All of a sudden, Stella clenched her fists and said, “I’ve never returned your feelings once in the past three years, and besides, you’ve treated me like a sister all this time… or am I just mistaken?”“But you’ve never openly rejected me before!” argued Miguel. “So why is it exactly that now you’re suddenly saying obvious things like how we can never be anything more than family…?”Miguel paused and stared at her silently for a while. Then he could not help but laugh, although the laughter that escaped his lips was filled with bitterness.“So you knew all along…”“So you knew all along, huh?”He stared vacantly at his own hand as it clutched at the empty air.“Don’t you understand,” he asked with a hoarse voice, “why I’m so restless all of a sudden? It’s because I’m scared. I feel insecure. I’m afraid that as soon as you return to Ahn City, you'll fly back into his arms. That is why I have to hold onto you as firmly as I can right now. I’m so scared of losing you, Stella.”Stel
No wonder even Marcus Garcia wanted Miguel to give Ahn City a try. The Garcias were already the most esteemed and prominent family in Compassvale, but they were ambitious. They wanted Miguel, who was still very young, to pick up some skills here and gain valuable experience by being a Ford Corporation employee.This alone demonstrated the Garcia family’s audacity and cunning. “I’ll find a way. Somehow.” Miguel sighed. He laid the documents on the coffee table and exclaimed, “I simply refuse to believe that apart from Weston Ford, there’s just no one else in the whole of Ahn City that we can work with!”“But working with him would clearly be most beneficial for us,” argued Stella. “Wouldn’t it?”She flipped through the documents and pointed at a line of words on one of them, saying, “With your qualifications, as long as you could properly point out the benefits that you would bring them, I believe that there’s a high chance that Ford Corporation will agree to work with you.”She
The next day, at Ford Corporation, Daisy was reporting the outcome of yesterday’s meeting to Weston Ford.“The project discussion yesterday went very well, Mr. Ford…”The makeup on her face was a little thicker than usual, which made her look slightly pale. Last night, in order to score the project, she had been held up by those men until late.“Mr. Smith told me that as soon as we put our signatures down, they’d start the work immediately. They also assured me that if I sign the contract with them, they’d be able to approve it right away…”Weston tapped on the table with his fingers and swept a quick glance over her. Even though he’d been paying little attention so far, he felt he should say a few words to remind her now.“Ford Corporation has enough strength and capital on its own to win projects without requiring its employees to resort to special means, you know.”Daisy understood the meaning between the lines right away, and it felt like a slap on her face. Her pale face tur
Stella found herself so tightly in Weston’s arms that she couldn’t move an inch. She tried to kick him, but Weston grabbed her ankle and held it in place before pulling her closer to his chest.The difference between their physical strengths was just too big. Without any effort, Weston then took off Stella’s shoes, before he began to pull down her pantyhose.“Weston!” she glared coldly at him, planting her feet on his knees in an attempt to shirk away. Instead, he took hold of her hand while his other hand finally found her secret spot.“Get away from me!” she yelped, losing her temper. “Don’t you dare touch me!”“But you’re the one touching me right now,” Weston replied in a raspy voice, gazing at her with eyes brimming with pressing desire and desperate yearning. “Do you know how much I’ve suffered these past few years?” he whispered in her ear, guiding her hand toward his manhood. “I’ve been like this every day… whenever I thought of you, I’d imagine you by my side, but each
As she spoke, Stella noticed that Weston’s expression had turned stone cold. It was as if her words were a bucket of cold water that was poured onto his burning flame. His fiery passion was extinguished just like that, so swiftly, so mercilessly, and so painfully.Stella enjoyed that look on his face right now. Her gestures became languid yet elegant. Then she sensed that the grip around her waist was getting tighter and tighter. She looked down at the dark and unfathomable eyes of the man. She frowned and asserted, “You’re hurting me!”She could see that Weston was already on the verge of fury. Yet he remained calm and patient enough not to lose his temper. Instead, he buried his face in her neck and told her, “You know perfectly well what I want, Stella…”He kissed her shoulder, and the warmth of his lips spread slowly downwards, though he did not venture any further. He just lingered on the surface of her skin.Weston knew that Stella only said those things to hurt him. She
Stella looked away from him. Three years had passed, but there was one thing about him that remained absolutely the same—he still emanated this undeniably intimidating air that made looking straight into his eyes an arduous affair.“I’ve brought you some documents about my projects,” she said, standing up. “Why don’t you take a look at it?”She had no desire to keep playing games with him. She had been here long enough. Weston seemed completely unsurprised. He tapped his fingers on the table and got up to sit back down in his chair.“Since you’re here to talk business,” he said, looking at her with the shadow of a smile, “then let’s talk with a business attitude. You must’ve done your research before coming here, so I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what to do.”Stella got up and placed the documents in her hands down in front of him. With a serious and professional tone, she said, “I hope that you would consider working with this tech startup. It’s not easy for a well-known br
As soon as Stella finished her sentence, Daisy, who was standing beside Weston, frowned and glanced at Stella with a look of displeasure.But Weston, on the other hand, seemed to be concealing a smile as he turned to Stella and asked, “Are you getting jealous?”The smile on Stella’s face was even more obvious, though it was unclear if it was sarcasm or contempt.“If that’s what you think, Mr. Ford, then I just can’t help it.”She brushed her hand lightly against his armrest, almost as delicately as the way dragonflies skimmed above the water's surface.Weston glanced at her. With just the lightest touch, she already had him wrapped around her fingers.He knew that she did that on purpose. He also knew that she was only weaving a web and was waiting for him to walk into it and get caught in her trap.Nevertheless, he gladly headed right into her trap without any hesitation at all, like a moth that flew into the fire. The truth was, Stella had no need to bother herself with all
After saying that, she picked up her cup of coffee and put it in front of Weston. “Why not give it a taste to know the difference, Mr. Ford?”Without even blinking his eyes, Weston took a sip of the coffee she handed him.The cup was used by Stella, but Weston drank the coffee without even a flinch.Daisy’s face immediately turned.As his secretary, she knew how serious his obsession with cleanliness was. He would never use what others had used.Did he make an exception for her just because it was Stella?When she was still in confusion, she heard the crisp sound of the coffee cup being placed on the table— And that “clang” brought her back to her senses with a jolt.The man’s chilly voice rang.“Is this what you usually serve the guests?Her face paled, and she quickly explained, “I apologize, Mr. Ford. As you are used to drinking hand-ground coffee, I personally brew this for you. The coffee we serve the guests meets the company’s standard practices and has been prepared i
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