Shirley shot back, "Why should I ditch Stuart just 'cause Alfonso's into Josephine? You guys were the ones who pushed Stuart on me in the first place, and now you want me to drop him? Seriously?"
Shirley, always the pampered one, spoke with a tearful voice, making the whole family feel a bit sorry for her.
She never really thought about an arranged marriage; she had her own romantic dreams.
At first, when her family wanted her to marry Stuart, she was totally against it.
The whole "admiration for Stuart after seeing him in a financial magazine" thing? Yeah, that was all made up.
Before meeting Stuart, she thought he was old and divorced.
However, upon meeting Stuart, she was captivated by his handsome appearance and charismatic aura, instantly drawn to him.
Growing up, her three brothers were considered top-notch, and the Clarence family's sons were even more impressive.
But Stuart? He was clearly a cut above her own brothers.
He was on par with the Clarence family guys.
The Campbell family considered Shirley marrying into the Clarence family, but they showed no interest.
After meeting the Clarence family's sons, Shirley found all other guys super average.
Only Stuart caught her eye.
Now her parents were telling her to give up Stuart.
She doubted they would find anyone better than Stuart in the future, making it hard for her to agree.
The family tried to talk her into it for a long time, but she wasn't having it.
Alfonso couldn't help but say, "Didn't you dislike him for being divorced before?"
Shirley shot back, "Josephine is also divorced, why don't you mind that?"
Alfonso wanted to keep his investigation secret, so he didn't plan to tell Shirley.
He only informed their parents.
Now, with Shirley being stubborn and throwing a fit, Alfonso had no solution.
He could only say, "Alright, if you're set on marrying Stuart, you'll need his consent, won't you?"
"I'm sure he'll say yes!" Shirley confidently replied, despite witnessing Stuart tying Josephine's shoelaces; she believed he would grow to love her.
Alfonso responded, "Well then, go ahead and make your move."
The Campbell family released the news just to test the Haustia family's reaction.
But neither Andrew from the Haustia family nor Stuart himself cared about such rumors.
Stuart even asked Alfonso to clear up the rumors.
This was already giving face to the Campbell family, at least he didn't tell them to stop spreading nonsense.
With Stuart's attitude, Alfonso didn't think Shirley could make Stuart submit.
Moreover, in his view, Josephine was much more charming than Shirley.
Even though Shirley was his sister, Alfonso couldn't lie.
Shirley calmed down and immediately decided to find Stuart.
It wasn't surprising that Stuart liked someone else since he hadn't interacted with her.
But Shirley was confident that after interacting with her, Stuart would definitely fall in love with her.
She went straight to Stuart's company.
Naturally, she couldn't see Stuart.
Without an appointment, they wouldn't let her up.
She looked gentle and spoke politely, not causing trouble for the reception staff, and obediently sat in the lobby waiting.
Her delicate appearance easily garnered goodwill.
She was also lucky; Stuart came downstairs in less than half an hour.
Stuart was swamped today, but after a meeting, he saw a message from Jair.
Jair told him that Alfonso had publicly confessed to Josephine at the research institute's entrance.
Stuart didn't have time to ask Jair where he got the info. He quickly wrapped up his work and rushed downstairs to find Josephine.
Then, he was stopped by Shirley.
"Mr. Haustia." Shirley held a dainty little bag, with a perfectly measured smile on her face. "We meet again, I'm Shirley."
Stuart's face was blank, his gaze indifferent. "What's up?"
"Can we find a place to talk?" Shirley said, "I'm here to apologize."
"Apologize?" Stuart looked at his watch. "Alright, I accept. No need to find a place to sit, Ms. Campbell, please leave."
After saying this, he turned to leave.
Shirley was stunned.
He accepted?
He didn't even ask why she was apologizing?
Seeing Stuart about to leave the lobby, Shirley hurried to catch up.
She finally caught up to him, breathing heavily. "Mr. Haustia."
Her physical condition was really poor; just a few steps left her breathless.
Stuart's patience was running out. "Anything else?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Shirley's body go limp and start to fall.
Instead of stepping forward, Stuart took two steps back in disgust.
Seeing she was about to fall, Shirley grabbed the door frame beside her, avoiding a public embarrassment.
"Mr. Haustia," she looked weak and spoke softly, "Sorry, I'm not in good health."
Stuart looked disgusted. "I told you, if you're not well, stay home. Why come out? Or go to the hospital. Don't you understand such basic common sense?"
Shirley was silent.
She was extremely speechless.
Her frailty had always been her weapon. Whether it was family or friends, they would take extra care of her because of her weak health.
Many men would even flatter and fawn over her.
Stuart's attitude was something she had never encountered before.
Even if Stuart didn't like her, shouldn't he, as a man, be a bit more gentlemanly?
Seeing a girl about to fall, why couldn't he lend a hand?
Shirley thought of their first meeting when Stuart didn't even want to shake her hand, and her face turned even more sour.
Stuart thought the Campbell family was here to cause trouble.
Previously, they spread rumors about the two families having an arranged marriage.
Now they sent Shirley to find him. What if she clung to him?
The more Stuart thought about it, the more he felt the Campbell family was malicious, coming up with such schemes.
He pointed to a security guard nearby. "Hey, you, make sure Ms. Campbell gets home safely. If needed, call an ambulance and send her to the hospital."
After saying this, he left.
Shirley wanted to chase after him, but the security guard stopped her. "Ms. Campbell, you should see a doctor first."
She thought, 'See a doctor? You're the one who needs a doctor!'
Shirley wanted to curse.
But she bit her tongue, showing a few signs of weakness. "Thank you."
On his way to find Josephine, Stuart was still thinking about how despicable the Campbell family was. They sent Shirley to find him while Alfonso harassed Josephine.
What were they trying to do?
Stuart called Jair. "How did you know about that? Weren't you at the military base?"
Jair replied, "I took some time off, intending to go on a long vacation. I was actually planning to search for Josephine today, but then I witnessed Alfonso's confession."
Stuart asked, "Why were you looking for Josephine?"