Weston stood there gazing at Stella who was sound asleep on the sofa. His disheveled black hair cast a shadow across his eyes, rendering his expression impossible to read.
He stayed that way for so long that heâd forgotten what time it was. It was the cold breeze that finally prompted him to go back inside. He slid the door open, sauntered over to Stella, and picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
The next morning, Stella woke up to find herself in a tight embrace. She felt something hard bolstering her neck. She opened her eyes and saw that it was a manâs arm.
âWeston,â she muttered without even thinking, trying to push the man away.
But Weston did not get up. With his eyes still closed, he hugged Stella a little tighter. âLetâs sleep a little longer,â he murmured in her ear. âOkay?â Stella struggled to get up so she could check the time. âI need to go to work,â she told him. Weston pinned her body down before she could get away and pulled her back into his arms, not even letting her move. âLetâs sleep a little longer,â he repeated in an insistent tone.
Stella sighed.
âBut I really need to go to work,â she said.
She wouldnât be persuaded, so Weston let go of her and turned away with his back towards her. Stella scurried out of bed in a rush and out of habit, reached a hand towards the nightstand to get her phone where she always placed it, only to find that it wasnât there. She then remembered that she fell asleep on the sofa last night. So how did she end up here?
She glanced at the man who was still in bed with a mixture of complicated feelings. She didnât dwell on it though. She just went ahead and walked out of the room.
She found her phone on the coffee table. She checked the time and found that it was still early, so she took a quick shower, got ready, and was about to leave. Weston was awakened by the noise, so he got out of bed. He glanced at her, then with a vacant face told her, âIâve asked the driver to come pick you up.â Stella nodded and made no objections. âArenât you going to work today?â she asked, noticing that he was still in his nightshirt. Before Weston could reply, she heard the sound of a car approaching downstairs, so she dashed towards the door. âIâm leaving now,â she said before closing the door behind her, not even looking at Weston to see his reaction.
She no longer had any curiosity or interest in him now. Everything she said even sounded flat and impassive, like a robot reading out a line of code, completely void of emotions. Weston stared at the door. His eyes were dark and brooding.
Stella asked the driver to stop at the intersection, then she opened the door and stepped out of the car.
After walking for a few minutes, she finally reached her workplace. She saw Yvonne cheerfully handing out gifts. Yvonne beamed when she noticed Stella. âItâs only been a few days since I last saw you,â
Yvonne exclaimed, âbut I think youâve gotten much prettier now!â Stella could clearly see that Yvonne was in a very good mood. She deduced that something good mustâve happened.
âI think youâre the one whoâs gotten prettier!â she replied. âWhen I was coming in, I was asking myself whoâs that lady whoâs smiling like an angel?â. Yvonne knew that Stella was only flattering her, but she was still very pleased by it. Once she was done handing out the gifts, she grabbed Stellaâs hand and pulled her into her office.
âIâve got a special set of skincare products for you!â Yvonne chirped. âCome on and give it a try! Letâs see if they suit your skin!â
Before Yvonne closed her office door, Stella felt a gaze directed at her, but when she turned around to see, she saw no one there.
Yvonne didnât notice anything out of the ordinary, so she happily pulled out a small golden jar. She opened it and dipped her fingers in the white cream, but just before she was about to rub it on Stellaâs skin, she noticed that Stella kept staring at the door. âWhatâs wrong?â she asked.
âNothing,â Stella replied, thinking that she was probably mistaken.