Chapter 499 Forcing Her to Marry

Unlike other people, Justin Shields actually agreed with her!

He, too, believed that Nathan Fawcett was rightfully hers.

It was Anne Sutton who had stolen everything from her.

After suffering so many injustices, Sharon Sutton felt as if she had finally found an ally, and she saw a glimmer of hope in Justin Shields.

Justin Shields said, “For now, just focus on your work. Find an opportunity to apologize to your sister.”

“I don’t want to apologize to her.”

“Your sister is an incredible resource, and you’re her own flesh and blood. If you don’t patch things up with her and just hide here in Westhaven, do you really think your life will improve? You’ll probably die of old age before you ever get to see Nathan Fawcett again. Your sister is your only hope, understand?”

Sharon Sutton sat to one side and said, “She won’t have anything to do with me anymore! She can’t even stand the sight of me now.”

“Don’t worry,” Justin Shields said. “I’ll help you figure something out. When the time comes, all you have to do is follow my instructions.”

Hearing this, Sharon Sutton nodded. Justin Shields dropped her off at the Sutton family’s gate before leaving.

…

When Justin Shields returned home, Charles Prescott was already waiting for him.

He looked at Charles Prescott and asked, “Is everything settled with your grandmother’s affairs?”

Mrs. Prescott had passed away, and Charles Prescott had spent the last two days handling the arrangements.

Charles Prescott said, “Yes.”

Justin Shields said, “That must have been difficult. Stella has been away lately. I’m planning to go see her, so I’ll leave things here in your hands for now.”

“Alright.”

Ever since she went to Veridia and ran off to the Linden family’s home, Stella Shields hadn’t returned.

She had been on set, filming constantly.

Knowing she was deliberately avoiding Silas Hawthorne, Justin Shields decided he had to go see her himself.

After all, letting her keep hiding like this wasn’t a solution.

…

Stella Shields had been filming in the mountains for some time.

Her current project was a period drama, so much of the filming was done on location in the mountains.

However, they had just moved back to the film studio lot in the last couple of days.

To her relief, neither her brother nor Silas Hawthorne had contacted her recently.

…

That afternoon, however, Stella Shields was on set reading her script when the assistant director came over. He looked at her and said, “Stella, you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?” Hearing this, Stella Shields walked outside, only to see her own brother.

The moment she saw it was Justin Shields, her first instinct was to run. “Come back,” Justin Shields commanded.

His voice was stern and commanding.

Stella Shields had no choice but to turn back and walk up to him, looking at him cautiously. “Bro, what are you doing here? I’m busy!”

Justin Shields said, “I thought you didn’t want to act anymore. What made you come back?”

Stella Shields replied, “I’m an adult now. I can’t be as impulsive as I used to be. I needed to find something to do, and acting is actually pretty fun.”

She kept her head down as she spoke, staring at her own shadow on the ground, not daring to meet Justin Shields’s eyes.

Hearing her words, Justin Shields’s lips curved into a smirk. “That’s good. My little sister is all grown up! Not so impulsive anymore.”

Stella Shields tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear and looked at Justin Shields. “So, why are you here?”

“I’m here on a business trip, so I thought I’d drop by and see you,” Justin Shields said, his voice softening. “Go get ready. I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”

“Where are we going to eat?” Stella Shields asked, looking at her brother.

‘Her brother used to be the person she trusted most in the world, but now…’

‘She was terrified of her brother.’

‘She couldn’t shake the feeling that Justin Shields wanted to give her away to someone!’

‘Giving her away was one thing, but to a terrifying man like Silas Hawthorne… It was clear he didn’t care about her at all.’

Hearing her question, Justin Shields said, “Let’s go. I’ve already cleared it with the production team.”

He was the head of the Shields Group and a powerful figure in the entertainment industry. Of course the directors wouldn’t dare to refuse him.

Seeing that it was a done deal, Stella Shields had no choice but to agree.

That evening, Stella Shields went to dinner with Justin Shields, and just as she’d expected, Silas Hawthorne was there too.

‘She knew her brother wouldn’t show up for no reason; he definitely had an agenda.’

Stella Shields sat beside her brother in silence.

Silas Hawthorne looked at her and said, “Stella, are you all recovered?”

“I’ve been fine for a while, thank you for your concern, Mr. Hawthorne.”

Justin Shields turned to her and said, “You and Mr. Hawthorne will be engaged at the end of this month. We’ve already settled on the date.”

Stella Shields froze, staring at Justin Shields. “Isn’t that a little rushed?”

‘They have absolutely no regard for me!’

‘They didn’t even bother to ask for my opinion, just assumed I’d already agreed!’

Justin Shields looked at her and said, “It’s not rushed at all. You don’t have to prepare anything, just be a good little bride. It’s an honor for you to be able to marry Mr. Hawthorne.”

“Bro!” Stella Shields stared at Justin Shields. ‘She truly didn’t understand how her brother had become like this!’

Justin Shields just smiled and continued his conversation with Silas Hawthorne.

Sitting there, Stella Shields felt like a puppet for the first time in her life, with no control over anything.

‘They couldn’t care less about her opinion.’

After dinner, Justin Shields took Stella Shields home. Trailing behind him, Stella asked, “Bro, do you really want me to marry Silas Hawthorne?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Justin Shields countered. “He’s just a little older than you.”

“A little?” Stella Shields retorted. “He’s so much older than me.”

Justin Shields looked at her. “He might be a bit older, but his wealth and status more than make up for it. Besides, he’s not bad-looking. You’re not getting a raw deal by marrying him.”

“What if…” Stella Shields said, “What if I die because I marry him? Aren’t you afraid of that?”

Justin Shields looked at his little sister. “Stella, don’t listen to those baseless rumors. Things aren’t what you think. Silas Hawthorne isn’t going to hurt you. You have to trust me!”

“I can’t trust you anymore.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t listen to reason, Justin Shields’s tone hardened. “Whether you’re willing or not, this is already decided! If you dare to screw this up, you’ll answer to me.”

His voice was so cold it gave Stella Shields goosebumps. She looked at the man in front of her, unable to believe this was her brother—her own flesh and blood.

…

That evening, when Anne Sutton got home, the two children were already back, but Nathan Fawcett had yet to return.

Anne Sutton asked Ian and Finn, who were on the sofa, “Has your dad come home yet?”

Ian said, “No.”

Anne Sutton picked up her phone and called Nathan Fawcett, but he didn’t answer.

‘Because of his health, she had even been cutting back on her hours at the hospital, wanting to be home on time every day to take care of him.’

‘And what does he do?’

‘Now he won’t even answer his phone!’

When she couldn’t get through to Nathan Fawcett, Anne Sutton had no choice but to call Butler Walters.

Butler Walters said, “Ms. Sutton.”

“Why isn’t Nathan Fawcett back yet? I seem to recall telling him to come home early these days.”

Butler Walters said, “There’s a lot going on at the company. He’s dealing with it now. He’ll be back as soon as he’s finished.”

“What could possibly be more important than his own health?” Anne Sutton demanded. “And you, Butler Walters, you of all people know what condition your master is in. If his old ailment flares up again, do you really think he’ll be as lucky as he was last time?”