CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 87: PREPARING FOR A GLOBAL LIVESTREAM AND A GRAND CONFESSION

Evening.

Meritopia, Sterling Family Villa.

The restaurant was brightly lit, the long dining table was filled with a sumptuous feast, the aroma was overflowing.

Stella Grant picked up a piece of meat for Claire, who was sitting beside her, and then looked up to speak warmly to Mrs. Sterling at the head seat:

"Godmother, I want to let Claire recuperate at home for a while. When her throat gets better, I’ll arrange for her accommodation."

Mrs. Sterling smiled kindly: "What arrangements are you talking about? If she has come to our Sterling family, then she is a daughter of our family. Rest assured, she won’t be mistreated."

Mr. Sterling also nodded, looking at Claire, concerned, he asked: "Stella, is the child’s throat... congenital?"

Stella shook her head, gently explained: "I checked her vocal cords, there is no organic damage. It should be... some kind of trauma, a psychological cause of her loss of speech."

"Oh, that’s good, that’s good." Mr. Sterling breathed a sigh of relief, "Such a beautiful little girl, it would be such a pity if she couldn’t speak."

With that, he picked up a tempting chicken leg and put it into Claire’s bowl, "Claire, eat more, treat this as your home, you’re too skinny!"

Claire looked gratefully at Mr. Sterling, then started gesturing with her hands, her mouth making "ah ah" sounds, seemingly trying to express something.

Unfortunately, none of them present understood sign language.

Mrs. Sterling was anxious: "Oh dear, what is this child saying? Tomorrow, I must quickly get a sign language teacher to teach everyone."

Mr. Sterling cheerfully guessed: "She must be saying thank you, or saying she’s very happy."

Suddenly, Vivi Sterling, who had been quietly eating, raised her head and said something shocking:

"She’s saying she wants you to peel shrimp for her, and she wants a whole plate of them!"

Everyone "..."

The night was deep, Aiden Fordham’s car was parked outside the Sterling Family villa.

He got out of the car, smoked a cigarette, then went to press the doorbell.

"Sorry, Mr. Fordham, the ladies are all asleep, it’s past ten, and the master doesn’t allow visitors." The Sterling family butler directly refused him.

Aiden’s eyes were deep, he was in a car accident, and this little one didn’t even come to see him.

It seems, she really has a heart of stone!

The fact is, Keegan Lindsey’s call transferred to The Lockwood Group’s voicemail, how could Andy Lockwood possibly let Stella Grant know this news.

Aiden pulled out his phone, dialed that familiar number.

No answer.

Dialed again. Still no answer.

Great.

She wouldn’t even answer his calls.

He drove away, tires scraping the ground, causing a dull sound.

The next day, Aiden went directly to Lockwood Group.

The receptionist wanted to stop him, but was forced back by his presence.

He headed straight to the CEO’s office.

Andy Lockwood was sitting behind the desk, saw him, raised his eyebrows, not surprised.

"President Fordham, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Andy put down the file in his hand.

"Where is Stella?" Aiden went straight to the point.

"Stella?" Andy spread his hands, "Not in the company."

"Where did she go?" Aiden took a step closer.

"President Fordham, this is Stella’s private matter, I don’t believe I have an obligation to report to you?" Andy leaned back against the chair, his posture relaxed, but his words had a sharp edge.

"Have her come out to meet me." Aiden stared at him.

"I already said, she’s not here." Andy shrugged, "If President Fordham has nothing else, perhaps you can sit in the downstairs cafe, or I can have the secretary escort you out?"

Aiden didn’t move, the two men faced off, silent tension filled the air.

Finally, Aiden turned and left.

He could feel Andy’s scrutinizing and slightly mocking gaze clinging to his back.

In the following days, Aiden tried everything.

Still no sign of Stella, texts sent disappeared without a trace.

Stella seemed to have completely vanished from his world.

No.

Not vanished.

She actively severed all contact.

This realization made Aiden’s heart burn with an unnamed fire, growing more intense.

He stood before the office’s large floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cigarette.

Smoke swirled, blurring his expression.

His gaze stretched past the dense skyscrapers, landing on a small, but incredibly familiar balcony in the distance.

Where was she? Why was she avoiding him? Just because that night, his impulsive behavior had offended her?

Frustration gnawed at his nerves like ants.

He took a harsh drag of the cigarette, grinding the stub into the ashtray with such force it seemed he might crush it.

"Knock knock knock."

A knocking sound was heard.

"Enter." Aiden’s voice was cold as ice.

Keegan Lindsey entered, cautiously observing his boss’s expression.

Indeed, it was the calm before the storm.

"President Fordham." Keegan stood still.

Aiden didn’t turn around, still looking out the window.

"Speak." One word, concise, icy.

Keegan steadied himself, began to speak: "Tomorrow is the grand opening of Stellaria Restaurant, the celebration has been arranged, if we still can’t find the Mrs., then..."

Aiden showed no reaction.

Keegan continued: "Additionally, tomorrow... is the Mrs.’s birthday."

Aiden’s back stiffened a bit.

Birthday?

He actually forgot about this!

Keegan saw his boss had reacted, hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "President Fordham, I think this is a good opportunity."

Aiden finally turned around, his face expressionless: "What opportunity?"

"Give the Mrs. a surprise!" Keegan’s tone became excited, "Think about it, Stellaria is decorated so beautifully, if she knew this was the restaurant you gifted her, she’d be so happy! Then you could dramatically appear at the scene, give her a grand declaration, or... an apology! Let everyone witness your sincerity, even arrange a global live broadcast, it would be perfect!"

Aiden frowned.

Global live broadcast? Declaration?

Sounds like a joke, he can’t even see her now.

Keegan saw he wasn’t moved, quickly threw out a trump card:

"President Fordham, didn’t you already remember things from childhood? If the Mrs. knew, she’d definitely be very moved!"

Things from childhood...

Aiden’s gaze finally shifted.

Yes! He remembered it all. At that time, if he called her Stella, would it make her cry with emotion?

He had let her chase him for 12 years, it was time to give her an answer!

From now on, he would make her stop, he would pursue her!

He looked at Keegan, the ice in his eyes seemed to melt a bit, emitting a faint ray of light.

"Global live broadcast?" He repeated, as if assessing the feasibility of this proposal.

"Yes! The bigger the better! Let everyone see your sincerity!" Keegan nodded vigorously, "At that point, under the gaze of the public, even if the Mrs. wanted to refuse, she’d have to consider carefully! The next day, The Fordham Group can issue a statement, saying you want to remarry the Mrs., from then on, that Andy Lockwood won’t matter anymore. This is called burning one’s bridges, also known as... a decisive comeback!"

Aiden was silent for a few seconds.

He needed an opportunity, one that would make her stop, to listen to what he had to say.

Since she chose to avoid him, then he would corner her with no escape.

"Go and arrange it." Aiden finally spoke, his voice carried an undeniable decisiveness, "Make it grand."

Keegan’s eyes lit up: "Alright! President Fordham, just wait and see!"

"Wait." Aiden stopped him.

"Go to the bank and retrieve the ’Angel’s Heart,’ we’ll need it tomorrow!"

Keegan: "..."

He suspected he had heard wrong, Keegan swallowed, suppressing his inner shock.

"Angel’s Heart"?

The pink diamond ring the boss bought at an auction in F-Country two years ago for a sky-high price of ten billion?

A full 33 carats! Symbolizing eternity, as big as a pigeon egg!

Since its purchase, it had been locked in the bank’s top-tier safe, never seeing the light of day.

Now the boss wanted to take it out? Use it tomorrow?

Keegan’s heart skipped a beat.

The boss was... so generous!

"Yes, President Fordham! I’ll handle it right away!"

Keegan turned, quickly left the office, his steps were a bit unsteady.

Only Aiden was left in the office, his brows relaxed considerably!

Stella Grant.

Tomorrow.

He would see where she could hide!