Chapter 130
Lilian, ever the optimist, hadn’t connected the dots yet.
But Stellar’s stomach sank.
Her brows furrowed instinctively.
A name immediately came to mind.
Still, she hoped she was wrong.
That hope lasted until she stepped out of the research institute in the afternoon, only to spot Percy standing not far away.
Opposite him was a nervous–looking freshman, clutching her hands together as she worked up the courage to speak.
“Percy… I’ve admired you for so long. You’re the reason I chose this university. I really like you. Can you give me a chance?”
But Percy looked utterly impatient.
“Enough. I don’t even know you. What do you really like? The fact that I have money?”
His voice was sharp and dismissive. “Let me tell you something–I already have someone I like. It’s Stellar Rivers. She’s a genius.
Do you think you can compare to her? Get lost.”
The girl’s face crumpled, her eyes welling with tears.
And then, she spotted Stellar stepping out of the building.
Her expression twisted into one of hurt and resentment before she turned and ran off.
However, Percy had no interest in her reaction.
The moment he saw Stellar, his eyes lit up, and he strode toward her eagerly.
“Stellar-”
Before she could even react, he suddenly dropped to one knee in front of her, pulling a small red velvet box from his pocket.
A bad feeling shot through Stellar’s chest.
Sure enough, the box flipped open, revealing an exquisite diamond ring.
“I was wrong before,” Percy began, his voice full of remorse.
“I shouldn’t have disregarded your feelings and made you angry. But I’ve reflected on everything. That’s why I invested ten
million dollars in your research institute.”
His gaze softened, his voice dripping with sincerity.
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“I even had a custom ring made, engraved with our initials. I remember you once said your biggest wish was to marry me.”
He took a deep breath.
“This time, I’m here with real sincerity. Stellar, will you marry me?”
Percy had dressed carefully for the occasion–a crisp white suit, polished shoes, every inch of him exuding charm and elegance.
He refused to believe that after all these years they had spent together, she could truly choose Stephen or Keith over him.
Besides, she was now the heiress of the Rivers family.
She didn’t need to care about a man’s status anymore.
That gave him confidence.
She would come back to him.
“Say yes!”
“Marry him! He looks so devoted!”
A murmur rippled through the crowd, then grew into a chorus of encouragement as onlookers began to cheer.
These people had no idea what was really going on, yet they were so eager to put her on a pedestal just because the man in front of them looked sincere.
If she had been the kind of girl who was easily flustered, she might have been pressured into silence, trapped by the weight of public opinion.
But Stellar only let out a cold laugh.
“Percy, could you be any more disgusting? Just a few days ago, you were engaged to the Harlow family’s heiress.
“The moment something happened to her, you threw her aside and came running to propose to me? If you want to be shameless, do it somewhere else. I will never marry you in this life and my next!”
Her voice was clear and unwavering, ringing through the crowd like a slap.
A stunned silence fell over the onlookers.
Then, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd as people started putting the pieces together.
“Wait… Percy? That Percy Moore? The same guy from the Moore–Harlow engagement party?”
“You’re kidding! His fiancée did something horrible to Stellar, and now he’s here proposing? What kind of twisted joke is that?”
“Wow. Some people really have no shame, huh?”
“And this is the guy the Moore family is making their successor? What a disgrace.”
Percy’s face shifted through an entire spectrum of colors–shock, disbelief, then a deep, ugly shade of mortification.
The scornful whispers and mocking stares felt like daggers against his skin.
Humiliation, anger, and frustration all crashed over him in waves, suffocating and relentless.
