"Please say it if you have something, Stella. I am busy. You're delaying my time," Patrick urged.

He had been looking for the girl he had met in the hospital but still got no clue of her.

​​

"Yeah. But it's not something you can handle. Please call Drake back," Nathan said in contempt, holding Stella. He took Patrick as a dandy and thought talking to him was just a waste of time. After all, Drake is the head of the Thorne Family.

"Hump!" Stella snorted. She knew what was the most important right now and suppressed her anger for the moment.

"What do you want with me?" A cold voice suddenly came in.

Hearing that, Nathan's momentum weakened. Stella's anger disappeared. She cautiously looked at Drake and then sat down.

"Why are you suddenly back, Drake?" Patrick asked and walked to Drake. He took over Drake's coat and put it aside. When he visited him this morning, the doctor said he needed to stay at the hospital for a few more days.

Drake didn't answer him but glanced at Nathan. Then he took a seat and looked at him with his hands crossed.

"Are you here for the dissolution of engagement, Mr. Hill?"

Stella clenched her fists when she heard that. She would never want to give up Angelo.

Just when she was about to say no, "Yeah," Nathan answered ahead of her. And he gave her a warning look, which made Stella swallow the words she was about to say.

"Okay,"

Since the Hills agreed, Drake didn't want to talk more with them.

"Please send the Hills sibling outside," Drake said to Hale.

"Wait. I'm not finished yet," Nathan hurriedly added.

Drake looked cold at Nathan, who felt a chill.

Thinking of Baron's plan, he tried to calm himself and then picked up the ring on the table.

"We have no problem with the dissolution of engagement, but Stella has to engage with Patrick. You must know this ring, Mr. Drake?"

He took out the ring with more courage. This idea just occurred to him.

"Nathan, dad didn't say I have to engage with Patrick."

Stella got worried. She planned to make Angelo propose to her after this matter.

"Shut up! You don't have to open your mouth,"

Nathan knew what Stella was thinking about. But as the successor of the Hills, family always came first in his heart.

If Stella engaged with Patrick, he didn't need to worry about the Taylors, and he could benefit from the Thorne. Patrick was a son of the Thorne and could get a share of the family property.

Stella didn't say anything more. She was like an arrogant princess in other people's eyes but had no status at home.

"Explain, Patrick."

Drake learned something when he saw the ring on the table. It was Patrick's ring, so he looked at Patrick, who felt that he was in a cold icehouse now.

"Listen to me, Drake. It's fake. I didn't give her my ring."

Patrick hurried to explain. He knew how important the ring was to the family, so he didn't want to make Drake angry.

"You're lying. You gave it to me as a present on my birthday."

Seeing Nathan's confusion, Stella refuted at once and looked at Patrick with worry. She couldn't give up an only chance to save her from marrying McCoy Watts.

"It's mine, but…"

Before Patrick could finish his words, Nathan interrupted him, "You hear him, Drake. It's his ring, the work of the founder of the Thorne family."

Drake squinted when he heard Nathan's words. He picked up the ring, took a look at it, and threw it to Nathan.

"You can leave."

After saying that, Drake got up to leave. Nathan picked up the ring and caught up with Drake. He grabbed Drake with worry on his face.

"I heard this ring meant a promise for the Thorne. Once it's given out, the one who got it will be the wife. You can't deny that."

"Let go of your hand."

Drake gave Nathan a stern look, who was frightened by Nathan's momentum and loosened his hand.

Nathan didn't come to himself until Drake entered his study.

At this time, Patrick picked up the apple on the table and bit it.

"You shouldn't interrupt me. Now you annoyed Drake."

"What's wrong, Patrick?"

Stella took the ring from Nathan and looked at Patrick with an angry look.

Seeing Stella like this, Patrick got more upset. He threw the apple into the dustbin and said, "You do think highly of yourself, Stella."

Patrick gave Stella a contemptuous look. "You are Hill, and you want the ring of the Thorne? What are you thinking about? The one you're holding now is just a fake. I can give you as many as you want," he added sarcastically, "But this ring is also valuable, so it's all right you can't tell it."

After that, he sneered and went upstairs. He was a playboy, but he would never do anything bad for his family. That was why Drake did care what he did.

"I don't know that, brother. He lied to me. I have to argue with him."

Stella had been treated like a princess by Patrick and had never suffered such humiliation. She felt very aggrieved. So, the only thing she wanted to do now was to question Patrick.

"Isn't that embarrassing enough?"

With that, Nathan threw the ring on the ground and took Stella to leave.

"I have to ask him. How could he treat me like that?" Stella struggled to go back.

Nathan was tired of the humiliation and was angrier to see Stella like this. He slapped her without thinking.

"What?"

Sensing the pain on the face, Stella stayed and covered her cheek. She looked at Nathan in disbelief.

"Don't come home if you want to continue to embarrass our family." Nathan glared at Stella and said angrily, "I believe dad will support me if he knows this."

Then he walked to his car without hesitation.

Stella panicked. Nathan had never slapped her before.

"Drake."

She gritted her teeth and followed up, swearing that she would not let Patrick go.