Wendy carried Zachary in her arms and shook her head. “I don’t know. He might be entertaining guests somewhere.”Warren suddenly looked at Wendy. “Did you get into a fight with Chris recently?”“Why the sudden question? No, I didn’t.” Wendy played with Zachary with her usual smile.Warren shook his head. “Well, I may be wrong. I just feel like you two aren’t as close as you used to be.”“How can that be? We’re already an old married couple. Maybe we don’t have the passion like before, but our relationship is still good.”“That’s good.”While they were talking, they saw Xavier coming this way with Daisy. Warren’s face sank. He grunted, “Here comes the real troublemaker.”After he had said that, he stood up and wanted to walk away. Wendy smiled and carried Zachary in her arms. “I think he came here to talk to you. I’ll take Zack and go.”After that, she got up and left with Zachary in her arms.Xavier noticed their interaction and nodded. “Thank you, Wendy.” Daisy nodded a
Xavier found his idea a little absurd. He smiled and told Warren, “I know Chris is afraid that I’d marry Zeta and compete with him for the family fortune. I know you’ve been troubled about this. You’re worried that we won’t get along well…“But today, Weston has given most of the profits to the Cohen family. I’ve broken off my engagement too. You don’t have to worry about dividing the family fortune anymore.”What he had said made Warren glance at him a few more times. He seemed less annoyed than he was before....Meanwhile, inside the dimly lighted guest room. Stella waited for a while before she managed to ease her breathing. Then, she checked the time. “Aren’t you afraid someone will be looking for you outside?”She lowered her dress as she spoke and tidied her messy outfit. Weston slowly buttoned his shirt collar and looked like a gentleman again. His tidied look showed no trace of his shameless actions earlier. Stella looked around the room for a mirror. “You'd better
Stella closed her eyes. “I used to believe you, but I paid a big price for my foolishness.”Weston’s eyes sank. He looked like he wanted to say something. “Stella...” Stella let out a laugh and interrupted him. “Let’s stop talking about the past. It’s meaningless.”When she was about to leave, she heard a woman’s gasp and exclamation.“Weston, why are you here? Why are you with her…”Stella stopped in her tracks. She turned to the sound and saw Guinevere’s parents walking toward them at the same time.Mrs. Cohen, in particular, stared at Stella with eyes full of doubt and disbelief. “Why are you two together? What were you doing?”A woman’s intuition was most likely accurate. Mrs. Cohen observed Stella and frowned at her aura. She asked with a wary look, “Weston, this is Zack’s birthday party. How can you do something like this behind Gwen’s back?” Stella subconsciously explained, “Madam, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve nothing to do with him…”“Shut up! I’m talking to him. Who
They would not have said such a thing six months ago.At that time, even if Weston did have a mistress tucked away somewhere aside, they would’ve just gotten rid of that woman and tell Guinevere to put up with it.However, the western suburb project was almost complete. Besides, Weston gave most of the profits to the Cohen family. They no longer need to rely on the Ford family to speak, so they felt Guinevere’s marriage with Weston was no longer a big deal.They became arrogant once their interests were satisfied. This was only normal. Weston seemed to have expected their reaction. His expression did not change. He only looked at Stella’s side profile with a faint gaze.Weston noticed her nervousness as she clutched her palm tightly. He lifted his hand and tucked her loose hair behind her ear.His small gesture drew the anger of a few people.Mrs. Cohen immediately raised her voice. “Just look at him! Look! He’s being so bold in front of us!”She thumped her heart and took a f
If Stella merely wanted fame by disclosing their relationship, he didn’t mind indulging her—he did not want to see her fake a smile again.However, he came to a sudden realization from her reaction. Weston finally remembered that Stella was very concerned about her identity. She did not want to be a third party in the relationship. She almost fell into depression because of this matter.Even though she was his rightful wife, Guinevere’s presence remained an issue to her. She valued the outsider’s view of her too much.It wasn’t something he understood, but Weston did not want to see Stella depressed. Therefore, he told her to stay out of it. He would take care of the rest. Stella desperately wanted to leave. She said nothing and turned to leave. Guinevere wanted to go after her, but Weston withdrew his gaze and stopped her. “If you have something to say, say it here.”He did not allow her to go after Stella. She was trouble.Guinevere stopped dead in her tracks....Back i
Chris put his arm around Wendy’s shoulder and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll go check on them. Wait for me here.” Wendy nodded. “Okay.”The two had always been a loving couple in front of the public. They still seemed to be in love even after decades of marriage. Many guests looked at them with a little envy.The female guests, in particular, envied Wendy or Guinevere the most. However, after this night, perhaps no one would envy Guinevere anymore.Chris took a glance at Stella before he left. His eyes were frostily cold.He knew Weston had a woman outside. He had heard about Belle from Lowe Garden, but Guinevere had got rid of her.Chris never thought Weston would bring another woman back to the Ford mansion! He was so deluded!When he had just gone upstairs, he heard the loud noise from the study.Warren was smashing things in the room. His cane was banging on the floor heavily. Xavier, who came up with Chris, heard the noises too.Both stood outside the d
‘Does he really have feelings for Ella? Just like how he once had feelings for Stella. He suddenly fell in love with her after she died.’‘When someone that looks so similar to Stella appears, he ends up pouring all his feeling into her.’Guinevere felt threatened by her thoughts. Even so, she refused to admit it.“Dad, Mom. Grandpa is right. Weston probably made an unintentional mistake. He was never a person like that. I’m sure Ella must be the one who seduced him!” She could not help but speak for Weston.If her parents assumed that Weston was involved with Ella, they would prevent her from marrying Weston because of their pride. That was not what she wanted.The only other person who did not want the same thing to happen was Chris—he did not want Weston and Guinevere’s marriage to go wrong. He had always looked forward to seeing their relationship improve. That was the only way he could be at ease.Otherwise, Guinevere might be emotionally unstable and expose their secret som
His words shocked everyone. Guinevere helplessly let go of her hand that clutched Weston’s and looked at her father in dismay. “No, I won’t agree with this…”She put in an insurmountable amount of effort to get engaged. How could it be canceled so easily?“You should look at your face. How absurd!” Mr. Cohen glanced at her in disdain and turned his head away, disgruntled.Mrs. Cohen helped her to her feet. “Stand up! Don’t act like a joke in front of everyone. It’s he who wronged you first. Why are you crying and whining?”Guinevere was always the child they were least worried about. She was always the daughter they were proud of, but now she had totally lost her poise and disgraced her family with the Weston debacle.“What’s the use of him being good if he doesn’t care about you?” Guinevere looked at Weston and stubbornly argued, “I only believe what he says!”She walked to Weston. “You can stop seeing Bella for my sake, so you can also get rid of Ella for me, right?”She w
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