Stella had nearly forgotten he existed since he hadn't appeared in a few days.But every time he appeared, she felt bone-chilling anxiety and helplessness clinging to her.Without thinking twice, she hung up the phone.Yet before she could calm down, her phone rang once again.It was still the same familiar number.It seemed as though he wouldn't stop calling her as long as she didn't respond.She knew it wasn't the solution, but she blocked his phone for a moment of serenity. She then left the training center without giving it any attention.Yvonne hadn’t been to work in a while, and it seemed that something had occurred at home.Stella didn’t talk much to the others since some of them didn't like her.She walked straight into the elevator and walked toward the parking lot.A familiar car drove near her and honked.She took a closer look and found that it was Justin’s car, then her eyes flickered for a moment.She couldn't help but hesitate as she remembered Weston's phone
The man's eyes were as frigid as ice and filled with murderous intent.She closed her eyes tightly. Her eyelashes shook from her heavy breathing, and her eyes were red with tears pooling in them. “Do I really have to do this?”…Inside the car.Stella was a bit distracted and kept glancing at her phone inadvertently.Not a while later, her phone rang. It was another unknown number.She didn’t even need to open the message to know who it was from.She glanced at her phone, which had two words shown on the screen.“Get out.”She closed her eyes and imagined how harsh Weston's tone would've sounded if he said these words in person.Justin had been observing her and noticed something was wrong with her. So, he gradually stepped on the brake, causing the car to slow down.“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.She shook her head and gave him the phone, her face as pale as a sheet.The two words on the screen pierced his eyes, as if daring him.He stepped hard on the gas pedal with
Stella glanced at Justin's face and blocked the number without thinking.She didn’t want Weston to disturb her life anymore.…Weston was not a patient guy. Stella could tell since he stopped sending her text messages.As their car arrived in front of the school gate, she took a glance at her dark screen before shifting her gaze away.Justin helped her out of the car by opening the car door and unbuckling her seat belt.He purposefully placed his arms over her shoulders, closing the gap between them.Stella initially wanted to dodge, but after giving it some thought, she gave up and stood stiffly alongside him.The two looked like a couple.She felt there was no need to be pompous since they had already discussed getting married in the future. Hence, immediately adapting herself to the position of a wife would be beneficial for them.There were so many loveless married couples in the world. Stella believed she and Justin could do the same and still respect one another.A gre
"If he heard you say that, he'd probably scoff and say I simply did it for my own sake." He chuckled loudly.There were too many students.For a moment, Stella couldn’t identify the boy.Justin had shown her a photo of his son before arriving there. He seemed to be a little boy in the photograph.But now that he was a teen in school uniform, it was difficult for her to tell which one was him.It wasn't until a tall boy with a backpack casually strolled in front of them that she recognized it was Bryce.She subconsciously straightened up her body and stood still.Justin saw him first. "Hey, over here," he said as he took a step forward.Bryce had spotted them a long time ago. The grin on his face faded gradually. However, he stayed courteous and greeted Stella first. "Hello, miss."Then he turned to face Justin and called out, "Dad."Justin stroked his head softly and took over his bag. "Get in the car."Bryce nodded, and without saying much, he climbed into the back seat.S
“Really?” Justin pulled over to the side of the road and extended his hand. “Let me listen to it.”Although it was an old phone, it had everything besides games.Bryce merely glanced at him before turning his head to the other side.Stella saw the tension between the father and son and couldn't help but ask, "Are you guys hungry?"Justin looked at her."Students typically eat on time at school," she said, pointing to her belly and then pointing to Bryce's tummy. "He could be hungry later if we don't get to the restaurant."Justin's expression softened slightly. "Why are you pointing to your stomach if you think he could be hungry later?"Stella scratched her head awkwardly. “I eat on time too.”When Justin heard this, he burst out laughing and shook his head. “You’re still a kid after all.”A small grin appeared on Bryce’s face.Although he laughed along with them, there was disdain in his eyes.She was only 10 years older than him.Justin was in his forties at the time. Th
Stella nodded and stood up with her bag. “I’ll be back soon.”After exiting the private room, she let out a sigh of relief.The air blowing down the hallway helped clear her jumbled thoughts.The dishes hadn’t been served and since she had time, she walked to the bathroom.The lady’s washroom was not far away in the corridor.A waitress in a dress nodded to her as they passed each other.Stella increased her pace. She felt a sudden presence from behind her as she rounded the corner.She subconsciously stopped.A pair of dark eyes were staring at her as she turned behind.It was Weston.Her stomach sank, though, she wasn’t shocked to see him there. She merely pursed her lips and marched straight ahead, as if she didn't see him.Weston would never let her go that way. He gave pursuit, and without saying anything, picked her off the ground and headed into the private room.She immediately pushed him off. “What are you doing?”Although she had shoved him violently, he didn't r
Anger boiled inside Stella.She could sense that the man in front of her was enraged.His hand pinned her shoulder down so hard it felt like he intended to break her bones.Weston held her tightly in his arms, wishing badly that he could keep every piece of her to himself.He couldn't contain his rage at the sight of her smiling at the guy. It was only after they kissed that he felt somewhat better.As he smooched her, his hands couldn’t stop moving around her body.In utter disgust, Stella shoved him away with all her might. “Let go of me!”She was really fighting hard to not let him touch her anymore.His kisses and affection only repelled her.But the more she resisted him, the more enraged he became. "So you're willing to degrade yourself in order to satisfy him and his son, but wouldn't do it for me?"His voice boomed. "How old is he?" 40? His kid is barely 10 years younger than you! Come be my son's stepmother if you like being ine."As he spoke, he started to tear her
“Weston, you’re really the fakest person I’ve ever met.”The blood on his knuckles still flowed, and the room was overpowered with the stench of blood.Her words were like toxic vines that had sliced a rift between them.But he was no longer interested in them. "I'll give you a few minutes to walk out there and tell the father and son that you won't see them again," he barked coldly.Stella's sparkling eyes finally showed emotion when he finished his words.They dimmed until all that was left was coldness.“Impossible,” she said and shook her head.That one word was enough to anger Weston.He tightened his grip and suffocated her, not letting go even when her face became crimson. "Don't test my patience."He realized she had many ways to make him lose control.The first was having him see her fall from the building, and now he had to watch her start a family with another guy.She would rather be someone else’s stepmother than spare him another glance.This alone drove him t
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