After that, no matter how much Hayden tried to make Stella talk, she just would not open up her heart again. She talked about general things on the surface and refused to pour out what she really felt.Hayden found himself in a tricky situation. Stella seemed like a gentle and docile woman, but she was very defensive at heart.Perhaps even she did not realize that deep down; a split personality might be hiding itself.“Mrs. Ford, how long has this been going on?”“I’m not too sure either...” Stella struggled to remember. Suddenly, a sharp pain throbbed in her mind and made her expression ugly.“Sorry, I...”She tried to stand up, but she fell back in her seat. She pressed her temples hard and tried to shake off the jumbled images in her head to no avail.A patch of thick red liquid spread before her eyes.Vivid images of the scene on the rooftop, the kidnappers, and her desperation during the fall brutally forced themselves into her mind. After that came the blood that poured o
Without warning, Stella’s emotions suddenly turned turbulent and violent. Naturally, Weston wanted to know why.After she calmed down and went to her room, the two men went to a quieter balcony. Weston offered Hayden a cigarette, but Hayden shook his head. “I don’t smoke.”“What a coincidence. I don’t smoke too,” Weston replied as he withdrew the cigarette.Hayden glanced at him and laughed. “I didn't expect the famous Mr. Ford of Ahn City would fall for a woman like that.”Weston smiled indifferently and said nothing about it. “I just want to know why she suddenly lost her temper.”Hayden rubbed his temple. “Mr. Ford, you don’t seem to understand women very well.”Weston frowned.“Did you forget? I used to be Guinevere’s psychiatrist,” Hayden reminded Weston.“And so?”“So… Mrs. Ford is very defensive against me. She’s defensive against anyone and anything that has to do with Guinevere.”Weston seemed to have understood his implication. “Are you saying she’s rejecting me bec
“That’s only because he treats you like a patient.”“Don’t worry,” Weston reassured her as he smoothed the wild strands of her hair. “I’ll be right here with you. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”He kissed her ear. Stella shuddered when his breath brushed against her skin. Weston, however, let her go before she could make a move.“Let’s take a bath and go to sleep,” he said, standing up and heading straight to the bathroom. Stella watched him as he walked away with an inscrutable expression on her face.Weston truly did not end up doing anything to her that night. He even gave her ample space for her to breathe comfortably.The next morning, Weston went to work so early that he was nowhere to be seen when Stella woke up. She sat in bed, shook her head from side to side, and was relieved to find that she was in much better spirits today.After breakfast, she got a call from Bradley Lane, who informed her that the date for the film’s premiere had been set. Due to unavoidab
Stella closed her eyes, and her hands quivered. A sudden gust of cold breeze blew past her from the front yard, clearing her cluttering mind. “I’m not a criminal, Weston. You can’t keep me locked inside the house…”“But you promised me yourself,” Weston argued, his voice piercingly cold. “You promised me, Stella, that no matter how I punish you, you would accept it all.”He then laughed in a tone filled with biting derision.“And yet, you won’t let me make love to you, you won’t let me capture the man who did me wrong, and you won’t let me lock you up either! So is it me who’s punishing you, or is it you who’s punishing me now, hmm?”Stella took a deep breath. Without saying a word, she hung up the phone, glanced at the bodyguards outside, turned around, and went back to her room.… Meanwhile, in the Ford Corporation CEO’s office, Ben stood aside as Weston spoke on the phone. Having heard everything, he felt so awkward he didn’t know where to look. Weston exuded a cold air a
Hearing this, Weston stared fixedly at his mother, his searching eyes full of scrutiny.“What are you looking at?” Wendy shot him a dirty look. “If he really is out there with another woman, why are you so calm about it?” he asked.Wendy laughed.“Aren’t all men like that?” she sneered. “What do you want me to do? Lock him up inside the house?”Weston said nothing, but his eyes turned dark.“Stop wasting your time,” Wendy reminded him impatiently, no longer wanting to see him there. “If you want to go, then hurry up and go! I, for one, have no desire to meet those people!”Just as she finished her sentence, Warren Ford appeared with a cane in his hand.“Are you going to the Cohens’?” he asked.“Yes, Grandpa.“Mr. Frederick Cohen would like to see Zachary,” Weston stood at attention and told Warren. This was the first time Weston and Warren spoke ever since the wedding. Though there seemed to be no changes in their relationship on the surface, only Warren knew about the sto
Guinevere’s moods seemed to stabilize significantly after the wedding. She no longer used her mental state as an excuse to call for Weston whenever she liked. She stood at the door and calmly swept a glance over Weston. She was polite and friendly and not at all agitated.“My grandfather and the rest have been waiting for you inside,” she announced.“Good kid,” Warren said, patting her shoulder. He had been feeling bad about how things had turned out for Guinevere lately. “I’m relieved to see you all well again.”“It was my fault for being so hysterical in the past,” she replied with a smile. “I made such a fool of myself, and I know that everyone is terribly worried about me. But I’m changed now. I won’t cause anyone any trouble again…”She paused and turned to Weston, adding, “I really owe you an apology, Weston.”Weston remained silent. He casually draped his suit jacket over his arm, staring straight ahead as if he hadn’t heard a single word.Guinevere looked slightly disgr
Having gotten a satisfactory answer from the elderly Cohens, it was time for Warren to go home. It was getting late, so the elderly Cohens excused themselves and left Guinevere to send the Fords off alone.“Weston,” Guinevere suddenly said when they were at the door, “I know I’ve done many terrible things in the past, and I’m truly remorseful…”She paused to sigh before continuing. “But no matter what happened, we still remain Zachary’s parents. Going forward, I hope we can at least be on friendly terms.”These were wise words indeed, and they pleased Warren Ford very much.“Guinevere is absolutely correct,” he agreed. “You two practically grew up together. It’s a pity that things between you had to regress to such a state. Weston, considering that Guinevere herself is willing to set everything aside and apologize, you’d better stop treating her so coldly. You’re still friends, after all! At least do it for the sake of your own son!”Weston pursed his lips and said, “We’ll talk ab
Perhaps the time since the afternoon helped to simmer down Stella’s anger, but regardless of the cause, she was no longer furious at Weston. In fact, she even saw the truth in his words—she had tried to run from the wedding, but Weston managed to intercept her and bring her back. It was only natural that she accepted the consequences of her actions and get punished. It would be foolish to assume that just because he had been treating her with tenderness these past few days, it meant he would let her off the hook.“How long are you planning to lock me up in here?” she asked calmly after a long silence. “Can you give me a specific duration?”Weston turned to her and scrutinized her face under the dim, yellow glow of the night light.“You’re not assuming I would give you a one-year deadline like I did last time, are you?”“But… surely you’re not going to lock me up forever?!”“Why can’t I? It’s your fault for being so stubborn.”The body under the blankets kept rising and falling
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