Since Weston insisted that he was fine, Stella didn’t bother about him any further. In any case, when he was relating to her about Compassvale University, he didn’t seem very affected by the fever. His logic remained impeccable, and his expressions clear and concise. If it weren’t for the things he’d done to her in the past, Stella would’ve no doubt worshipped him. A man like Weston was born to be of an extraordinary existence. She had no idea why the heavens would bless someone so unfairly, granting him everything good. Looks, abilities, intellect, family background, and unwavering self-control—these attributes gave him the de-facto right to do whatever he liked with women. She never regretted meeting someone as outstanding as Weston during her schooling years, but even if she could turn back time, she would never choose to step into that marriage. The hurt that she experienced from it was too unforgettable. Losing something that she once had was infinitely more painfu
Stella responded, “I told you way earlier that you should see the doctor, but you insisted not to. You had to faint before you allowed the doctor to look at you.” “I didn’t faint,” Weston’s face fell as he corrected her. “I was just a little tired and fell asleep.” “Fine, whatever you say.” He furrowed his brows, unhappy that Stella was just trying to patronize him. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her close. “Sit here and keep me company. Don’t go anywhere else.” Stella wanted to go to her workroom to read her script, but she now had no choice but to sit back down. The family doctor couldn’t help but tease, “When I give you an injection later, do you want to cover his eyes, Ms. Steele?” He would only dare to joke like that because Stella was around. For some reason, he felt that Weston wouldn’t get angry because Stella was around. As he had expected, Weston looked at him with mild annoyance but did not pursue the matter. Stella chuckled and turned to W
A sense of helplessness washed over Stella. “I have my own things to do, too. I can’t even go to the bathroom if you insist on that.” “Did I not let you go to the bathroom just now?” Stella remained silent. She rubbed between her brows. “I want to get some water. Can you let me go, please?” Weston refused. She stood up, and he stood up along with her. Thus, unable to hold it in any longer, Stella raised her voice. “You’re still on a drip. If you move as you please, I’ll have to trouble the doctor to come and secure the needle again!” “Help me push the drip. I’ll go with you to get some water.” Weston found it absolutely reasonable. Stella was speechless. “The kitchen is right there. You can watch me pouring water for myself. Will I grow wings and fly out of this place?” Weston remained silent with pursed lips. His eyes widened as he considered telling her that he was indeed worried that someday, she would grow wings and fly out of this place, never to be seen again.
Stella paused before reaching out to feel his forehead. “Are you getting warm again?” Why would he still be so sticky even when he was awake? Weston simply stared at her and suddenly leaned in to kiss her. He pried open her mouth, his breath hot and heavy. Somehow, he could smell a refreshing scent on her, like an ocean breeze on a hot summer’s day. He kissed her deeply, savoring her lips and holding her tenderly. Stella realized that he was getting better and better at kissing. He seemed to be engrossed, immersed in trying to excite her senses. Stella had never seen Weston try so hard to make her feel good. Gone was his possessiveness and aggressiveness of the past, and although he was pushy, he wasn’t overbearing and was, in fact, warm and gentle. Only two of them were left in the hall. The movie credits were still rolling on the television screen. Stella had lowered the volume of the television. The background music couldn’t drown out the sound of her heart b
Weston didn’t know what to say. Every single word of Stella’s pierced deep into his heart. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He could only keep her in his embrace, holding her tightly against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. He never bothered explaining anything to anyone. But at this moment, he hoped that Stella could understand him. “Things are not what you think they are…” He finally owned up to his own feelings. “I do have feelings for you. Stella, I thought you knew.” “I don’t.” Stella took a deep breath and calmed herself down. “If this is how you treat someone you have feelings for, I don’t want it.” She had said the cruelest of words in the calmest of tones. “I won’t be so stupid as to fall in love with you a second time.” Weston avoided her gaze. He simply continued hugging her. After a long while, he asked, “…when did you fall in love with me?” “I don’t remember. I only remember the moment I stopped loving you,” Stella said. … The wil
He sang Guinevere’s words of praise, but Stella could tell that he meant something else. She smiled and didn’t say anything further. Instead, she focused on remembering her script. “Can I do it like this?” “Not bad,” the instructor nodded. “When you’re in front of the cameras, make sure your fighting sequences are meticulous—sharp and precise. Don’t just focus on hitting your opponents, but on displaying the character’s personality. Reimagine the original fighting scene in the author’s mind.” Stella found that what he said made sense and took his advice very seriously. A while later, there seemed to be a commotion among the crew, prompting them to look over. Someone had walked out of the dressing room; a rose amongst the thorns that drew everyone’s attention.The instructor said mildly, “Seems like the big celebrity is done with her makeup. The entire crew is waiting for her alone… She claims to want to catch up, yet she’s requesting everything to be done from the beginnin
Guinevere would never forget Stella’s face her entire life. When she saw her face in the studio, her head buzzed, and she stood absolutely frozen in place. She thought she was in the middle of a nightmare, as chills ran down her spine and she stood there petrified. It wasn’t until someone next to her reminded, “Gwen, are you feeling alright?” that Guinevere jolted awake and said, “I’m fine…” A glint flashed past her eyes as she looked towards Stella. Then, she asked someone next to her, “Who is she?” The crew member looked toward Stella and pondered for a moment before replying to her, “Oh, she’s probably a new actress! I forgot to inform you. Remember that actress for the young female warrior role you weren’t very satisfied with? Director Bradley replaced her with another actress. Although she’s new, she’s been performing pretty well in general. Just now, she even managed to film a fighting scene successfully…” The crew member appeared worried that Guinevere would mind tha
To her, the sum it cost was a mere small change, and it served to gain the crew’s favor. Even though some were unhappy with her work attitude, they couldn’t say much given that they had received so many gifts from her. Stella was resting in the set when the assistant suddenly ran towards her. “Ella, the director has called for you!” Stella stood up, slightly confused. Was it because she performed poorly just now? Only after she had walked to Bradley did she realize the woman standing next to him was none other than Guinevere. She clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug painfully into the flesh of her palms as she tried hard to keep a straight face. The sharp pain forced her to calm down. She turned to Bradley. “What’s the matter?” “Let me do the introductions. This is Guinevere Cohen. I suppose she needs no further introduction?” Stella nodded. “Ms. Cohen, I’ve heard so much about you.” She thought Guinevere would pretend not to know her, but Bradley cont
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