Stella froze the second she heard that familiar voice. Not only that, but a familiar scent filled her nose. It was the same refreshing scent that had once accompanied her every night when she was with Weston.She lowered her head, making sure not to look at the man in front of her. After being pushed away, she quickly leaned onto the wall behind her to steady herself. With her head down, she continued to walk ahead, trying to leave the place.Unfortunately, the secretary did not give her that chance. She clawed at her wrist and dragged her back towards Weston.“Apologize to Mr. Ford!” she demanded. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Ford! She’s new here, so she’s still a bit clueless. Come on! What are you waiting for? Apologize!”Weston did not even look at her. He merely tugged on his collar with annoyance. With his white shirt flowing down his torso and tied casually at the waistline, he emitted a kind of noble aura that was out of place in Lowe Garden. Everyone’s eyes seemed glued onto him eve
It seemed that Stella couldn’t get away that easily now. She would have to adapt as best as she could.Weston was one of the last to get inside the private lounge. Whether or not he intended to be the latest to arrive, no one there would dare to keep him waiting anyway, so everyone hurried inside before he did.The man who had been so viciously nasty to her completely changed when facing Weston. He was now grinning obsequiously as he held out a cigar and deferentially handed it to Weston.“Would you like one, Mr. Ford?” he asked.Weston glanced at him briefly and took the cigar, holding it between his fingers. He then sat down in the middle of the sofa, resting his long arms on the backrest. His muscular forearms hung in the air, the cigar that was just handed to him swayed slightly as he held it between his fingers.The man smiled when he saw that his offering was accepted. “Allow me to light it,” he said before pulling out a lighter and kneeling in front of Weston.But before
Stella took a deep breath and said nothing. With her head lowered, she pressed on the metal lighter. A flame materialized. Weston slowly moved the cigar towards the flame. His eyes were fixed on Stella as he leaned over.White smoke rose from the cigar's tip as it caught the flame. The tobacco sizzled slightly as it burned. The flame illuminated Weston’s face, rendering his features even more striking.At such a close distance, Stella could clearly discern the stark edges of his strong jawline. She wanted to look away but was firmly held in place by Weston. Weston maintained his intense gaze on Stella’s face. He didn’t look away as he smoked the cigar. He took a deep huff and released a cloud of thick rolling smoke onto her face.Stella coughed immediately. Her eyes reddened, and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand, but it was shoved away by Weston.He tried to look at her. He tried to look at her whole face without missing the sm
Stella sneered, “You think too highly of him.” “I beg you, please! If you leave now, I’ll die a terrible death…” Stella remained unmoved and flung her hand away. “That has nothing to do with me.” This was the woman who had mercilessly tossed her under the bus previously. Why should she respond to her pleas? She was about to leave when a male voice said, distinctively displeased. “Why aren’t you accompanying Mr. Ford? Where are you going!” Stella ignored him and hastened her footsteps. The man’s face changed as he stood up with the intention of chasing after her. However, something suddenly came to mind and he threw a glance at Weston. Weston’s tall figure was shrouded in the darkness. His luxurious dress pants wrapped around his long legs, and the subtle light from a lit cigarette flickered at his fingers. He looked so out of place here, yet at the same time, he appeared to be lord over this place. Everyone was under his reign. Seeing Weston stay silent, the man cha
She spoke very softly, but it drew the attention of everyone in the room. The secretary looked over and saw hope amidst her desperation, “Thank you, thank you…” Stella ignored her. She was still struggling within herself. She didn’t want to poke her nose into the business of others, but a thought came to mind when she stepped foot out of the room. Weston was doing this on purpose. He was deliberately putting up a front before her. A man like him had no need to get his hands dirty or even verbalize his intentions. A simple look was enough and everyone would fight to do his bidding. These people were familiar with the inner workings of the marketplace and knew their way around people. They wouldn’t go to such extremes to make things ugly. Their sudden impudence was surely associated with Weston himself. Even if she didn’t make a move now, there would be more trouble waiting for her down the road. The mere thought of having to deal with more made her tired. The men s
“Whatever for? The session started so long ago, what’s the point of her going right now? To look for trouble?” The person on the other end didn’t even dare to breathe. The secretary hung up, her head throbbing. She eventually decided to contact her own boss. Before she opened her mouth to speak, the man on the other side beat her to it, “Why isn’t the tutor here yet?” The secretary apologized hurriedly, “I’m very sorry, Mr. Smith, the assistant mixed up the ladies and mistook the tutor for Lily. She’s still at Lowe Garden…” “What!” The man leaped to his feet from the couch. Before he could put out the cigarette in his mouth, he yelled, “How did you two screw something so trivial up?” “Mr. Smith, please don’t worry. That tutor…” “Who cares about that tutor! Just tell me: Did you offend anyone? Especially Mr. Ford?” Upon her denial, Mr. Smith heaved a sigh of relief. “Whatever. Just find another tutor for me.” Dance tutors were a dime a dozen. If, however, he was to off
While she was in a daze, the man seated beside her had been observing her all the while. She was dressed formally for an interview and had light make-up on which made her look more spirited and brighter. Because it was an interview in which she did not need to showcase her dance skills, she wore a pair of high heels, which was extremely rare for her. Stella seldom wore high-heels, and she wasn’t very familiar with them. Her discomfort with it was clear when she walked, yet she wore it with a unique flair. “A penny for your thoughts?” Weston shifted his position and lounged leisurely on the couch. Stella shook her head. “Nothing much.” “You want to join their games?” Stella heard the threat in his voice and lifted her head, looking at him in frustration. She held herself back and forced out the words a moment later, “Mr. Ford, how can I help you?” Weston furrowed his brows, disliking how she addressed him. He lifted her chin and said, “Why don’t you call me Weston?”
Weston took a sip from the wine glass Stella held to his lips. However, Stella’s hand shook and some of the wine spilled out, staining Weston’s pristine white shirt. Instead of making the shirt look dirty, the dark red stains added a dangerous, menacing aura to Weston. He was half-shrouded in darkness, and the other half under dim light. He looked just like half an angel and half a devil. Stella immediately put the glass down. “I’m sorry about this.” She pulled out some napkins, intending to clean up the mess. Her hand suddenly paused in mid-air as she hesitated, “Mr. Ford, perhaps you should do it yourself.” Weston kept silent and stared right into her eyes. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and maneuvered her hand to press the napkin onto his shirt. The positions of the stains were slightly awkward. Stella pulled her hand back instinctively, but Weston held her hand in place forcefully. He led her hand in wiping his shirt, stroke by stroke. He fixed his dark, b