“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
Unable to bear seeing Guinevere in such a state, Mr. Cohen said rather agitatedly, “So what if you can’t let go of him? He’s about to get married to someone else, and he doesn’t want you anymore. Your current appearance will only bring embarrassment to our family!” Mrs. Cohen stopped him anxiously. “Don’t say that!” Guinevere was already emotionally vulnerable, and her outburst at the Ford Mansion was frightening enough. Mr. Cohen naturally understood where Mrs. Cohen was coming from and stopped himself from saying anything further. However, instead of going berserk again, Guinevere leaned against the door and looked dreamily ahead of her. “Since he wants to get married, then let him be…” Mrs. Cohen was stunned for a moment, unable to believe the words coming from Guinevere’s mouth. “Don’t be too upset, they are just getting engaged. Anything could happen in the future…” Mr. Cohen glared at her. “Why are you still giving her hope?” “I’m not. I just can’t bear to see her s
The engagement ceremony was scheduled to be held in the hotel. Guests invited included relatives and good friends of the Ford family, as well as some of Weston’s business partners. Stella had expected the engagement ceremony to be simple and straightforward, given the little time that Weston had to put things together. She thought that, at most, it would be the Ford family gathering for a meal, but she was surprised to see so many guests instead. She sat before the mirror in the dressing room as anxiety crept into her heart. Weston was all dressed and ready. He was out of bed earlier than her and was already in his suit and pants while she was still blurred with sleep. Thanks to his outstandingly dashing looks, there was no need for him to do much to make himself look more presentable and eye-catching amidst the crowd. The moment Stella got out of bed, she found herself ushered into the dressing room and manhandled by the make-up artist, who was at that moment rolling i
It was as if she were a little tail that grew on his bottom. Weston looked down at her, all smiles. “Nervous?” Stella remained silent as she pursed her lips. She could feel everyone’s eyes on them. She said softly, “Didn’t you say that the engagement ceremony would be a simple affair? Why do we have so many guests…” “It’s already as simple as it gets.” Weston brought her along to get to know some relatives of the Ford family. “It’s just a few business partners and family you’ve never met. It’s not that many people.” “Not many? Exactly how many members are there in the Ford family?” Stella couldn’t help but click her tongue. “I remember when my uncle and aunt got engaged, it was just a matter of both families coming together for a simple meal, and things weren't this complicated..." The mention of Michael and Diana made Stella’s eyes darken. Her family members were not invited to this engagement ceremony. Her parents were long gone from the plane crash years ago. As
In the hotel. On the big screen was Guinevere’s engagement gift for Weston and Stella. “Everyone knows that I shared a past with Mr. Ford…” She looked very mentally stable and rational. If Stella didn’t know her well enough, she might have thought of Guinevere as the generous ex-fiancée who was willing to give her blessings. Weston rubbed in between his brows. “Get her down.” Stella stopped her, “Let’s see what she’s up to.” Weston looked down at her with a pained look on his face. Stella smiled at him and said, “It’s time to make a clean break of things between you and her, isn’t it?” The moment Guinevere arrived, she went on stage without a preamble. But she did not do anything beyond conveying her blessings, like any other ordinary guest. The schedule for the ceremony was clearly displayed on the big screen, making it easy for guests to keep track of the program. Some family members would also convey their blessings through the big screen as well. Weston had
The muted murmuring in the crowd didn’t seem to affect Stella. It turned out that this had indeed been Guinevere’s intention all along. Nothing seemed to have changed, and she was the same as before, destroying everything that she could not get her hands on. Whatever it was, she was hellbent on giving Stella a difficult time. She wanted to see what she would do next. Weston calling off his engagement with Guinevere was sufficient to make tongues wag. Now that Guinevere herself had come in person to attend Weston and Stella’s engagement ceremony, it was bound to be the talk of the town. A small pebble would be sufficient to disturb still water. There were even some nosy guests who were live streaming the engagement ceremony. As a popular celebrity, it was no surprise that the live stream featuring Guinevere soon saw the number of its viewers skyrocket to a few million, and it didn’t seem close to plateauing. In fact, it was beginning to trend online. This was exactly w
Those who initially held a neutral stance immediately fell to one side. “If Weston and Guinevere simply broke up, I would have believed that Ella was not a homewrecker…” “But Guinevere and Weston were married! There’s no doubt that Ella was the third party.” Guinevere looked at everyone’s shocked faces, and she felt the sweetness and thrill of revenge. “I’m sorry, Ella. I thought everyone knew…” She feigned a guilty expression, but her eyes clearly betrayed her glee. She immediately closed the window displaying the documents and said to everyone, “I might have caused some misunderstanding just now, but the truth is… I’m here to convey my blessings to Weston and not to create trouble. I sincerely beseech everyone not to spread negative rumors around.” Guinevere bowed down. “I believe in Weston. As the father of my child, he will not hurt me. That is why I trust that he found someone he loved after he broke off our engagement.” Her words made her seem generous to no end, comp
“What is she talking about? Is she crazy?” “She can’t just spout nonsense to exonerate herself!” “Oh, please. The rumors we’ve heard over the years featured Guinevere as Weston’s only girlfriend. Who else could Weston be married to?” “What a joke. Is she trying to make us believe that Weston married some other woman?” “Why doesn’t she just claim that she is the ex-wife?” Upon hearing the mumbling of the crowd, Guinevere looked challengingly at Stella. “Exactly, Ms. Steele.” She whispered in her ear, “Are you really Weston’s ex-wife?” Clearly, she knew that she was never married to Weston. But this Ella Steele that stood before her was not Weston’s ex-wife either. She was merely that woman’s replacement. That woman’s name was Stella Sealey. She had died long ago. Compared to a dead woman, it was more likely for the public to believe that she was Weston’s ex-wife. Ella was only Stella’s replacement, after all. Even Stella Sealey was no match for her, not to ment
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