He knew that she wouldn’t give him the answer he wanted.Almost instantly, Stella got tired of playing her “deep-affection” trick on him and asked directly, “So what are you going to do about it? I will cooperate.”Indeed, she had deliberately provoked Guinevere since getting her enraged would increase the chances of ending the one-year contract earlier.Looking rather distraught, Weston remained silent. “You were too bold. Do you think you’ll be able to escape from me once she finds out about this?”He had hit the nail on the head. Stella couldn’t admit or refute him.Weston suddenly stretched out his hands and cupped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I know what’s on your mind, Stella. A year is a year, and I will absolutely keep my word. But if you have something else in your mind, I can always extend that year…”“You—” Stella’s eyes widened in shock.“Are you saying that I am mean by forcing you?” He parched his lips a bit, but his face remained stiff.“You just
Stella recognized it at once—it was the one she saw at the shopping mall and liked.Not wanting Weston to buy her a diamond ring, she had said she didn’t like it and ended up with just a bracelet instead.It did not occur to her that he would buy this ring back.She stared at the ring for a while before quickly putting it back in its original place, pretending she didn’t see it.For someone like Weston, buying a diamond ring was casual. It did not mean anything.Never again would her heart waver for these petty gifts. …In the hallway—Weston rubbed Stella’s head and kissed her cheek. “Wait for me to come home.”She nodded. “Can I go out with my colleague?”He paused. “Are you referring to the colleague who brought you out for tea?”She looked at him warily. “It was me who asked her out. Don’t trouble her.”“Am I that unreasonable in your eyes?” He pinched his nose. “Alright, but you must tell me in advance. You are only allowed to eat junk food once a week, so don’t excee
Bradley often described her as a paradox—contradicting qualities mixed together in one body.She was obviously an ambitious person, but her clear eyes looked unambiguous. She did not like competing with anyone, but she would never back down and give up on progress.…At Ford Corporation’s skyscraper—The project in the western suburbs was in full swing, with endless meetings being held one after the other. Being the biggest project of the year, the company had attached great importance to it, making the employees feel the tension in the atmosphere.As long as the project went well, Ford Corporation would progress to another level.As it was already the top corporation in Ahn City, it could make a name for itself in Fern City if the project was successful.Then, Weston would undeniably become the youngest and richest man in the country, catching everyone’s attention.His fame would only rise. By then, people would still dig into his personal life even if he tried to keep a low p
Guinevere had no idea why she was going to meet Weston.Having just had a showdown with Ella yesterday, she didn’t know what Ella would say to Weston. What she knew, though, was that she deeply missed this man.Once they arrived at the office, the quick-witted receptionist instantly informed the CEO’s office.Daisy happened to come down with the papers, and when she saw Guinevere, she was startled. “Ms. Cohen?”She took the initiative to greet her.If it were in the past, she would’ve never gone beyond the scope of her job, but somehow, she felt a bit guilty when she saw Guinevere—perhaps it was because of her knowledge of Weston’s affair with Ella that she didn’t know how to face Guinevere.Truth be said, it had nothing to do with her—she was simply an ordinary employer of the company, and there was nothing she needed to be worried about in the first place.Guinevere looked at her. “Where is Weston?”“Mr. Ford is preparing for a meeting now. Do you need me to bring you to hi
Weston paused for a moment. He suddenly looked at her and said, “I thought you were here to ask me something.”Guinevere was taken aback, but she quickly put on a smile.She was sure that Ella had told him about their confrontation.Did Ella think that she would make a scene with him?She wasn’t that stupid.She could’ve used that method to deal with Belle, but Ella was obviously a trickier character.Her face remained calm. “There is nothing in particular. It is just that I don’t have much shooting these days, so I thought of coming to see you. We haven’t met for a long time, have we?”Weston then put down the file in his hands and looked at her.His eyes were questioning her, but she pretended not to see them. Instead, she arranged the lunchboxes she brought on the table. “I made these myself. Do you want to try some?”“Since when do you cook?” He raised his brows.They had known each other for many years, and the arrogant Guinevere never had to cook to impress anyone.All
Weston remained silent.Guinevere relaxed her facial expression. “Did someone tell you something?”It’s okay. I know a lifetime is a long time, especially for men, she thought to herself. ‘It is perfectly normal to grow new interests, but it doesn’t mean he has no feelings for you. We should respect the changes in emotions. I believe that you still care for me the most and put Zack and me as the priority, so I will never put those irrelevant people in mind.’Guinevere squatted down in front of me and put her head on his knees. “Weston, you’ll always stay by my side, right?” …In the Stardust Mansion.Stella’s eyelids suddenly twitched, and her eyes felt sore. She put down the script in her hands and looked at the time.More than two hours had passed.She took out her mobile phone and saw an incoming message from an unknown number. There was an address and a weird sentence in the message.Her gaze intensified. After a while, she put her mobile phone face down.“Where are you
Stella had only met Wendy once on set. It was only a brief meeting but she actually asked her out for tea?Moreover…After a brief survey of the private room, she noticed that they were the only occupants there. It seemed the other cast members didn’t receive her invitation.Seeing Stella’s reaction, Wendy chuckled. "Are you afraid that I’ll eat you up?"Stella shook her head. "I don't mean that. I am just a little flattered… since you are a celebrated veteran, Mrs. Ford."Wendy was in no way a lesser woman when compared to Guinevere. In fact, she was more successful—she was the unbeatable queen of film, with no one else garnering that many domestic awards as she had in the twenties. Her popularity spread across the continent, where almost everyone had heard her name. She was considered a superstar who had influenced a few generations.However, she was a person that chose to retire at the peak of her career.People’s impression of her remained at her most glorious moment. So eve
Stella jerked her head up and looked at Wendy in astonishment.Wendy laughed. “Don’t get nervous. I am not here to confront you; I just want to confirm it.”Stella tightened her grip on the teacup but did not say anything.“I am sorry,” she said after a good while.Without needing many words, their attitude answered everything.Wendy slowly relaxed her face. “You should know about the relationship between Weston and Guinevere, right?”“Yes, I do.” Stella closed her eyes. “I never wanted to get between them. I …”Before she could finish her, Wendy interrupted, “I am not here to accuse you of anything. Why are you explaining yourself to me?”Wendy laughed again, handed Stella a tissue, and pointed at the corner of her mouth.Stella raised her hand to wipe it but found nothing there.Wendy laughed again and tapped her finger on the table. “You are with Weston now, right?”Not waiting for an answer, she nodded to herself. “I should have noticed it earlier. Weston grew up before
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