Declan stood up slowly, reached out, and patted Sanford’s shoulder.
His gaze carried a look full of unspoken implications. “Sanford, rest assured-Matthew will not appear in Dorburn. No one will stop you from accomplishing what you need to do there.”
With a faint but resolute tone, he added, “Now, it’s up to you to decide what comes next.”
Declan withdrew his hand and turned to leave the dining room, Sanford remained seated, watching until Declan was completely out of sight. Only then did his expression shift slightly.
Conflicted, he found himself torn between two choices, the weight of the decision pressing heavily on his mind.
On one hand, Sanford contemplated whether he should find a way to persuade Stella to cancel her trip to Dorburn, potentially avoiding unforeseen trouble. On the other hand, he wondered if this might be the perfect opportunity to resolve everything once and for all, ensuring Declan would no longer interfere with Stella’s life.
Torn between the two choices, Sanford found his fingers dialing Stella’s number almost without realizing it.
The moment the call connected and he heard Stella’s familiar voice, he snapped back to reality.
“Sanford, what’s up?” Stella asked, her tone laced with a hint of puzzlement.
Sanford steadied himself, forcing his voice to sound natural as he replied, “I heard you’re planning to attend the international fashion event in Dorburn. Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s true,” Stella confirmed. “My mom and I are planning to go.”
For a brief moment, Sanford found himself at a loss for words.
Sensing his hesitation, Stella asked, “Why? Are you also going to the event?”
Sanford quickly replied, “Yes, I’ll be attending as the director of Sanz Group. How about this? Let’s travel together. I’ll book the tickets, and we can look out for each other along the way. Stella politely declined, her tone gentle yet firm. “That’s kind of you, but I’d prefer to go with my mom. We have some other matters to attend to, and it might not be convenient to travel with you.”
Hearing Stella’s refusal, Sanford pressed further, reminding her of his connection to her father. “You know, I owed your father a lot. If we travel together, we can look out for each other, and your father would be happy about this.”
Stella hesitated briefly, her thoughts wavering, before finally conceding. “Alright then, let’s travel together.”
After ending the call, Sanford exhaled deeply, as though he’d accomplished something significant. Yet, the slight furrow in his brows betrayed his lingering worry about the upcoming trip to Dorburn.
Three days later, Stella, Bella, and Sanford were off to Dorburn as planned.
Their last visit to Dorburn had been a bit of a saga, leaving Stella and Bella tense as they stepped onto the plane.
No sooner had the plane climbed into the sky than a sharp jolt of turbulence caught Stella unawares, sending waves of nausea crashing over her.
Noticing her discomfort, Bella leaned in, eyes filled with concern.
“Stella, are you alright? You don’t look so good.”
Sanford looked on, his face etched with worry.
Stella attempted a reassuring smile, brushing off the concern with a light wave. “I’m alright, just got rattled by that bump. I’ll shake it off in no time.”