Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Everything Has Changed
Stella Sterling’s tone was neither serious nor cold as she spoke.
Her face held a hint of a smile, and her tone was light, as if she were discussing something utterly ordinary.
However, once you truly heard what she was saying, you could sense the profound detachment in her words.
It was as if she had seen through everything and, as a result, didn’t believe such words in the slightest.
Gordon Ford stared at her for several long seconds.
’She didn’t used to be like this.’
He didn’t know why she had become this way. He looked at Stella Sterling, but instead of offering more assurances, he spoke with a grave seriousness. "Since you don’t believe in promises, you can just watch my actions from now on. I’ll show you that I’ll spend a lifetime fulfilling the words I speak."
This time, before Stella Sterling could respond, Gordon Ford continued, "Besides, you say a lifetime is too long—that our thoughts now might change in the future. By that same token, this is how you think now, but over time, your own perspective might change too, won’t it?"
"So for now, neither of us should speak in absolutes."
Only after saying this did he fall silent, looking at Stella Sterling earnestly.
Stella Sterling leaned back. "Alright. I’ll be waiting to see your future performance."
’It would be a lie to say she felt nothing,’ but Stella Sterling was no longer a person who was easily moved.
Even though she had feelings for Gordon Ford, and his words were indeed touching, she was firm on one point: she would judge him by his actions.
Finding a partner wasn’t like finding friends. With friends, you could meet up occasionally. If you clicked, you kept in touch; if not, you let it go.
But finding a life partner was different. In this regard, Stella Sterling was very serious. She would either not look at all, or she would only look for someone who was absolutely trustworthy.
After all, this was someone who would be sleeping next to her. They would have more opportunities than anyone else to make a move against her. One misstep, and her life would be over.
Therefore, unless it was someone she trusted implicitly, Stella Sterling would never give in—not even for Gordon Ford.
So she would only watch his actions, testing whether he was truly worthy of her complete trust—worthy of tying her life to his.
Call her stubborn, call her whatever you want—she admitted she still had feelings for Gordon Ford, but she definitely wouldn’t just get together with him like this.
As for the future between her and Gordon Ford, perhaps she would be completely won over by him and they would get together. Or perhaps, they would simply maintain the relationship they had now.
Enjoying each other’s company, but never taking that final step.
In any case, as long as they were happy in each other’s company, that was enough.
At least for now, she preferred this kind of dynamic with Gordon Ford.
Without getting too close, she didn’t have to overthink things. There were fewer reservations, and she felt more at ease.
Despite Stella Sterling’s somewhat cool reaction, Gordon Ford wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. He still looked full of energy. "Right. I’ll definitely do my best."
He only said the first half of what he was thinking. The rest of the sentence reached his lips, but he didn’t voice it.
’He desperately wanted to ask Stella Sterling to save a chance for him—to at least not say yes to anyone else while she hadn’t said yes to him.’
’He wasn’t afraid of how cold Stella might be; he would overcome that distance and proactively close the gap between them.’
’If she didn’t trust him enough, if she didn’t feel secure with him, then he would just have to work harder, do better, and use more time and more actions to prove he was worthy of her trust.’
’But the problem was, Stella Sterling was so outstanding. He wasn’t the only one who liked her.’
’What if Stella Sterling said yes to someone else?’
’He thought of Miles Sanctus, and of what Stella had said to him back at The Apocalypse Summit.’
’That man couldn’t accept her terms, so he had hesitated.’
’But he was terrified—what if that man *had* accepted her terms when she laid them out?’
’If someone else could accept her conditions just as he would, would she be so touched that she’d develop feelings for them instead?’
’His former self would never have been so lacking in confidence. But the man he was now, standing before Stella Sterling, had no real certainty at all.’
So, he had wanted to say those words to Stella Sterling. But when they reached his lips, he forced them back down, leaving them unsaid.
’He had no right to do so.’
’Stella Sterling was an independent person. She didn’t belong to him.’
’Even if he loved Stella Sterling, at the end of the day, it was still just his own one-sided affair for now.’
’Stella Sterling was free. If she really did fall for someone else one day and agreed to be with them, that was her freedom, her right.’
’He had no right to stop her, and certainly no right to demand that Stella Sterling agree to such an unreasonable request.’
’Besides, his love for her should never be a reason to bind her.’
’If he lacked confidence in himself, if he was afraid Stella would be moved by someone else and fall for them, then the only thing to do was to work on becoming a better man. He had to be more outstanding than his rivals, and treat Stella better than anyone else could.’
’That way, no one else would even stand a chance.’
’He should focus on improving himself, not on making demands of Stella Sterling.’
And so, in the end, he swallowed those words and left them unsaid.
When he saw Stella Sterling look up at him, he didn’t voice any of the complex thoughts swirling in his mind. Instead, his expression turned earnest as he reached out and gently patted her head. "I will win your heart."
Stella Sterling could tell he was holding something back, but since he had chosen not to say it, she didn’t press him, pretending she hadn’t noticed a thing.
The moment Gordon Ford’s hand touched her head, she hesitated for a second before slowly pulling away.
She looked at Gordon Ford, not wanting to continue the topic. In truth, whenever they broached subjects like this, the atmosphere between them grew strained. It was better to talk about something else, something they could both enjoy.
She changed the subject with a smile. "Did you really come all this way just for this? You don’t have any other business?"
’He can’t possibly be this idle, can he?’
’This wasn’t the Gordon Ford she knew. The Gordon Ford she was familiar with was never so frivolous. On the contrary, he was usually focused on important matters and would never waste his time on pointless endeavors.’
Hearing this, Gordon Ford paused for a second, then grinned. "I really did just come to see you. There’s nothing else!"
After a beat, he added, "You wouldn’t see me before, and I couldn’t get near you. I didn’t want to start a conflict with your people, so this was the only way I could think of to see you."
