"Stella's point of view,"
"What happened?" I looked for the source of the stress that was concealed beneath the troubled expression on her face.
"Stella, Woods construction based on New York City, has been given the contract for the project our company has been working on for years.
Not only this, the client has also canceled two ongoing projects with our company and both projects are currently being handled by Woods Construction.""What?
How can things be this way? Only our business was qualified to receive the project; no other business in California could have met the contract's requirements in full."Why someone coming to California from New York City, which is so far away, would be so interested in signing this contract baffles me.
"Avery, I need every detail about wood construction as soon as workable." Avery nodded in agreement after hearing me and then left me in my office.
The news that Avery told me a while ago has caused a lot of turmoil in my thoughts. I abruptly took the project on which I had been working day and night from me. I could not focus on my other tasks, now i really need a break so I turned on my gaming computer and began playing NFS Most Wanted, one of my favorite racing games.
But right now, it seems like my luck is constantly up against me. I do not know who the flaming shark is also attempting to defeat me in the racing game. But because I am also the cold devil of the racing world, I won't go down without a fight. I eventually prevailed in the racing game after much effort and concentration. The fiery shark, though, gave me a tough fight. Before I could praise the flaming shark for its fierce competition, Avery entered my office.
"Hey Avery, any updates on the CEO of Woods Construction?" I tried interpreting her facial expressions to figure out what was going through her head.
"No, despite my best efforts, the sour CEO divulges nothing about himself.
He even refused to meet you, despite my request to speak with his PA to arrange a formal meeting." Her voice was agitated. Since he should have professionalism in him, how is it possible for him to act in such a manner? I must meet him because I want to understand why he wants to harm my business."Avery, please provide me his PA's number so I may call him and try to set up the meeting."
"Are you sure?" She obviously could not trust me based on the perplexed expression on her face.
"Yes, I want to meet Mr. Woods, and I'll go to any lengths to make it happen." I motioned for her to make a phone call to Mr. Woods' P.A.
"I'd like to speak with Ethan Woods." As soon as he answered the call, I made my point quite plain.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Stella Parker from parker industries," I was attempting to keep my temper under control and speak normally.
"I'm sorry, Miss Parker, but Mr. Woods is currently unavailable."
" But its really urgent, I want talk yo him,"
The other side went silent without provide any response after listening me. After all, why didn't he end the call? I put my cell phone up to my ear out of pure curiosity to find out what was happening on the other side."Let me know how I may assist you, Miss Parker." A powerful voice suddenly penetrated my ears.
"Mr. woods?" I asked in a perplexed tone.
"Yes, Miss Parker, seems you recognized my voice very well." When I heard his arrogant voice, I simultaneously wanted to end the call, but my business came before my ego.
"I'd like to meet you." I ignored his comment and make my point clear to him.
"I apologize, Miss Parker, but I cannot meet you since I will be quite busy for the next three months." His words made it obvious that he was purposefully agitating me.
But why?"But I'm determined to meet you." I declared it with authority.
"Well, if thats the case then, you can meet me tonight at the charity ball event if you are desperate to do so."
Bastard.
I haven't even met this man yet, and I already despise him."Sorry, but I cant meet you there,I often avoid social gatherings like that. I'd like to meet you in person, so please find another way."
"I'm sorry, Miss Parker, but I'm unable to assist you with this." His arrogant voice clearly indicated that he enjoying this moment.
He is such a jerk.
"Okay, I'm ready to see you at the charity ball tonight." I clenched my fist furiously and ended the conversation.
"Are you certain?
You're going to the charity ball event this evening to meet Mr. Woods, right?" Avery's eyes were wide as she stared at me in shock."Yes, I have no other choice but this."I inhaled deeply and attempted to control the growing tempest of rage inside of me.
"We admit that the man who persuaded Stella Parker to attend the social gathering on a phone is no ordinary man; he possesses some extraordinary power." I was growing angrier as I noticed the sly smile on her face.
"Stop the nonsense and give me all the details about Ethan Woods and Woods Construction." I said, while furiously arching my brows.
"As you wish, Miss Parker." Her toothy grin was screaming for me to rip out her teeth. She truly frustrates me. I always tell people not to hire their best friend to be their assistant for this reason.
"Stella, I emailed you all the information got from internet about Woods' construction." This is what Avery said as she left my office.
As soon as I clicked on the CEO of Woods Construction's contact information. There was no further information provided, save his name and accomplishments.
"Ethan Woods, New York City's top businessman.
Ethan Woods, Now that you've concealed your identity, my desire to meet you has grown even stronger. " I muttered under my breath and put the iPad to sleep."Ethan's point of view,"I want to finish my dream project as quickly as possible, but it is stalled because of a little plot of land. After all, who is the owner of this land that is so mysterious? I am becoming irate right now. Despite the greatest efforts of my entire team, the identity of the owner has not yet been revealed.Since leaving the conference room, that specific plot of land has been constantly floating in front of my eyes, making it impossible for me to concentrate on anything else. I need to take a break to clear my head so that I can concentrate on anything else. And what better way to unwind than by racing?On my gaming computer, I started playing the NFS: Most Wanted game. And I believe Jesus is testing my patience today. As a result, a player by the name of Cold Devil keeps passing my car, but I am also Ethan Woods, a person who has never learned to quit. No matter what, I will keep fighting the cold devil. I was playing my game with complete concentration. I was
"Stella's point of view,""Stella, we're not going to a bike race; we're going to a charity ball."Avery struggled to control her laughter as soon as she saw me after I had finished getting ready and emerged from my room."When did I tell you we would attend a bike race?"She put her hand over her mouth as if to suppress her laughter when she saw me, but the sound of her chuckle still made its way into my ear."Simply by observing your leather jacket and tall boots, anyone can deduce this."It was difficult for me to tell from the tone of her voice whether she was teasing me right now like a friend or was expressing her concern as my P.A."P.A., darling. Why don't you just tell me how to dress for the charity ball if you're so worried about how I look?"I aimed my irritated gaze at her and murmured.'You follow me."After seeing me again, she cast a disapproving glance in my direction."What?Why are you giving me such furious glances when you know well that I don't attend such events
"Ethan's point of view,""Come, Miss Parker. Step inside."She could enter the ballroom when her PA and bodyguard ordered the paparazzi to go to the side.Before entering the ballroom, she shot me another threatening glance and walked out with an attitude.These girls and their tantrums..., oh my god.Why this girl had to be so sassy was beyond me.Does she regard herself as the queen of some nation?She doesn't have a good sense of humor, and neither of her appearances is beautiful.Are you serious, or are your eyes injured?Perhaps you didn't pay close attention to her. She has the flawless features of an angel, with chocolate-colored hair that flutters over her shoulders. It proportioned beautifully, her physique all over, and a glance at her lips reveals she does not wear lip color.However, it was her hazel eyes that caught my attention.Please stop talking nonsense.That haughty girl didn't appeal to me at all. I told my subconscious to keep quiet.However, be honest with me-was
"Stella's point of view,"'Whoa, Miss Parker, what just happened?Were you listening to us while you were far away from us?"His nasty grin made it obvious to me he was doing all of this on purpose.Then why?I had to question him why he intends to start his company in California, which is so far away from New York, and that too, by stealing all of my company's contracts."You cannot impose such terms on Mr. Chang because our business will work with his California-based company."I glared at the haughty man who was in front of me."Miss Parker, as of right now, your business has not agreed with Chang Industries, so Mr. Chang will accept offers from anyone.""Mr. Chang, I'm correct, aren't I?"Oh, so he's trying to entangle me in a web of stuff to show me how clever he is now?"However, they have already agreed to work with our organization before accepting your offer."I cast a hopeful gaze on Mr. Chang's way."Don't you think Mr. Chang will gain more by working with my business? Oh,
"Ethan's point of view,""Congratulations, Miss Parker; you'll defeat me with ease."She kept removing my pawns from the chessboard, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched her competitive game.I could tell she was perplexed and wanted to know the reason behind my smile by the look on her face, which was full of curiosity."It would be preferable if you focused on the game rather than engaged in a pointless conversation with me." She was throwing daggers at me with her enraged gaze.She slapped my cheek in front of everyone a while earlier, so I don't understand why I am smiling maniacally at her instead of getting angry. I do not even know what would happen to that person if they performed the same conduct with me in her place, but I do not understand why I did not respond to her action?Because you know that your animosity caused you to underestimate her talent.It's like she has hijacked my subconscious, and I do not know how it happened. He is not prepared to hear any negative
"Stella's point of view,""Are you alright, Stella?" Avery touched my shoulder and asked,"I do not know." I paused for a moment and then answered her by taking a deep breath.My gaze lingered on Mr. Woods' back as he departed the ballroom. I still find it hard to comprehend that this haughty man in a pointless game of chess defeated me so easily. Surely, he is laughing at me in his mind.But why should I care what he thinks of me? I never gave other people's opinions much thought. Then why, suddenly, do I feel that the prideful man's assessment of me is essential? This is because you thought he was quite intriguing.I'm not interested in that guy, so shut up. After listening to my subconscious babble, I urged her to stop talking."What do you mean,you do not know?" Avery asked as she stared at me in bewilderment.How do I tell her I'm unsure of my emotions at the moment? Normally, in such circumstances, I become enraged, so I'm perplexed why I'm not doing so now.Why am I not enraged
"Ethan's point of view,""What happened to you, grandma?" After leaving the airport, I told my driver to go directly to my grandfather's house."All of this occurred when you were at this age.Tell me about your vacation in California."I know fully that she will not readily answer my query. She must suffer from a major illness because she won't share it with me."What are you contemplating, Ethan, rather than responding to your grandmother's question?"Grandpa's voice as he entered the room caught my attention."Grandpa, please first explain what happened to her." I inspected Grandpa's face. His face was more wrinkly this time than the previous. He was considerably weaker now than before. He could no longer stand as straightly as previously. His frame was curved. To support his weight, he needed staff to steady himself."You don't need to worry about your grandmother; she is OK. The usual winter has turned into an extremely chilly season because of the weather shift. There is nothing
"Stella's point of view,""Good morning, Stella. I hope you're feeling better today than you were last night."The following morning, as soon as I entered the hallway after getting dressed for work, Avery's concerned eyes were waiting to greet me."I am fine, by the way; thank you for your concern for me last night." I embraced Avery in response."Really?I did not know what type of support it was to leave your friend to cry in silence in a room." Avery gave me a taunting look as she lifted her eyebrows."It's not like that at all; I had no desire to upset you." I know fully that my actions from yesterday hurt Avery's feelings, but I didn't mean to.Since I don't trust anyone else anymore, I don't want to talk about my problems. I frequently witness people sharing their problems with those closest to them, only for those people to subsequently exploit those problems and flaws. Such an error would be unacceptable to me."I can relate since, if I were in your situation, I would probably
Ethan~"Thank you, Avery." Steve smiled broadly at the sight of Stella's assistance. "My pleasure, Steve." Avery's face also blushed. What's going on between them? I was surprised to find them. "I hope getting there isn't too tough for you, Mr. Woods." Avery questioned me. "Not at all; with your help, we had no trouble getting here." Before I could respond, Steve answered her question. What the hell? How is it possible for my assistant's love story to be resolved more easily than mine? Stella didn't want to talk to me and locked herself in the room, and here my assistant flirted with her assistant. "Steve, please bring me some coffee; I'm starving." I felt a slight wave of jealousy as I watched him happily conversing with Avery. Why won't Stella speak to me with such affection? Because you always irritated her by showing your anger. Without asking, my subconscious gave me the answer. Avery followed Steve into the kitchen to help him get coffee for me. Why did Stella lock her
Stella~"Stella, you didn't do good by insulting Mr. Woods." Once I finished my office work and sat in my car to return home, Avery complained to me. "Avery, please don't begin now; I am already upset with what he did in the conference hall. I mean, how could he do this?" I tighten my grip on the steering wheel in anger. "Stella, you are overreacting; he did nothing wrong; he was clearing his doubts." Avery and I argued for Ethan Woods. "Really? Oh, my God! You said that The Great Ethan Woods did nothing wrong when he offered me to work for his company for my desired salary." I gave her a furious glance. "That's precisely why I'm curious why he gave you money to work for his business when, as his wife, you are obligated to do so for free." Her remarks only heighten my ire. "First of all, Avery, we are not real husband and wife; we are just contracted married. Second, if you think he owned me because of our relationship, then you are also my friend, so you too don't have to take m
"Ethan POV,""Why are you staring at me?" My face heated up when I saw her staring at me. "Nothing. You look cute when you blush." She made fun of me. This woman dares to make me feel nervous. I scratched my neck and stared at the ground. Knowing he wasn't her boyfriend brought me a sense of relief. But why did she return to California without even saying goodbye to me? Her assistant entered the office with two coffee mugs. "Welcome to California, Mr. Woods. You did a great job coming here, as Stella missed you so much last night that she couldn't sleep." Placing the coffee mug down on the table, she turned to face Stella. "Is she telling the truth?" I looked at Stella in surprise. "No, she is telling a lie; I didn't miss you." She refused to accept what Avery said to me, but her expression revealed something else. Her hazel eyes did not meet mine; her cheeks flushed. My subconscious is urging me to interpret the deep, buried emotions in her eyes, but my ego is telling me to be
Stella~"Et... Ethan... w... what are you doing here?" When I saw him standing in my office, my speech trailed off. "Who is he?" He ignored my question and cast an angry look at David. I'm at a loss for words. What should I tell him?In my absence from California, David and his mom created countless problems for my business, constantly pressuring Avery to ask me to return. I never thought my crafty aunt would team up with Mr. Chang to harm me. At first, she used her fake affection to lure me into marrying her son, but when I refused, she switched tactics. She physically attacked me just before my wedding. If Avery hadn't helped me escape through the backyard gate, things could've been much worse. Poor Avery, she even broke her leg, saving me from Aunt Lily.I thought marrying Ethan would end Aunt Lily's interference, but she keeps finding ways to meddle. Today, she sent David to try to negotiate a deal-she wants a 50% share in my company in exchange for keeping my past life secrets
Ethan~"Open the door, Stella." I knocked on my room's door, but she didn't respond. Huh, what's wrong with her? I tried to be civil by asking her permission before entering, but what does she think of herself? She's not Queen Victoria, from whom I should request entry into my bedroom. My male ego forced my hand onto the doorknob.Are you planning to confess your feelings to her in this manner? You've already realized how you feel, so don't let your ego control you now. Otherwise, your love confession will feel more like an invitation to war, my subconscious advised, trying to calm the fury rising inside me.I loosened my grip on the knob and padded softly into the room. "Where are you, Stella?" Anxiety crept in as I found the room empty. I searched the bathroom-nothing. Where could she have gone at this late hour?My heart started pounding. I had put so much effort into preparing to confess my feelings to her, but it all seemed futile now. She's gone. It took me a long time to und
Stella~"Stella, how are you feeling now?" Seeing concern in his eyes, I rubbed my own in disbelief. What happened to this monster overnight? How could someone go from being a monster to a nice guy in a single night?"I'm feeling tired," I finally replied. I could feel the heat of his palm beneath my cheek. Oh, he waited for me to wake up the entire night while sitting here. I felt as though I had entered a different universe.Shut up and stop being dramatic, my subconscious scolded. I already told you he's not as bad as you think."Get up quickly so we can go to the doctor for a checkup," he said, assisting me as I got off the bed. After my parents' deaths, I hadn't experienced this much concern from anyone, so seeing his genuine worry made my eyes moisten. I quickly wiped my tears, not wanting him to make fun of me for crying."Stella, how are you feeling right now?" His grandparents entered with worried expressions."Grandma, she's all right. You don't need to worry about her." E
Ethan POV "Please move away from me; what are you doing?" She attempted to shove me away from her."Stella, don't move, please. They have their eyes on us," I said softly in her ear."Who's watching us closely?" she questioned, staring directly into my eyes."My grandparents." I pointed towards the shadows that had appeared in our chamber."Get away from me, Ethan. Your heavy body is choking me." She tried to shove me away once more."No, I can't." I felt a wild impulse to kiss her pulpy lips. As soon as I met her hazel eyes, I lost all sense of reality. I don't know how my hands were able to grasp hers firmly or how my lips could latch onto hers. I kissed her and felt a peculiar calmness. It had been a while since I saw my grandmother this happy. I hoped to grant her wish. I wanted to clarify grandma's confusion, but my grandparents were so happy about her pregnancy news that I couldn't bring myself to ruin their joy. As I licked her soft lips, my hand inadvertently moved to her s
Stella POV "Stella, how are you doing?" His grandmother was rapping on the bathroom door. I washed my face with cold water and then dried it with a towel. I looked in the mirror and saw myself. My eyes were red, and I looked pale. It was all because of the sight of mutton on the table. I completely neglected to mention that the sight of the mutton on the dinner table made me sick to my stomach. Since it's impolite to get up from the table before dinner has even begun, I did my best to contain my nausea. However, I had to bolt for the bathroom when I saw the red meat in front of me. What will they think of me now? I must apologize to them for my impolite behavior.With hesitation, I opened the bathroom door. I apologized for ruining the dinner, bowing my head in embarrassment."Stella, I'm grateful that you granted my wish." His grandmother gave me a joyful hug before I could say anything further. I became perplexed when I saw her joy. In my quest to understand her enthusiasm, I gla
"Ethan's POV""When did you arrive here?" She turned to face me, her stuttering making it clear she wasn't expecting me to enter her room. She hadn't noticed me standing in front of her door because she was too preoccupied talking to herself in the mirror. Seeing her stunning beauty, I started having hiccups once more. She looked even more breathtaking in this outfit than in the afternoon. Perhaps her messy hairstyle and minimal makeup contributed to her overall beauty. Why did her outfit make her appear so tall? My masculine ego was dismayed to see her standing before me, staring directly into my eyes. However, I'm relieved her boyfriend can't contact her right now. She must be upset with her partner for not getting back to her in the morning. That's why she claimed not to love him."Shall we proceed?" She gently waved her hand to break my train of thought. Stopping her from receiving calls from her boyfriend satisfies my ego. She will now be with me all the time.You violated y