Chapter 340 First Encounter
He stood tall and striking in a perfectly tailored suit, making him stand out in the crowd.
With sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes, his chiseled face showed no emotion. His demeanor exuded an air of authority and coldness.
Stella was almost mesmerized. She turned to the person next to her and asked, "Who is that?"
The person glanced at her, somewhat surprised.
"That's Charles. You don't know him?"
Stella shook her head, then nodded. She had heard of Charles while abroad but had no idea what he looked like.
Seeing her flustered, the person understood immediately. Charles had charmed yet another girl.
With a hint of amusement, the person added, "Almost every girl here likes him. It's quite enviable."
Stella's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Is he married?"
The person gave a mysterious smile and swirled their drink.
"Of course, women are always lining up to marry such a perfect man. But he was married and is now divorced."
"Why did he get divorced? I just got back and don't know much about these things," Stella pressed.
"His ex-wife was Ms. Spencer from the Spencer Group, but she was just a pretty face and caused quite a few scandals. So Charles dumped her."
The person continued, "But I heard it might have been a fake divorce because they were seen being quite close at a ship party later on."
Stella sipped her juice, her mind racing. After a moment of thought, she asked, "And where is Ms. Spencer now?"
"She's dead."
The person's tone was indifferent, clearly not joking.
Stella found it absurd, like a story that abruptly ended halfway. She exclaimed, "Dead? When did that happen? That's so sudden!"
"Yeah, I heard she drowned. She was only in her twenties. Such a pity."
Just then, the person's friend came over, and they had to leave. They raised their glass to Stella before turning away.
Stella stood there, a bit dazed, her eyes involuntarily drifting towards Charles.
"It's so hard to find someone suitable, but this is too challenging," she muttered to herself.
Suddenly, a clumsy waiter bumped into her, spilling a drink all over her dress.
Stella yelped and tried to wipe it off, but the stain only spread.
The waiter apologized profusely, mentally calculating if their salary could cover even a single diamond on Stella's dress.
The guests at this party were all wealthy and influential, and the waiter felt doomed.
Surprisingly, Stella didn't blame the waiter. Instead, she urgently asked, "Where's the restroom? I need to clean this up."
The waiter quickly pointed the way.
Their commotion drew many eyes, including Charles'. He glanced at Stella through the crowd and was momentarily stunned.
Once Stella headed to the restroom, Charles turned to Nolan and asked, "Who is she?"
Nolan, well-versed in the latest gossip, quickly identified her. "That's Stella from the White family. She just returned from abroad."
Nolan didn't mention that the White family was nearing bankruptcy and that Stella was likely at the party to find a wealthy suitor.
"Ten minutes. I want all her information," Charles ordered, unexpectedly interested. He then headed towards the restroom.
From a distance, he had only seen half of Stella's face, but it was enough to remind him of Diana.
If he squinted, the resemblance was almost uncanny.
Charles' throat tightened as he leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.
The smoke enveloped him in a haze of melancholy and solitude.
Could it be her?
His heart pounded fiercely, his palms growing warm as he waited.
When Stella emerged, she saw Charles standing there and felt a rush of panic.
Logically, this was the perfect moment to introduce herself, with no one else around.
But her dress was still stained, and she looked a mess.
Feeling dejected, she stopped a few steps away from Charles and said, "Mr. Percy."
Charles looked up at her voice, his initial excitement fading.
She looked very similar, but she wasn't Diana.
Stella had an 80% resemblance to Diana, but upon closer inspection, Diana's nose was rounder, and her lips fuller.
Charles scrutinized her, searching for more similarities, but the differences became more apparent, harshly reminding him of reality.
This wasn't Diana.
A wave of irritation washed over him, and he began to clench his knuckles.
Stella, not hearing a response, felt awkward but forced herself to introduce, "Hello, Mr. Percy. I'm Stella, my father is the chairman of the White Group."
Charles snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes darkening. "I don't know you. What do you want?"
Stella was at a loss for words.
The White family had once been prominent in Evergreen City.
Even while studying abroad, people would try to get close to her upon learning she was from the White family.
But now, Charles' blunt dismissal shattered her remaining pride.
"I..."
She nervously clutched her dress, unsure of what to say.
Charles glanced down at her, clearly seeing the shyness in her eyes.
But his mind was elsewhere. Those eyes, they were the most similar.
Yet Diana's eyes were resolute, defiant, filled with hatred.
His voice was low and cold as he asked, "Do you like me?"
Stella was stunned. 'Who talks like this?'
She did feel a bit of affection for Charles upon first meeting him, but this was too direct.
What should she say? No? Yes?
Her mind was a mess.
Charles saw her hesitation and said coldly, "Just answer yes or no."
"Yes!" Stella closed her eyes, throwing caution to the wind. After all, it was Charles who asked, not her chasing after him.
To avoid sounding too eager, she quickly added, "I do like you, even though we just met today, but..."
Before she could finish, Charles interrupted, "In that case, let's get engaged. What's your name?"
"Stella." She replied, still in shock, unable to follow Charles' train of thought.
Engaged? Seriously?
Stella felt like a huge opportunity had just fallen into her lap, leaving her dizzy.
They had just met and exchanged a few words.
And now, they were getting engaged?
It was too absurd. If it weren't for the fact that Charles was standing right in front of her, she would have thought it was a scam.
Charles didn't give her a chance to ask questions and turned to leave.
He rubbed his fingers together, craving another cigarette.
He didn't care who Stella was. As long as that familiar face was by his side, perhaps life would hold some semblance of meaning.
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