They used to be very close and physically intimate, and touching each other felt different each time. At least, it was different for Weston.He held Stella in his arms reflexively. With his strong arms, he did not allow her to refuse him. Stella finally came back to her senses and frowned. She wanted to push him away. “I can walk myself.”“Weren’t you scared earlier? Are you not scared anymore?” Weston looked at her managing a brave face and did not let her go. Stella felt extremely uncomfortable. “If you don’t let me, I’m not going in.”Weston’s face turned gloomy upon hearing that. He stared at Stella for a moment, and his tone became cold. “Whatever you want,” he said. Then, he let go of his hand, and walked straight ahead. Stella had to follow him. She did not know how long she had been walking when she suddenly heard unfamiliar footsteps up ahead. She was immediately alerted and stayed wary until she heard the waitress’s voice. “Hello, do you have an appointment?”Fi
The only thing about the restaurant was the dark environment. No wonder it was called the Noir Restaurant.The waitress’s introduction somewhat made sense. The food tasted a little bit more delicious when she focused all her senses without all the noises around her.The last course was steak, which was served in a complicated way. It was laid on a copper plate with a roaring charcoal fire underneath. Due to the high temperature, the staff needed to isolate the heat. Several people carried the equipment in, but the steak serving was only so large.Stella looked at the pathetically portioned, perfectly plated dish and was at a loss of words. Seeing that he did not move, Weston tapped his finger lightly on the table. “Help me cut it.”Stella was startled. She thought she misheard him until he repeated himself.Her face turned cold. “Don’t you know how to cut it yourself? Cut it yourself and eat it.” Weston crossed his fingers together. For some reason, he was patient with her aga
Yvonne did not say a single word. She only observed them quietly, glancing up and down as if trying to discern their relationship.She managed a smile at Weston, “It’s such a coincidence. Most of the guests in the Noir Restuarant are couples. Are you two…” Stella clenched her fists tight, letting her nails dig deep into her flesh.She desperately wanted to explain to Yvonne, but she could not make a sound.She wanted to say she had nothing to do with Weston, but even she found that hypocritical.Yvonne must think of her as some shameless woman who would had affairs, right?After a brief silence, Weston spoke first. “We just happened to meet each other. There’s nothing special.”“Really?” Yvonne nodded. She seemed to believe them, but her perfunctory attitude was clear. She gave Stella a meaningful and complicated look.Stella could not look her in the eye. What else could she say? It was Weston who forced her. Would Yvonne believe it?The two of them had just become friends
After she finished, the man held her waist and rasped, “It’s my birthday. Are you taking me to just a meal?”Yvonne was tickled from his hot breath. Her skin tingled, so she pushed him twice. “Don’t do that. It tickles…”The driver was still driving in front, so it was not right for them to do this in the backseat. Even so, Lucas did not let go. Instead, he tightened his hold on her. “That won’t do. At least show me your sincerity.”“How much more sincerity do you want?”Yvonne was a little annoyed. While they were facing each other nose-to-nose, Lucas reached over and pressed something on the side. Then, the privacy divider in the car rose.The luxury car had a very spacious interior. After the divider was raised, the back seat was converted into a well insulated private space. No matter what they did, the people in front would not hear it.Yvonne finally realized what Lucas wanted to do. She flushed shyly. “Why are you so passionate today?”“Since you don’t have a present fo
It was not Stella’s first time saying something like that to him. She kept begging him to let her go.Weston was not totally unaffected, but he chose to ignore those strange emotions bottled up in him. Never had he experienced such an uncontrollable urge.The car stopped beside a quiet road.Weston rolled down the window and rested his arm on the window. He lit a cigarette and held it between his fingers, but he did not smoke it. He just left it like that.When the lit cigarette butt reached his fingertips, a subtle pain pinched his skin. He dusted off the ashes and looked at Stella. “I’ve told you. Your only option is to follow me. You can name any price you want.”“Why? You already have Guinevere. Why can’t you let me go?”When she asked him this, the man’s eyes flickered slightly before he fell silent again. It was unclear whether he was asking himself a question, or asking her.“What do you think?”He did not know either. He could not understand his desire for her. Why? Wha
The only thing she cared about was Roger. Roger had grown up now. His health had gradually improved, and he had returned to school.Her death might be a blow to him, but she believed that he would get over it and have a good future. Her presence would matter little to him by then.A strong sense of despair loomed over her. Perhaps, Weston had sensed it too. In that instance, all his anger was completely extinguished.He released her and leaned on her shoulder and neck. He gritted his teeth and slowly relaxed his clenched fist. “Let’s both take a step back… Stella, I won’t trap you forever.”“What do you mean?” Stella looked at him. Weston suddenly propped himself up and looked straight into her eyes. “Just stay with me for a while. I’ll hide your identity. No one will know about us. However, we must return to how we were when we were married. Once the time’s up, I’ll let you go. You can make a request to me too.”“Why should I agree?”“This is your only option. No matter wh
Weston looked at her first, and then shifted his gaze away. When he saw the elders sitting on the sofa, his mouth was pressed into a tight line.He stayed silent.Guinevere’s eyes flickered slightly before she hurriedly walked to the entryway and held his arm. “My parents want to meet you. Do you mind?”Weston had properties in almost every city. Some places were his private apartments, but he had never let Guinevere in before.Guinevere wanted him to bring her to his private properties, but he declined her request.She kept his rejection in mind. After hearing about the incident in Lowe Garden, a sense of crisis grew. The current Weston was no longer the same abstinent Weston from before. She was afraid that the two of them would drift apart even without Stella's presence.She had no choice but to put her pride away. She took more initiative to actively get closer to him.She was worried that coming here so suddenly would make Weston angry. Therefore, she invited her parents
Seeing her daughter so aggrieved, Mrs. Cohen frowned.“Weston, I know you’ve always been a good boy. Have you been under too much pressure at work lately? Are you emotionally unstable? I heard some gossip… Anyway, you need to rest and spend more time with your family.”Weston was known to be the dream lover of the rich ladies in the circle. Unlike the immature rich kids, his focus was mostly on work.He was destined to be a step above the rest from birth. He did not waste his talent and resources, leaving his peers far behind.It was rare for someone of his current age to master and control the core business of his family. As a result, whenever the parents were lecturing their disobedient children, they would use Weston as an example and tell them to learn from him.Wealthy families were most afraid of the existence of illegitimate children. They shared the same inheritance rights with other children. A rich lady would certainly consider the man’s private life when choosing a husb
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