Weston suddenly pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back.“I know what you’re thinking, Stella. Please just give me a little more time.”Stella closed her eyes.She no longer had any trust in him.…The shooting had finally progressed up to the original schedule. Bradley too had been in a good mood lately. He feared that because of the rush, they might have to sacrifice the quality of the work. But after a short overtime stint, everything turned out surprisingly well, and they were even on schedule now.Guinevere had been uncharacteristically quiet these couple of days. She did not trouble Stella even once. That was because her mind was occupied by the fear that her connection to the kidnapper might be exposed. But so far, there was still no news of Weston taking any action since the kidnapper died. Everything was quickly dealt with, and with news of the man’s death being hushed, no one else caught wind of it.Seeing this, Guinevere could finally feel at ease. She did
Stella’s performance was so impressive that it drew everyone completely into the story, so when Guinevere interrupted it so suddenly, everyone on set was floored.“A little off?” asked Bradley, massaging his temples and trying very hard to suppress his rage. “How so, Guinevere?”“Sophie is a pure and naive character,” she replied. “She shouldn’t be so shrewd and devious when she turns to the dark side. She’s just a petty character! Didn’t you find that Ella’s performance didn’t fit the character?”“Perhaps it was a little unexpected,” said Bradley, “but that’s only because Ella’s interpretation of the character was even more layered and sophisticated than we thought.”For a moment in that scene, she even managed to outshine the heroine. It was also obvious that Guinevere had cut off the performance because she hated someone else standing out more than her. As a result, everyone just kept quiet.Only Bradley dared to speak up.“I think her performance will enrich the film,” he arg
Every time Weston wanted to pick Stella up, he would tell her to meet him at a certain place. But right now, she dreaded being seen going into Weston Ford’s car, especially not when she was working on the same movie set as Guinevere. Anyone at all could report it to her.After some consideration, she replied to the text message, saying, “I’m still in the middle of the shoot. Text me later.”After that, she got out and took a taxi straight to Fern University.Meanwhile, Weston’s face turned gloomy. The driver, noticing this, carefully asked, “Why are we going now, Mr. Ford?”“Where is she going?” he asked, rubbing his temples.Through the tracker, he saw that Stella had just gone to Fern University, to which he told Weston.“Follow her,” Weston instructed in a cold voice.“Yes, Mr. Ford.”… Stella had no clue that she was tracked. Once she reached the university, she paid the taxi driver, got out of the car, and called Roger to come out and meet her. Roger had just partici
Until now, the only thing on Stella’s mind was to do everything in her ability to ensure Roger would have a better future. She didn’t have the time to process how his absence would make her feel.But now, the reality of the situation had finally set in. Ever since their parents died, the two had never been separated.“You know…” Roger grumbled gloomily. “I can just study here… I don’t really have to go abroad.”It was obvious that he was feeling down too.“Forget it,” he continued after a pause, sighing. “I’ve made up my mind, and all the preparations are almost done. I won’t back down now. Just wait for me, sis. I promise I’ll study as hard as possible and get a good job. No one will dare bully you then!”“Good!” Stella smiled. She picked up a barbecued pork rib with her fork and placed it on Roger’s plate. Ribs were his favorite food.Then her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it and the light in her eyes instantly dimmed.It was Weston. She hadn’t told him about coming here
Stella’s lips were still bright red from the kiss, clearly showcasing Weston’s violence and voracity. Her words were obviously overflowing with biting sarcasm, but they were also undeniably flattering. Stella was an intelligent woman, something that was plain to see, judging by her recent behavior. She now knew exactly what to do and say to manipulate Weston into getting what she wanted.Weston saw through every bit of this, but he seemed powerless to oppose it. She, too, knew about this, which was why she had been so bold in testing his limits.He sighed lightly and kissed the corner of her lips.“How many times do I have to tell you, Stella? You can always ask for my help whenever you’re in trouble. I meant every word I said.”“I know, I know… I’ll definitely remember that.”Though her words were reaffirming, the tone of her voice was dull and flat.The problem regarding Guinevere couldn’t be easier to resolve, especially because she didn’t dare to cause another rift between
With the club packed to its brim like canned sardines, there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t bump into an acquaintance here, which would cause more trouble. Stella definitely didn’t want that.“If you’re worried about people recognizing us,” said Weston, stroking her hair gently, “then just relax and have fun. Let me deal with the rest.”“No,” she shook her head. “It’s fine. I don’t like this kind of place anyway.”“You don’t? Why did you come here then?”“Only because it looked exciting. We didn’t even have that much fun the last time I was here with Yvonne.”Weston suddenly stopped in his tracks and gave Stella a strange look.“Why not?” he asked. “Did you not like that pianist?”“I was only enjoying the music he played,” she grumbled, glaring at him. “Why did you have to use that accusatory tone with me?”Weston had put it as if she had cheated on him with that pianist. “Just remember not to do that kind of thing again,” he warned her, pinching her nose. “You know I do
Stella looked at the fruit punch before her and shook her head. “I would like some wine, too.” He furrowed his brows, “Are you not aware of the state of your stomach? Forget about even touching any alcohol.” This time around, Stella decided to be disobedient and insisted, “I’ll just take a sip. Yours looks really good…” He ignored her and picked up his glass of champagne, sipping on it before placing it back on the glass counter. He reached out to unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt and leaned back leisurely. That simple action revealed his collarbones and effectively lent a wicked and unruly aura to the originally formal-looking shirt. “If you want it, come and get it yourself.” His brow arched as he looked at Stella challengingly, “If you get it, it’s yours.” Stella knew that he was provoking her, but it successfully incited the streak of competitiveness in her. She stood up, walked towards him, and was about to snatch the glass of champagne away when Weston gra
Stella looked at him, slightly confused. “What do you mean?” Weston looked straight into her eyes as if trying to peer into her soul. “It was your first time on our wedding night.” He said it with certainty. He remembered that Stella was a complete wreck that night. It was easy to tell that she was a virgin. Given that she was just slightly over 20 years old, it was understandable that she was still a virgin. Yet, it did not necessarily mean that she never liked any other men before him. Weston was suddenly very interested in this topic, and he looked deeply at her, “Did you like any other men before me?” Stella remained silent. Weston pinched her chin hard and turned her face towards him. “Tell me the truth.” Stella paused for a moment, then decided to come clean. “Of course, I did.” She sensed Weston pinching her chin even harder, and he seemed suddenly intrigued. “Do you even care about something so trivial?” Weston naturally wouldn’t admit to the extent of h
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