Chapter 3 Stella’s Origins

The men in black slowly approached, holding silenced pistols.

They addressed her as 'Ms. Windsor' politely, but it felt more like they wanted to kidnap her.

"The Windsor family is really something. I hid my tracks so well, and they still found me?" Stella said while thinking about how to escape.

"Ms. Windsor, you'd better cooperate to avoid getting hurt," the man in black continued.

"If you're calling me Ms. Windsor, shouldn't you invite me more gracefully?"

"Please."

The man in black made a gesture of invitation.

At the alley entrance, a black SUV was parked, waiting for her.

Stella felt helpless.

Several men in black surrounded her tightly, leaving no room to escape.

She could only be forced to walk toward the SUV. But once she got in the car, Stella knew she wouldn't be as lucky as ten years ago to escape from that cage.

They quickly reached the vehicle.

The man in black knocked on the door, signaling to open it.

The door opened, and the man in black inside responded.

"Please."

Stella was being forced into the car, but just then, the man in black in the passenger seat suddenly launched an attack. The man who had his full attention on Stella didn't expect it at all. He reacted quickly, hurrying to turn his gun around.

But the attacker was too fast.

Like a flash of lightning.

Pain shot through the man's body, and after a moment of dizziness, he was thrown out.

Then Stella was pulled into the car. The door slammed shut, and the vehicle roared to life.

The remaining bodyguards in black hadn't reacted yet. They instinctively drew their guns and aimed at the car, but the man who had been thrown out, his face covered in blood, scrambled up and shouted, "Stop right now! What if you hurt Ms. Windsor!"

The car sped away into the distance.

"What do we do now?" Several of them looked at each other.

"What do you mean what do we do? As long as she's in the United States, Ms. Windsor can't escape. Contact the local mafia and demand their cooperation to find Ms. Windsor."

"Hurry!"

The SUV stopped midway, and the driver was also thrown out.

"Russell!" Stella finally got a clear look at the man in black who had saved her.

"Stella, looks like your identity is pretty special," Russell said with a playful smile.

Stella climbed into the passenger seat, looking at Russell's profile. "Russell, when did you figure it out?"

"How many years have we known each other?" Russell pressed his lips together. "When you were 'hesitating to speak,' I knew you were hiding something. You never wanted to talk about your background before—turns out you couldn't, right?"

Stella smiled bitterly. "I really can't hide anything from you."

"If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you," Russell turned his head. "But if this thing is threatening your safety, then it's not just your problem anymore."

Stella lowered her head, her golden hair falling down and covering half her face.

"My last name is Windsor. Not the U.K. royal family Windsor, but one that's been established in the United States for over a hundred years. My grandfather's generation made their fortune in arms dealing, then later shifted to private equity and military contracting, with deep connections in both political and business circles."

Russell listened quietly.

"My mother was French, the daughter of an ordinary painter. My father married her supposedly for love. But the Windsor family didn't approve. They thought my mother's bloodline wasn't pure enough and would 'pollute' the family genes." Stella's voice was calm, but her clenched hands were trembling slightly. "When I was eight, my mother 'accidentally' died in a car crash. Three months later, my father married his current wife—the eldest daughter of the Herman family."

"The Herman family?" Russell's eyebrows moved slightly.

"That's right, that Herman family." Stella laughed coldly. "Boston elite, political donors, with businesses spanning energy and defense. After the two families married, the Windsor family shifted from military contracting to more core arms trading, and they've grown bigger and bigger over the years."

In Russell's mind, he quickly recalled those holding companies Stella had found in the secret party's accounts. Several of them were indeed related to the military and energy industries.

He continued listening without showing any reaction.

"After my mother died, I understood that in that family, without 'pure bloodline,' you have no human rights. I've had a talent for hacking since I was young. When I was sixteen, I hacked into the family's internal network and saw emails where they privately discussed my marriage. They had already decided to marry me off to the eldest grandson of the Herman family to strengthen the alliance between the two families." Stella raised her head, her eyes slightly red but without tears. "So I ran. Changed my identity, lived on the streets, learned hacking skills, all so they could never find me."

"If that's the case, why did you come back to the United States?"

"Some things you have to face eventually." Stella didn't mention that Russell's target was in the United States.

But Russell understood this clearly and asked, "They want you back this time for the arranged marriage?"

"In this generation of the Windsor family, I'm the only female heir. My father and stepmother had two sons, but they both have Herman family blood, so they can't be used for marriage alliances. That makes me the marriage tool." Stella's expression became weary. "The mercenaries they sent are just the first wave. There will be more. Russell, I don't want to drag you all into this."

Russell was silent for a moment.

"This person you're supposed to marry—have you met him?"

"No." Stella shook her head. "I only know he's around my age and mainly handles overseas business for the family."

"Overseas business." Russell repeated the phrase, then suddenly asked, "You just said the Windsor family has shifted to arms trading in recent years. What countries are their main clients?"

"Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. Department of Defense also has a long-term contract." When Stella said this, she suddenly stopped, her eyes slowly widening. "Russell, are you saying?"

"The Caesar cabal has infiltrated so many companies in Europe, but if they want to enter the United States, just controlling shares with money isn't enough." Russell's gaze became sharp. "They need a local agent—a family with military background, political resources, who can help them build bridges. The Windsor family, or the Herman family, or maybe both."

Stella completely understood what he meant.

"I'm not asking you to go back for the arranged marriage." Russell said. "But if you're willing, I want to enter your family with a different identity."

"What identity?"

"Your fiancé."

Stella froze, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating.

"If you don't want to, I can use another identity. A bodyguard would work too," Russell said.

"No, no, no." Stella shook her head vigorously. She rejected any other identity without hesitation.

Russell had nightmares every night about burning villages.

But God knows.

She often dreamed about walking down the wedding aisle with Russell.

Oh my God.

Even though she knew it was just a cover, this sudden dream come true caught her off guard.

"I'm willing! I'll follow you till death do us part."

Stella looked at Russell with her charming eyes full of anticipation.

Russell rolled his eyes at her.

"As long as I'm here, don't even think about dying!"