Stella was stunned for a moment.She sat in front of the mirror and blushed.“You…”She quickly took out a few tissues and wiped off the marks on the corners of her mouth. "Why didn't you say anything?"She had had the thing on her face from the cabin to the wedding ceremony.Weston glanced at her lightly. "Why did you think I covered you with a coat?"Stella threw the tissue away and drew a few new ones. "You should remind me..."He stood before her, bent down, took the wet tissue in her hand, and lifted her chin. "Don't move."She could only raise her face and let him wipe it.It was finally wiped off, but a lingering musk seemed to remain on her.It was a mix of faint hymenanthera and a fishy smell."I’ll get the makeup artist to touch up my face a little..."She narrowed her brows and wanted to stand up but was pushed back by Weston. "Let her come in and do it for you."...At the wedding ceremony.Guinevere was blocked at the door.She looked at the guests inside
The name sounded offensive.Ben frowned. "Mr. Ford is at the wedding with his wife. I will handle these small matters.""What a good dog, very loyal!"Warren spoke without the slightest sympathy, and his crutch rattled on the ground. "Don't you forget who owns the company now? I haven't died, nor have I abdicated yet. How dare you disobey me?!”Ben lowered his head but had no intention of retreating, standing firmly in front of him.Warren was on the edge of losing his patience as he shouted, “Move!”"Sorry, Chairman, you can go in, but she can't."Adamant about not letting Guinevere in, Ben gave him no room for negotiation. "This is Mr. Ford’s order!"He was at fault for letting Guinevere appear at the wedding.If he couldn’t even accomplish the task that Weston gave him, his title as the chief assistant would might as well become invalid....Thanks to the backup plan, the wedding was able to continue.Stella’s wedding dress had been given to her body double, so she natur
A possessive man by nature, Weston was now more possessive of her than ever.Stella merely kept quiet and pulled up her hair.Her hair was in a mess, no thanks to all that running and the favor she did him earlier.Weston took the wedding dress from the shelf next to her, held her waist, and helped her put it on.The tailor-made wedding dress perfectly complemented her figure.He was stunned the moment she put it on.He turned her around and asked her to look in the mirror."Look at how beautiful you are."She didn’t say a word.Seeing this, he pinched her cheek and lifted her head, and looked at her in the mirror. "If you run away today, you won't be able to see yourself like this."He had spoken calmly, yet, she could feel the mixed emotion and anger in his tone.It was as if his anger had reached its peak, but it was suppressed and turned into other emotions that were so deep it suffocated her.“Weston…”She finally spoke, her voice a little weak, "I..."The man stared
Weston stood up. "It doesn't affect your walking, but you can't run either."Stella merely stared at the pair of things on her feet. "It doesn't affect walking..."But she felt no different from a felon. Indeed, she could walk but there was no way she could run or jump."Aren't you afraid that people will see this and laugh at you?" Stella smiled bitterly.He lifted her chin, gazed into her eyes, and said, "Do you think I care what they think?"She stared at him blankly. "You can only use these means to tie me to your side. Is that really what you want?""All I want is you."The man raised his hand, and his long, well-defined fingers slid across her cheek. "It doesn't matter what it means. The important thing is, even if I need to use shackles, restraints, or even a cage, I will do it without hesitation to make you stay by my side.”Stella’s face had almost turned green. "Cage? What do you think I am? A canary?"Ironically, he laughed at this.His eyes seemed to have a little
The emcee carried out his tasks in an orderly manner nonetheless.Stella stood beside Weston motionless, listening to the noise. Her heart was cold, though.The buzzing noise in her ear made her couldn’t hear clearly.The priest invited spoke fluently.Those marriage vows only heard on TV were now in her ears.He asked her, "Stella, whether you are rich or poor, old or sick, are you willing to marry the gentleman in front of you and let him be your husband?"Her heart trembled, and she lowered her eyes.Weston looked down at her, suddenly stretched out his hand and clasped her fingers tightly.She took a deep breath and said slowly, "I do."The next second, she felt the strength in her hand increase.The man pressed his fingertips on the back of her hand, almost crushing her bones.The priest turned to Weston. "Weston, regardless of poverty, wealth, life, old age, sickness or death, would you like to marry the young lady in front of you?""Never give up, love her, take care
He could no longer control Weston. The man had a mind of his own. “Married… he’s getting married…” Guinevere stumbled backward, tears welling up in her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I wore a wedding gown, excitedly waiting to marry him. Yet now, I’m sitting here seeing him marry another woman…” It had been her lifelong dream to marry Weston Ford. Ever since she landed her eyes upon Weston, she had fantasized about this day, where he would hold her hand and walk down the red-carpeted aisle. Her father would give him her hand in marriage, and Weston would swear before the priest that he would take care of her forever and be her partner for life. Yet, her dream was now about to go to another woman. The fragrant, fresh flowers, the billowy wedding gown, and all the applause were supposed to be hers. Yet, now, she was a mere outsider who couldn’t even enter the doors of this grand wedding. She could only stand outside and witness them exchanging their vows. Li
Stella slowly shifted her gaze toward Weston’s wedding ring in the box and reached out to take it. She lowered her head and looked at his hand as she slipped the ring onto his finger. The next moment, Weston grabbed her hands. The crowd roared in applause. Weston lifted her chin and gave her a deep, lingering kiss. Stella could only yield, with no way of opposing him. Her hands were still bound by his tie so tightly that it left red marks on her wrists. She lifted her chin and received his punishing kiss. Her arms drooped helplessly before her torso, swaying gently between them. Everyone could see that tie around her wrists clearly, but no one dared to whisper a word about it. In full view of all the guests, their marriage was solemnized, with Stella as the captured and shackled bride. The news spread like wildfire online. Very soon, their grand wedding had alternative headlines to it. “Caged Wedding.” “The Shackled Bride.” The image of Stella and Weston e
Chris furrowed his brows. “Given her status, why would she need you guys to keep an eye on her? She is Ms. Cohen, for goodness’ sake. Back off, all of you!” “But Mr. Ford gave us clear instructions to…” Chris rubbed the space between his brows. “I know what you are all worried about… that she would cause a scene, right? I’m here now. Nothing’s going to happen, okay?” Ben thought that what Chris said made sense. Although Chris had always been biased toward Guinevere, would he allow her to do something so rash at this critical point that might put both families’ reputations at stake? He wouldn’t be so foolish. Therefore, Ben nodded and left with his subordinates. Upon seeing them leave the room, Chris walked to Guinevere and helped her up from the floor. “Do you love Weston that much? You clearly know that he only loves Ella…” He was still used to calling her Ella. Guinevere finally responded at the mention of Ella’s name as bitter hatred flashed in her eyes. “What righ
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