With the club packed to its brim like canned sardines, there was no guarantee that they wouldnât bump into an acquaintance here, which would cause more trouble. Stella definitely didnât want that.
âIf youâre worried about people recognizing us,â said Weston, stroking her hair gently, âthen just relax and have fun. Let me deal with the rest.â âNo,â she shook her head. âItâs fine. I donât like this kind of place anyway.â âYou donât? Why did you come here then?â âOnly because it looked exciting. We didnât even have that much fun the last time I was here with Yvonne.â Weston suddenly stopped in his tracks and gave Stella a strange look. âWhy not?â he asked. âDid you not like that pianist?â âI was only enjoying the music he played,â she grumbled, glaring at him. âWhy did you have to use that accusatory tone with me?â
Weston had put it as if she had cheated on him with that pianist.
âJust remember not to do that kind of thing again,âhe warned her, pinching her nose. âYou know I donât like it.â
He had begun to show his possessiveness more boldly in front of her now. Stella said nothing. Though she didnât like it, she had no intention of disobeying him. As they made their way to the private lounge, Stella droned on about Yvonne. âThe last time I was on the phone with her, she was fighting with her husband again. I wonder if theyâve made up by nowâ¦â
It wasnât clear whether Weston was listening to her. His expressions were calm, and he kept his replies short and simple. After a while, he rubbed his temples, looked at her, and asked, âIs she so great that you have to keep talking about her?â âMm-hmm!â Stella nodded. âSheâs probably the only friend I have in this city.â As she spoke, she suddenly turned gloomy. Stella had always felt like Yvonne was too good for her. She was such a vivacious, loyal, and kind friend, but as for Stellaâ¦
No matter how she looked at it, Stella realized that she was just a kept woman. By being friends with her, she was worried that she would cause Yvonne trouble, even if Yvonne had never taken any of these things to heart. With this in mind, Stella suddenly turned to Weston and told him, âCan I ask you to keep the things between us between ourselves and not drag anyone else into it? You must know that she never meant to challenge you; she just couldnât sit idle while I wasâ¦â
Weston snorted derisively as he watched Stella get so worked up trying to protect Yvonne. He went silent for a while before asking her, âDo you really think of me as the kind of person who likes to harass people for my own amusement?â
Stella pursed her lips and said nothing.
Weston was exactly that kind of person in her mind. Even Yvonne was a little wary of him, proving that it was common knowledge that he was a ruthless man not to be messed with. âDonât worry,â he assured her. âI know sheâs your friend, so I wonât do anything to her as long as you remain a good girl.â Their relationship was on the mend right now. He didnât want any outsider to come between them and mess it up. He also hated seeing her being scared of him. Stella quietly let out a sigh of relief. She then suddenly realized something.
âBy the way,â she began, âif you donât like listening to me talk about these things, then I wonâtâ¦â
âItâs fine,â he interrupted her. âYou can talk about anything you like.â He then called the waiter and ordered a glass of wine and a mocktail. When the order came, he nudged the mocktail towards her.
âYou donât have to be so cautious when youâre with me. Just relax.â Truth be told, he had completely no interest in what Stella was talking about, but if it made her happy, he would gladly listen to her all day.
Stella thought that none of this would ever have happened when they were married. She remembered always being careful of what she said, fearing that she might annoy or bore him if she said the wrong thing. Not once had she gossipped in front of him when they lived together as husband and wife, afraid sheâd waste his time.
The man she was married to would never take time out of his working day to hang out with her in a club the whole afternoon the way he was doing now. It was something that she would never even dare to hope for back then.