Chapter 241

Gwen thought back to everything Vivian had done and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Justin had always spoiled his sister rotten, giving her whatever she wanted. Every time Vivian picked a fight with her, he'd take Vivian's side without question.

Now his precious sister had abandoned him and fled. She wondered what was going through his mind.

Either way, Gwen felt a sense of satisfaction.

The only downside? The people who'd treated her so terribly were now getting away scot-free overseas.

Probably guessing what she was thinking, Zachary explained, "Don't worry. Transferring assets on that scale isn't something David could pull off alone. Justin had to be involved. Now that he's out of the picture, they probably won't be able to move much. Whatever they did get out might not even cover their living expenses for the three of them."

The cost of living abroad was already high. They'd probably end up working just to scrape by.

That was assuming they could even communicate. If they couldn't, surviving at all would be a struggle.

Having witnessed the brutal reality of the business world firsthand, Gwen simply nodded. "I understand."

David should have seen this coming.

"Forget about them..." Zachary took her hand, making her look at him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Gwen, will you marry me?"

Gwen froze. "I... I don't know. We haven't been together that long."

Zachary knew he was rushing things, but after what happened last night, he couldn't shake the panic clawing at his chest. "I know this is sudden and probably scares you, but I can't stand seeing you in danger anymore. I want to protect you. I want to be someone you can rely on, always."

Gwen understood what he meant, but this was way too fast...

After a moment's thought, looking into his eyes, she found she couldn't bring herself to refuse outright. Instead, she said, "Can I meet your family first? Marriage isn't just about the two of us. I'd like their approval too."

Before, Gwen had avoided meeting Zachary's family, mainly because she knew his grandfather didn't like her.

But if they were seriously considering marriage, meeting the elders seemed unavoidable.

Zachary's eyes lit up. "Of course. I'll arrange it right now."

"No rush," Gwen stopped him. "We should think this through. Besides, your family's in Starlight City. I want to establish myself there first before we meet."

She genuinely couldn't marry Zachary on the spot, nor could she accept his proposal right now.

She said this to show him she was considering marriage seriously—just on an indefinite timeline.

Zachary understood.

He respected her decision.

Honestly, the fact that Gwen had even put marriage on her radar made him happy enough.

In the end, Justin went to prison for attempted asset transfer and attempted kidnapping.

Given his age, he'd be middle-aged by the time he got out.

By then, Gwen would likely be settled in Starlight City, so she stopped paying attention to his case.

As for the rest of the Sterling family, she cared even less.

They hadn't managed to transfer much money after all, and their illegal activities forced them to stay abroad, unable to return home.

Their future wouldn't be bright.

Liora Atelier was thriving. According to the original plan, the menswear brand would launch in Starlight City, so Gwen brought it up with her parents.

Though they initially hesitated about moving so far away, they also felt Emerald City held too many painful memories. After a brief pause, they decided to go to Starlight City with Gwen.

On their first day in Starlight City, Gwen met with Orion.

This was their first official meeting. What surprised Gwen was that Elysia was there too.

Orion looked healthy and robust, younger than his peers. Standing next to Elysia, the age gap between them didn't seem that pronounced.

Gwen sat across from them, unsure how to begin.

This meeting wasn't planned. She'd run into Elysia and Orion while scouting locations for the new studio.

Elysia poured tea for Orion and nudged him with her elbow, prompting him to speak first.

Orion sighed. "You and Zachary... are you getting married?"

Gwen paused mid-sip. "Not exactly?"

She'd only said she was putting marriage on her radar—she'd never said they were actually planning it.

Orion snorted. "That boy's been pathetic about it. You haven't even agreed to marry him yet, but he's acting like it's a done deal. People who don't know better probably think you've already set a date."

Listening to Orion, Gwen couldn't help but picture Zachary announcing their marriage to the entire world.

She couldn't hold back a laugh.

Orion huffed. "So why won't you marry him? Does he treat you badly? Is something wrong with him?"

"What? No, no!" Gwen waved her hands quickly. "Zachary's wonderful to me. The reason I'm not ready to marry is because my career isn't stable yet. I want to wait until things settle down..."

Orion found that reasoning oddly familiar. He was pretty sure Elysia had said something similar once.

After all this time, he didn't care anymore that Gwen was divorced. Meeting her today, he realized she wasn't at all what he'd imagined.

He figured rather than forcing an unwanted match on his grandson, he might as well support him for once.

But hearing Gwen's reason for not marrying was almost identical to what he'd heard years ago.

He wanted to say something, but remembering his own past actions, he felt he had no right to lecture Gwen.

Finally, he said, "Young people shouldn't do things they'll regret. Marriage doesn't mean giving up your career. With his personality, he'd never stop you from pursuing your ambitions."

Gwen could tell Orion didn't dislike her. In fact, he was encouraging them to marry, which meant he'd accepted her.

She explained, "I know Zachary isn't like that, but I want to stand beside him as an equal. Right now, I don't have that ability yet."

She looked at Elysia. "Just like Ms. Elikin wanted to stand beside you as an equal, right?"

Elysia blinked, then smiled helplessly. "Using me as an example again. Fine, Orion, let the kids handle their own business. You're not in that much of a hurry."