Roger’s expressions turned sour when he noticed Riley’s smile.“What are you smiling at?” he barked. “Nothing,” replied Riley, looking very innocent. “Was I smiling?”“You!”Roger had always been cold around Riley, but she’d never taken it to heart and gotten discouraged. Instead, she merely persisted with a big smile on her face.Stella laughed as she looked on at the interaction between those two. Then she turned to Roger, and the warmth on her face disappeared. She had become stern and serious.“I’ve taken care of last night’s problems,” she told him a little coldly. “If you ever step into a place like that again, don’t blame me for beating you up!”Roger gripped the coffee cup in his hand the second he heard her speak of last night.“Sis…” he began. “How did you deal with that Rory guy? What did he do to you?”“Nothing,” she replied. “It’s all been dealt with anyway, so don’t ever go near that bar, and if you ever see that guy again, just avoid him. Understood?”Stella c
He looked just like a completely normal guy to her. He seemed healthy, and he was very smart. In fact, he was renowned as one of the hottest guys on campus!Roger never talked to anyone about his illness precisely because he hated this look people would give him.“I guess you’ll finally stop pestering me now that you know I’m ill,” he said irritably.“What?” Riley was stupefied. She simply couldn’t find any sense in his words. “Why would I stop pursuing you after I find out you’re sick?”“I’m starting to wonder if it’s me or you who’s ill here!” snapped Roger. “I’m not a normal healthy man! There must be something wrong with your head if you’re going to pursue someone like me!”“Don’t ever say that!” Riley snapped, the stress in her voice clearly audible. “I like you in your entirety! What does it have to do with you being sick?”“You…” Roger was speechless for a while, but then he looked away and added, “Whatever. It’s none of my business anyway.”Stella laughed as she saw that
In order to put Stella at ease, Roger sat obediently before the doctor and allowed the nurses to do whatever they needed on him. Only after his vitals had been checked and given the all-clear did he turn to look at Stella helplessly. “Stella, do you feel more assured now?” Stella ignored him the entire time and instead had her eyes fixed on the medical report in her hands. The doctor reminded them, “As much as the surgery went successfully, he still needs to upkeep healthy daily habits and not drink too much alcohol…” That was when Stella asked Roger, “Did you hear what the doctor said?” Roger nodded guiltily, “I won’t do that again…” He thought things would be over just like this, but right after Stella settled the bill and walked along the corridor with him, she asked in a seemingly casual manner, “Why did you get yourself drunk last night?” Roger halted in his footsteps, a glint flashing past his eyes. “Nothing much… I was just in a bad mood…” “Why were you in a bad
He never expected that the man he saw last night… would turn out to be Weston Ford. Even his father had never seen Weston Ford in the flesh. He had only seen Weston from afar one time at a business event, but Weston did not know him at all. The redhead had frequently heard his dad praising Weston for being a young yet capable entrepreneur, yet he never expected Weston to be so young and good-looking. According to his limited knowledge, successful people in the business world basically looked like his father: pot-bellied, greasy, almost bald, and almost always surrounded by scantily clad women. In business circles, wealthy men who were not ugly were considered hunks. However, it was his first time seeing a truly handsome businessman like Weston. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ford. I was blind and offended you by accident last night. Please forgive me…” He immediately stepped forward upon his father’s signal and gave Weston a respectful and reverent apology. Weston remained silent as
Both men had just left Weston’s office. Ben clearly called them insolent, probably for offending Weston. Yet, the man claimed that it was they who’d offended Weston’s woman. Guinevere herself had never seen these two men, clearly indicating that the woman they were referring to… Was someone else. When she entered Weston’s office, Guinevere said to Ben, “Go and be busy with your work.” Ben hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Just call me if you need anything.” “I will.” Guinevere turned to look at Weston, who was going through some documents. “Weston,” she called out as she shut the door behind her. He did not reply. As if he hadn’t sensed her arrival at all, he continued on his work without so much as looking up at her. Guinevere took a deep breath to calm herself down at his obvious negligence of her. “Weston Ford, don’t you have anything to say to me?” “What do you want to hear?” He flipped a page of his document, his expression unchanged. Guinevere cl
Guinevere suddenly clutched her chest and stepped back a few steps, “…was that man really you? You wore a mask to the banquet to come to Ella’s rescue?” His response was way more hurtful than directly admitting to it. She understood Weston well enough to know he’d never hide things from anyone, and he would've never said anything like that if he really didn’t do it. The realization made her throat constrict so tight that it almost choked her. She couldn’t stop herself from blurting, “When did things begin between you and her?” She added a moment later, “Is it because she looks like Stella Sealey… because Ella looks like Stella, that you treat her so differently?” Her eyes turned red. “I asked you yesterday if you’re in love with Stella, and you refused to give me a response. I’m asking you one more time: Are you in love with her?” Weston remained silent as he did previously. Guinevere went on with her one-sided interrogation, “You’re in love with Stella, which is why you
Guinevere couldn’t feel a single ounce of warmth and asked tearfully, “Were you that superficial when you hugged Stella?” “Don’t mention her name again.” “Why can’t I?” Guinevere wiped away the tears on her face and looked up at him. “To you, her name is taboo. Is it because you don’t want to hear her name or because you don’t dare to? …because your heart aches each time you think about her, doesn’t it?” She suddenly spoke right into his heart. “Do you regret choosing me when you had to choose between us?” So what if Weston did choose her back then? He might have come to regret it now. Weston grabbed her arms and pushed her away. He lowered his head and looked right into her eyes, “Or, you might have gotten it all wrong. I didn’t choose anyone back then. Long before things blew up, I had already made arrangements downstairs. Those kidnappers wouldn’t have been able to bring Stella away.” “What do you mean by that?” Guinevere’s eyes trembled. “Do you mean that you’ve nev
Everyone around her fell silent. It wasn’t until another secretary seated next to her asked, “Daisy, do you feel unwell?” did Daisy snap back to attention with a shake of her head. “No, I’m fine.” As the work day was almost coming to an end, her phone rang, and she saw an incoming text from Xavier. “Dinner?” Daisy was slightly annoyed, but upon recalling how Xavier had helped her, she decided to reply anyway. “Sure. Come over and pick me up.” She had just clicked on “Send” when the sound of familiar footsteps could be heard coming from the other end of the corridor. Xavier walked toward her and waved the phone in his hand. “Turns out that it was a good idea for me to come in advance. At least you have enough of a heart to agree to a meal with me.” Daisy was slightly taken aback at his appearance. “Why are you here?” Xavier took over her bag. “Since it’s a date, of course, I have to prepare in advance.” A serial sweet-talker, a man like him, would naturally avoid te
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