"Ethan's point of view,"I stood there dumbfounded as she slapped me again and left the place. How could she smack me? The only way I'll find peace is by thoroughly destroying her business. I considered dialing Steve's number from my phone. Oh no, what am I going to do? If I disclose anything to him, he will undoubtedly tell my grandmother everything. So, what can I do to get Stella Parker to stop being so obstinate? Even though I was quite gentlemanly with her, she still said no to my proposal. Oh, really? Is this a marriage proposal? My subconscious irritated me once more. Of course, I spoke to her in a soothing tone, but that defiant young lady still had not accepted my offer or apologized to me. What does she think of herself, after all? She rejected Ethan Woods' marriage proposal. I am a top-eligible, handsome bachelor billionaire. Thinking about the thoughts that had formed in my head gave my male ego a tremendous boost. Oh, so you believe that no woman can refuse your ma
"Stella's point of view,""What can I do for you, Miss Parker?" He answered my call on the first ring as soon as I dialed his number. Was he expecting my call and holding his phone out? No, this is not possible. He won't be aware that I am calling him at this moment because he is probably waiting for another call while I have dialed his number. "Why are you silent, Miss Parker? Why did you call me? Please explain." His deep voice cut my train of thought of. Oh no, how do I respond to his query now? I called him a lot of bravadoes, but as soon as I heard his voice, all of my assurance seemed to vanish. My words feel as though they are stuck in my throat. I'd never had such anxiety before. "Miss Parker, are you listening?" Why is his voice making me suddenly anxious? "Y..ye yes...," It was really difficult for me to speak the words. "So why are you silent? What's up?" His voice genuinely reflected his unease. It implies that he is genuinely interested in finding out more about me.
"Ethan's point of view,"Oh my god, was that a dream? I'm shocked Stella accepted my marriage proposal. How did this miracle take place? No matter how many times I asked, she refused to disclose the reasons for her change of heart. Her accepting my proposal is equivalent to my receiving a trophy. She must have had a very particular motive for choosing that option; otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to my offer. Well, whatever the motivation behind her choice, I have nothing to do with it, but from my perspective, everything is working to my advantage. She will now sell her land to me as well, ask my forgiveness for her mistake, and assist me in accomplishing my grandmother's last request by getting married to me. And all I have to give her in return are her company's shares. I'm not even remotely interested in her company. I already have a business of my own to run. As I sat in my office, I was ecstatic about my success. She wants to meet you, but why? Once more, my subconscious
"Stella's point of view,""All of your other conditions are acceptable to me, but the third numbered one is not." Even before he could sign the papers, his hands froze. "Why do you disagree with the third point?" I questioned, arching my brows. "After all, what kind of person do you think I am if you only want to get married to me for a year? I know that my reputation isn't great with you, but it doesn't mean we have to be married by contract." Oh, so the marriage's ties to this heartless individual do matter. "But Mr. Woods, our marriage is merely a business arrangement; we are both looking to benefit from our marriage." What makes this man think that I will spend the rest of my life married to such a haughty man? "The contract between us has been signed, but I...,""Oh, come on, don't ponder too much." Sign the paperwork right away."What makes him think that I'll grant all of his wishes? No, not at all. I am better at influencing people than he is. I knew he would not readi
"Ethan's point of view,"Stella was supposed to meet me at the church, but it has been an hour, and she hasn't shown up. Even when I called her, she didn't pick up. Why has Stella Parker not yet arrived? Is it because she tricked me, or what? No, this is not possible. She has signed a business arrangement with you; she will not cheat you like this; after all, she is very professional, and it is because of her commitment that she is a successful businessperson. My subconscious quickly began extolling Stella's qualities. Stop talking like that; if she keeps making fun of me in front of my family, I'll give her a condition she can only imagine. I believe she is in serious peril; my subconscious is still more concerned with that stubborn Stella Parker than with my image. "Ethan, why hasn't your bride arrived yet?" To Grandma's query, I have no response. I was pleading with God for Stella to arrive somehow while it fixated me on the phone's display. "Why don't you respond to me?" The
"Stella's point of view,"I'm speechless that Ethan Woods is giving me such a passionate kiss in front of everyone. He has no right to kiss me in that way. Despite all the warnings I had given him, he still kissed me. Has he forgotten about our agreement? Is he considering our contract marriage as a love union? Oho, Stella, save your wrath for later; for now, I want to bask in the passionate kiss of the man in front of me. My subconscious feels that now is not the time to be angry. At this moment, my subconscious was urging me to forget everything, close my eyes, and savor this passionate kiss. I felt his lips lightly brush against mine as he grabbed my waist with one hand and the back of my neck with the other. His proximity caused an unusual emotion that had never occurred before. My heartbeat was audible in my ears, but maybe it was Ethan's heartbeat. I wondered why his pulse was beating so loudly. I couldn't resist his kiss even if I wanted to, and it dominated me. After all, w
"Ethan's point of view,""I don't understand why the plane is vibrating." She tightly squeezed my arm and closed her eyes. "Oh, so brave Miss Parker experiences fear as the plane takes off." When I noticed her terrified expression, I burst out laughing. "What a surprise, eh? I believe your grandmother intended to fly us both to an island and abandon us there." Even in this situation, I did not know Stella could speak. A person frequently keeps quiet while they are in this kind of terror. "Why did you address me as Mrs. Woods? Have you forgotten that our marriage is by contract? You even gave me a public kiss, although I specifically stated in the contract that you had no claim to me or any of my property after our marriage. You acted against the terms of the agreement we made during the marriage itself. This error of yours will cost you a lot.""Oh my God, stop talking so much, girl." How will I spend a year with this disaster? Even spending a day with her makes me feel like I've b
"Stella's point of view,""Mrs. Woods, did you sleep well?" When I opened my eyes, Ethan's face was there in front of me. "How did I get here? Did I doze off while seated?" I looked around. "I made you lie down on the bed because the trip was long, and sitting on the seat for an extended period could hurt your neck." He responded to me, his eyes glued to the laptop's display. "What? Do you mean you held me in your arms and brought me here?" How can he be of such a caring nature that I find it impossible to believe his words? I'm sure that someone else brought me here. "You brought me here, and I can't believe it," I asked the thought that had just crossed my head. "Why do you think I can't pick you up here, Mrs. Woods?" Is he trying to ignore me by having his eyes glued to the laptop for so long? Should I tell him he lacks sympathy and that showing concern for me could damage his reputation as a monster? I won't be able to ruin my mood by being disrespectful to him. "Tell me,
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