Chapter 502: Stella Shields's Engagement

Silas Hawthorne stared at his phone where the call had just ended, a smirk playing on his lips.

In all these years, this was the first time she had ever called him of her own accord.

Before, she wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

‘In what way am I not better than that Fawcett man!’

‘That kid had nothing. How could he possibly compare to me!’

Even after he betrayed her, she never considered being with anyone else!

As if that wasn’t enough, Arthur Fawcett’s son had now brazenly taken over the Linden Family’s business.

The thought made his stomach turn. He wished Nathan Fawcett would just disappear from the face of the earth.

‘What right did that man’s son have?’

Just then, someone knocked and entered. “Mr. Hawthorne, Ms. Shields has arrived.”

“I know,” Silas Hawthorne said.

He stood up and walked out the door to see Stella Shields standing by the entrance, looking incredibly anxious.

She’d probably heard the rumors circulating outside, or perhaps read some gossip online. Now, she looked at him with fear in her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Silas Hawthorne found it rather amusing.

He walked up to her, raised a hand, and gently tucked a strand of her hair.

Stella Shields turned her head to look at the man, then defensively took two steps back.

She looked at Silas Hawthorne and said, “Mr. Hawthorne.”

A smirk touched Silas Hawthorne’s lips. “Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just got here,” Stella Shields said. “My brother told me to come find you to go see the gowns.”

‘She hadn’t wanted to come!’

But she was just too afraid of Justin Shields.

‘Right now, Stella Shields had no idea what she would do without her brother, without the Shields Family.’

“Let’s go,” Silas Hawthorne said.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

‘Stella Shields looked at him. Honestly, aside from him being quite a bit older than her, he wasn’t a particularly repulsive man. He was even quite charismatic.’

The gowns had been ordered long ago.

After they saw the gowns, Silas Hawthorne took her out to eat.

This was the most luxurious restaurant in the city.

Its patrons were all either wealthy or influential.

More than a dozen staff members stood by to attend to them.

Looking at the table full of dishes before her, Stella Shields didn’t have much of an appetite.

She looked at Silas Hawthorne and said, “I’ve never really understood… why would a man like you, Mr. Hawthorne, want to marry me?”

Silas Hawthorne looked at her, smiled, and said, “If you can finish every dish on this table, I’ll cancel our engagement.”

“Really?” Stella Shields looked at him in disbelief.

Silas Hawthorne nodded. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

“…”

Stella Shields looked at the man, lowered her head, and started to eat.

She was a celebrity; she usually dieted strictly and ate very little.

Yet now, in front of him, she began to devour the food.

Silas Hawthorne sat opposite her, his fingers interlaced, watching her with great amusement.

Stella Shields ate until her cheeks bulged.

The spread on the table didn’t look like an impossible amount, but she quickly found she couldn’t eat another bite.

Even so, she didn’t want to worry about her image in front of him.

‘If this made him hate her and call off the wedding, that would be perfect!’

Silas Hawthorne watched her desperate efforts. Her actions made it perfectly clear how badly she wanted to break off their engagement.

‘How interesting!’

Silas Hawthorne said, “You can give up if you don’t want to eat anymore.”

Stella Shields said, “I can do it.”

She didn’t know where she found the drive, but after what felt like an eternity, she finally finished every dish on the table.

The staff nearby all stared at her in astonishment.

This was Stella Shields, after all!

The A-list celebrity who was always in the spotlight, the star everyone fawned over, was now here, stuffing her face without a care for her image.

When she finished, she looked at Silas Hawthorne. “There. Satisfied?”

Silas Hawthorne raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the waiters brought out another spread of food, even larger than the first.

Stella Shields: “…”

She looked at the man, realizing he was just toying with her. “Are you messing with me?”

A smirk played on Silas Hawthorne’s lips. “You’re the one who started this game. You have the chance to marry me—and I wouldn’t treat you poorly—yet you want to cancel the engagement. Stella, is it because I seem too good-natured?”

He was still smiling, but his eyes were chilling to the bone.

Stella Shields said, “I just want to know what you’re after. With your status and position, what kind of woman couldn’t you find? Why me?”

Silas Hawthorne said, “Who knows? Perhaps I just don’t want to see your brother disappointed. He’s very keen on us being together, you know. You’ve been hiding out on your film set and avoiding me. Frankly, it’s making me quite angry.”

“…” Stella Shields lowered her head.

Silas Hawthorne looked at her. “Done eating? Let’s go for a walk. Help you digest.”

Stella Shields didn’t want to move, but he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out.

She trailed behind him. His legs were so long that she had to break into a light jog just to keep up.

Watching the man, Stella Shields was overcome with the feeling that there was no escape.

‘This man was so outrageously arrogant!’

‘Am I going to die?’

‘Will I be driven to death, just like his previous fiancées?’

For the first time, Stella Shields was truly terrified.

She felt like a fish on the chopping block…

A sudden wave of regret washed over her.

‘If she hadn’t offended the Linden Family back then… if she hadn’t foolishly dreamed of marrying Nathan Fawcett… would things have turned out this way?’

“What are you thinking about?”

On the way back, as she sat silently in the car, Silas Hawthorne turned to her.

Stella Shields kept her head down, not daring to look at him. “Nothing.”

Silas Hawthorne said, “Stella, don’t worry. I’m not going to eat you alive. You can see I’ve been treating you well lately. I’ve even introduced your brother to quite a few business deals. Stay with me, and I can let you have free rein in the entertainment industry. I can let the Shields family have free rein in the entertainment industry. Other people couldn’t even dream of an opportunity like this.”

Stella Shields looked at this man and said, “Will I die?”

Hearing her ask such a question, Silas Hawthorne froze for a second before bursting into laughter. He reached out and gently brushed her bangs aside. “Silly girl, why would you ask something like that? How could you possibly die? I’m going to be very good to you!”

“…”

‘She didn’t know whether he was telling the truth or lying.’

Soon, the day of their engagement arrived.

The engagement was to be held in Veridia.

Silas Hawthorne was from Veridia.

He was born and raised here.

So, naturally, his engagement to Stella Shields was arranged to be held there.

On the day of the engagement, the entire Shields family was in attendance.

Mrs. Shields was dressed opulently and dripping with jewels. Her future son-in-law might be a bit on the older side, but his family was undeniably wealthy.

It was a shame her daughter hadn’t been able to marry Nathan Fawcett.

But Stella Shields marrying Silas Hawthorne wasn’t a bad alternative.

However, not a single person from the Hawthorne Family showed up.

Silas Hawthorne’s father was a very prominent figure.

He looked down on his son for marrying a woman from the entertainment world.