chapter1590

Stella looked at the masked man who had just invited her to dance.

For some reason, he felt strangely familiar.

She couldn't help but study him for a few extra moments.

Over the past six months, Stella had been to more than a few parties, but she

almost never said yes when someone asked her to dance unless she absolutely had

to.

Seeing her stare at the man, Abby nudged her. "Go on, Star. Have one dance. Even if you turn him down, someone else will just come and ask you in a minute."

Stella examined the man before her, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall where she might have seen him.

After a moment's thought, she extended her hand and accepted his invitation.

The man wore black gloves, and his grip on her left hand felt almost stiff.

He wore a wolf-shaped mask that covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of deep, dark eyes.

She was certain she had seen him somewhere before.

The man was silent, showing no intention of speaking even as she scrutinized him.

Stella decided to break the silence. "Excuse me, sir, have we met somewhere before?"

The man paused for a few seconds before replying, "...No."

He seemed to be deliberately lowering his voice, which came out hoarse and slightly muffled.

Stella simply couldn't remember where she had encountered such a peculiar person.

Perhaps she was too lost in thought, because her footing faltered, and she accidentally stepped on his foot.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized immediately.

The man didn't seem to mind. He just said, "It's fine," and fell silent again.

When the dance ended, he simply said, "Excuse me," and turned to leave without a backward glance.

Stella watched his retreating figure, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Abby saw her staring after him even after the dance was over and teased, "Star, don't tell me you've fallen for him."

Stella finally tore her gaze away. "No, I just feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

He was familiar, but not familiar enough to recognize at a glance.

"It's rare to see you so interested in a man," Abby joked. "Want me to have Gideon get his contact information for you?"

"No, that's alright," Stella said. "I'm not looking to get into anything else right now."

"You got married without ever really

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dating, so you never got to enjoy that part of life," Abby said. "Now that you're single again, you could try dating without the pressure marriage. It would be nice to relax and have some fun once in a while." C ntent

"The collaboration with the Quinn family is finally on track," Stella replied. "Next, I have to compete with The Burton Group for market share don't think I have the energy of time for dating By the way did Mr. Burton send us that research formula?"

"He did. He sent it over yesterday," Abby confirmed. "I only mentioned it casually last time. I can't believe he was actually willing to help us. But I think it was your proposal that convinced him."

"The Burton Group is a century-old institution, deeply entrenched in the medical sector," Stella said. "The Burton family is packed with people in medicine. Mr. Burton's eldest son is a titan in the medical community,

and many of his other descendants work in various healthcare roles Bringing down a family with that kind of legacy, running them into the ground, is almost impossible."

Abby nodded in agreement. "True. These top-tier families all have plenty of tricks up

their sleeves."