Den stood up slowly, reached out, and patted Sanfords shoulder.


    His gaze carried a look full of unspoken implications.


    Sanford, rest assured-Matthew will not appear in Dorburn.


    No one will stop you from aplishing what you need to do there.


    With a faint but resolute tone, he added, Now, its up to you to decide whates next.


    Den withdrew his hand and turned to leave the dining room, Sanford remained seated, watching until Den waspletely out of sight.


    Only then did his expression shift slightly.


    Conflicted, he found himself torn between two choices, the weight of the decision pressing heavily on his mind.


    On one hand, Sanford contemted whether he should find a way to persuade Ste to cancel her trip to Dorburn, potentially avoiding unforeseen trouble.


    On the other hand, he wondered if this might be the perfect opportunity to resolve everything once and for all, ensuring Den would no longer interfere with Stes life. Torn between the two choices, Sanford found his fingers dialing Stes number almost without realizing it.


    The moment the call connected and he heard Stes familiar voice, he snapped back to reality.


    Sanford, whats up? Ste asked, her toneced with a hint of puzzlement.


    Sanford steadied himself, forcing his voice to sound natural as he replied, I heard youre nning to attend the international fashion event in Dorburn.


    Is that true? Yes, its true, Ste confirmed.


    My mom and I are nning to go.


    For a brief moment, Sanford found himself at a loss for words.


    Sensing his hesitation, Ste asked, Why? Are you also going to the event? Sanford quickly replied, Yes, Ill be attending as the director of Sanz Group.


    How about this? Lets travel together.


    Ill book the tickets, and we can look out for each other along the way. Ste politely declined, her tone gentle yet firm.


    Thats kind of you, but Id prefer to go with my mom.


    We have some other matters to attend to, and it might not be convenient to travel with you.


    Hearing Stes refusal, Sanford pressed further, reminding her of his connection to her father.


    You know, I owed your father a lot.


    If we travel together, we can look out for each other, and your father would be happy about this.


    Ste hesitated briefly, her thoughts wavering, before finally conceding.


    Alright then, lets travel together.


    After ending the call, Sanford exhaled deeply, as though hed aplished something significant.


    Yet, the slight furrow in his brows betrayed his lingering worry about the uing trip to Dorburn. Three dayster, Ste, Be, and Sanford were off to Dorburn as nned.


    Theirst visit to Dorburn had been a bit of a saga, leaving Ste and Be tense as they stepped onto the ne.


    No sooner had the ne climbed into the sky than a sharp jolt of turbulence caught Ste unawares, sending waves of nausea crashing over her.


    Noticing her difort, Be leaned in, eyes filled with concern.


    Ste, are you alright? You dont look so good.


    Sanford looked on, his face etched with worry.


    Ste attempted a reassuring smile, brushing off the concern with a light wave.


    Im alright, just got rattled by that bump.


    Ill shake it off in no time.