It was the name Miguel picked for her.Cicily, blind of self beauty.It was how he felt about her.The only thing was that he did not expect that the meaning of the name would spread through the circle.Many people knew that the beautiful pianist, Cicily, possessed beauty she was unaware of. It was even so popular that, at one point, parents often used this name when naming their children.“Today’s performance was a success!”In Infinity Hall, a performer walked to Stella and gave her a warm hug. “Cicily, you are such a miracle!”Stella was the first from her nation to stand on the stage as the youngest performer in Infinity Hall.Her graceful dance performance and dexterity on the piano moved foreigners who weren’t shy about expressing their emotions.After a while, he excitedly invited her. “Cicily, I have asked you out many times, can you please have dinner with me this time?”Stella always remained single, although she had children.A number of gentlemen pursued her ov
Regardless, there were still many similarities if they looked carefully.It was not hard to tell that the children would greatly resemble Weston growing up.“Thank you, Edward. I shall bring my children to dinner now.”“If you don’t mind, can I invite you and your children to dine with me?”Stella shook her head, “That won’t be necessary.”“I already have a date with someone,” she added with a smile.Edward was a little taken aback.He glanced in the direction of the door.Miguel was standing at the end of the golden hall, wearing a white suit.He took another look at Stella’s attire today. Her white dress made her look like an angel that had descended into the mortal world.This woman didn’t like to wear too much makeup. For such occasions, she would only put on a light film of makeup.Edward found her very enchanting every time he saw her. He adored the classical beauty of a foreign lady. “Why are you willing to date someone else but not give me a chance? I know this man
Stella smiled and hid the strange look on her face. After she learned that she’d be making a trip to Ahn City in a few days, she couldn’t help but think about her messy past.Miguel Garcia did not notice her thoughts. He smiled gently at her and said, “It’s my job to take care of you.”At first, Miguel treated Stella like a sister. However, the more time he spent with her, he found a lot of new emotions in her.A few years younger than Roger and only twenty years old at the moment, Miguel was too young. Stella was already twenty-five.She was still very young, but she had gone through a lot and matured from her experiences. She was no longer as childish as before.“You’ll graduate from Compassvale in two years. By then, Grandpa Marcus will let you take over the family business. If you want to shift the focus to another country, you’ll have to go there to tender your cooperation…”As she spoke, her voice became quieter until it was inaudible.Miguel seemed like he could read her
Stella was about to ask Miguel if he had a crush, as she wanted him to start dating. However, she did not expect him to make such a ridiculous proposal.Even so, Miguel insisted, “If you don’t agree, I won’t go to Ahn City.”“Will you stop that?” For the first time, Stella found Miguel incredibly naive.“It’s just a document, not a real marriage. This will help to grant me legal status. Stella, what are you afraid of?”Stella let out a breath. She knew he would not stop.After a short silence, she told him, “I won’t sign the document, but… If I really need you to pretend to be my other half, I won’t expose you.”That was all she could say. Otherwise, with Miguel’s capriciousness, he might give up this opportunity for her sake.“Okay. That’s a promise from you.”Miguel was glad to get her agreement and did not push her any further. Then, he put the papers back and went back to his meal.…Miguel was in a very good mood today. He was all smiles when he took Stella home.Presen
Miguel nodded slightly. “Why do I feel like you’ve been avoiding me lately?”“Have I?” Stella took a sip of water and concealed her emotions. “I’ve agreed to go to Ahn City with you. What do you mean?”“It’s not that, but… I don’t know how to describe it.”Miguel sighed again. He said, “Have you ever felt that you’ve been avoiding me emotionally?” Miguel believed he had made it clear.Stella instantly frowned. She put the glass of water down and looked him in the eye. “That’s irrelevant. I’ve always treated you like my own family.”“Is that so?” Miguel was stubborn. He said, smiling, “We can be a family as husband and wife too.”“Miguel!” Stella raised her voice at once. She said to him sternly, “Don’t make jokes like that. I don’t like it!”Stella treated Miguel like Roger. When Miguel said those words, it brought her back to the time when Roger made his bizarre confession in the hospital.Stella felt like a failure. She had no idea what she’d been doing all these years. She c
After all, the Garcia family had claimed that Stella was their adopted daughter.Stella and Miguel were regarded as family members, and if they became a couple suddenly, it would hurt his reputation, not to mention their five-year age gap.Miguel frowned at Marcus’s words. “What era is it now? Why are you still so conservative?!”“Besides, couples with big age differences are common now. She’s only five years older than me. So what?”Marcus wanted to say something else, but Miguel cut him off. “I suppose you’re going to talk about the two children again, right? You better not!”Miguel said in a straightforward manner, “As you know, I’ve never believed in marriage for a long time. If I don’t get married, no good girl would be willing to bear my child out of wedlock, is there? Besides, don’t you like Elias and Emma too? The two little ones are so beautiful, cute, and smart. Isn’t it good to have them as my children?”Miguel’s words angered Marcus. “What nonsense are you talking abo
Upon arrival, Miguel naturally offered to help them with their luggage.The group was at the airport.Elias and Emma had returned to their home country for the first time. There was something about the people around that made them feel close to home.Stella could tell that the children were both nervous and happy. After all, they were always surrounded by blondies and foreigners abroad. Although her family looked similar, it was exciting to see so many people of their own ethnicity on the street. As expected, Stella’s homeland felt different.Stella had been abroad for so many years, living a happy life, but when she returned to her homeland, she felt a familiarity that no other place could give her.Stella took Elias and Emma with her. After they got into the car, Stella gave the driver an address.Miguel was a little surprised and looked back at her. “Why don’t you go to the apartment next to Fern University?”Stella chuckled. “It’ll take a while to get there. Let’s find a p
The Cohen family wanted to bail Guinevere out of jail, but they didn’t realize that Weston had already gotten a hold of the family’s weakness a long time ago. Too busy taking care of their own affairs, the family naturally had little time to care about Guinevere’s problems.Guinevere had tried to end her life in the sanatarium many times, only to be thwarted by Weston, who wouldn’t let her have an easy death. He was determined to make her go through the same suffering as Stella, or even worse. Weston would not spare anyone who had hurt Stella, and that included himself.Guinevere’s affairs involved too many people. Warren was so angry about it that he became ill and was still in bed. He did not recover from his illness.Soon, Weston retook control of the company.Weston originally made a deal with Xavier. He would give up his position as long as Xavier helped him to remove Warren from power.Xavier wasn’t expecting what was about to come. After he took over, the board of direc
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