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
Guinevere was taken aback by his offer. “I remember that you never use body doubles in your movies…” “What else can we do? Are we just going to forget this scene if you can’t do it?” Bradley grumbled with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Guinevere could sense that he was upset, and her face turned dark with displeasure. A moment later, she said, “Alright, then. Let’s bring in a double. It’s my fault in the first place that I couldn’t do it well.” Bradley didn’t even bother casting her a second look, turning instantly to a crew member next to him, instructing, “Find a double for Guinevere right away.” “Sure.” Guinevere stood silently at the side. When the body double came over, Guinevere’s brows furrowed when she saw her. “This actress’ figure is so different from mine. It’ll be so obvious that she’s a body double.” Bradley paused for a moment and looked at her. “What do you mean by that?” Guinevere went on, “If you really want a body double, you should at least find
“Where can I go to find someone who looks exactly like you?” Bradley couldn’t help but question her proposal. “It’s just a body double scene. All we’re looking for is the motion and the overall effect.” “I know…” Guinevere said, looking regretful. “But I thought that you’re like me, a perfectionist in work.” The manner in which she put it left Bradley with no choice but to swallow his words. In frustration, he kicked a chair by his feet. Guinevere could clearly tell that he was raging. Bradley did not bother hiding the fury etched on his face. He would’ve probably given up tolerating her behavior if it weren't for her family. Guinevere decided to take a step back and offer them a solution, “Ella looks somewhat like me, and she filmed her fighting scene well just now. Would she be able to serve as my double?” Everyone turned to look at Stella upon Guinevere’s suggestion. It was then that everyone realized that Stella did look somewhat like Guinevere. Perhaps good-looking
With that, Guinevere asked her assistant to present Stella with a welcome gift. Each of the crew received an ordinary gift box, but this time, Stella received a wedding favor that Guinevere had given out previously. Her assistant brought over a red gift box and handed it to Stella. Stella did not immediately receive the gift, which made Guinevere appear to think of something, “Oh yes, I forgot. This is Weston and my wedding gift. It’s just a little token that we prepared for everyone in the crew to share our joy. I previously distributed it to the team, but I’m not sure if you received it. I want to make sure that you receive your portion…” Ensuring that Stella received her portion was just an excuse for Guinevere to show off in front of her. Stella remained calm and composed even as she witnessed Guinevere doing all she could to declare her ownership over Weston. She reached out to receive the gift, after which Guinevere released her hand and said, “Apologies, I have to ta
Right after he put down the phone, someone knocked on his door. It was his doctor doing his rounds. “How do you feel today?” Henry was about to reply when he saw a woman following the doctor from behind. The doctor explained, “She’s here to observe me. Please ignore her.” Henry nodded, but he noticed someone familiar right next to the lady. Xavier Ford. Xavier had come looking for Zeta when he recalled that Henry also received treatment in this hospital. He waved to him. Zeta immediately told the doctor next to her, “I have something else to attend to, and I’m heading back to the office.” “Sure, go ahead.” She turned to leave, and Xavier instinctively trailed her. Zeta immediately said, “Stay here and chat with Henry. I’ll go and be busy.” With that, Zeta turned to leave in a hurry, seeming as though she was trying to avoid him. Xavier said nothing more. He sneered and sat down on the couch, looking at Henry. “I have no choice but to come over and visit you.”
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