Time passed without them realizing it, and the atmosphere in the cafe was getting heavier.Yvonne originally thought that she would feel relieved after her misunderstanding was resolved. But after she learned about what Stella was facing, she couldn’t help worrying about her. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”Stella shook her head. “I don’t want to drag you into this.”She knew how high Weston’s status was. Although she did not know much about social class, she knew he was not someone to mess with judging from the attitude of the other people.Yvonne was also the wife of a rich man. But if she interfered rashly, it would have a great impact on her as well as Lucas.The relationship between the rich families was very complicated. It was not simply about right and wrong. And Stella was fully aware of this.But the more she showed understanding, the more Yvonne felt aggrieved for her.“I didn’t expect Weston to be so similar with all those filthy men in private. He looks very
Stella thought for a while. The acquaintance he was talking about could only be Yvonne. “I didn’t expect you to have such a good relationship with Yvonne…”At the mention of Yvonne’s name, Mr. Smith furrowed his thick brows, as if he was reminded of something unpleasant. “Didn’t I get the wrong address the last time? She grumbled about it on the phone for quite some time, you know. If it wasn’t because someone told me that you were very competent, this matter would have been called off.” She suddenly realized that something was wrong. “So it was not Yvonne—”Before she could ask, she heard footsteps from the second floor and the voice of a man.“Mr. Smith, the lesson today has ended.”He was followed by a little girl, who was hoping and poking her head out. “Father, can I go out and play now?”Mr. Smith put on a stern face. “You still have a dance lesson today. Come here and meet your new teacher!”With that, he pointed at Stella. “She was the one I told you about before. She i
Stella was confused by his action, but she guessed it must not be something good.After getting into the car, Justin uttered, “Mr. Smith has always been like this. Don’t think too much about it.”She shook her head. “I didn’t.”She was so open and honest that he was unable to say anything.Only after a while did he say, “I thought you would mind if he misunderstood the relationship between the two of us. After all, you and Weston...”He did not finish the rest of his sentence, and his tone wasn't inappropriate.Her eyes darkened. Not saying anything, she looked out the window.After a while, she said, “Thank you for dropping me off on the way.”If he hadn't insisted on giving her a ride, she might not have given him this chance.He knew it very well in his heart.If there weren’t outsiders around, making it look strange if she kept on refusing, she would probably not have accepted his offer. He had also told himself that she was only a woman he failed to pursue. She had al
Stella tilted her head to the side and purposely avoided listening to him on the phone.Justin was annoyed when seeing her behaving that way through the rearview mirror. “Hurry up and tell me already.”The person on the other end of the phone laughed nonchalantly. “What’s wrong with you, bro? You sound so pissed.”He massaged his glabella. “I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. I’ll hang up if there is nothing important.”“Hey, don’t! I need your help.”After the person told him something on the phone, he hung up and cast an apologetic look at her. “There is something urgent I need to take care of. I need to send an important document to my relative. It’ll not take long—about half an hour. I wonder if it would cause you inconvenience if I go there first and send you back later.”She answered, “It’s okay. You can go and take care of your things. I can get a cab.”“No, it’s already very late. It’s not safe for a woman to take a cab alone.”He frowned before he stopped her
Stella didn’t know why he said that. She frowned and said affirmatively, “I never thought of you that way.”“Then why, even at a time like this, would you rather go on a blind date with a stranger than come to me for help?”He suddenly lost control of his emotions and spoke. “I have told you many times that I would help you no matter what difficulties you face. Am I so unworthy of your trust that you would rather marry a stranger to prevent Weston from troubling you than come to me for help? At least I know what happened between you. Wouldn't that be more convenient?”She took a deep breath. “That's exactly why I could not go to you. I’m very sorry, Mr. Hall. I know how you feel for me, but if I used this to achieve my goal, it would be unfair to you. This was why I could only look for a stranger. It would just be a business with predetermined conditions, and nobody would owe anyone anything. But it would be different if the man was you. I don’t want to owe you anything.” “You don
After all, it was normal for a man at his age to have been married before.She never had intentions of developing any relationship with him before, so she hadn't thought about it.He tapped his finger gently on the steering wheel. “And I have a child—a son. He is in his teens. I have his custody, but he is with my ex-wife most of the time because I am too busy with my work. Besides, I am a man, so I am not as meticulous as she is when taking care of a child. I want to change this situation and have more time with my child. Also, I hope to establish a new family…”She knew what he meant. “So you want me to get along with your son?”“This is only part of the reason.” He did not deny. “I like you because your personality makes you very good at getting along with children. No matter whether or not you two can get along, I can tell from your tolerance of me that you are very patient with children. Moreover, we are similar in many ways. At my age, I am no longer interested in all those i
Before Stella was safely sent home, Justin didn’t speak to her again, as if he wanted to give her time to think.It was quiet all the way.However, the quieter it was, the more restless she felt.As she looked out of the car window at the receding street lights, the scenery in front of her muddled together, and her vision became narrow. She could not see the future, nor could she look back at the road taken before.She closed her eyes, unable to think or be confused.Only when the car stopped did she realize she had reached home.She unbuckled the seatbelt, wanting to get out of the car. Suddenly, he said, “Wait.”She stopped in response and looked at him.Meeting her emotionless eyes, the man’s eyes flickered for a moment. Then, he suddenly leaned over and helped her with the seatbelt.His hand touched her coat, but he did not make any intimate action. He only tugged it slightly, but it had completely revealed his thought.Looking down at his movement, she wanted to refuse a
But her dream of having a family was still living in her heart.She wanted to become an independent woman who would not rely on anyone. She was also insisting on having her own career now. But this did not contradict her desire to have a family.Since the moment she lost her parents, she was forced to support her family and Roger.But over time, she felt tired. She needed a shelter too.It took a long time for her to reply, with a hoarse voice, “Okay.”***The joy of getting married washed away all the discontent inside Guinevere’s heart.Even in the hospital, she found everything to be particularly pleasing.When the assistant beside her noticed her unusual good mood, she couldn’t help saying, “Now that you are finally getting married to Mr. Ford, will we be getting any presents?”Her words were a little irritating. Guinevere frowned but calmed down after a while, not bothered with her words. “Of course. I will send you all big presents when the time comes!”The assistant sm
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