âI donât usually drink tea,â Stella stated. âThereâs no need for you to waste your good tea on me.â
Warren Ford smiled faintly, but his countenance remained impenetrable.
âItâs just a tea for entertaining guests,â he said. âBut I wonât force you if you donât want to drink it.â
He then sat down in front of her and added, âYou must know exactly why I wanted to see you here.â
Stella paused for a moment before nodding.
âItâs about Weston, isnât it?â
âHow long have you been with him?â
âHalf a year.â
âHalf a yearâ¦â Warren paused and fell into contemplation before continuing, âThatâs a period of time thatâs neither long nor short. Do you know how long heâs been with Guinevere Cohen?â
Stella pursed her lips and made no reply.
âDonât be nervous,â Warren laughed. âI just wanted to chat with you, thatâs all.â
âReally?â Stella raised her brows. âI thought you brought me here so you could offer me a pile of money in exchange for leaving Weston.â
She had no doubt that Warren would have such a plan in his mind.
âYouâre a smart woman,â Warren put his hand on the desk and drummed his fingers. âIâm sure you know that no amount of money can compare to the love Weston is pouring onto you right now. Heâs worth more than most people would even dare to imagine.â
âIâve never cared about his money anywayâ¦â Stella stared vacantly into the distance.
âHow shrewd of you. You must know that most wealthy people arenât that stupid. At the very least, there has to be one smart person in their family.â
Warren paused to take a sip from his teacup before adding, âDo you think Weston loves you?â
âProbably just a temporary infatuation,â Stella answered bluntly.
âHmmâ¦â Warren nodded. âStill, you managed to get him infatuated with you. Thatâs impressive enough. I must give you credit for that. Now, how much money do you think this infatuation is going to get you?â
Stella suddenly burst into laughter. Warren had been skirting around the subject for a while now, and she must admit that he was much more subtle about it than Chris was, but in the end, both of their motives were one and the same-how much to pay her so she would leave Weston.
âAre you asking me to name my price?â Stella asked Warren.
âNo,â he denied. âYouâve misunderstood me. Even if you did name your price and run off with the money, if Weston really likes you, he would find a way to find you and bring you back anyway.â
Warren understood Weston very well. He had seen this grandson of his grow up before his very eyes.
His attention mightâve been diverted slightly when his youngest son, Xavier, was born, but it had always been crystal clear to him long ago that Weston was the most deserving heir among his descendants.
Weston had almost single-handedly raised the Ford family up to a level that it had never before been at. Naturally, he wouldnât interfere with his grandsonâs lifestyle choices so rashly.
But he would never let him walk down the wrong path either.
Warren looked at Stella with a kindly look, but the words that came out of his mouth were anything but kind.
âIf Weston doesnât want to let go of you,â he said, âit wouldâve been pointless even if you wanted to take the money and leave him.â
Stella clenched her fists. Her expressions soured.
âIf you knew that, why bring me here and intimidate me then?â
âI just want to warn you not to get too bold or brazen,â he asserted. He tapped a finger on the desk and added, â Mark my words, he will get tired of you one day. Itâs just a matter of when. Still, Iâm sure that you have your special capabilities to try to keep him interested in you for as long as you can till youâve exhausted all your skillsâ¦â
A sardonic smile flashed across his face as he stared at Stella âWhat I mean is,â he continued, âI donât want him to be embroiled in his carnal desire for too long,â