Stella barely had time to process what was happening when something came flying straight at her.
Her bodyguards, focused on holding back the surging crowd, never expected anyone to throw something over their heads. For a few seconds, no one reacted.
Just as the egg was about to hit Stella, someone suddenly stepped in front of her.
Stella watched, stunned, as Joshua caught several eggs in his hand with almost effortless grace.
Before she could make sense of it, Joshua casually tossed one back.
The egg traced a perfect arc through the air and splattered right on the face of a young woman standing at the edge of the crowd.
A shrill scream rang out as the girl clutched her face, egg yolk and shell dripping from her hair and down her clothes. She looked utterly humiliated.
The entire scene left everyone, even the most seasoned reporters, momentarily speechless. Then a few stifled laughs broke the silence. Some couldn’t resist capturing the spectacle on their phones.
Stella quickly pieced it together: the girl had tried to nail her with an egg, only for Joshua to intercept and send it right back.
Now the would-be attacker—her face and hair smeared with sticky egg, shards of shell clinging to her jacket—looked as ridiculous as humanly possible.
Even the journalists, usually so professional, couldn’t help but snicker at the absurdity.
The girl wiped gooey egg from her cheek and, her face flushing red with rage, pointed straight at Stella.
“Everyone, look! Stella just assaulted me in public!”
Her name was Rowena—Felipa’s best friend. She’d come here with one goal: catch Stella in a compromising moment, snap some unflattering photos, and post them online to smear her reputation.
But Stella had handled herself flawlessly all day, leaving Rowena with nothing. So, like Felipa, she decided if there was no dirt, she’d make some—by hurling an egg and hoping to catch Stella off guard.
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