She had assumed that he’d been really busy at work today, which was why he came home late at night.But in fact, he’d been accommodating two women simultaneously while handling a multi-billion dollar project. Stella had to begrudgingly admit that he was a rather impressive man.She shook her head, wondering why she’d waste her time thinking about all these meaningless things.She picked up her phone and called Roger.“Sis?” he answered almost instantly.“Roger,” she replied as she got into the car. “I heard that you came looking for me on set. Why didn’t you call me first?”Roger had just come out of the cafeteria, with Riley close on his heels. He was initially delighted to see that Stella was calling him, but hearing her question made him pause.“I was planning to give you a surprise,” he explained, “but you weren’t there, unfortunately. Anyway, where do you stay right now? Can you give me your address? That way, I can go straight to your house when I want to meet you next tim
It happened to be the exact day she bumped into Guinevere Cohen. Was it mere coincidence, or did someone lash out on her behalf?“This is our latest design, Miss. May I ask how old is the man you’re shopping for?”“He’s eighteen.”“Ah, perfect! Our new designs have been especially popular among youngsters. They’re modern, fashionable, and made of high-quality materials that…”Stella listened to the employee intently, hoping to find a set that would suit Roger best. Then, someone appeared outside the store, waving his hands frantically at Stella. However, she didn’t notice him at all.“Excuse me, Miss, but is that gentleman over there your friend?”Stella turned in the direction the employee was pointing, and her eyes met with Michael Sealey…She froze. Her pupils shrank. Outside the store, the man in a black suit was smiling radiantly at her. He seemed to be saying something, but she couldn’t make out his words due to the glass between them. She guessed it must probably be a p
Michael Sealey was a man who yearned for total control in all circumstances. Stella had always looked up to him as an affable and friendly man in her young ignorant days, but she finally realized that he was actually your classic two-faced hypocrite. “Of course not. Why would you think that way? We aren’t close, and just because I look like your relative..." She left her sentence hanging as a sign of her tacit rejection, and Michael caught her hint. “Pardon me for bothering you. Why don’t I treat you to a cup of coffee?” “There’s no need for that.” “Please, give me a chance to express my apology,” Michael insisted sincerely. “Really, there’s no need.” Stella furrowed her brows to express her annoyance. “All right, in that case, I shan’t bother you any longer.” Michael knew that it was time for him to draw the line. “But please, at least let me give you a ride?” Stella opened her mouth to reject him, but before she could speak, someone put an arm around her shoulders
Stella’s silence was akin to an agreement. Weston steered the wheel and chuckled to himself. “Do you take me as a three-year-old kid?” “Don’t you behave like one in front of Mr. Hall?” Weston scoffed. “Seems like you do care about that man, still standing up for him at a time like this.” Stella pursed her lips. “There you go again…” She just couldn’t understand why Weston held so much animosity against Justin. In all senses of the word, things were impossible between her and Justin. Weston clearly did not want to dwell on Justin any further, remaining silent as he steered the car into the freeway. That was when Stella remembered to ask him, “Why did you suddenly come over to fetch me?” Weston looked mildly at her. “Didn’t you feel nervous about facing your uncle alone?” Stella’s eyes widened. “You…” Weston’s brows arched. “I know that he’s your uncle and that you don’t share much of a relationship with him.” Stella pursed her lips and fell silent. Indeed, give
Weston kept to his word and only allowed Stella to eat junk food once a week. From then on, all the meals that Joan whipped up were nutritious. They tasted delicious, but Stella never had much of an appetite and often ate just a little before returning to her workstation. Joan felt perturbed at the possibility that her cooking skills might have deteriorated. She glanced at Weston, who was seated on the couch, and asked, “Sir, shall I cook something else and send it to Ms. Steele?” “No need for that.” Weston looked in the direction of Stella’s workstation. “Let her be.” Joan nodded and went off to busy herself with other things. Stella would be shooting the film's last scene tomorrow, and she was taking it very seriously. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already eleven o’clock at night. She stretched her arms out and saw a dim light coming from the corridor outside. That indicated that Weston was probably still awake, and her heart sank. She took out the bo
Stella woke up even later than before. Her whole body ached as though her limbs no longer belonged to her. Her knees felt weak, and she almost collapsed on the carpet when she got up. As usual, Weston woke up earlier than her, and he was already seated at the dining table when she came downstairs. Joan had prepared breakfast and was walking out of the kitchen when she saw Stella. “Ms. Steele,” she greeted. “Awake already?” Weston put down the book in his hand and glanced in her direction. “Have some breakfast.” Stella nodded and walked toward him, her footsteps heavy. She sat down and glanced at his book resting on the table. She asked with curiosity, “What book is that you’re reading?” She also saw him reading this book last night, but its cover was in a language she did not recognize. Weston said coolly, “A French book. Eat something first.” He caressed her head and put the book away. Stella retracted her gaze and sipped at her milk. It was warmed to a perfect d
Weston’s eyes turned dark. “Where did you learn this from? Negotiation and keeping scores.” “I’ve already suffered in your hands once, and I needed to learn how to protect myself.” Stella suddenly leaned closer and positioned her chin in his palm. She looked innocently at him. “Didn’t you say that you like me?” She turned her face up at him, shooting him a look that looked dangerously like the look she gave him last night. She was completely at his mercy, with tears falling down her cheeks, either from ecstasy or unfulfilled desires. Weston pinched her chin and bit the corner of her lip. Only after she yelped in pain did he finally let go. “As you wish,” he said. … At Fern University. Stella saw Roger holding a book in his hand and sprinting towards her. She immediately strode to him with brisk steps. “Slow down! Why don’t you have an umbrella with you?” Roger rushed under the shelter of her umbrella, placing one arm over her shoulders and the other taking over th
“Yeah, I received my pay and wanted to treat you to something nice since you’re about to go overseas.” She went on hesitantly, “Why don’t we invite Riley to join us? By way of expressing my thanks to her.” “No need,” Roger shrugged. Stella had already made reservations at the restaurant. After placing her order, she thought about it before saying solemnly to Roger, “If you really don’t like Riley and see no possibility of being with her, find a time and make things clear with her. The longer you drag things out, the greater the hurt you’ll cause her. Do you understand?” Roger furrowed his brows. “Why do you keep talking to me about her? I’m about to go overseas. Let’s not talk about outsiders!” Stella reached out to rub her head. “You brat! Do you really know that you’re going overseas soon? Now that you’re all grown up, I can’t always be by your side, and you’ll get to know new people. Riley will be going with you on your studies abroad. It is imperative that you handle your r
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