Stella opened her palm and looked at the few oleander leaves. She deliberately took them with her before she left. No one knew about them.The dose here was enough to kill an adult. Stella stared at it for a few seconds and swallowed them without hesitation. When she was in Stardust Mansion, Joan watched over her all the time, and she had no way to end herself. Even if she tried, Joan would soon find out something was wrong and report it to Weston. After that, she would only be watched more strictly. Stella really did not want to live anymore. She could finally end her life without distractions right here.The fragrance of oleanders lingered in her nose. The flower was so beautiful yet deadly. It could take a person’s life.Stella thought of how it resembled her short-lived love. It was full of color, yet so deadly.Stella leaned against the wall and suddenly remembered something. It was her twenty-second birthday. She was only twenty when she married Weston. It had been almost
WIthout any source of light, the room was dark and damp. The space inside was so cramped that accommodating a corpse would be difficult, not to mention three adult men.At first, no one thought Stella would take her own life. Instead, they all thought she would just stay in jail obediently and wait for Weston to get her out.By the time they realized what was wrong, Stella had stopped breathing. Her heart stopped for good within just an hour.Stella must have been determined to die. She had taken far more than an adult's lethal dose of oleander.The world thought she had killed an innocent child with oleanders, but she chose to end her own life in the same way. How could this not be a justification? Even if Stella died, she was unwilling to be blamed as the murderer for nothing. Rumors soon spread that Stella had committed suicide because of fear. Some said she killed herself to prove her innocence. Regardless of the rumors, she was already dead.The dead could not talk nor sp
Weston needed time. Not long after, the staff came over and told Ben, “A lady outside says she wants to see the deceased.”Weston frowned a little at the word “deceased.” His eyes displayed a sharp cold as if he was shooting daggers, making a chill run down the spine of whoever had the misfortune of meeting himBen hurriedly stepped in front of him. He lowered his voice and said to the staff, “Who?”The staff jumped in shock and stammered, “She said her name was Diana…”Michael stood sharply. “Diana? She’s here?”Ben stood up as well. Diana must have heard about Stella’s death and wanted to see her since she wouldn’t have shown up in Michael’s presence. She would have avoided him at all costs.Ben looked at Weston and sought his permission. “Mr. Ford...”“Let her in,” Weston rasped in a hoarse and broken voice.Weston focused all his attention on Stella. He tidied her hair and treated her like his precious treasure. He only paid attention to the outside world occasionally.Wes
Michael rushed forward and stood in front of Diana, protecting her behind. He frowned and said, “Let’s not talk about this now. We have to prepare for Stella’s…”“Stella’s funeral” was what he wanted to say, but thinking of Weston’s current state, he quickly swallowed his words.Michael muttered in a low voice, “She can’t stay here forever. Just let Mr. Ford take her away.”Weston got up and picked Stella up in his arms. The oleander’s poison had not worn off yet, and there were still visible purple spots on her body.Weston took off his suit jacket and wrapped her in it. He whispered in her ear, “Let’s go home and have the doctor look at you, okay? I know you love to look good. You don’t like these ugly marks on your body.”What he said caused the crowd in the room to look at each other in disbelief.Diana was just as grief-stricken, but it was obviously nowhere near Weston’s extent.Was Weston refusing to accept her death, or was he hallucinating?…The news of Stella’s suic
Guinevere could not help but wonder if she’d ever replace Stella in Weston’s heart someday.But she was dead now anyway, so what would be next if she could never win over her? Guinevere still had a long future ahead. She was sure that in the end, Weston’s heart, body, and soul would eventually belong to her.Hence, she was in no hurry.“Don’t worry about it, Mom, Dad. Xavier is still a Ford, after all. If something serious happens to the project, I’m sure Weston would come in and help him.”“That would be best, of course. Otherwise…”Mr. Cohen glanced coldly at Guinevere and said, “Otherwise, we’ll have to consider withdrawing our cooperation with the Ford family.”It was Weston Ford who had been overseeing their collaborative projects with Ford Corporation. Now that Weston wasn’t at the company, there was no guarantee that Xavier Ford would be able to take over all of Weston’s roles effectively.… Warren Ford had personally gone to Stardust Mansion countless times, but each t
But Lucas’s words only sought to rile Yvonne’s anger. “What if he never gets over it?!” she asked. “Is he going to wait till Stella’s body rots and stinks before he does something about it?!”“Calm down,” he replied. “None of this is my fault, so don’t take it out on me. It’s pointless.”Lucas reached out a hand and pulled her down to sit on his lap.“In two days,” he said, looking at her, “I’ll be leaving for a work trip. You’ll probably have to be home alone for a while.”Yvonne paused and turned towards him.“But you’ve always brought me along when you’re on a work trip!” she argued. “What’s the problem?”Hadn’t she always been by his side whenever he was on a work trip?“But it’s different this time,” he answered, looking seriously at her while tucking her hair behind her ear. “I might have to go to a very remote place this time. There’s been an infectious disease outbreak, and I don’t want you to be there. It’s very dangerous.”“If it’s dangerous for me,” she argued, “th
Xavier rubbed his brows, but he did not look all that surprised.“So you finally caught me…” he muttered.Of late, everyone in their social circle had been trying to get a hold of news about Weston from him. He had been able to fend off some, but someone eventually slipped through. Bradley finally caught him, though.“It’s totally pointless to say all these to me,” he told Bradley. “Weston does whatever the hell he wants now without the slightest care for the advice of others. No one can influence him or change his mind. He’s just too deeply obsessed with Stella Sealey. He won’t let go of her so easily, not even in death.”“Does he not understand what it means to let her soul rest?” Bradley was now so agitated that he grabbed Xavier’s collar. “The film is about to be released. By tomorrow, it will be shown in cinemas across the country. Why can’t he let Stella’s soul be in peace? Let tomorrow’s premiere be a last farewell to her.”“I can tell Weston everything you just said,” said
Henry was turning his wheelchair when he saw her tears falling, and a strange pain began to ache in his heart.He was stunned. It felt as if the person in front of him was not Angelina Thompson, but…He quickly closed his eyes, wishing to rid his mind of those messy thoughts.“I’ll try my best to persuade him,” he said, “but whether or not he’ll listen to me will depend on him.”He then swept a glance over at the woman in front of him and said, “Don’t ever show up in front of me again after this. It’s annoying.”As soon as he finished his sentence, he turned his wheelchair and left.Angelina watched his silhouette receding into the distance, making no move to chase after him.… All the commotion outside seemingly didn’t reach Stardust Mansion at all. Inside, Joan was on pins and needles. Devastated over Stella’s death at first, she was soon horrified by whatever was taking place there.Weston would carry Stella’s body around every day and go on with his daily life with the
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