Chapter 24: She Still Had a Chance

After Quintus uttered those words, he didn't pay any further attention to Stella's reaction. Initially, the reason he decided to marry Stella was solely to repay the debt of gratitude owed to her grandfather. Due to this, he maintained a close relationship with the Winthrop family. When the elders proposed a union between him and Stella, he accepted without much hesitation. He even used to see Stella as his Miss Right in his heart. It wasn't until six years ago when the woman disappeared without a word that he realized his feelings for Stella were not the romantic love he had imagined. Since then, he had repeatedly postponed the marriage urged by both families, finding various excuses. Over the past six years, he had done everything possible to facilitate the Winthrop family and fulfilled all their business demands, solely to repay the debt of gratitude from the past. Now, in his view, that debt had been sufficiently repaid. At the very least, there was no necessity to fulfill this marriage. "Quintus, I--" Seeing his expressionless face, Stella's voice trembled, and she wanted to confirm her suspicions with him. Quintus pressed his temple and calmly interrupted her, "Put the files down. I'll look at them later. I still have work to do. You can leave." Stella bit her lip, stared at him for a while, and seeing no response from him, her eyes slowly reddened. She forcefully suppressed the frustration and dissatisfaction in her heart, put down the files, stood up, and exited the room. Stella's mood was at its lowest point. She had waited for six years, and Quintus was still unwilling to give her a clear answer. Today, he even hinted at wanting to cancel the engagement... Fortunately, she could be sure that there were no other women around Quintus. In other words, she still had a chance! Thinking of this, her expression eased slightly. Yes, she still had a chance. If she really upset Quintus, that marriage would be truly irreparable. Stella comforted herself along the way and got into the car. "Are we heading back to the company?" Seeing that her demeanor wasn't great, Assistant Matthew's tone became cautious. Stella glanced at him, "No, we'll have lunch outside. We have a signing appointment with BioMed Innovations Institute in the afternoon." Matthew nodded in acknowledgment. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Chloe and Michael left the research institute and headed to the location agreed upon with the medicinal herbs merchant. On the way, Chloe suddenly realized that she hadn't had a chance to learn about the background of the collaborating merchant. She asked Michael, "What's the specific situation with the medicinal herbs merchant we're signing with?" As the head of the research institute, if she knew nothing about the merchant they were collaborating with, it might give the impression of an unprofessional approach during the signing. This could potentially affect the collaboration between the two parties. Michael, understanding her concerns, provided a detailed introduction, "This medicinal herbs merchant in Phoenix is quite large in scale. They have a family background in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, they offer reasonable prices. Considering our institute's influence overseas, when they learned about our interest, they expressed a positive attitude. You can rest assured." Hearing this, Chloe nodded in understanding, feeling relieved, "I'm familiar with several major medicinal herbs merchants in Phoenix. According to what you said, the one signing with us today should be one of them. I wonder which one it is?" Michael replied, "It's Winthrop Group."