“I’m sure even Lucas is hiding something from you,” Dr. Quirk added. “Impossible!” Yvonne refuted instantly. “Lucas and I grew up together! I know absolutely everything about him!”“Are you sure?” Dr. Quirk chuckled, which sounded suggestive. Yvonne frowned as soon as she noticed his expression.“Are you telling me that Lucas is hiding something from me?!”“Hey!” Dr. Quirk laughed and put up his hands in the air. “How did we end up talking about this? Weren’t you just asking me about Stella Sealey?”“I was asking about Stella,” complained Yvonne, “but you kept skirting around the subject. You’re clearly not willing to tell me the truth!”Dr. Quirk shook his head. Then, he smiled and asked, “Do you mind if I smoke here?”“Yes!” Yvonne replied bluntly. “I absolutely do mind! I hate the smell!”“Seriously,” Dr. Quirk burst into laughter again. “Lucas is probably the only man who can stand that horrid temper of yours!”“Well,” she grumbled, seeing that she could not tease any i
Weston frowned. “I’ll be home soon,” he assured her.Back at the Stardust Mansion, Joan sighed in relief and replied, “I’m glad to hear that. Should I prepare anything for you, Mr. Ford?”“No.”After hanging up the phone, Joan turned around and discovered that Stella had been standing behind her.“Mrs. Ford!” Joan almost jumped in shock. “How long have you been here…?”Stella said nothing. She then stared at Joan and casually told her, “I heard everything you said on the phone just now.”“E-Everything?” Joan’s heart skipped a beat. “What exactly did you hear…?”“He’s with Guinevere Cohen right now, isn’t he?”Joan’s eyebrows shot upward.“Mrs. Ford, I wouldn’t worry too much about it…”“How could I not worry about it?” Stella’s eyes were fixed on Joan. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten anything the whole day that Stella’s face looked blanched and sickly. Her eyes fell on Joan’s phone, and she said, “Let me see it.”“Mrs. Ford,” Joan tried to explain, “it’s really
Joan sighed, wondering if he could really be with Guinevere.Stella knew Joan was not asleep yet, so she came out of the room wrapped in a woolen shawl. “...You should go and get some rest. It’s getting late now.”“Mrs. Ford?” Joan looked at the frail figure in front of her and couldn’t help but comfort her, saying, “I’m sure Mr. Ford is held up by something urgent right now. Once he’s dealt with everything, I’m sure he’ll come home. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll wait for him here. You can go inside and get some rest…”“I’m not waiting for him anymore,” Stella shook her head. “You should go and get some rest too.”She smiled and added, “He’s probably by Guinevere’s side.”After all, their son had just died. As Zachary’s father, it was only natural that he would be with the child’s mother right now. Stella had nothing against that.“Mrs. Ford…” The more she acted that way, the more Joan felt bad for her. “I’m certain Mr. Ford will come home once he's dealt with everything out t
“Mr. Ford, you’re finally home…”Joan seemed immensely relieved to see him.“Mrs. Ford still hasn’t eaten or drank anything yet,” she informed him. “I really am at a loss of what to do.”For a moment, Weston froze in silence before handing the car to the driver to be parked.“I know.” He turned back to Joan and added, “It’s getting really late. You should go get some rest now.”Joan nodded repeatedly. She was now completely relieved. “It’s good that you’re back. It’s good that you’re back…”As Joan got older, she still retained her conservative view of things. To her, it did not matter what Weston and Guinevere did when they were together that night. As long as he came home in the end, it meant he still cared about Stella.As for what could have happened between them, to Joan, it was customary for men to lose control of themselves and make mistakes sometimes. It was good enough that he came home in the end.By the time Weston entered the bedroom, the first light of the day
“No,” Stella shook her head. “I just had no appetite…”“I did promise not to force you to eat anything,” Weston cut her off. “But that was only if it doesn't affect your health.”He glanced at the shimmering light on the horizon. It was already sunrise, and rays of sunlight had crept into the room through the curtains.“You should go eat something,” he added, kissing her on the forehead.Stella frowned. She truly had no appetite at all, but she also knew that there was no arguing with Weston, so she kept quiet and said nothing.Joan was already asleep by then. Weston had no intention to disturb her either, so he put Stella down on the sofa and went into the kitchen himself.Stella did not have a good sleep at all, basically having tossed and turned all night. Even so, she probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep now if she tried. Weston knew this too, so he allowed her to watch TV, hoping to kill time and relieve her boredom.Stardust Mansion was much quieter early in the morn
She used to think that a man like Weston probably did not know how to take care of himself in terms of daily chores. Perhaps that would be his sole weakness.But then again, although someone of his stature had no need to bother himself with such trivial matters, that did not mean he did not know how to do it.He had rarely ever stepped into the kitchen, yet he could easily rustle up a dish that tasted pretty good in spite of his inexperience. Stella could not help but wonder how such a lucky man could exist in this world. Everything he wanted was seemingly served up on a silver platter for him. There was just nothing that he could not have or do.“Judging by your expression,” Weston scrutinized her closely, “it doesn’t look like you enjoyed the food.”Stella smiled and put her spoon down. She looked straight into his eyes earnestly and said, “I have a question for you, Weston. Do you always get what you want? Was there ever anything you wanted that you couldn’t get?”He paused b
“I’m going to the study,” he replied. “I’ve got some work to do.”“But you haven’t rested since last night, have you?”“I’m fine,” he grabbed her hand and placed it back under the blanket before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Unless…” He brushed away the hair on her cheeks, then looked at her as if he could read her mind. “...you need me by your side for you to fall asleep?”He treated her so gently that Stella even doubted if the conflict between them had even existed.She pursed her lips and softly said, “I’d like to meet someone.”Weston remained silent, his expressions unchanged. His eyes were steadily glued on her.“I just want to meet Aunt Diana once,” she added. “Please?”“Tell me why.”She took his hand and pressed his fingers. He had long and straight fingers that looked very elegant. Stella always thought of how much more enchanting those fingers would be if Weston could play the piano.“I know you don’t want me to see anyone else,” she said, “but I have somet
She used to have a comically whimsical idea that she would carve out her own successful career, then escape Weston Ford’s grasp through the power and reputation she had gained.But now, when she looked back, she could not help but find the notion silly and naive.The power gap between them couldn’t possibly be bridged by her individual efforts alone. It was the same as what happened after Zachary’s death. She had no way to protect herself or fight against those determined to see her getting convicted as Zachary Ford’s murderer. Even Weston didn’t believe that she didn’t kill the boy. Indeed, he was doing all he could to help her escape punishment, but he never truly thought she was innocent.Stella was inside a quiet private room of a restaurant, contemplating the words she should say and the best way to tell Diana the truth when the door was suddenly pushed open. The person walking in turned out to be Michael Sealey—“We meet again, Stella.”Under her surprised gaze, he took a
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