CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73: LAYING IT ALL OUT, NO MORE ENTANGLEMENT

The faint scent of tobacco mixed with the cold pine fragrance immediately enveloped her.

When those around saw that it was Aiden Fordham, they looked terrified and retreated, instantly clearing out a space.

"Aiden Fordham! What are you doing?"

Stella Grant was both shocked and angry, pressing her hands against his firm chest, trying to push him away.

However, he didn’t move at all; instead, he tightened his arms even more, firmly locking her waist, making it impossible for her to move.

He lowered his head, his hot breath spraying against her sensitive earlobe.

"You missed our meeting tonight." His voice was very low, with a certain gritting of teeth.

Stella’s body stiffened for a moment, then she turned her face away as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry, I forgot."

A clear rise and fall appeared in the man’s chest. He leaned closer, his thin lips almost touching her earlobe.

"Come with me."

He had many things to say, right now, immediately, he needed to talk things over with her.

"Let me go!"

Stella struggled to break free.

The eyes watching from all directions, curious, inquisitive, speculative, were like countless fine needles pricking her body.

It made her extremely embarrassed, with a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"President Fordham." A clear male voice interjected.

Andy Lockwood had come over at some point, standing before the two of them, his face expressionless, yet his tone bore a clear coldness.

"Coming in and snatching my partner away, that’s not very nice, is it?"

Aiden responded with a snicker.

He slightly loosened his grip on Stella, but one hand still rested on her waist, asserting his ownership.

He looked at Andy, his gaze cold.

"Andy, this habit of taking others’ loved ones is something you should change."

"Loved ones?"

Andy seemed to have heard the greatest joke, laughing, but his eyes were sharply scanning Aiden.

"Isn’t President Fordham’s ’loved one,’ in fact, someone else?"

Everyone could hear the sarcasm in his words.

The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.

Andy no longer looked at Aiden, instead speaking gently to Stella, "Stella, go ahead, look for Cindy."

Receiving his pardon, Stella immediately broke free from Aiden’s arm.

She almost turned and ran, quickly merging into the crowd to find her junior sister.

Aiden stood there, his eyes heavily following her panicked retreating figure.

Until that golden silhouette disappeared from sight.

Only then did he withdraw his gaze, turned expressionlessly, and walked straight to the smoking area outside the banquet hall.

With a cigarette between his fingers, the scarlet ember flickered in the night.

The party finally ended, and the guests gradually departed.

A black Bentley quietly parked in the most prominent position at the hotel entrance.

Aiden leaned against the car door, the cigarette between his fingers already burned out.

He looked towards the hotel’s revolving doors, his expression unclear.

When Stella and Cindy appeared at the entrance.

He suddenly stubbed out the cigarette, striding forward, grabbing Stella’s wrist before she could react.

His grip was so strong that she cried out in pain.

"Aiden..."

She didn’t finish her words. Aiden’s actions were assertive, giving her no chance to resist.

He opened the car door, directly shoving her into the back seat.

"Bang," he shut the car door.

The car’s engine roared to life, quickly merging into the traffic, disappearing into the night.

The whole process was astonishingly fast.

"Sister!"

Cindy was terrified, her face turning pale as she chased a couple of steps, but the car was already far gone.

She took out her phone, her fingers trembling, quickly dialing Andy’s number.

"Brother! Something’s wrong! Sister was forcibly taken away by President Fordham!"

After Andy hung up, a sinister gleam appeared in his eyes, and he dialed an unknown number.

"I’ll give you fifteen minutes; if you still can’t handle it, you know what I’ll do. I have no use for incompetence here!"

...

The car sped wildly on an unfamiliar road.

In the back seat, Aiden’s arms were like iron clamps around her.

"Aiden Fordham! What are you doing! Stop the car! Let me out!"

Stella struggled, her body twisting.

A sharp pain came from her wound, and she knitted her brows tightly.

"Did you hit your wound?" Aiden’s voice carried a hint of undetectable concern,

"Stop moving, and I’ll let you go."

His tone softened, but his arms didn’t release her.

"Stop! Driver, stop the car!" Stella ignored him, shouting towards the front.

The car interior fell into a few seconds of dead silence, with only the roar of the engine.

Finally, Aiden’s deep voice sounded: "Stop at the bay ahead."

The car drove up a hill overlooking the sea and slowly stopped.

The driver, tactful, turned off the engine, got out of the car quickly, and disappeared into the distant woods.

"Aiden Fordham, what exactly do you want?" Stella pushed open the car door, and the cold wind instantly poured in.

She leaned against the car door, the sea breeze blowing hard, tousling her long hair, covering her face.

"Do you know? This kind of entanglement from you really bothers me, makes me feel uncomfortable!" her voice carried exhaustion.

Aiden got out of the car as well, the sea breeze making his expensive suit flap loudly.

He took off his coat, naturally draping it over Stella’s thin shoulders.

She didn’t refuse, nor did she thank him, only watching the black waves in the distance.

"I’m sorry!" Aiden spoke, "I just wanted to have a good talk with you, but you never gave me the chance."

Stella turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on his chiseled face.

The streetlamp’s light outlined his straight nose and tightly pressed thin lips.

He was very tall, with a straight build, exuding an imposing presence even under the dim light.

"Aiden Fordham," she suddenly asked, "do you understand what it’s like to love someone?"

The sea breeze howled, as if to swallow up her voice.

He looked at her, his eyes complex, his Adam’s apple moving once.

And then, he fell silent.

The long silence was colder than the sea breeze.

He was uncertain, he dared not answer.

Stella understood everything from his silence. She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that was calm yet almost cruel.

"Aiden Fordham, stop entangling me. You’re just unwilling, unwilling to let a woman who once loved you so much leave so easily."

She looked at him, her eyes clear and yet desperate, clearly stating the facts.

"It’s actually not a big deal, you slowly get used to it. A person you only see twice a month isn’t that important!"

She lightly furrowed her brows, suddenly curling her lips in self-deprecation.

Aiden sharply turned his head to look at her, his dark eyes locking tightly onto her face.

"Stella," his voice was somewhat hoarse, "I’ve been feeling a bit confused lately; I only feel at ease when I see you."

This sentence, like a small pebble dropped into still water.

She stared at him intently.

"Aiden Fordham, losing someone you don’t love isn’t scary."

This was also her way of comforting herself all along.

Her tone was very calm, yet it sounded heart-wrenching!

Watching her like this, Aiden felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He uncontrollably reached out, wanting to smooth her wind-tousled hair.

When his fingertips were about to touch her cheek, he paused.

"Stella, listen to me..." he said urgently, "I know everything now, all of it."

"I’m sorry, truly sorry to have kept you waiting so long..."

He seemed to be confessing, his voice carrying a cautiousness even he didn’t notice.

Stella lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes, "Aiden Fordham, what are you saying?"

"Actually..." he took a deep breath, wanting to tell her he knew about what happened twelve years ago, that he didn’t forget her on purpose.

The jarring ringtone of a cell phone suddenly rang out, breaking the quiet by the sea.