Ben could see that she was a little upset, so he said, âMr. Ford still cares a lot about you. Itâs just that he canât let go of his pride sometimesâ¦â
âI want to be quiet for a while.â Stella turned her head and smiled at him.
There was a peaceful glow in her eyes, though the glow was like a pool of dead water.
Ben froze for a moment, that strange feeling growing deeper and deeper.
Yet, he could not describe it, so he could only nod.
>>
âOkay, Mrs. Ford. Have good rest.
The car soon arrived at the entrance of the courthouse .
Tina was already waiting there with her lawyers, ready to 1. go.
At the door, Stella saw Warren sitting at the plaintiffâs table.
Warren looked like he aged a lot. When he got out of the car, he glanced at Stella from afar and then shunned away disdainfully.
She did not say anything and simply nodded to him, expressionlessly.
The calmer she looked, the bigger the fire burning in Warrenâs heart.
He sneered. âDo you think that you will be fine with Westonâs support for you? I am not a person to be trifled with either. The outcome has not been decided yet!â
She smiled at him. âYou are absolutely right.â
Her indifference made him feel very uneasy, as if he had just thrown a punch at a pillow.
He glared at her. âDonât think that I will let you go by acting weak! You killed my greatâgrandson, and I must make you pay with your life!â
She remained silent.
After he finished talking, she asked, âAre you done talking? Can I go in already?â
Warrenâs face turned stiff. Holding his walking stick, he inhaled deeply and said to his lawyers, âLetâs go.â
Tina approached Stella. âItâll be better if you lessen arguments with the plaintiff before the trial.â
Stella shook her head. âI am not arguing with him.â
âGood then.â Tina brought her in.
Ben stopped at the door.
He stood in front of the stone carving of a lionâs head, watched the courtroom door slowly close, and exhaled .
The trial soon commenced.
A lowâprofile luxury car slowly pulled up at the landing of the high stone steps.
Ben focused on it and found it very familiar.
It seemed to be the Gust that Weston would occasionally use. A car synonymous with the term âpostâ
opulence,â it was a limited edition, with only two units ever built in the world.
This was why Ben remembered it.
Weston looked in the direction of the court from inside the car.
He rolled down the window only after Stellaâs figure disappeared from his view.
He lit a cigarette and held it between his fingers, but didnât smoke it.
There were a few visible scratch marks on the back of his palms , marks that Stella made when he held her in the kitchen.
A few of the buttons of his shirt were left unbuttoned, revealing his chest where similar scratch marks were visible.
Stella was docile when she was obedient but was very rebellious when she was not.
When she was comfortable, she would scratch him subconsciously, but she would also do the same when she was not.
Ben walked over to him and interrupted him. âMr. Ford?
âYou came,â he continued respectfully.
âHmph,â Weston replied, his eyes still fixed on the courthouse.