As they left the restaurant, the manager’s devotion to Weston grew even more evident. He nodded enthusiastically and smiled at everything Weston said, his behavior almost servile. This only disgusted Stella, and she couldn’t help but stare, her gaze lingering on the exchange.
“What are you looking at?” Weston’s hand landed on her head, gently turning her to face him.
Stella remained silent for a moment before replying calmly, “Nothing. I just feel like you get along well with everyone.”
She wasn’t sure what part of her statement had amused him, but Weston suddenly let out a chuckle. It wasn’t just a casual laugh—it felt as if it came from deep within, genuine and unforced.
“Would you believe it’s because of our good chemistry?” he teased, looking at her with a playful glint in his eyes, as if she were a naïve child.
Stella’s response caught him off guard, making him see her in a new light. She was pragmatic in many ways, understanding that money and power were crucial in this world, yet at times, she could be as innocent and idealistic as a child, believing human connections were simpler than they truly were. She was a walking contradiction, and Weston found those qualities in her strangely endearing.
Realizing that she’d been caught in an unexpected moment, Stella turned her head, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean it like that…”
She understood the dynamics around people like Weston—their wealth and status meant they would always be surrounded by servitude and deference, no matter where they went. “It’s just that… never mind,” she muttered, shaking her head, unwilling to continue the conversation.
As they exited the restaurant, Stella deliberately slowed her pace and glanced at the people around them. Weston, despite his low profile, had a reputation that preceded him. He rarely did interviews, but his name was well known in the business world. Anyone familiar with the economy or business knew who he was, especially now that Guinevere was his fiancée.
In the entertainment industry, Guinevere was a household name. Even those who hadn’t seen her face would have noticed her posters plastered on billboards everywhere. Stella couldn’t help but wonder what the restaurant guests thought of her. Weston’s mistress. A homewrecker. A shameless gold digger.
The very labels she had once despised were now being applied to her. She felt her heart sink, the weight of those judgments pressing down on her. None of this was her fault—yet it felt like she was being dragged into a narrative she never chose.
The man beside her—the man she had once loved—had shattered her hopes, only to leave her with pain and sorrow. She wished he had let her down sooner, so she wouldn’t have to endure this level of heartache.
The car moved slowly, and Stella thought they were heading to the Golden Eve Apartment. But when the car finally stopped, she realized they had arrived at Stardust Mansion.
The sight of the familiar road triggered memories from the past—the times when she and Weston had walked along it together during their marriage.
The car pulled up to the mansion’s entrance, and Stella gazed out of the window. “You haven’t sold it yet?” she asked, her voice soft.
Weston had given her money after their divorce. Then came the abduction and the harrowing incident on the roof, from which she was lucky to escape with her life. But the choices he had left her with hadn’t been real choices at all. He had allowed her to live elsewhere with Roger, providing her with enough money to cover his medical bills and ensure they could survive, but he had taken away her agency.
Stella’s heart ached as she recalled the past. The mansion, once a symbol of their life together, now felt like a cage.
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