Bradley shook his head and called for a random actor from his crew. “He entered the scene just last year and hasn’t even graduated. Ask him how much he gets paid.” Stella felt herself slowly walking into a trap. After a while, Bradley called another person. She could not deny that she was truly tempted. She knew that Bradley wouldn’t risk ruining his reputation by lying to an amateur like her, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was a pie in the sky. “I’m sorry.” If she were to allow Bradley to go on, she felt like she would end up succumbing to the temptation. She needed a quiet place to contemplate his offer. “It’s already very late, I really should be heading home.” She supposed that Weston was probably no longer in the mood, now that it was already so late. Stella was dragging her feet in going home also because she was worried about him demanding her to do something if she went back too early. Although she knew that there was nothing she could do as long as he
He was right in the middle of the crowd, and he stood out like a rose among the thorns. The entertainment industry was one that put influence and power above everything else. Everyone who looked expressionless and bored earlier now buzzed busily around Weston, sucking up and trying to please him. Stella looked on at the tall, handsome man in a black trench coat. His broad shoulders tapered to his lean waist, and his good figure certainly drew everyone’s attention. Even the male celebrities on set could not compare. His look and figure met the highest standard in the industry and was considered one of the finest men in the country. Possessing a killer aura capable of bringing down the crowd in seconds, his every move gave credence to the authority and power he wielded as a leader. Stella looked away, but could still feel his hot, searing gaze on her. Ruby was rendered speechless as she tugged Stella’s sleeve. “Ms. Steele, that man is so handsome!” Stella remained quiet and
Everyone in the room fell silent at his words. No one dared to breathe, not knowing what Weston really meant. Was that a casual question, or did he have an opinion on that? There was nothing Bradley hadn’t seen before in the entertainment industry, not to mention the many corporate leaders who often sucked up to him. He was deemed a cash cow, with most of his shows garnering critical acclaim and raking in the big bucks at the box office. He could guarantee them millions in returns, which certainly made him someone they had to woo and please. Weston, however, was different. Given his status and position, there was no need for him to bow to anyone. Bradley asked, “Mr. Ford, you are here today for…?” He had a kind and warm smile on his face, in stark contrast with how he lost his temper on set earlier. Weston looked at him. “Director Lane, since when did you become interested in casting non-professionals in your movies? I thought that with your high expectations, you would
Stella’s body trembled as her face turned pale, but she didn’t say a word. Mr. Smith had driven here to fetch Ruby. After settling Ruby in the car, Stella stood at the door and stayed outside. Mr. Smith looked at her. “Ms. Steele, aren’t you getting in?” Stella shook her head. “I still have something to attend to. Mr. Smith, please send Ruby home first.” Ruby stuck her head out of the window. “Mr. Steele, let my dad fetch you home!” Stella, smiling, replied, “I still have something else to do. Go home safe.” Although Mr. Smith’s private life wasn’t exactly clean, as Stella remembered all the arrangements he made in the private room, he knew his way around people. He said to Stella, “It’s not safe for a woman to be around so late at night. If you have nothing important, please let me send you home.” His words sounded reasonable and kind, and it was hard to associate this man with someone who objectified women. Stella shook her head with a smile. There were just too many
“Yes, of course, we are different! If there was a choice, which ordinary woman would be willing to be a mistress like I am, to be ruined to such an extent by you!” Stella growled in agitation. His eyes turned dark as he tightened his grip. “I ruined you? Stella Sealey, just go out and hear from the grapevine, and you’ll find out just how many women are willing to jump into my bed, all with a snap of my fingers. Me? Ruin you?” In a world where interests and gains preceded all, words like virtue and morals were non-existent in showbiz.This was especially so in the industry, where people of power all dabbled in extra-marital affairs. “If you need money, all you need to do is to open your mouth, say a few nice words and I’ll give you all the money you want.” Sometimes, Weston really wanted to open up this woman’s brain to see what actually made it tick. “How much can filming earn you? So what if you manage to earn all the money from the box office? As long as you drop a few pitif
The living room with yellow lights was the only dimly lit spot in the mansion. Rain had started falling outside, making the night seem colder. The pitter-patter of the rain resounded loudly in the ears. Stella weakly shoved the man pinning her down. The jarring physical disparity between the male and female bodies overwhelmed her. Her eyes trembled, marred with pain and heavy resistance. As if completely oblivious to it, Weston held the back of her head and forced himself upon her. He was a very aggressive man who desired control—Stella had already experienced his yearn for domination just now. She didn’t understand—if Weston’s sense of possessiveness was so strong over his own woman, why did he allow Guinevere to be cast in the first place? From what she knew, the movie Guinevere had acted in after clinching the Best Female Actor award was littered with intimate scenes that bordered on obscene. This was probably because she was a mistress, one stripped of any say and
Weston could tell that she felt uneasy when she walked out of the washroom. Keeping silent, he closed his book and placed it on the table next to him. “Let’s rest for today. What would you like to do?” Stella turned her head around and glanced at the clock. “I want to go to work.” The sight of his brows furrowing made Stella explain. “Teachers at the training center don’t get the weekends off. Many children spend their entire weekends on supplementary classes.” Others might be able to enjoy a free weekend with nothing to do, but to them, it was the golden working period. He simply stood up without a word and walked past her. “I’ll send you,” he said lightly when he reached the door. Stella had her back towards him. Her head lowered as conflicting emotions arose in her heart. But she had no choice other than to follow behind him. When they left the house, she couldn’t help but try to negotiate. “Haven’t we agreed that the driver would send me to work?” Weston steered t
Joyce was slightly taken aback by Stella’s presence. Her face was flushed, and her eyes darted everywhere. It was unclear as to what she was just doing. Stella looked at her strangely. “You don’t have any classes scheduled today, have you?” She glanced at the class schedule, clearly recalling that Joyce didn’t have classes arranged for today. When it came to the teachers, Joyce wasn’t the most professional one of the bunch. She taught traditional folk dance, but constantly cut corners during her classes. Sometimes, she would end classes when it wasn’t time, and her students learned at a very slow pace. As such, class coordinators seldom prioritized her classes and frequently made her do more of the planning work. Joyce’s face changed as she defended, “Can’t I come over to take a look even without any classes scheduled? With so many outstanding colleagues at work, can’t I come over and learn from you guys?” Stella knew it’d be impossible to talk reason with someone like Joyc
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