Chapter 19
hapter 19
. Chapter 19
Grace still clung to Stephanie, trying to find something more to say.
But Stephanie’s stance was firm, her words cutting. “I’m sorry, but Chris and I just won’t work.”
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Grace had said everything she could, but now, facing this rejection, she felt helpless. There was nothing more she could do.
Stephanie gently patted Grace’s hand. “I don’t expect him to dedicate his whole life to me—that would be greedy. But right now, he can’t even give me the basic respect.”
Grace thought about it, and she realized Stephanie was right.
Chris clearly had no intention of hiding his feelings for Olivia, and that was a huge slap in the face to Stephanie.
Even it was her son’s doing, Grace couldn’t ignore that.
With a deep sigh, Grace spoke. “But what are you gonna do? Without Chris, your life in the Hart family is gonna be even harder.”
Grace was trying to remind Stephanie of where she stood in the family.
Though both women despised Olivia, neither could deny that Olivia was the family’s golden child.
Stephanie lowered her gaze, staying quiet.
Grace continued, her voice softening just slightly. “Don’t rush to answer me. I’ll talk to Chris. I’ll make sure he sends Olivia away as soon as possible.”
Grace was furious–more furious than Stephanie at this point.
She just couldn’t understand what hold Olivia had over Chris. What kind of magic did that woman have to make him act
this way.
The thought of Stephanie and Chris going their separate ways, with Chris only getting more reckless with Olivia, had Grace on edge.
She squeezed Stephanie’s hand, anxiety creeping into her voice. “The Hart family favors Olivia. If you keep fighting them, your life’s about to get a whole lot harder.”
The message was clear: Please, Stephanie, just give in!
Stephanie could tell Grace meant well, and for once, it felt like Grace might actually be on her side.
But it didn’t matter anymore. Everyone seemed to think there was no place for Stephanie in the Hart family, and the Ashford family was her only shot at any future.
She met Grace’s gaze, her voice steady, unwavering. “No matter how hard life is, I can find a way out. Mrs. Ashford, Chris and I are done. That’s final.”
There was no room for debate. She wasn’t backing down now.
Stephanie didn’t want to leave anyone with false hope.
She wasn’t the type to drag things out, either.
The longer it went on, the messier it would get, and she wasn’t about to waste more time.
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12:45 Sun, 2 Mar
Chapter 19
A
Grace paused, taken aback by Stephanie’s resolve. “You’re so… independent. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad ⚫ thing
Grace tried to soften her approach, then got tough, but she could feel her composure slipping
She hadn’t expected Stephanie to be this unyielding. A flicker of annoyance crossed her face.
Stephanie wasn’t interested in dragging this out
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I’m leaving now,” she said, almost too casually, as she shoved the necklace back into Grace’s hand and turned on her heel.
Grace, still wanting to say something, stared at Stephanie’s determined back.
Seeing the necklace clutched in her hand only made her frustration spike. She stomped her foot, irritated.
Right then, the butler appeared, stepping into the tension. “Mrs. Ashford.”
Grace sighed, a heavy, defeated sound. “What’s she being so stubborn for? Who else would want her besides Chris?”
If she broke off the engagement, Stephanie’s reputation would tank. No prestigious family in Long Harbor would touch her after that.
And the Hart family… Grace knew them too well.
If Stephanie lost Chris, they’d chew her up and spit her out without a second thought.
Grace couldn’t wrap her head around it. ‘How could Stephanie just reject someone like Chris?
The butler glanced at Stephanie. “She’s still young. She just can’t swallow her pride when it comes to Olivia”
The butler thought Stephanie was just acting out because she couldn’t let go of what Olivia had done to her.
-Grace agreed with him.
Grace snorted in agreement. “She can stir up trouble anywhere, but when it comes to the Hart family, she better check that high–and–mighty attitude.”
The truth was, the only reason Grace cared so much about Stephanie was because of Chris’s grandmother.
The old lady had insisted that Chris must marry Stephanie, calling her the family’s lucky star.
As far as Grace was concerned, none of the Hart girls were worth her time.
Grace’s anger boiled over. She was furious about Chris and Olivia’s affair, but even more enraged that it was Stephanie who had declared the cancellation of the wedding.
Now, the Ashford family had lost face. Dignity? Gone.
And with Chris’s grandmother demanding that Stephanie be taken back, Grace couldn’t help feeling like there was no way to fix this.
Her mind raced through possible solutions as she stomped her foot again, making a final decision. I’m really losing my mind! Where is Olivia staying?”
The butler replied with a stiff nod. “Long Harbor International Clinic.
Stephanie had just stepped out of the Ashford family when a sharp honk broke through the quiet.
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Chapter 19
She turned toward the sound and saw Chris’s Phantom parked nearby.
She raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t left yet.
Chris stepped out of the car, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
His tall, lean frame seemed to command the space around him, the kind of presence that made people stop and take notice.
There was an effortless, aloof elegance to him that made it clear: he wasn’t someone you could just walk up to.
If you could overlook his issues, he was hard to ignore.
Under his leadership, Ashford Group had doubled its market value in just one year.
He was respectful to his elders, dutiful, and seemingly had everything going for him–except one glaring flaw: his awful judgment when it came to women.
Their eyes met, but Stephanie’s gaze was cold. No warmth. No softness.
Chris spoke first, his voice low but commanding. “Give your car keys to Kevin. He’ll drive your car back to Cloudridge Valley. You can ride with me.”
Stephanie let out a short, almost bored laugh. “I can drive myself.”
She tossed the words out with just the right amount of sarcasm.
It was the charm of an independent woman–Stephanie would never let herself be the one who needed saving, or waiting. for someone else to take charge.
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Grace still clung to Stephanie, trying to find something more to say.
But Stephanie’s stance was firm, her words cutting. “I’m sorry, but Chris and I just won’t work.”
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Grace had said everything she could, but now, facing this rejection, she felt helpless. There was nothing more she could do.
Stephanie gently patted Grace’s hand. “I don’t expect him to dedicate his whole life to me—that would be greedy. But right now, he can’t even give me the basic respect.”
Grace thought about it, and she realized Stephanie was right.
Chris clearly had no intention of hiding his feelings for Olivia, and that was a huge slap in the face to Stephanie.
Even it was her son’s doing, Grace couldn’t ignore that.
With a deep sigh, Grace spoke. “But what are you gonna do? Without Chris, your life in the Hart family is gonna be even harder.”
Grace was trying to remind Stephanie of where she stood in the family.
Though both women despised Olivia, neither could deny that Olivia was the family’s golden child.
Stephanie lowered her gaze, staying quiet.
Grace continued, her voice softening just slightly. “Don’t rush to answer me. I’ll talk to Chris. I’ll make sure he sends Olivia away as soon as possible.”
Grace was furious–more furious than Stephanie at this point.
She just couldn’t understand what hold Olivia had over Chris. What kind of magic did that woman have to make him act
this way.
The thought of Stephanie and Chris going their separate ways, with Chris only getting more reckless with Olivia, had Grace on edge.
She squeezed Stephanie’s hand, anxiety creeping into her voice. “The Hart family favors Olivia. If you keep fighting them, your life’s about to get a whole lot harder.”
The message was clear: Please, Stephanie, just give in!
Stephanie could tell Grace meant well, and for once, it felt like Grace might actually be on her side.
But it didn’t matter anymore. Everyone seemed to think there was no place for Stephanie in the Hart family, and the Ashford family was her only shot at any future.
She met Grace’s gaze, her voice steady, unwavering. “No matter how hard life is, I can find a way out. Mrs. Ashford, Chris and I are done. That’s final.”
There was no room for debate. She wasn’t backing down now.
Stephanie didn’t want to leave anyone with false hope.
She wasn’t the type to drag things out, either.
The longer it went on, the messier it would get, and she wasn’t about to waste more time.
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12:45 Sun, 2 Mar
Chapter 19
A
Grace paused, taken aback by Stephanie’s resolve. “You’re so… independent. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad ⚫ thing
Grace tried to soften her approach, then got tough, but she could feel her composure slipping
She hadn’t expected Stephanie to be this unyielding. A flicker of annoyance crossed her face.
Stephanie wasn’t interested in dragging this out
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I’m leaving now,” she said, almost too casually, as she shoved the necklace back into Grace’s hand and turned on her heel.
Grace, still wanting to say something, stared at Stephanie’s determined back.
Seeing the necklace clutched in her hand only made her frustration spike. She stomped her foot, irritated.
Right then, the butler appeared, stepping into the tension. “Mrs. Ashford.”
Grace sighed, a heavy, defeated sound. “What’s she being so stubborn for? Who else would want her besides Chris?”
If she broke off the engagement, Stephanie’s reputation would tank. No prestigious family in Long Harbor would touch her after that.
And the Hart family… Grace knew them too well.
If Stephanie lost Chris, they’d chew her up and spit her out without a second thought.
Grace couldn’t wrap her head around it. ‘How could Stephanie just reject someone like Chris?
The butler glanced at Stephanie. “She’s still young. She just can’t swallow her pride when it comes to Olivia”
The butler thought Stephanie was just acting out because she couldn’t let go of what Olivia had done to her.
-Grace agreed with him.
Grace snorted in agreement. “She can stir up trouble anywhere, but when it comes to the Hart family, she better check that high–and–mighty attitude.”
The truth was, the only reason Grace cared so much about Stephanie was because of Chris’s grandmother.
The old lady had insisted that Chris must marry Stephanie, calling her the family’s lucky star.
As far as Grace was concerned, none of the Hart girls were worth her time.
Grace’s anger boiled over. She was furious about Chris and Olivia’s affair, but even more enraged that it was Stephanie who had declared the cancellation of the wedding.
Now, the Ashford family had lost face. Dignity? Gone.
And with Chris’s grandmother demanding that Stephanie be taken back, Grace couldn’t help feeling like there was no way to fix this.
Her mind raced through possible solutions as she stomped her foot again, making a final decision. I’m really losing my mind! Where is Olivia staying?”
The butler replied with a stiff nod. “Long Harbor International Clinic.
Stephanie had just stepped out of the Ashford family when a sharp honk broke through the quiet.
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Chapter 19
She turned toward the sound and saw Chris’s Phantom parked nearby.
She raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t left yet.
Chris stepped out of the car, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
His tall, lean frame seemed to command the space around him, the kind of presence that made people stop and take notice.
There was an effortless, aloof elegance to him that made it clear: he wasn’t someone you could just walk up to.
If you could overlook his issues, he was hard to ignore.
Under his leadership, Ashford Group had doubled its market value in just one year.
He was respectful to his elders, dutiful, and seemingly had everything going for him–except one glaring flaw: his awful judgment when it came to women.
Their eyes met, but Stephanie’s gaze was cold. No warmth. No softness.
Chris spoke first, his voice low but commanding. “Give your car keys to Kevin. He’ll drive your car back to Cloudridge Valley. You can ride with me.”
Stephanie let out a short, almost bored laugh. “I can drive myself.”
She tossed the words out with just the right amount of sarcasm.
It was the charm of an independent woman–Stephanie would never let herself be the one who needed saving, or waiting. for someone else to take charge.
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