Chapter 234

After dinner, Zachary went straight home.

The moment he walked in, his assistant handed him a file.

"Mr. Quinn, these are The Sterling Group's recent stock reports. I've already spoken to Mr. Orion Quinn. He doesn't think now is the best time to make a move—the investment cost is pretty high right now. If the acquisition doesn't go through, all that money goes down the drain."

Zachary scanned the documents, his voice detached. "I can't wait any longer."

He wanted to eliminate this threat as quickly as possible. Only then could he truly be with Gwen without complications.

Justin showing up today, clearly angling to win Gwen back, had been obvious.

He knew Gwen would never soften, would never go back to something she'd already left behind. But having that pest buzzing around constantly was still irritating.

Once The Sterling Group was acquired, Justin would naturally take the hint and leave.

The assistant disagreed internally, but he knew better than to argue. Once Zachary made up his mind, there was no changing it.

He wasn't the only one who thought this way—Orion did too, which was why he'd already arranged for the necessary funds.

Zachary signed the documents. "Start the acquisition now."

"Understood." The assistant nodded and stepped forward to collect the file.

The temperature was dropping. Looked like The Sterling Group was headed for bankruptcy.

Gwen slept restlessly that night.

She kept feeling like something was about to happen, but lately everything had been unusually calm—both at the studio and at home. She couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

Besides, Lynn was already drowning in her own problems. There shouldn't be any threat from that direction.

At the studio, Gwen buried herself in work. She didn't even notice Edward arrive until he spoke.

"I just heard something. Lynn apparently went to prison—about ten years."

Stealing corporate secrets shouldn't warrant that long a sentence. The Sterling family must have pulled strings.

Gwen paused. "What about The Sterling Group?"

Edward shrugged. "Hard to say. Ever since you left, the design department's been basically dead in the water. Now with this scandal, a lot of partnerships have been put on hold. They've taken a serious hit."

A serious hit didn't necessarily mean collapse or bankruptcy, though.

Bit disappointing.

Gwen had hoped this would be enough to take down The Sterling Group completely.

Still, she'd be moving to Starlight City soon anyway. Whatever happened to The Sterling Group after that would have nothing to do with her.

Edward came to her side and looked at the design she'd just sketched. "You're getting better and better. You've really developed your own style... I heard you were thinking about starting a menswear line. Have you made any plans for that?"

Gwen nodded. "I've decided to develop my business in Starlight City. Emerald City is nice, but this city holds too many bad memories for me. I want to leave."

Edward froze. He hadn't expected her to decide so quickly.

"Is it because of Zachary? Did he ask you to do this?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, I've been thinking about this for a while. I just wasn't sure until now."

Now that she knew The Sterling Group might not actually collapse, she wanted to leave even more.

After all, Justin had come looking for her last time, acting like he was still hung up on the past. It had freaked her out.

"I've been in this city for decades. I want to try living somewhere else. Plus, my parents are getting close to retirement age. I can get them to retire early and enjoy life."

Gwen had tried more than once to convince her parents to stop working, but Preston loved teaching and refused to retire early no matter what she said.

Maybe if they moved to Starlight City, Preston would finally agree to rest.

Edward felt reluctant, but he had no right to ask her to stay. He could only nod.

"Okay. I support you. When you get to Starlight City, if you need anything, you can always reach out. Even though it's far, we've worked together, and I'll help however I can."

He understood. Gwen was deliberately leaving things vague.

By moving to Starlight City, she was essentially cutting ties with their collaboration—though of course, the women's clothing brand would continue.

Edward couldn't help wondering if his confession had influenced her decision.

But thinking it over, that seemed unlikely. He knew Gwen well enough—she wouldn't uproot her entire life over something small like that. This had to be a decision she'd been considering for a long time.

Ava, listening nearby, felt her own pang of sadness. "Gwen, you're really moving to Starlight City? What's going to happen to the studio?"

She worked in Emerald City. She couldn't possibly follow Gwen that far.

Gwen smiled. "You've been my assistant long enough to understand how everything works. I've decided to put you in charge of the studio here."

Liora Atelier was hers, but that didn't mean only she could run it.

Ava felt conflicted. "Okay... but I'm not sure I'm ready to handle everything on my own..."

"It's fine. I'll teach you everything you need to know about managing the studio over the next few weeks. And you'll just be helping me oversee things—I'll still handle the actual design work myself."

Ava relaxed. "That's a relief."

Just as they were talking, the studio door suddenly opened.

Zachary walked in and met Edward's eyes.

He nodded at Edward in greeting, then went straight to Gwen and naturally slipped his arm around her waist. "How's work going?"

Gwen leaned into him. "Same as always... Actually, I need your help with something."

"We don't need to be so formal." Since others were present, Zachary didn't get too affectionate—he just tapped her forehead lightly with one finger.

Gwen laughed softly. "Edward just told me Lynn went to prison. I want to see her."

She didn't know the procedures for that sort of thing or how to arrange a visit, so she figured it was better to ask someone who did.

It wasn't a difficult request. Zachary agreed immediately. "I'll have my assistant arrange it. Though if Lynn just got in, it might be hard to get a visit right away."

"That's fine. Just ask for me. I have important questions for her."

She needed answers to the doubts in her heart. She had to go in person.