“I think I can trust the character of someone you raised,” Stella told Joan.Joan breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, Madam.”Stella paused before she corrected her, “I’ve nothing to do with Weston anymore, so you don’t need to call me Madam now. Just call me Stella.”“Okay, Stella.”… Joan’s son moved in that very evening. Because Stella could not see, she had no idea what he looked like. All she knew was that he was reticent and introverted. His room was right across Stella’s and next to Joan’s. From the time they first met, he had not said much to Stella. All he did was answer her questions in simple, monosyllabic responses.At first, Stella believed he might have difficulty speaking, and she politely asked Joan about it.Joan paused after hearing her question, then chuckled and replied, “No, he just doesn’t like to talk, that’s all.”Stella nodded. Then she thought about how he was sick and therefore could not stay in the dorm on campus, so she asked her, “Can you t
Stella followed him out of the bathroom but then suddenly stopped and looked at him, asking, “Can you speak at all?”Joan did tell her that it was only because he was a quiet person, but Stella still found his behavior too suspicious.How could someone who could speak be this quiet?The man said nothing. He approached her, gently took her hand, and tried to scribble a word on her palm.Stella found it too ticklish, so she quickly withdrew her hand.The man seemed to realize that he had offended her somehow, so he did nothing after that. Stella rubbed her wrists as she continued to observe him, but all she could see was a blurry shadow.“If you don’t want to speak,” she told him, “I’ll try to minimize my interactions with you… I hope I didn’t offend you, but I just don’t feel comfortable about this.”After a long while, she could hear the man softly mumbling, “Mm.”Stella froze for a moment. She turned her gaze toward the blurry figure of the man.Stella had always been perce
Stella sat on the sofa and listened to the radio station.Since she could not see, she had gotten hooked on the radio and considered it quite interesting.Joan suddenly called. “I am very sorry, Mrs. Ford. There is a situation here. I got into an accident and might come back a little late.”Stella frowned instantly and sat up. “Are you alright?”“I am fine. It's just that the police are here, and I may be delayed. But I have to go back and cook. What should I do?”Stella could hear the uneasiness in her voice and said to her, “It’s alright. Take your time. Don’t rush. Your safety is the most important.”She continued, “There is still some food in the fridge. I can make a simple meal myself.”Joan was still a little troubled. “You purposely hire me to care for you, but I keep making mistakes…” Stella comforted her. “It’s not your fault. It was an accident, and it had nothing to do with you. Just cooperate with the police. It’s okay.”After that, Stella hung up the phone and he
The man’s movement slowed down for a moment, but he did not stop as if he didn’t hear her call.He picked her up and helped her sit comfortably at the table. Then, with a cold mechanical voice, he said, [Why did you suddenly call his name?]Stella’s heart was still thumping. She still did not come back to her senses.Hearing his question, she only gave a one-syllable response. “Mm.”[Why did you call his name?] he asked again.She paused and her heartbeat slowly normalized. “It’s nothing. I just feel that you are kinda like him.”[Am I?]“You smell very much like him.”The man seemed to hesitate for a while and asked, [What kind of smell?]“I can’t be sure, but it’s awfully familiar.”He did not speak for a long time before he said, [Let’s eat the noodles.]“Okay.”Stella’s suspicion of him was only limited to that moment, and she quickly dismissed the idea.Weston was now lying in the hospital, and his condition was uncertain. If he were to wake up, he would’ve definitely
The man did not say anything. Stella frowned and smiled ambiguously. “You know what? Your action of holding me suddenly just now is really like a person.”[Is he your husband?] asked the man.She shook her head very calmly. “He is just my ex-husband, at best.”“At best?”She did not want to talk about Weston much, so she changed the topic. “Your cooking skill is not bad.”The man suddenly grew interested in Weston. [Why did you divorce him?]“Haven’t I told you enough today?”She shrugged nonchalantly. “I have no feelings for him anymore.”[You can actually get over him so easily after so many years of affection?]Stella laughed. “Even the deepest feelings wear out one day. Not to mention the last three years, I loved him for too long in the past, so I really could not hold on…”Clink!She heard the glass hitting the table's surface and asked him hurriedly in shock, “What’s wrong?”[Nothing.][My hands slipped. Do you want some fruit?]“Sure. Wash an apple for me.”The m
She did not know why, but though she clearly couldn’t see this man and didn’t know what he looked like, she felt unusually relaxed when interacting with him.“This is not a secret anyway. The entire city knows about it.”Weston held a press conference three years ago in order to clear her name and make these details known to the public.[I heard rumors that he had a very painful time in the past three years.] The man paused for a moment and looked at her.Stella laughed. “You do know a lot about him.”After pausing for a moment, the man said, [Not really. It’s just that basically all the people in Ahn City know about him.]“Indeed. His every action is watched and exaggerated.”She no longer had any particular emotion when she talked about this matter.It was just that…She suddenly stared at the man beside her. “Why do you care about him so much?”[Do I?]“Of course. Don’t you think you care too much about my ex-husband? Those who don’t know you will think you’re interested
“Do you consider love at first sight as something frivolous?”The man said, [You’ve loved Weston for so many years. Didn’t you fall in love with him at first sight?]Stella said, “Of course not.”She recalled the past. “I only liked him because he helped me.”[Did he? Tell me about it.]She pinched her glabella. “I didn’t have a deep connection with him at that time. I didn’t even talk to him. He and Guinevere are people of the same world, one that does not intersect with the world of people like us. Our worlds were like two parallel lines. I was a little high-minded when studying, so maybe some people did not like me. At that time, a dropout liked me. He confessed to me, but I rejected him. So he and his friends blocked me on my way from school. I was alone and was almost dragged by them to the alley. Weston saw it and helped me…”The man did not seem to think there was such a thing and slightly raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t expect this.”“Yes. I also did not expect that a man
Stella was taken aback a little, not knowing what to say for a moment.After a while, the man picked her up again and headed outside.[What else do you want to do? Want to go out for a stroll in the park?]She shook her head. “No. I want to listen to a podcast and go to bed later.”He knew she was unwilling to be with him.So he nodded. [Okay. I will stay here. Call me if you need me.]“Aren’t you studying at university now? Don’t you have anything else to do?” She frowned.[Nothing is more important than you.]She was speechless.Joan returned only after sunset.She was relieved to hear that Stella had had her meal. “It’s a relief that I did not starve you, Mrs. Ford.”Stella wanted to correct the way she addressed her, but the man stood up and said, [Did you get all the ingredients?]“Yes.”Joan said, “They are all Mrs. Ford’s favorite. I traveled miles to the suburb to get this fresh sea bass.”The man nodded and took the live fish to the kitchen to clean them.Stella
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