Chapter 23: Wanted to Cancel the Engagement

Watching Grace being escorted away by the teacher, Quintus withdrew his gaze and instructed Hudson, "Let's go." Hudson nodded and drove them to Ellington Group. At the company, Quintus immediately participated in a high-level meeting without wasting any time. When the meeting concluded, it had been over an hour. Quintus headed straight back to his office. "Hi, I've been waiting here for some time." Upon entering, Quintus heard the voice of Stella, and a faint furrow appeared on his brow. He saw Stella, dressed in a black suit, smiling by his desk. It seemed she had been waiting for a while. "When did you arrive?" Quintus walked to the desk in large strides, his gaze scanning the documents on the table before settling on Stella's face. Seeing him seated, Stella followed suit, her smile gentle, "Just got here not long ago. Hudson mentioned you were in a meeting." Finishing her words, she suddenly noticed a scab at the corner of Quintus's mouth and her heart tightened, "Your lip... is it injured?" Thinking about yesterday's incident, a trace of displeasure crossed Quintus's eyes, and his tone carried a chill, "Just accidentally bit it. I'm fine." Stella nodded with some doubt, trying to reassure herself. Over the years, besides her, there hadn't been any other women around Quintus, so the injury shouldn't be what she suspected. Thinking of this, she reluctantly eased her concern. "Why have you come here?" Quintus asked coldly. Stella gathered her thoughts, smiled, and said, "Indeed, it's a bit of business. The project we were collaborating on between our families is almost ready for signing. So, I came to confirm with you if there are any other conditions. Also, my parents mentioned they'd like to invite you for dinner tonight. Your parents will be there too. Do you have time?" Inviting his parents to this dinner was a deliberate move, and with such a grand arrangement, it was undoubtedly another attempt to push forward their marriage. Quintus glanced at her, a slight furrow appearing on his brow. His tone remained chilly, "Tell your parents for me that I have a prior engagement tonight and won't be able to make it to the dinner." The smile on Stella's face froze for a moment, and for a while, she didn't know what to say. The purpose of tonight's dinner was indeed to push forward her marriage with Quintus. However, this matter should have been settled years ago, soon after Chloe left. Quintus, using work as an excuse, kept delaying it. Later, he used Grace as an excuse, continuously postponing their marriage. Now, it had been a full six years! Stella had waited for so many years, yet still couldn't get a definite answer. How could she not feel anxious? And today, Quintus was still evading... Stella smiled bitterly, looking at the man in front of her. "I've been waiting for six years. I'm willing to continue waiting for you, but if we are meant to be together, why are you unwilling to finalize our marriage? At the very least, it would put the minds of our elders at ease, wouldn't it?" As she spoke, she carefully observed Quintus's expression. Seeing that he remained unmoved, she plucked up the courage to add, "We planned the marriage from the beginning. Why--" "I did promise to give you an engagement," Quintus interrupted, his tone icy and stern. "But you should be well aware of where this promise came from." Stella felt an inexplicable tension at his expression. "I believe that the compensation the Ellington family has given to the Winthrop family has been more than enough over the years, far exceeding the value of this engagement. Even if the engagement is not fulfilled, no one would say anything." Quintus's tone remained emotionless, indicating that this was a decision he had long considered. Hearing this, Stella widened her eyes in disbelief, feeling a sense of panic. Quintus's intention was clear – he wanted to cancel the engagement!