Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 63: For the Sake of the Time I Saved You
Stella Sterling felt a sudden whirlwind, her worldview completely upended.
Right, does Shane Donovan need money?
Does he lack the little compensation she has to offer... or rather, the price for her "sell-off"?
What he lacks is a ’Mrs. Donovan’ to stabilize the company’s image and silence all the rumors!
And she, against all odds, because of two ’accidents’, became the most ’suitable’ candidate...
Looking at the man in front of her, Stella realized for the first time, with such clarity, that Shane Donovan is far more dangerous than she ever thought, and also... much more complex.
His brother was right—this old fox is not a good person!
The solution he proposed was utterly absurd, almost opportunistic in its brazenness.
And yet, he packaged it up with business analysis, leaving her momentarily unable to find a strong reason to refute it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
Could it... really be necessary to...
No!
Absolutely not!
How can marriage be a trifling matter?!
How could it be proposed for such inexplicable reasons...
"I... I need time to think!" Stella suddenly took a step back, putting distance between them.
She needed to calm down, to properly think this through!
Shane didn’t seem surprised by her reaction.
"Okay." He curved his lips slightly, "I’ll give you time to consider."
He slowly stood up, his tall figure exerting an intangible pressure, leaning slightly forward, and his fingertips gently brushed the red mark on his neck, "I hope you’ll give me your answer before it completely fades away."
After saying that, he gave her a deep look, then turned and walked out of the office.
The door closed with a gentle "click."
In the office, only Stella remained, standing still.
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the floor.
The air seemed to still hold the fresh woody scent from the man.
She raised her hand to cover her still burning cheek, her mind in chaos.
Marriage...
What exactly does Shane Donovan want?
For someone like him, how could he possibly lack women around him?
How could an accident lead him to propose marriage?
Does he... really have an ulterior motive like his brother said?
For The Sterling Family?
But the Donovan Family’s foundation and power far surpass that of The Sterling Family...
For her, personally?
The notion was so absurd that even Stella found it laughable.
She shook her head, trying to dispel those chaotic thoughts, but Shane’s words lingered hauntingly in her mind.
That mark...
By the looks of it, it wouldn’t disappear for at least three to five days.
Meaning, she only had three to five days to decide?
What is this?
A final ultimatum?!
Just as Stella was consumed with confusion and unable to focus on the case files on her computer screen, a sudden commotion came from outside the office—
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am? How dare you stop me?! Stella! Come out here!"
It was Grace Quinn!
Stella’s brows furrowed immediately, a wave of irritation washing over her.
Today seemed truly unlucky; having just dealt with the headache of Shane Donovan, now came the meddlesome Grace Quinn!
She took a deep breath, opened the office door, and went outside.
"Stella! You finally decided to come out?" Grace lifted her chin the moment she saw her, her face full of mockery and gloating, "I thought you’d hide in there forever!"
Stella looked at her coldly, "Miss Quinn, this is my law office, you’re not welcome here. Please leave immediately."
"Leave?" Grace sneered, crossing her arms, "I specifically came here to see your current miserable state! So, how is it? After collecting all those so-called ’evidences’ painstakingly, and what was the result? Just a wild goose chase! I warned you, but you wouldn’t listen, had to run into a brick wall, and now you’ve got a bruised head, feeling better?"
Looking at her smug face, Stella’s anger surprisingly calmed down.
She stepped forward, the icy aura emanating from her instantly overshadowing Grace’s false bravado.
"Regarding your alleged drug crime case, there were merely some hitches in the evidence chain, the case isn’t closed. Justice will be served by the law, not by your baseless words, so stop making a scene here!"
"You!" Grace’s face turned white at her retort.
But Stella gave her no chance to argue, continuing coldly, "Finally, I advise you, those who commit evil deeds are bound to fall. Relying on deceit might bring short-lived triumph, but never a lasting one. The truth may be delayed, but it will never be absent. Consider yourself warned."
Her well-organized words struck like resounding slaps on Grace’s face.
Infuriated, Grace’s whole body trembled, her face going from pale to flushed, pointing at Stella’s nose, she screeched, "Stella! You bitch! Who do you think you are?! How dare you lecture me?!"
Her rage escalated, burning away all reason, and she raised her hand, aiming to slap Stella’s face hard!
"Boss!" Finn Lockwood shouted in alarm, trying to intervene, but it was too late.
However, the hand mid-air was suddenly seized by someone from the side!
The grip was so strong it sent pain shooting up Grace’s wrist bone!
"Ah!" Grace cried out in pain, instinctively turning to look, and upon seeing who held her wrist, her face lit up with mixed surprise and delight, "Jasper?! Are you here to see me?"
It was Jasper Hawthorne.
His face was dark, his jawline set taut, his gaze swept icily over Grace, and he harshly flung her hand away, sending Grace stumbling several steps backward, almost falling.
"Grace," Jasper’s voice was cold and hard as if tempered with ice, "I remember warning you not to appear in front of Stella again, nor cause her trouble."
Grace looked at him incredulously, tears welling up instantly, "Jasper Hawthorne! How could you treat me like this?! We grew up together, my mother even saved your life! And you’re doing this for this bitch..."
"Shut up!" Jasper’s temple pulsed, his voice abruptly rising, "Don’t bring up Auntie Quinn again! And don’t use so-called ’gratitude’ to manipulate me! Get lost!"
The final "get lost" echoed like thunder in Grace’s ears.
Looking into Jasper’s eyes, she realized he was serious.
The overwhelming humiliation and fear left her cold all over, she shot Stella a venomous glance, her eyes like poisoned daggers.
"Stella! Just you wait! I won’t let this go! We’ll see!"
Hurling out this empty threat, Grace could no longer stay, covering her face, she ran out of the law firm in tears.
A farce temporarily came to an end.
The law office returned to quiet, but the atmosphere grew more subtle.
"Attorney Hawthorne, the problem’s been solved. If there’s nothing else, you can leave now." Her tone was cold, issuing a direct order for him to leave.
Jasper looked at her indifferent profile, his heart felt like it was pierced by countless needles, bringing sharp pain.
He stepped forward, his voice dry and hoarse, "Stella, can we... talk?"
"There’s nothing to discuss between us." Stella turned away, not wanting to look at him.
"Just five minutes," Jasper’s voice paused, "for the sake... for the sake of me saving you back then."
