At Ford Mansion, Lawyers from both sides began declaring both parties’ respective financial situations. All documents were duplicated multiple times, so everyone could have their own copy. Everyone in the room took it seriously as they read the documents in their hands, and the atmosphere was tense and quiet. As they read on, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen’s brows began furrowing tightly. It was especially so for Mr. Cohen, who suddenly placed one of the files on the table and tapped his fingers on it. “What’s with this? I don’t recall that the risk level of this Fern City project was so high.” Weston simply glanced over him and said, “Things have changed. This is our most optimistic projection after going through the risk analysis.” Mr. Cohen’s face darkened. “Why didn’t you say this earlier?” Both families had high hopes for this project, with the Cohen family ready to participate the moment they got married, going as far as to invest a huge portion of their family fortune. Thi
He could not say it out loud because of his pride. All he could do was glance at Mrs. Cohen for a moment. A woman was more suitable to intervene in such matters.Mrs. Cohen understood this. She looked at Guinevere gently and sighed. “Your father and I certainly wish for the best for you. It’ll be great if you can stay with Weston happily. Your happiness is more important than anything…” Guinevere breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes were a bit red. “Thank you, Mom.”“But…” Mrs. Cohen dragged her words.Guinevere’s expression changed when she heard that.Mrs. Cohen said, “Marriage is not as simple as dating. This is a big thing. Are you sure you want to marry Weston?”“I am!” Guinevere answered quickly and firmly.She looked at Weston and repeated, “I am.”Weston did not respond. He only looked at her and glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Cohen. “It seems that you two still have many considerations.” Mrs. Cohen nodded and said solemnly, “This is not a matter of mutual interest… We’re mo
Upon that, Chris’s face turned ugly.“Investments are risky. Are you trying to use your daughter’s marriage as a bargaining chip? Are you telling Weston to guarantee that you won’t lose money? Impossible!“If they get married, it’s only natural for both families to face the risks together!” Mr. and Mrs. Cohen exchanged a look. They had a mutual understanding of this.If Guinevere and Weston were not married, they could protect themself from the risk as only business partners. But if they got married, they would have to share all the losses.Their maximum benefit from this cooperation would remain unchanged in both scenarios. Therefore, getting a marriage license at this time would do more harm than good.Mr. Cohen fell into a short silence before explaining, “We’re not just looking at our risks and benefits, but for our daughter’s happiness too.” Mr. Cohen cleared his throat and put on a stern face. “Let’s put those aside for now. I don’t think Weston has been very sincere abo
Guinevere never knew Weston could be so irritating at times.“Do you want to marry me or not?” She was a proud woman, but she had been enduring so many grievances for so long. It was inevitable for her to be emotional at the sudden changes. Weston glanced at her coolly. “I’m not the one who can decide now…” He reminded her and turned to Mr. Cohen. “Mr. Cohen is the one deciding now.”He easily directed the question at Guinevere’s parents, who were sitting across the room.Guinevere took a deep breath and looked at her parents across the room. “Dad, Mom. I believe in Weston. His project in Fern City will surely be profitable. Our marriage won’t affect anything—”“Silly child! You don’t understand what’s at stake!” Mr. Cohen scolded her in a low voice. He pointed to the papers on the table. “Do you even know what these terms mean? If anything goes wrong, it will hurt our family!”“In the end, it’s all about profit!” Guinevere finally understood and laughed sarcastically. “Money! I
Mrs. Cohen could not bear seeing Guinevere’s sadness, but she just could not understand. “Gwen, don’t be so sad. It’s for your own good! Weston doesn't want you to share his risk as soon as you marry him. After all, doing business is like going on the battlefield. The market changes very quickly. You might be wealthy, but you shouldn't act on a whim!” Guinevere knew her mother was trying to comfort her. However, she just could not stand listening to her anymore. She turned to the side, unwilling to listen to her mother.Seeing that, Mrs. Cohen sighed.Mr. Cohen could not accept the way his daughter acted. He berated her coldly, “Just look at you! It’s just a marriage license. If you can’t get over it, ask Weston to hold a wedding ceremony for you. You both have a child already. Do you really need that license now?” Guinevere remained silent, but tears continued to stream down her cheeks.She was already emotionally unstable. She never imagined that her parents would be the bigge
Weston said to him, “Everything is about a matter of order and appropriateness. Don’t you agree?”Mr. Cohen pondered for a while and agreed with him. “I hope you can show the same confidence on the Fern City project.”“Of course.”Mr. Cohen breathed a sigh of relief. He was slightly more confident upon Weston’s affirmation. The big project in Fern City was his utmost priority now. He had been keeping an eye on it.Weston was in charge of the project, which meant the success of the project was likely guaranteed.The Cohen family was just a business partner, but they would make a lot of money if the project succeeded with a good response. By then, he would basically have a say regarding the Cohen family’s heir. This was very important to him, so his attitude toward Weston changed a lot.“Gwen will probably hold a grudge against us for today’s matter… She has always listened to you. I hope you can help put in a few words for us and help her understand our reasons.”“This is withi
The moment she rushed out of her room, Guinevere knew she had lost. She was completely defeated.She held Weston in her arms.The two of them were alone in the hallway as Guinevere burst into tears. “Why can’t you say something and make me feel better? Why…”Weston remained silent and let her cry. He waited until she was done crying and had calmed down. Then, he spoke in a low voice.“Have you calmed down? Can we talk now?”Guinevere exhaled as a sad smile surfaced on her face.Weston was always like that. He was always so calm with her. His little indulgence and understanding for her were always based on logical reasons.“Do you not want to marry me at all?” Guinevere suddenly asked.Weston pulled her hand away and turned to look at her. He saw her bloodshot eyes but said nothing.Guinevere continued asking, “I've been with you for years. I’m always chasing after you. Weston, don’t you feel anything for me at all?”“I didn’t ask for it,” Weston replied flatly.Guinevere fou
Chris was probably the only one who really wanted to see Guinevere and Weston get married, apart from Guinevere herself. However, he did not expect such a change.Wendy was the only one left in the living room. She asked someone to bring her a cup of tea and slowly enjoyed it. When she heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the stairs, she glanced up at the two people who were walking downstairs.“Have you figured things out?” Her words were clearly directed at Guinevere.Guinevere was still feeling down, but she was not as rash as before. She sat down opposite Wendy quietly and said, “I’ve figured things out. It’s only a year. I can wait.”Wendy did not think she would be so willing to bear the humiliation for the greater good. She said with a smile, “You really love Weston so much. As his mother, I’m happy to see this.”Guinevere’s mouth twitched. What Wendy said did not cheer her up at all.The lawyers had already left. Guinevere stared at the documents that were meant fo
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