Guinevere didn’t look too thrilled. Believing that she would end up getting married to Weston, she had always treated Wendy as her mother-in-law. She had tried to call her “Wendy” before, but Wendy seemed displeased. Guinevere could only call her Madam, just like the servants in Ford Mansion. The last thing she expected was for Wendy to allow Ella to address her on a first-name basis. She clenched her fists but smiled. “I remember that you once announced Ella as your god-daughter,” she blurted with thinly-veiled irony. “Since she’s your god-daughter, why isn’t she calling you ‘Mom’?” “She can call me whatever she likes.” Wendy was rather annoyed with Guinevere’s questions and glanced at her mildly, “What we address each other is a mere formality. Although I treat her as my god-daughter, she might very well become my daughter-in-law. She’ll have plenty of chances to call me ‘Mom’ in the future!” It was unclear if Wendy had deliberately said those things to anger Guinever
The Ford Mansion was awash in bright lights amid the deep of night. A doctor dressed in his robe paced around, his face plastered with nervousness. The Cohens’ car was parked in the courtyard, and Mrs. Cohen was pacing anxiously back and forth at the entrance, mumbling, “She’ll be fine…she’ll surely be fine…” Suddenly, she saw Stella standing at a side and immediately walked toward her, eyes red-rimmed with fury. “You’re Ella Steele, aren’t you? What wicked motives do you harbor?” Weston was busy with work when he heard Mrs. Cohen’s accusations. He walked over to Stella and pulled her into his arms. “Mrs. Cohen, please have some self-respect.” He stood ready to side with Stella no matter what, protecting her and guarding her against all things. Mrs. Cohen was about to say something nasty, but Weston’s posture only upset her more. “Weston, this woman is the cause of Gwen’s condition relapsing. She’s still critical, so how could you side with the culprit?” Weston’s brow
At least, it appeared to Stella that Guinevere’s reputation was more important to him than her life. She thought he would’ve certainly chosen Guinevere at such a critical time. A glint flashed past Stella’s eyes, but she didn’t reply to Weston. He held her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers as he turned to Mrs. Cohen. “The doctor is already here. I’ll bring her out first.” His tone was mild and not particularly emotional, yet it bore a clear, authoritative note. Stella looked down to see him holding her hand tightly. His fingers were long and graceful-looking. She had a quirk—looking at other people’s hands. When they were first married, she realized how good Weston’s hands looked, believing that such a pair of hands would look stunning while playing the piano. Weston did not realize what she thought as he held her hands and prepared to leave. It was then that the sound of a car engine shutting off came from the courtyard. Immediately after, Chris appeared a
The Ford Mansion was in complete disarray. Stella had never imagined that she would one day run out of that suffocating house, hand in hand with Weston. A noisy racket had broken out behind her. The moment Guinevere’s condition relapsed, the doctor inside was doomed to be in despair. Mrs. Cohen sobbed in a corner, mumbling under her breath. Wendy had long disappeared, probably to bring Zack away from the mess. Old Mr. Ford was already sleeping at this time and no one dared to alert him. Mrs. Cohen had secretly allowed Guinevere to come out without Mr. Cohen’s permission, and she dared not inform him either. The only person who could make a decision and bring things under control appeared to be Chris. However, even his words seemed ineffective against Weston. Weston brought Stella running out of the mansion, chucking aside all the troubles that brewed in that manor. The night seemed extra chilly, as the cold wind blew in their faces. Stella looked at Weston and s
Guinevere brandished the knife in her hands. Everyone around her retreated to a safe distance, daring not to approach the unhinged woman. There was a moment when she appeared to be in a daze. Chris seized the chance, lurched forward, and managed to grab the knife from her hands. He hugged her tight in his arms and yelled, “Doctor, quick, give her another sedative!” Mrs. Cohen’s heart was in her throat when Chris did that, but she finally heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the situation finally under control. Due to concern for Guinevere’s wellbeing, the doctor had initially administered a weak dose of the sedative, not expecting Guinevere to come around so quickly. This time, he pumped the entire dose into her without any further thought. Guinevere’s eyes glazed over as she looked sorrowfully at the man before her. Chris’ heart ached as he looked at the condition the girl was in... He turned to Mrs. Cohen. “Given her current condition, she might need to be hospitalize
Wendy smoothed some moisturizer over her face, but her looks remained cold and hard. “It seems you’re the only one who can bring Guinevere under control. Before you came, she was acting so crazy that even her own mother couldn’t handle her…” They had been married for many years, and Chris could naturally hear the sarcasm in her voice. He furrowed his brows and said with displeasure. “Whatever it is, she is Zack’s mother. Who is Ella? How could we upset Gwen just because of her?” “Of course, you wouldn’t want Gwen upset. You care the most about her.” He could feel Wendy becoming bitterer by the minute. Chris used to feel guilty, but now he simply felt inexplicably annoyed. “Just speak your mind, don’t beat around the bush!” He added coldly, “You’ve become quick-tempered and jumpy as you age! Why are you even jealous of Guinevere?” His words struck Wendy where it hurt. She gripped the bottle of moisturizer and sent it hurtling to the ground. It hit the ground with a s
Weston’s handling of his previous project was outstanding, and everyone in the industry was impressed with his working capability. Stella thought this must’ve been why Old Mr. Ford improved his disposition toward Weston. If Xavier were to come here, he would probably be chased away in no time. Only someone as incontestably capable as Weston could stand here and negotiate with Old Mr. Ford. Marriage, however, was another issue altogether. It was a major life decision. Old Mr. Ford’s lack of comment was better than Chris’ outright rejection. Jason had a deep impression of Stella from the first time they met. He placed a pawn on the chess board and looked at Old Mr. Ford, saying, “I’ve practically seen Weston grow up, and this is the first time he begged me for something, and it was for the sake of a woman. For Ella, to be exact.” “Is that so?” Old Mr. Ford arched his brow. “Why would he need your help? You’re just someone meddling with the arts.” Jason chuckled, “Of c
“Very well.” Old Mr. Ford put all his pawns back into the bowl where they belonged. “If that’s your decision, I really don’t want to interfere. But I’m worried. You’re still young, after all, and there’s every chance that you might regret your decision. My suggestion is for you two to get engaged first.” He went on, “If, after staying engaged for a period of time, you still decide to get married, I will have nothing else to say.” Weston furrowed his brows and remained silent. Then, a moment later, he resolutely defended his request. “I don’t think there’s a need to get engaged. I’ve already decided to be with her.” He was adamant about getting married to Stella once more. This time, though, he would give her a happier marriage. “Since you’re bent on doing so and are so confident, you should have no problem accepting my suggestion, that is, if you’re confident about the state of your relationship with her,” Old Mr. Ford said. Stella could sense Weston’s hesitation. He wa
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