Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 62: Marry Me...

Stella was so angry she wanted to bite someone, but she couldn’t refute him, so she could only glare at him with her watery eyes, embarrassed and annoyed.

The amusement in Shane Donovan’s eyes grew deeper, but he casually shifted the topic, "Then, let’s change our perspective. Counselor Sterling, setting aside the loss of personal reputation, shall we discuss... the commercial impact?"

"Commercial impact?" Stella was taken aback by his leap in logic, looking at him warily, "What does this have to do with commercial impact?"

Shane leaned slightly back, his long fingers interlaced resting on his knee.

"Counselor Sterling, you should be aware that Innovatech Bio is currently at a critical Pre-IPO stage, with a valuation close to a trillion. There are eyes everywhere, and any minor incident could affect market confidence and final pricing."

He paused, "As the founder and CEO of Innovatech Bio, my personal image is, in a sense, deeply tied to the company image."

His tone became somewhat profound, "A stable, reliable leader with a strictly private life is crucial for investors."

Stella’s heart sank bit by bit with his words, feeling a vague sense of unease.

Shane raised his hand and lightly tapped the side of his neck, where a bite mark had turned dark red, "Yet my neck has sported this kind of suggestive ’mosquito bite’ twice in front of company executives and important investors recently."

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows, "Last time in Kenton, I barely passed it off as a ’mosquito bite’, though no one believed it. But at least it got me through. This time... the spot is trickier, and the mark more pronounced, so I fear using that excuse again will not work."

He looked up, his gaze calm as he looked at the somewhat dumbfounded Stella, "If some opportunistic media catches this and embellishes it... news like ’Innovatech CEO’s chaotic private life, addicted to women’ breaks out, what do you think, will it impact the IPO valuation of Innovatech? How many potential investors will back off?"

Stella was completely flustered.

She opened her mouth, only to find she couldn’t utter a single word.

Her brain felt like it was stuffed with a tangled mess.

How did this... how did it escalate to the level of affecting a trillion-dollar company going public?!

With this accusation, she felt like she instantly became the main culprit that could potentially ruin a business empire!

"I... I didn’t mean it..." Her voice was dry, carrying a hint of panic even she hadn’t noticed, "I was drunk that night... I..."

"I know you didn’t mean it, Counselor Sterling." Shane Donovan very ’understandingly’ picked up the conversation, "But the consequences won’t disappear because of that. The business world only cares about the outcome, not the reason."

He leaned in slightly, reducing the distance between them, his lowered voice carrying a kind of magnetic persuasion, "Counselor Sterling, tell me... how do you calculate this potential loss of hundreds of billions, maybe more, in valuation?"

Hundreds of billions?!

Stella felt a blackout in front of her eyes, her knees nearly giving way. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her small law firm, working hard for a lifetime, probably couldn’t even earn a fraction of that amount!

Even for the vast Sterling Family, hundreds of billions is not a small amount...

"Then... what should be done? Is there a solution?" She looked at Shane Donovan, eyes filled with hidden anticipation and apprehension, "I’ll definitely cooperate if I can do it."

Shane Donovan leaned back into his chair again, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk, appearing to be in deep thought.

The office fell silent, only the steady tapping sound from his fingertip, like it was beating on Stella’s heart.

After a while, just when Stella was so nervous her palms began to sweat, Shane Donovan finally lifted his gaze, locking his deep gaze onto her, his thin lips slightly parting, "There is a solution, however..."

Stella quickly asked, "What is it?"

"Marry me."

"..."

Time seemed to have pressed pause at this moment.

Stella’s eyes widened, her mouth even doubting if her ears had a problem, or if she was still not sober from last night’s hangover, having auditory hallucinations.

Marry... marry him?

Marry Shane Donovan?!

Did she hear wrong?!

Shane Donovan watched her like she was struck by lightning, the corners of his lips slightly curving into a faint arc, which vanished quickly.

"This is the most direct and effective solution I can think of to solve this problem right now, and... it has the least negative impact." His tone was steady, his expression unchanged, as if stating nothing more than a commonplace business acquisition case.

"Least negative impact?!" Stella finally found her voice, due to shock and absurdity, her pitch unconsciously heightened, "Shane Donovan! Do you know what you’re saying?! Marry?! Just because I... I accidentally left a mark on your neck?!"

She was practically laughing from anger, wondering if this man had lost his mind!

"It’s not just about a single mark." Shane Donovan patiently explained, as if analyzing the pros and cons for her, "This is a potential, ongoing image crisis. Only by legalizing and publicizing our relationship can we redefine previous ’romantic news’ as normal intimacy, completely stopping those who might want to cause trouble. This is crucial for stabilizing investor sentiment and maintaining the company’s image."

He paused, adding, "Moreover, once we marry, you will be the rightful Mrs. Donovan, and all previous incidents can be explained as normal interactions between a couple, eliminating any negative interpretations. This would be immensely beneficial for Innovatech’s IPO."

As she listened to his series of ’business logic’, Stella merely felt her head buzzing, a complete mess.

It sounds... quite reasonable?

For a company going public, commercial marriages aren’t rare in the circle...

But...

No matter how it spins around, it seems like he’s taking the big loss, reluctantly accepting her responsibility?!

No! This is completely wrong!

"You’re... this is extortion!" Stella suddenly realized, her cheeks red from anger, "Why should I compensate your company’s image crisis with marriage?! This is totally unrelated!"

"Is it?" Shane Donovan slightly raised an eyebrow, his gaze carrying a hint of innocence, "Yet the crisis source was indeed caused by you, Counselor Sterling. Does Counselor Sterling intend to act irresponsibly, abandoning the chaos you started, leaving Innovatech and me to face the potential media storm and commercial losses alone?"

Act irresponsibly?!

Abandon the chaos?!

Stella was hit dizzy by these words, almost losing her breath.

He clearly had the advantage, so how did it turn into her being the irresponsible one playing with feelings?!

This is simply bandit logic!

"You’re using twisted arguments!" Stella was furious, her cheeks turning red, and the slightest feeling of guilt and sin vanished in that wave of anger, "I can compensate you! How much? Name a number!"

Though she might not afford it, it’s definitely better than marrying herself off!

Shane Donovan chuckled lightly upon hearing this, the laughter low and pleasant, yet carrying that kind of calmness that made Stella’s hair stand on end.

"Does Counselor Sterling believe that Innovatech Bio’s trillion-dollar valuation and potential image losses can be measured in money?" He asked unhurriedly, "Besides, do I look... like I’m lacking money?"

Stella: "..."

With that, he blocked all her avenues of retreat.