Stella finally understood what he meant.“You want me to cook for you?”Weston leaned against the glass door frame beside him, not answering Stella’s question.“No problem.” Stella nodded. Weston’s silence clearly did not faze her. “What would you like to eat?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen.Weston gazed at Stella as she walked away. Her long hair cascaded down her back, almost reaching her waist. He remembered how much shorter it was when they first got married. Every night, she would lie on their bed, her shiny black hair forming a stark contrast with the white sheets. Now every time he saw the clashing colors of black and white, it would remind him of Stella in bed and he would lose control of himself for a moment. Weston set his wandering thoughts aside and his eyes darkened.“Surely you know exactly what I like to eat?” he replied.In fact, not even his own parents knew his exact preferences. Growing up, he had always had the best of everything served up to
Stella quickly squashed the crazy idea. She couldn’t possibly put Roger in a position where his only living relative was a criminal.The clinking and clanking noise arose from the kitchen when Stella started cooking. Weston was sitting on the sofa in the living room. The news was playing on the television, but he wasn’t paying any attention to that. He was more interested in the noise that came from the kitchen. Weston realized that he had always taken all these little details for granted in the past. He wondered how many precious moments he’d lost forever. Stella did not put as much thought into the cooking as she did in the past, because she no longer had any interest to please Weston. All she wanted to do now was complete a chore that she was assigned. With that, she made a bowl of very simple chicken noodle soup and brought it out to the table. She noticed that it was looking a little too plain, so she quickly chopped up some scallions and garnished it on the soup. The little
Stella was startled at first, but she quickly regained her composure.“Are we starting now?” she asked.Stella’s words might sound vague, but Weston knew exactly what she meant. The desire that had cropped up in him just now completely dissipated in a moment. “I don’t have the mood now even if you begged for it!” he snapped, shoving Stella away.Weston then dashed back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.Stella stared at the closed door silently with disbelief.The night was still young. The television in the living room was still on. Stella walked towards the sofa and was about to sit down when a commercial starring Guinevere Cohen came up. The sight incited a complicated mix of feelings in Stella’s heart. Her eyes were glued on the woman on the screen. Scenes from the past flashed across her eyes.Stella leaned against the backrest, grabbed a pillow, and curled up on the sofa. She was wearing a long white cotton dress. Her long hair fell softly on her shoulders. The m
The night was chilly and the room was silent. It was almost two in the morning. Stella had settled into a deep sleep, no longer mumbling or talking.Weston had been by her side for more than an hour, but she had only just calmed down. But now that she was sound asleep, Weston was still too restless to go to bed. He was dressed in a long silk nightshirt. The dark blue satin fabric clung to his tall muscular frame. He stepped out onto the balcony and carefully slid the glass door close so as not to make a sound. For a while, he stood there and gazed through the glass at Stella who was lying on the sofa.Then he turned around and rested his arms on the railing as he looked down. The courtyard downstairs looked different under the soft illumination of street lamps. The bright green leaves looked dark and gloomy now as they rustled in the night breeze.The swaying shadows of the trees danced on the balcony, making it look like a scene from another dimension.Weston pulled out a cigare
Weston stood there gazing at Stella who was sound asleep on the sofa. His disheveled black hair cast a shadow across his eyes, rendering his expression impossible to read.He stayed that way for so long that he’d forgotten what time it was. It was the cold breeze that finally prompted him to go back inside. He slid the door open, sauntered over to Stella, and picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.…The next morning, Stella woke up to find herself in a tight embrace. She felt something hard bolstering her neck. She opened her eyes and saw that it was a man’s arm.“Weston,” she muttered without even thinking, trying to push the man away.But Weston did not get up. With his eyes still closed, he hugged Stella a little tighter.“Let’s sleep a little longer,” he murmured in her ear. “Okay?”Stella struggled to get up so she could check the time.“I need to go to work,” she told him.Weston pinned her body down before she could get away and pulled her back into his arms, n
Yvonne thought nothing of Stella’s response, but she did stare at Stella and hesitated whether she should say what was on her mind.Stella noticed this. Now that she had got her gift, she was sure that Yvonne would have something to say to her. She didn’t want Yvonne to feel awkward, so she took the initiative to bring it up herself.“If you want to ask me anything,” she started, “then just ask it. I won’t hide anything from you.”Seeing that she was so straightforward about it, Yvonne saw no point in beating around the bush.“So are you and Weston now…” Yvonne studied Stella’s face with seriousness.Stella said nothing in reply, but merely responded with a smile. It was a joyless smile though and she looked more resigned than happy.Yvonne immediately understood what Stella was trying to say.“How dare he!” she snapped.Stella shook her head repeatedly and grabbed Yvonne’s hand. Her face was turning pale.“Please don’t worry about this, okay?” Stella begged Yvonne. “I don’t w
But Joyce was not afraid of Stella. She was just taken aback by her look. She’d never seen Stella acting so cold before…What was going on with her? What had happened in Yvonne’s office? Why had she changed so much after that?… Stella had enough time to calm herself down that afternoon. She was a dance teacher, after all. Teaching the children was still the most important thing in her life.When it was almost time to get off work, Stella checked the time on her phone. It was the first time that she resented leaving work. She couldn’t go home now, so she gave her brother a call to tell him that she would be on a business trip for a while.Yvonne happened to pass by when she was telling Roger she couldn’t go home. She stopped and stared at Stella in dismay.Stella hung up the phone and turned around to leave, only to bump into Yvonne who was looking at her with a strange expression. Yvonne looked down at her shoes when their eyes met and said nothing. Stella was about to walk a
Although Mr. Smith couldn’t make it back home in time to take Ruby to the audition, he’d made all the necessary preparations beforehand. All Ruby needed was an adult to accompany her there, since she was still a child.The driver was already waiting downstairs, so once Ruby and Stella got into the car, they headed straight to the movie set.Stella had never been to a place like this. From afar she could see countless different equipment all set up in a wide area. There was a stage in the center of it all where the lights were focused on. Someone was on that stage holding a walkie-talkie and giving out commands to the large crew.Ruby, on the other hand, seemed to be familiar with the place. It was obviously not her first time on a film set.“Miss Steele,” the girl said when they arrived, “I think you should contact the director’s assistant. Everytime I’m here, Daddy would take me straight to him.”Stella nodded and followed the procedure that the nanny instructed her earlier. She
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