Looking a little stern, Weston took Stella’s shoulder and reassured her, “It’ll be fine with Grandpa around.“I wanted to have a good walk in the mansion with you...”Stella understood what he meant and shook her head at him. “It’s okay. I understand. Your business is more important.”With Warren gone, the rest of the burden would fall on Weston’s shoulders.Needless to say, Xavier had always been the spoilt rich kid who did nothing. Meanwhile, Chris was dying to help but he was powerless. There wasn’t much he could do. Besides…Stella glanced at Chris, who seemed very worried about Zachary and kept mumbling.She sighed emotionally. “Your family… They all seem to like Zachary a lot.”Weston suddenly gave her a deep and meaningful look. “Many things are not what you expect.”“What do you mean?” Stella asked. She couldn’t understand.Weston did not explain and just patted her head. “You don’t have to know too much. Just stay by my side.”He reached out to her.Stella hesitated
“That’s great.” Jason let out a sigh of relief and looked at Stella apologetically.“I was a little too worried about Zack. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”Stella was surprised. “It’s no problem…”Unlike Warren, Jason had a great appreciation for Stella. They were both music lovers, and he admired Stella’s talent on the piano.“It’s been a long time since we last met at the mansion. I didn’t get to wish you a happy wedding.”Stella had a good impression of Jason, and she replied him in kind. “Thanks, Jason.”“Remember the piano I gave you? How is it? Is it good?”Hearing that, Stella felt a little guilty. “I’ve been slacking lately. I haven’t been practicing…” Jason looked at Weston with a thoughtful look and smiled. “You two are newlyweds. I understand why you have little time to practice.”Stella smiled, but there was not much sincerity in it.After Jason left, Stella fell silent and appeared disinterested in everything around her. Even Weston noticed her strange behavior.
As Guinevere listened, dark, unspeakable thoughts arose in her mind. These thoughts made her hands tremble a little.Stella had the poisonous oleander plant in her room. Meanwhile, Zachary was no longer someone who could help her keep Weston in line. One day, Zachary would call Stella mother.Guinevere’s eyes were blank and slightly distracted for a moment.Wendy stared at her face for a few seconds and suddenly asked, “What are you thinking about?”Guinevere jumped in shock and covered her chest. “I-it’s nothing…”She made a sad face. “I’m just wondering if Zack will be okay.”Wendy’s expression darkened. She had a cold smile but said nothing.After getting out of the car, the two went straight to the hospital.While the doctors treated Zachary in the emergency room, Warren was waiting at the door. Wendy and Guinevere walked over and greeted him in unison.“Grandpa.”“Dad.”Warren looked at them coldly. When his gaze fell on Guinevere, it turned colder. “I thought you cared
Guinevere put her excellent acting skills into high gear and suddenly burst into tears.“You must’ve heard…” she said between sobs. “Zack… He just had an allergic reaction to nuts…”“I’ve heard,” replied the man. He then immediately tried to comfort her, saying, “But it’s no big deal! There isn’t a law that requires mothers to know their children like the back of their hand! You’re only human, after all, and it’s only natural that you make mistakes sometimes. What right do they have to blame it on you???”The more the man spoke, the more agitated he got. “That’s not what I meant,” Stella interrupted him. “Zack’s condition is actually more complicated than that…”She paused, gulped, and added in as low a whisper as she could manage, “It’s possible that this is more than just a simple case of nut allergy. He’s in a critical state right now. The doctor is suspecting that he might’ve been poisoned.”Though her voice was very low, the man heard each and every word as clear as day.“
If she had known that she would end up like this, she would have spent much more time with him in the past.Shortly afterward, Guinevere received a call from an unknown number.“We’ve finally got hold of the surveillance video!” the voice from the other end announced as soon as she answered the call.Some of these people who were diehard fans of celebrities were just like hackers. They had all sorts of impressive technical skills that could break through pretty much any security system. “Stella Sealey really fed Zack something!” he continued. “Luckily, the cameras caught it on tape!”Guinevere recalled that Zack had indeed been in Stella’s care for a while. The child often threw tantrums when he wanted to try some food, and it was inevitable that Stella must have given him something. Macarons aside, who knew what else she could have fed him?As for whether or not there was any oleander poison in the food, that would depend on whether any oleander toxin was found in Zack’s body.
Zack blinked innocently, as he took one bite of oleander flower after another that Guinevere fed to him. He couldn’t understand why she would cry so hard.Was it because he finished all her food? Was that why she was upset?With that thought in mind, he grabbed one oleander flower and offered it to Guinevere.“Mommy, you eat too!”Looking at his little face and realizing that he wanted to share his food with her, Guinevere finally could no longer hold her emotions back. She buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly.“Ugh…”Not long after that, Zack’s face suddenly turned blue. He began to have difficulty breathing as excruciating pain crippled every part of his body.“Waaa!!!” He started crying while kicking and screaming. “Arghhhh… It hurts…”Guinevere watched on quietly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.Just when Zack was about to stop struggling, she finally cried out, “Doctor! Please come and see my son!”“Doctor! My son! What’s wrong with my son!”She
Stella’s pupils shrank slightly as she heard this. She turned to Weston beside her.Poisoned…?It sounded like a groundless rumor.But if it was true that Zachary was poisoned, then anyone in the Ford Mansion could have done it. Her mind instinctively went to that rabid fan of Guinevere’s who tried to splash acid on her, to the other man who made the rude entrance—suddenly crashing into her room through the window, allegedly losing his footing and falling from above.The party had been so lively just moments ago, yet they were suddenly told that the party was over. Naturally, this raised many questions. Weston’s stoic face still displayed little emotion, however. Later, once everything at the mansion had been settled, he got ready to go to the hospital.Stella had been quiet herself, saying nothing while staying by Weston’s side all the time. In times like these, the last thing she wanted to do was cause him more trouble.Besides, her own mind was still in chaos. She hardly k
So now, Guinevere’s lost her own child too, Stella thought. She must have finally understood the pain she had to endure back then and finally experienced the excruciating torment that came with the loss of her own child… Even Weston, the person she hated the most, could finally have a taste of what she had gone through.Undoubtedly, the tragedy that had befallen them should have brought her some satisfaction, but she wasn’t the least satisfied. She should have relished in their misery, yet why did she feel so dispirited?Why did she find it so… hard to breathe?She turned around, not wanting to face the tear-filled room, when she bumped into Weston, who had been standing behind her. His tall and sturdy body blocked her like a large mountain.Faced against his wide chest, Stella just stood there, neither saying anything nor trying to leave.After a long while, she finally heard his hoarse voice coming from above her saying, “I’ll let Ben take you to a room so you can get some res
Stella had rarely ever woken up before him.He had always been terrifyingly strong, but their lovemaking last night must have consumed a lot of his energy, leaving him so tired that he was still sound asleep.She stared at him and suddenly felt like doing something naughty. She pinched his nose and held her fingers there, trying to suffocate him. Unsurprisingly, he soon knitted his handsome brows and quickly woke up.He was surprised to see her mesmerizing eyes as soon as he woke up, which made him pause. He then took her hand into his and kissed it again and again.“Are you okay?” he asked with concern, remembering how wildly he ravaged her last night.She had only been willing to be intimate with him because she was under the influence of a drug, yet he had taken advantage of her and had his way with her over and over again last night.Stella did not speak. Seeing her like that made his expressions turn a little colder. He fell silent for a long time before he got up and sl
The moment Stella saw him, she flew into his arms and clambered onto his body. She kissed him again and again, trying to search for his breath so she could explore his body even deeper. All she wanted was to let him extinguish the fire burning inside her.Half an hour had passed, and the effect of the drug on her body was its strongest now.Weston swallowed his saliva. Without any hesitation, he pinned her against the bathroom mirror and kissed her vehemently on her face, her shoulders, then her neck.Stella could not stop herself from letting out loud moans. The sounds she produced only drove Weston wilder. Even the corners of his eyes began to turn red now.Luckily, there was still a thread of reason in his mind. He pushed her away and, while panting heavily, asked her, “Who am I, Stella?”But Stella’s mind was occupied with her primal urges. She ignored his question and grabbed his shirt collar, saying, “Let’s do it…” The sight of her filled Weston with a desire to just give
Weston paused, then simply replied, “Okay.”When he saw her changing into a pair of high heels, he followed her around and asked, “Where are you going?”“Oh, to a private concert.”Then she added, “If you’re going to spend the night here tonight, then please take care of Elias and Emma. But if you have to leave, I’ll ask Roger to come over instead.”“Don’t worry,” he said. “Just go out and enjoy yourself. I’ll be at home and take good care of the kids.”Stella paused suddenly, feeling inexplicably weird about what Weston had just said. It sounded like she was forcing him to stay at home and take care of the kids while she went out to have fun without a care in the world. She turned around to look at Weston, feeling like he was acting like a poor neglected housewife.She shook her head and tried to shake this terrifying thought out of her mind.When they arrived at the concert, Hayden offered his arm to her like a gentleman. They then walked into the private concert together, w
Stella’s words rendered Weston speechless. She was right. He had been the one to agree to let Stella date other people, so he must seem like a fool saying all those things to her.He withdrew his hands and forced himself to calm down a little. “I have no intention to stand in your way,” he told Stella. “I was only worried about Elias and Emma. Since they’re also here, I think you need to take their feelings into consideration.”The children could sense the strained atmosphere between the adults, so they just waited patiently on the couch with Roger, occasionally poking their heads out to look at their parents.Seeing his kids like that, Weston slowly added, “I’m only here to see the kids, so both of you can go ahead with your date.”Stella said nothing and just took Hayden’s hand and left.When they got downstairs, Hayden glanced at her and asked, “Are you sure you want to just leave him like that?”“I don’t know,” Stella massaged the point between her brows. “I’m not sure wh
Hayden Quirk arrived half an hour earlier than Stella did on their first date.“You’re much earlier than I expected,” he joked as Stella walked in.Stella was actually on time, but she still felt a little guilty when she saw him already waiting for her when she arrived.“The traffic is terrible today,” she said.“Don’t worry about it,” Hayden said, handing her the menu. “Mr. Ford expected me to wait for you for at least an hour.”“I seriously don’t know what you guys are up to,” she grumbled, exasperated, “but I hope it will at least be over soon. Just don’t drag it out and cause me any trouble.”She ordered a few dishes, then handed the menu back to him. Hayden took it from her, ordered a few more signature dishes that the restaurant was popular for, then looked at Stella with a faint smile.“Did you think this is all just a joke?” he asked.“What else could it be?”“I am serious about this,” he told her, his voice suddenly turning grave. “Since even Mr. Ford agreed that we s
Weston raised his eyebrows at Ben’s words. “But he’s divorced. He has an ex-wife.”“What’s wrong with having an ex-wife?”Ben found Weston’s comment strange. “This man has good qualities. Upon investigation, he has a very good personality too. He was an active member during college. He also has an amazingly beautiful resume. It’s normal that a man like him has been married before… Besides, hasn’t Ms. Sealey been married before herself? She even has two children.”Weston’s expression turned cold at once. “Are you discriminating against her?”“I’m not.”Weston said, “Or do you think she can only find a divorced man for her second marriage?”Ben panicked. “I wouldn’t dare!”With Weston’s ridiculous amount of nitpicking, they could find no one that would match Stella.Hayden sat beside and quietly reviewed Weston’s latest psychological health report. As he turned the page, he suddenly said, “I’m actually a little interested in Ms. Sealey.”Hayden laughed a little and turned to Wes
Stella opened her eyes and shot Weston a cold look. Then, she turned her head the other way.Weston did not touch her again. He knew she was probably angry with him, so he stayed silent.A few moments later, he reminded her, “Don’t be angry. That man is unreliable.”Stella propped her chin in her palm. “And what does that have to do with you?”Weston pursed his lips, setting his jaw in a tight line. He said, “I’ve promised to stop pestering you. It’ll be a promise. I’m fine with seeing you with another man, but at least find someone who makes me feel at ease.”“Why do I need your approval when I’m just looking for a date?” Stella found his words funny. “You’re just my ex-husband. Don’t you think you care too much?”Weston rubbed his brow, and his voice suddenly went cold. “If you don’t want me to keep pestering you like I just did, maybe you should listen to me.”Stella questioned, “Are you threatening me?”“No. I’m suggesting.”Stella was lost for words. Then, she suddenly
Stella froze for a moment when she heard the voice. When she turned around, she saw that Weston had appeared behind her at some point.Weston stared at the man behind Stella with a cold gaze and an icy aura around him. Weston had always emitted a strong aura around him. Anyone who saw him would immediately be terrified because of his intimidating aura.The man froze for a moment at Weston’s sudden appearance. He took a step back and quickly steadied himself before greeting Weston, “Mr. Ford.”He still had the same calm and gentle look. “I’m sending Miss Cicily back.”“I know. Don’t ever show up in front of her again,” Weston told him. “You don’t have to send her back. Stay away from her.”It would be a little inappropriate for the man to act a fool at Weston’s straightforwardness, so he tugged at his collar and asked Weston with a polite smile, “Mr. Ford, you should give me a reason, shouldn’t you? I’m having a good time with Miss Cicily.”“You’re the one who thinks she’s having
Stella smiled. It seemed like he had come prepared.Stella enjoyed chatting with the man. He was sincere and introduced himself properly as soon as they started chatting.The man was also a pianist and came from a scholarly family. Although not super wealthy, he was doing considerably well in the middle class. Stella would not need to worry about the quality of life with him, but that was about it. She certainly could not live a luxurious life.Stella had a good impression of him. She also talked to him a little more about piano music.Stella twirled her hair and smiled. She told him with a nice voice, “I’m sure Roger has already told you about my situation.”“I know.”The man looked at her gently and set the coffee in front of her. He said to her, “I’m very interested in you. I think we’re very suitable for each other. Our living standards nowadays have improved quite a bit. Not many look for a partner purely because of material qualities. People with emotional needs will search