Chapter 288: Chapter 288: The Shameless Gordon Ford
"I’ve thought about many, many things, but I never once thought about giving up."
The years of separation hadn’t caused his feelings for her to fade. On the contrary, they had only grown stronger.
He had decided long, long ago that she was the one he would spend his life with. How could he give up just because of a few words from her?
At this moment, Stella Sterling felt a strange sensation in her heart.
She couldn’t quite name the feeling, but she could clearly sense that something inside her had just broken.
’Or perhaps, Gordon Ford had always been in her heart. It was just that too much time had passed, and she had been through too much, so she had kept those feelings suppressed deep inside.’
’The moment she agreed to be with Gordon Ford, they would have to spend the rest of their lives together.’
But after all the betrayals she had endured, all the things she had been through and witnessed, she had no confidence that the two of them could last forever.
If she couldn’t be certain they could make it in the long run, then it was better not to let things develop from the start.
’It would be better to let Gordon Ford remain forever in her heart, a memory to cherish from time to time.’
But now, she clearly felt herself wavering.
Seeing that Stella Sterling had fallen silent, Gordon Ford returned to his original question. "So? You still haven’t answered me."
Stella Sterling smiled sweetly. "We’ll see how you perform. If you do well, it’s not impossible that I’ll agree to let you pursue me."
Upon hearing this, Gordon Ford’s eyes lit up instantly.
Finally, things were different from how they used to be.
He smiled too.
’Some things just have to be said,’ he thought. ’Before, I didn’t want to scare her, so I kept my feelings hidden, but that way, there’s never any progress...’
He loved her and didn’t want to give up, and he knew he had to let her know what was in his heart.
’He might have been sent away last time, but this time, hadn’t he made a lot of progress?’
With this in mind, Gordon Ford brazenly asked, "So, can I have a kiss?"
Stella Sterling turned to him, a little surprised. He really had changed a lot. ’That’s not something he would have said before.’
She looked at him with a half-smile. "And what if I said I wanted to beat you up?"
Gordon Ford thought about it seriously, then nodded. "If getting beaten up by you means I get a kiss, I think I’d be more than willing. Not just one beating, either. You can beat me up a few more times. That way, I can get a few more kisses."
Stella Sterling had thought her own skin had gotten pretty thick over the years, but now she was discovering that Gordon Ford’s was just as thick, if not thicker.
These were all things the old him would never have said.
But then again, she herself had changed more than just a little over the years.
Both of them had changed a great deal in that time.
Gordon Ford was still being shameless, pushing his face closer to Stella Sterling’s. "You can hit me anywhere you want. It’s fine, I can take a beating. Just leave me my life. But however many times you hit me, you better keep count."
Looking at the face that had suddenly appeared in front of hers, Stella Sterling pushed him away. "Get away from me."
"If I beat you until you’re ugly, I won’t consider you anymore. My number one requirement for a partner is that he has to be handsome. I don’t want an ugly one."
After hearing that, Gordon Ford hesitated for a moment, then pulled his face back. "In that case, hit me somewhere else. Just don’t hit my face. It wouldn’t do for you to make me ugly."
He hadn’t changed much over the years. His physique was even better than before, but his complexion was a bit rougher.
He didn’t care about it before, but now, looking at Stella Sterling...
Compared to her, he seemed a bit tanner, a bit more rugged.
That already affected his good looks a little. If she were to ruin his face by beating him up, he’d really have no hope left. Who could he complain to then?
Stella Sterling chuckled softly.
"Miss Sterling, is this man the reason you rejected me?"
Just as the atmosphere between the two was growing pleasant, an inopportune voice cut into their ears.
They both looked up at the same time. The smile on Stella Sterling’s face faded considerably.
Although she was still smiling, the air around her grew cold, nothing like it was before.
Gordon Ford sized up the newcomer, his expression completely different from the gentle one he had shown Stella Sterling.
’What did that guy mean by what he just said?’
The person who had arrived was the leader of Sanctyr Base, Miles Sanctus.
The man was staring at the two of them with a dark gaze.
His eyes, fixed on Gordon Ford, were particularly icy.
This was the woman he had set his sights on. Whether he actually liked her or not, in his eyes, Stella Sterling was already his.
And the way that man looked at Stella Sterling was, in his opinion, a blatant provocation.
He sized up the other man. His bearing was extraordinary, and he didn’t look like a simple person, but Miles had never seen him before.
He hadn’t even seen him yesterday. He had no idea where this guy had popped out from; he was probably just some nobody.
He walked toward them, his gaze locking with Gordon Ford’s in midair.
Gordon Ford broke eye contact and looked at Stella Sterling. "Do you know him? This guy is..."
Stella Sterling replied, "Oh, another one of my pursuers. Your love rival."
After hearing this, Gordon Ford’s expression changed. Although he had already guessed as much from the man’s earlier words, hearing it confirmed now made his gaze turn cold once more.
But almost immediately, a gentle smile spread across his face.
’This guy has already been rejected by her, so he’s no threat.’
Miles Sanctus and Gordon Ford sized each other up. The difference between them was that Miles Sanctus’s eyes were filled with hostility, while Gordon Ford’s were much more serene.
He even greeted the other man. "Hello."
"Hello,"
Miles Sanctus replied, then said coldly, "Are you aware that the young lady beside you is the woman I’ve chosen?"
"Mm, I know. But as far as I know, you’re already out of the running. She doesn’t like you."
Gordon Ford nodded, but his words only made Miles Sanctus’s gaze grow colder.
As if he hadn’t seen the ugly expression on the other man’s face, he continued, "But I’m different. I still have a chance."
Miles Sanctus felt provoked, looked down upon.
He sneered inwardly, but his face remained relatively calm. However, the look he gave Gordon Ford was filled with danger. "Who are you to dare compete with me?"
The two men spoke bluntly, their words bristling with hostility, neither willing to back down.
Stella Sterling propped her chin on her hand and watched Gordon Ford. She had rarely seen him look so aggressive.
’I quite like it!’
’Now that she had thought some things through, Stella Sterling felt that no matter how she looked at Gordon Ford, he was completely satisfying.’
Gordon Ford was about to say more, but after seeing the expression on Stella Sterling’s face, he sat back down and said nothing else.
