Chapter 273

Mrs. Ford Sr. nodded. "Shane has always been reserved, and he's had his share of hardships since childhood. He's been keeping his emotions bottled up for years, but now he's slowly opening up. As his mother, I can't afford to lag behind."

The butler understood. "No wonder you didn't stop today's commotion."

Mrs. Ford Sr. smiled but said nothing.

Downstairs, Shane held Haley's hand and stood up. "Now that everything's resolved, let's go."

"Okay," Haley obediently agreed, following closely behind him.

Once they were in the car, Shane noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "Are you scared?"

Haley snapped back to reality and shook her head lightly. "No, I was just thinking about something."

"What is it? Tell me," Shane prompted.

Haley glanced at him, hesitated, and then said, "Please don't be angry when I say this."

"Just say it," Shane replied.

Haley said, "Stella is beautiful, talented, and she's so fond of you. When you were looking to get married, why didn't you consider her?"

Shan