Chapter 15
Alaric froze, then felt a surge of hope.
“You found Stella?”
His father shook his head.
“Not a chance. I’ve made some calls–Stella has joined a top–secret national project. She’s completely cut off from outside communication. Nobody can reach her.”
Alaric’s hands fell limply to his sides.
Steven continued excitedly. “But finding Stella doesn’t matter. I’ve located her cousin instead. She’s
still a Forbes, so she can marry into our family in Stella’s place. We’d still have our alliance with the
Forbes estate!”
“I’ve already spoken with her. She’s agreed, and we’ll avoid becoming the laughingstock of New
York!”
“Absolutely not!”
Alaric’s face darkened.
“I was engaged to Stella. We can’t just swap her out like she’s interchangeable. And aren’t you worried she’ll find out and pull all her business from us?”
“What planet are you on?”
Steven frowned at his son.
“Stella has committed to a long–term project. She clearly
Wanted out of this marriage and has moved
on from you. Why would she give a damn if we marry someone else?”
“Beyond that, Stella won’t return for at least a decade, maybe two. The Forbes business is already in the hands of managers. She can’t suddenly interfere.”
“In short, all the concerns you raised at the wedding are now irrelevant. Our only problem is avoiding looking like we backed out of the engagement.”
Chapter 15
“The perfect solution is to marry another Forbes woman. That way, everyone will see that the Gilbert family honors its commitments!“
“All the issues have been resolved, Alaric. What are you still hung up on?”
Alaric’s hands clenched into tight fists, his expression frozen.
His rational mind knew his father was right. All the practical concerns had been addressed. He simply needed to marry Stella’s cousin.
After all, he didn’t love Stella. Marrying her or her cousin made no difference to him.
So why?
Why did he feel this fierce resistance? Why did his chest feel hollow, as if something essential had
been carved out?
“I can’t marry Stella’s cousin,” he said mechanically, unable to articulate his feelings. “I just can’t do
it…”
“You-” Steven was about to explode, but Camilla, who had been silent until now, placed a restraining hand on her husband’s arm and looked up at her son.
“Alaric, at this point, you could marry anyone–Stella’s cousin, even Jenna. We’d accept it. But I need to ask you something.”
She looked straight into her son’s eyes.
“Your insistence on marrying Stella–is it really just about promises and business interests, or do you
love her?”
“Of course it’s because-” Alaric began automatically, but stopped mid–sentence.
Because if it were truly about promises and business, he would have already let go.
Camilla nodded slightly with understanding and sighed.
“Alaric, now that Stella’s gone, isn’t it time you faced the truth?”
“Are you genuinely indifferent to her, or are you simply afraid to admit that you love her?”
Chapore Li
Alaric had no recollection of leaving the Gilbert mansion
His mother’s words echoed in his mind-
“Are you genuinely indifferent to her, or are you simply afraid to admit that you love her?”
Alaric’s fists clenched tightly.
He couldn’t possibly love Stella.
He loved Jenna!
With this thought he immediately decided to find Jenna.
Too much had happened lately, clouding his judgment.
Once he saw Jenna, he would remember who he truly loved!
He asked his assistant and learned that Jenna was at a bar with friends.
He went there immediately.
But as he approached the private room, before he could push the door open, he heard one of Jenna’s friends speaking-
“Jenna, you were so confident about landing your “uncle‘ and becoming Mrs. Gilbert with all that cash. So did you seal the deal or what?”
10
