Chapter 1428: Chapter 1431

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 Mooked 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 should try dating each other, then why don’t we give this a proper try? After all… I actually secretly liked you three years ago.”

Stella paused. She had no idea how to respond, so she picked up her cup and took a sip.

“I don’t think this kind of joke is funny,” she said.

“You even speak like him,” Hayden said, looking at Stella with a half–smile.

She did not have to ask him who he meant by ‘him.‘

“It’s just a coincidence,” she replied with a slight frown.

“Stella,” he suddenly looked straight into her eyes, “I mean it. Weston promised that he would not get in the way of our relationship. You should really take a chance and seriously consider me as your potential partner.”

Stella sighed.

“…Okay,” she agreed.

She wanted to know what Weston was really up to anyway.

And so Stella and Hayden started to date each other officially.

Even Roger found it surprising.

“You’re not actually getting serious with him, right?”

Stella did not give him a definite answer, but after thinking about it for a while, she told him, “I just want to see how things go and let nature take its course. Besides, I really do need to start getting to know some men now.”

Her words eventually reached Weston’s ears.

“Mr. Ford…” Ben reported cautiously, “Madam’s relationship with Dr. Quirk seems to be developing steadily.”

He then briefly described their most recent date, and when he noticed Weston’s expressions turning icy cold, he braced himself, hurried through the rest of his report, and walked straight out of the office.

Not much can be discerned from Weston’s countenance. He calmly opened a drawer and pulled out the medicine bottle inside it. He then poured almost the entire content of the bottle into his hands and swallowed all the pills without any water to wash them down.

Traces of the white pills got stuck in his throat. It tasted awfully bitter.

On the weekend, Weston decided to visit Elias and Emma. This was the only proper excuse he had to see Stella now. But to his surprise, as soon as he arrived, he heard a familiar voice of a man in the distance, and this voice seemed to be mixed with the voice of children from the inside as if they were playing happily together.

Weston froze in his steps. He stood stiffly at the door for a long time without moving. He only regained his senses when Stella, who was carrying Emma, and Hayden, holding Elias’s hand, bumped into him at the door.

Stella froze for a while when she saw Weston. She did not expect him to be here at all.

“You should’ve called before you came…” she said, feeling a little awkward when she realized that he must have come over to see the children, yet she had just promised them she would take them out to play.

Weston tugged at his collar, finding it a little hard to breathe.

“You only just started dating him, and you’re already bringing him back home?” he asked. “The kids are still so young! Can’t you wait before you introduce him to them?”

Stella had intended to speak nicely with him initially, but she quickly turned cold and impatient when she heard what Weston just said.

“You’re the one who suggested that I date him,” she snapped, “and now you’re saying all these things to me? Seriously, Weston, are you sure you don’t have a split personality?”