘Who would’ve thought she’d just come right out and say it the moment I asked? I hadn’t even finished my question.’

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you about to ask me that?”

Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow, looking at Andrew Shaw, who seemed a bit off.

Andrew Shaw quickly shook his head. “No, no, that’s exactly what I was going to ask. I’m just so surprised. I didn’t expect you to be so direct about it!”

“What’s so surprising? It’s no big deal that you know,” Stella Sterling said, shaking her head.

Then she looked at him. “Or did you think I’d see you as a threat just because you found out I was reborn?”

Hearing this, Andrew Shaw shook his head even more vigorously. “No, no, that’s not what I was thinking at all.”

“Good that you weren’t.”

Stella Sterling nodded. “So what if you know? You’re incapable of betraying me.”

‘I didn’t tell him before because I wanted to test his integrity. Now that he’s passed my test, it doesn’t matter if he knows.’

Andrew Shaw, however, was a little surprised to hear her say that.

‘How can Stella be so sure I would never betray her?’

‘It’s true I have no intention of doing so, but it was still strange. How could she be so certain?’

‘It’s not like I’ve acted all that loyal. Sure, my only real goal is to ride her coattails and I don’t have any ulterior motives, but Stella’s confidence still struck me as odd.’

After a moment’s thought, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you trust me so much?”

As he said this, he felt a surge of excitement and exhilaration. ‘Maybe I’m different in her eyes. At least, she trusts me this much.’

‘Besides, in this whole world, only Stella and I have been reborn. We’re different from everyone else.’

A faint thrill coursed through Andrew Shaw again. He looked at Quinn expectantly, awaiting her answer.

Hearing Andrew Shaw’s question, Stella Sterling looked at him. “Do you remember what happened when you first started following me?”

“On the very first day we met, I gave you a pill. After you took it, it became impossible for you to ever betray me. If you ever try to harm me, you’ll be dead before you can even act.”

“So that’s the only reason?” Andrew Shaw stared at her.

‘At that moment, he wasn’t sure what he was so disappointed about, but he knew this wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for.’

‘So she only trusted me because she made me take that pill? All those times she unabashedly displayed her extraordinary abilities in front of me… was that also the only reason?’

‘It wasn’t because I was special to her at all.’

“Of course,” Stella Sterling nodded. “But…”

Hearing that, Andrew Shaw’s gaze fixed on Stella Sterling again.

Stella Sterling thought for a moment, then said, “And you have, for the most part, passed my tests during this time.”

“And…?”

“That’s it,” Stella Sterling said, shaking her head.

“Alright.”

Andrew Shaw nodded. ‘At that moment, the last of his hope died completely. Fine. It turned out he really was just overthinking things.’

He knew exactly what pill Stella Sterling was talking about, of course. That guy Zane Xavier had mentioned it in passing once.

And Zane Xavier hadn’t been angry about it at all; on the contrary, he seemed rather thrilled and happy.

‘Back then, I’d even cursed Zane Xavier for being an idiot. How could he be happy about being turned into someone’s puppet? Only a fool like him.’

‘Then I secretly congratulated myself. Thank goodness Stella hadn’t fed me one of those things.’

‘Back then, I even thought I must be at least a little bit special in her eyes. At least she wasn’t using something like that to control me.’

‘Who would have thought I’d already taken it long ago? I just never knew. Not until this very moment.’

‘I was just overthinking everything!’

After a wave of disappointment, Andrew Shaw was overcome with a profound sense of relief. ‘Thank God, thank God I never tried to pull anything clever in front of Stella.’

‘It wasn’t that the thought never crossed my mind, but I always ended up suppressing it.’

‘Later on, I decided to be completely loyal to Stella, to ride her coattails and live the good life. Just sticking with her was enough.’

‘All those other ideas had long since vanished.’

‘So everything I told Stella about the future was the truth. I never lied to her.’

He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking before, but right now, all he felt was immense relief. It was a good thing he hadn’t lied to her. Otherwise, he would have been in for a world of hurt.

‘She’d know instantly whether I was telling the truth or a lie. If I had lied back then and tried to screw her over, my fate would have been absolutely miserable.’

Forget facing a pleasant and smiling Stella; he’d have been long dead at her hands.

At that moment, Andrew Shaw had no other schemes left in him, only relief. He kept patting his chest, then looked at Stella Sterling with mock indignation. “I’m telling you, beautiful, I’m as loyal as they come, and you actually suspected me? You were even testing me? That’s just a slap in the face to my sincerity! It’s heartbreaking, really. It’s a good thing I’m not the type to have ulterior motives, otherwise…”

Stella Sterling looked at him. “It’s only natural. After all, you weren’t exactly trustworthy before.”

Stella’s gaze was profound. ‘If I recall correctly,’ she thought, ‘back in that ghost town, I gave him a gun, and he actually considered using it to get rid of me. He ultimately abandoned the idea, though.’

‘But that just goes to show that Andrew Shaw isn’t as harmless as he appears on the surface. How could I not be on my guard against him?’

‘Even though I’m fully capable of controlling him even if he isn’t trustworthy, I demand absolute loyalty from those around me. There can be no room for duplicity.’

‘Otherwise, I’d rather not have them around at all.’

Andrew Shaw chuckled sheepishly. “Yes, yes, of course, beautiful. Your decisions are brilliant and wise. If I were in your shoes, I’d do the same. But still, my heart is broken, what can I do? Seeing as I’m so heartbroken, maybe you could waive the punishment for what I said earlier?”

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