"Roger..."
Stella pressed her lips together, gathering her courage. "I... I'm sick."
Though she spoke the words out loud, only she knew the violent struggle tearing through her mind.
She wasn't fully healed.
"And..."
Stella paused, adding, "The internet is tearing the Gates family apart. My past will only drag you down into the abyss. It's terrible for your family."
"I see." Roger listened quietly until she finished, then asked in a low voice, "So, you do have feelings for me, but you're just worried about the collateral damage. Right?"
Right?
Was it?
Stella's head spun. She opened her mouth but had no idea how to answer.
"Why not give me a chance, and give yourself one too?"
Roger held her tighter, his expression turning serious. "Do other people's opinions really matter that much?"
She hesitated.
Stella bit her lip, lost in thought.
"Stella..." Roger paused for a few seconds, a faint smile touching his lips. He murmured, "A lifetime is so short. We have to live for ourselves."
"What's more, everyone in the family adores you. No one cares about your past. From the very beginning, you've been the only one trapped in those memories."
She looked down.
Stella's hands slowly clenched into fists.
"If those memories are awful, let's create beautiful ones together. Okay?"
Roger found her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. His voice was husky. "Stella, let's give it a try."
"Let me prove to you that being with me won't negatively impact the Gates family in any way."
"Being with me means no one will ever bully you again."
"Your past, your present, your future—I want all of it."
He meant every word.
Roger's confession hit her heart like a heavy hammer, striking over and over again.
Her pulse hammered wildly, completely thrown off rhythm by his words.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns
Pedido: a herdeira oculta renascida :mimada por todos ....
Pedido: a herdeira esquecida amada por todos!...
Poderiam colocar o romance the hidden heiress, reborn and spoiled by everyone!...
Whos next? Rogers and stella??...
Too many side plots now. How many identities does she have? J?...
Request you to publish "she was the treasure all along" .. thank you...
Muito boa a história só quero que se resolva logo o problema da mutaçao e que a nora volte as duas se curem ! Antony e Charlotte tudo de bom e os outros casais que estão se formando tudo fofo só falta o Donald e o amigo do Andrew arrumar um amor ! História tem drama romance e comédia lottie mocinha forte que não leva desaforos Antony completamente apaixonado por ela. ( Espero que lottie acabei de vez com esteve ,Olivia ! chega de Olivia enchendo o saco e difamando a lottie parece barata morre nunca essa peste)...
Come on Lottie...go to your mother. Can't wait for the family reunion! Robert should meet Nora.......
Can I request for novel " female alpha's night of revenge "? Please. Thank you...