Chapter 121 Naming Things the Same Way as Him
“Are you free this evening, Stella?” The light and melodious voice of a woman could be heard over the phone.
“I’m at the airport now, so I probably won’t be free!”
“It’s like this, Stella. My flight back to the States is also this evening, about the same timing as yours. Could you please change your flight time a little because I would like to speak with you for a while.”
Stella had long since heard that Audrey drifted away from Matthew because of her busy work, and it seemed like she wasn’t being dramatic or pretentious this time; she really wasn’t free. Since there were flights back to Murdough every two to three hours, and it was easy for her to make the change, she made an appointment with her at a cafe.
The moment she saw Audrey, she was still stunned by her elegance and unique temperament of an independent woman, and she stood up unwittingly as she greeted her. “How are you, Miss Fraser? I’m Stella Johansson.”
With a smile, she said, “I’m here to put in some good words for my ex-husband. He’s gentle and considerate, all in all a good man whom I don’t have the good fortune to spend time with because I’m too busy. Even though he likes you, I still don’t know who’s the one you like. But then, there aren’t many men in this world who are better than Matthew, so please think about it carefully. After you had a talk with him yesterday, he was very upset and had a drink. He didn’t even have such deep feelings for me back then, and though I’m not that interested in relationships, I know that it’s better to find a person who loves you rather than the person you love. That way, you can save yourself some heartache. Plus, you’ll definitely fall in love with him in time.”
After she had said her piece, Audrey left.
Initially, Stella didn’t feel anything toward her words, but something she said left a deep impression on her. Find someone who loves you rather than the person you like.
For that man, she went through jealousy and heartbreak; she almost went to jail as well, and she was anxious all the time. This was all because she really loved him a lot.
Despite that, were his feelings the same for her?
After changing her flight, Stella had two more hours to spare before her departure, and while she was waiting at the cafe, someone came to her—Matthew.
Audrey was probably the one who told him I’m here, she thought.
Among the countless divorced couples, it was difficult to find one that didn’t end up as enemies, but it was even more rare to find divorced couples who could maintain such a harmonious relationship. There were only a handful of people like Audrey who would still be willing to look for a girlfriend on Matthew’s behalf.
I don’t even know if Matthew was the nice person here, or if it was Audrey, she thought. Maybe both of them are similarly good people.
Just when she was pondering on this thought, Matthew passed by the glass door on the outside and came in.
Looking a little out of breath, Matthew gave her a little pendant made out of jade in the shape of a man with his feet on a sewing machine and looking very serious. “You’ll be starting your own brand soon, and I don’t have anything for you as a gift. This is a lucky charm my mother gave me when I was preparing to start Amon back then. A story lies within it, but I won’t tell it to you now. One day, you’ll understand it yourself. I wish you success!” After he said that, he turned to leave, and the charm remained with Stella.
Carefully, Stella played with the jade charm in her hands. It felt cool against her skin; the watermarks on it looked good and it had a vibrant glow. However, perhaps due to its age, it was a little chipped, which wasn’t such a big issue because she could get it polished by someone else.
As for the person who was working on the sewing machine, Stella had no idea who it was, but he looked a little elderly.
Instead of wearing the charm around her neck, she placed it in a pocket of her suitcase and boarded the flight.
Recently, Miles had been staying in Murdough, and he would be picking her up from the airport since she had already told him her flight number. Turning into a corner after she disembarked, Stella immediately saw him waiting, and she jogged a little to run straight into his arms.
“You missed me?” he asked, pecking her face lightly as he hugged her around her waist.
“Yes, I missed you a lot!” she replied truthfully as she lifted her face at him and smiled.
For a long while, they made out in the airport until he pulled her to the car while holding her by the waist with one arm.
At his place, Miles placed her on the bed after putting down her luggage. Kissing her impatiently, he then did the deed with her while she was still half-dressed, looking very embarrassed with her clothes still clinging on her.
Violent and strong, he penetrated her as he kissed her around her ears, which made all the blood in her rush to her face as she closed her eyes.
After a round of passionate lovemaking, Stella’s top was pushed upward and her trousers were at her knees, revealing her bare and fair mid-section with multiple lovebites that stood in contrast against her milky skin.
She wanted to get up and put on her clothes properly, but he pressed her down with his hands and stripped her completely naked.
After another round of lovemaking, Stella closed her eyes as she rested herself on Miles’ chest. Since she was much shorter than him, he had to lower his head every time to look at her.
Looking at the naked woman in his arms with her dark hair in disarray, he asked in his husky voice, “What are your plans after this?”
“Huh?” she uttered lazily, as though she was still immersed in their lovemaking from earlier.
Pulling her away gently with his hands, he saw that she still had her eyes closed, seemingly napping. It was this look which could mesmerize men so much that Miles found himself unable to stop himself from feeling so attracted to it.
“What are your plans from now on?” he asked again, his voice even deeper this time.
Circling her arms around his neck, she replied with her eyes still shut, “Open up a branch. I’ve been looking for a spot recently.”
“Have you decided on one? Do you need my help?” he asked, inching his head closer to her.
Coincidentally, he tickled her somewhere, and that made her wriggle, giggling as she said, “That tickles! Don’t do that, Miles.”
She called him by his name again.
As though realizing something, she opened her eyes slowly and saw him gazing at her with a passionate fire in his eyes. Lowering her head, she snuggled into his arms and lay on his burning, hot chest.
Fully aware of his obsession over her body, Stella sometimes wondered dubiously if he liked her as a person, or if he just loved her for her body.
If she really thought about the answer to this question in detail, it might break her heart. Thus, she decided not to think about it.
No longer able to suppress his desire for her, Miles turned over and pressed her beneath himself once more.
He had never used protection because she wasn’t the type to get pregnant easily, and secondly, he wished for a child for himself—a child between him and Stella.
If it wasn’t for Zane, he would have been a father a long time ago, and although that man was dead now, the grudge he held for him was still a thorn in his heart.
As those thoughts ran through his mind, his thrusts became stronger, and her moans got louder.
Actually, Stella had already chosen the spot for her store. After all, she had opened a store for almost a year, so she knew which location was the best; it had to be one that wouldn’t affect the business of her first store while at the same time able to maximize her profits.
However, she didn’t consider so much this time because the first store was catering male outfits, whereas her new store would focus on female clothing. Maybe the people who came for male apparel would like to check out the female ones too. Hence, her new store was in the vicinity of her old store; pretty much the opposite of it.
She didn’t want the stores to be too far from each other because the first one was rented to her by Miles, and she kept having the feeling that it was her home, so she didn’t want to leave too far away from it.
Soon, the renovations of the new store were completed, and she filled a portion with male apparels, then the rest with her own ladies apparel line, which she named Stella.
Previously, she had asked Miles’ opinion on what he thought about the name.
“Why didn’t you include my name?” he asked while watching his iPad on the couch.
Upon hearing his question, she answered innocently, “Well, these are my designs. Isn’t it normal to use the designer’s name? Is there a problem?”
“No problem!” he answered as he kept his eyes on the iPad nonchalantly.
What she didn’t know was that Miles had asked Matthew the same question back then when he was naming his own brand—why didn’t he include Miles’ name?
Back then, they were still in university and were best buddies. Asking him that question was merely meant as a joke, unlike now when he was asking Stella the same thing. Back then, he was just joking around with Matthew.
“It’s my dream to be a clothes designer, so of course I have to use the designer’s name!” Matthew had answered him like that.
Stella’s answer was almost the exact same as his.
Amon was Matthew’s middle name, and he was using it back when he was in Cornell University.
However, he wasn’t so keen on using it anymore after he returned, so he stopped using this name after he came back. After all, it had almost been a decade since his return, and people had slowly forgotten about it, leaving it as a name people only knew as a clothing brand.
After Stella was finished with her job, she came over to Miles’ place and stuck herself close to him. In response, he received her by pulling her closer to himself.
Stella really felt that her days were very peaceful. Now, she was basically staying at his place as she rarely returned to her rented apartment.
“I’m thinking about the criterias of my new employees. I’ll write it down, so can you please amend it after taking a look at it?” she asked, grinning as she rested her head on his chest. With an earnest look on her face, she looked like a charming little woman.
“Sure.” He agreed readily.
Everything he said to her felt like it came from his heart, so every word touched her heart, making her heart beat hard with each syllable. She had never been this obsessed with a man before, and she snuggled deeper into his arms and closer to his chest.
“What is it?” he asked while placing down the iPad in his hands.
“I’m looking forward to the future when my brand can be found all over the world!” she exclaimed with a smile. Very rarely would she smile like this, and because of that, this type of smile was especially precious.
Lowering his gaze at her, he saw her attractive smile and said, “There are many factors that will determine your future, not just your clothes. There are still many other things.”
When she heard that, she didn’t know what he was trying to say, nor could she figure out what his objective was either.
