It was an odd question. Manager Crawford looked confused for a moment. "Okay from what?"
"I heard you and Joshua were in a car accident," Stella explained. "And that it was serious, with casualties."
Manager Crawford's expression cleared. He gave a short, relieved laugh. "Oh, that! Yeah, there was a pile-up. It was incredibly close. But Joshua's reflexes saved us. He saw what was happening, swerved, and we slammed through the guardrail. Totaled the car, but we walked away from it with barely a scratch."
Recalling the scene, a look of lingering fear crossed his face. "Thank God Joshua was there. If he hadn't been, I don't think I would've made it out alive."
Stella asked, "Where is Joshua? How badly is he hurt?"
"He's still upstairs," Manager Crawford replied. "His injuries are a bit worse than mine, but nothing life-threatening."
After getting Joshua's room number, Stella took the elevator upstairs.
…
Arriving at Joshua's room, Stella knocked softly. From inside, a familiar, clear male voice answered, "Come in."
Stella pushed the door open. Joshua was inside, straightening his clothes as if preparing to leave.
When he saw Stella, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Star, what are you doing here?"
"I heard about the accident," she said. "I came to check on you."
"It's just a few scrapes. Nothing serious."
Stella's gaze fell on the thick white gauze wrapped around his arm. "Joshua, how are you really? Does it hurt?"
They had just gotten into the car when Stella's phone rang. It was Aicken, his voice tense. "Ms. Cameron, the board is extremely unhappy about you missing the meeting. Can you come back right away?"
Stella knew that going back now wouldn't make much difference. She paused. "I'm not coming back yet. Don't worry about things there for now. I'll deal with it later tonight."
After she hung up, Joshua looked at her. "You skipped the meeting?"
"Yes," Stella said, starting the car. "It's probably about those online rumors. Even if I went, it would just be the same arguments over and over. Pointless."
Despite her words, Joshua was acutely aware that Stella had never missed a meeting before, big or small. A meeting at a time like this was crucial for her. Yet she had dropped everything and come straight here.
A brilliant light, like a shooting star, flashed through the man's deep eyes before vanishing.
A faint smile touched Joshua's lips. "It's just a minor injury. Don't let me interfere with your work. You should go back."

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