Bella dialed the number, and it went to a voicemail.After mentioning her name, she ended the call. Then, she called the same number again, and it was answered after a short while.It was completely silent on the other end. It was so quiet that she could not even hear the person breathing."Hello." Bella held her phone tightly and spoke.Still, there was no response at all. Bella tightened her grip and said in a low voice, "I've done what you asked for. Is it time for you to return the favor?"A deep laugh came from the other end of the phone. Bella did not know if that person used a voice changer, but it sounded very eerie and sent chills down her spine.Just when Bella thought that she would be rejected, that person asked, "How would you like me to help you?"Bella replied in a deep voice, "I want The Palace to be taken down."That person laughed scornfully upon hearing what she said.Bella got a little irritated by the laughter as she gritted her teeth and asked, "What are
Bella was jealous of Stella. She was jealous that their lives were so different despite sharing the same age.Even after getting a divorce and joining the entertainment industry, Stella could meet so many people to help her along the way. She managed to work with a good director like Daniel on her first drama and was favored by a big company like Elegant Media at the same time.Meanwhile, Bella had to sell her body to get the same opportunity as Stella.It took her so long to finally have a drama that could blow up, yet The Palace came out of nowhere like a dark horse and trampled her.She made a bet with the production team of World Peace, stating that if World Peace could secure the top viewership spot of the year, the production team would sign her for their next big drama, Twinkling Lights".That was why she ditched The Tea Merchant for the controversial drama, World Peace.The director of Twinkling Light was quite fond of Nicole, so Bella agreed to film World Peace just to s
Estelle thought to himself, 'Eating is fine, but her partner has to be present.'So, when Leighton arrived, looking handsome and radiant, he saw Stella talking to Keegan with her head lowered.He had no idea what Keegan said, but he saw Stella punching the back of Keegan's hand. Then, Keegan grabbed her hand and held it in his palm.After that, Keegan looked over at the entrance nonchalantly and greeted Leighton. "You're here."Leighton was speechless.The way that Keegan said "You're here" reminded him of the fear he felt when he worked for Trevor as Trevor would always speak like he was someone older than him.Leighton was never fond of Keegan. After all, Keegan was a man who married his crush, yet did not cherish her and ended up getting a divorce with her. Leighton always thought that there was something wrong with Keegan's head.Stella lifted her head and saw Leighton. Then, she smiled and waved at him. "Have a seat. We haven't ordered yet. Here, have a look at the menu."
The edge of Leighton's lips twitched. "I've never heard my dad talking about it."Keegan nodded. "I'm not surprised. Your mother always said that you rarely come home."Leighton kept quiet.He did not believe Keegan at first, but he was getting suspicious."Do you really know my parents?"Keegan took his phone out and dialed a number. After the phone vibrated a few times, a gentle and feminine voice came from the other end. "Hello, how are you?"Leighton widened his gaze. It really was his mother's voice.Keegan smiled faintly and said, "Ms. Clark, it's me. Keegan.""Hey, Keegan. It's been so long since you called. How have you been? Are you busy lately?""A little. Everything piled up, and it could get overwhelming sometimes. Trevor told me that you're coming to Rivera soon. Have you set a date?"Leighton blurted out, "Mom, are you coming to Rivera?"The woman paused. "Leighton? Are you with Keegan?"Keegan pursed his lips and reluctantly said, "Yeah. We're eating together
Leighton and Stella held their liquor well while Keegan did not. However, he knew himself and did not drink much during dinner.On the other hand, Stella was a little drunk. Her face was all red, and she was slurring her words. "Tell me, Leighton. How much money do top-tier people like you make in a year?"Leighton was taken aback and did not know what to say. Keegan sipped his tea calmly, thinking about how Stella's social skills had improved. 'It's good that she's asking about his financials rather than just handing him the money,' he thought.Seeing that Leighton did not answer, Stella began to guess. "30 mil?"Leighton shook his head."50 mil?"Leighton shook his head again."100 million dollars?"Leighton remained stationary this time, and Stella's eyes widened."After taxes?" She asked.The man nodded.Stella put her arms around him and said, "You've gotta teach me how. I wanna earn some money too."Leighton was left speechless at the sound of that.Keegan grabbed St
Keegan shot Leighton a glance and was silent for a few seconds before he said, "You can choose not to get acquainted with him and keep on having bugs in your games. Nobody is stopping you from continuing your acting career to make up for your losses in the gaming industry. I'm just saying that you'll become a joke to Trevor when you lose everything."Leighton was stunned upon hearing that. "You looked into me?" He asked with a sullen look on his face.Keegan did not take his anger seriously. He readjusted Stella's position in his arms and lightly said, "Well, I have to know what kind of person is my lover hanging out with, right? You can forget what I said." Keegan turned around and left while carrying Stella after he said that.Leighton hesitated for a while and stopped him. "I've spent a lot of money hiring people to fix the bugs, but none of them succeeded. Who's your friend? Can he really help me optimize the program?"Keegan did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, "Wha
Leighton glared at Estelle and asked, "Was it you who called that guy over?"Estelle naturally refused to admit his doing. "How would someone like me get in contact with the boss of Vinci Rivera?"Leighton did not believe him. 'Who would spread the news about my date with Stella if not for this lousy person?'"Then, why did he show up?""He must've seen the way you were looking at his ex-wife. He's not blind, you know. He was clearly trying to get you to stay away. Do you know why Stella keep messing up during the make-out scene you two shot together?"Leighton looked puzzled, indicating that he did not know the reason behind the retakes."It was because her ex-husband was holding the reflector and standing above the two of you! Would she have been disturbed to kiss you if they were actually over?"Leighton froze and vaguely recalled the man who wore a face mask during the shoot. His eyes looked similar to Keegan's. Leighton's face turned green, and he finally understood why Ste
When the man heard the sound of customers entering his store, he put down the remote control to the television, got up, and said, "Are you here to find something or pick up an order?""We're here to look at your rings, sir. Can you show me all of your gold rings?" asked Stella. The shop owner then took out several trays of jewelry and put them in front of the couple.Keegan took a glance and found that the rings in the store were unexpectedly beautiful. Many of the styles were not available on the market. Some of the rings were simple, and some looked vintage. All of the designs were very detailed.Stella leaned against the counter, looking at each of the rings carefully. However, she did not like any of them."Maybe you two can tell me what you want, and I'll help you find it. We also make custom orders in case none of these are to your liking. Just send me a picture of the ring, and I can make it happen.""I want plain and simple couple rings," Stella said.Upon hearing this, t
Keegan moved from initial resistance to reluctantly listening, and eventually to questioning."Why do these novels portray men as so stupid and brainless, yelling at the female lead as if they have intermittent explosive disorder?""Is the male lead sick? Forcing the female lead to donate a kidney, is he out of his mind?""How many years would they get for calling the police in their world?""Why is he so dumb? The supporting actress claims the female lead pushed her into the water and he believes it? Is checking surveillance footage illegal?""Stella, are you making fun of me?""I can't learn this. It all feels so neurotic. What does the female lead see in him?"Stella retorted, "Who cares if it's neurotic? Just mimic that stupidity, that's how these innocent women like men who protect them like that."Keegan was very reluctant, but his brain was more compliant than his body. Without needing to study deliberately, everything he heard stuck in his mind.So when Keegan mentione
Keegan's expression darkened with anger. "You're being completely unreasonable!"Stella crossed her arms, wearing an expression that seemed challenging. "You let her take it. Let's see if I dare."Jaylene hadn't actually wanted those junk items in the first place; she was deliberately trying to stir up discord between them. Now that her goal was achieved, she put on a sympathetic look."Keegan, I don't want it anymore. Don't be angry. Your health is more important. Didn't the doctor say to keep your emotions stable?"Turning her head, she reproached Stella. "Stella, are you here to help Keegan recover his memory or just to provoke him?""Shut up, you brat! Do you even have a say here?"Acting under the guise of a drama, playing the role of someone lacking in manners, was incredibly satisfying.She’d wanted to curse this brat for a long time!Jaylene's lips twitched, but she held back, tearfully saying, "Stella, if you don't like me, I'll leave. There's no need to humiliate me l
Jaylene understood the situation perfectly. Even though she didn't particularly like these cold, mechanical devices, she put on a pretense of surprise, saying, "Really, Keegan?"Keegan nodded. "Choose one you like.""Keegan!" Before Stella could finish her sentence, she couldn't hold back her sharp voice, "With your pile of junk that I can't even touch normally, she takes a look and now you want to give it to her? What's the meaning of this?!"Keegan frowned, apparently not comprehending her current anger at all. "Jaylene gave me a gift, and I'm giving her one in return. What's the problem?""What problem?" Stella's eyes started to redden. "I can't touch them, so why should she be able to? Have you forgotten, or do you have inappropriate feelings for her?"Keegan's expression darkened. "This makes no sense!"Jaylene secretly delighted in this, hypocritically trying to calm things down, "Forget it, Keegan. Since Stella minds so much, I don't want it anymore. You've strained your r
The standoff lasted for over twenty minutes before Keegan grabbed a book and knocked the beetle off Jaylene's neck. The beetle fluttered twice and suddenly flew up, landing on Jaylene's face.Jaylene screamed, rolled her eyes, and fainted.As she collapsed, the bug flew off again."Jaylene?"Keegan called out to her.He looked up at Stella and said, "You go start the car, I'll carry her to the hospital."As he spoke, he signaled to Stella.She understood and coldly grunted, "So troublesome."Walking over to Jaylene, she squatted down beside her and slapped her face twice.Jaylene immediately opened her eyes and reached out to push her away. "What are you doing!"Stella was prepared and had already moved back before she could be pushed.She shook her tingling hand and innocently said, "Jaylene, you fainted because of the bug. I was just saving you. Don't believe me? Ask Keegan."Jaylene nearly ground her teeth. Did she think she hadn't heard? She was intentionally exposing h
Her fingertips trembled with a mix of horror and excitement. Just as the teapot was about to slip from her grasp, Keegan suddenly said, "Jaylene, don't move."Jaylene froze, instinctively thinking Keegan had regained his memory. She had barely twitched when Keegan loudly stopped her again, "Don't move, absolutely don't move."Jaylene wanted to say something, but then felt an itching sensation on her neck, as if something was crawling slowly. Goosebumps erupted all over her body.By now, Stella had turned around and saw Jaylene standing stiffly with the teapot in hand. Her eyes quickly assessed the situation and then she noticed the beetle crawling on Jaylene's neck.It was an unknown species, not overly tentacled but as long as a little finger, its mouthparts slightly twitching, genuinely alarming in appearance.Stella murmured, "It's so big."Jaylene couldn't see what was on her neck, unsure if it would bite or if it was venomous. She stood frozen in place, her voice trembling,
Seeing him, Stella even lowered her eyes and softly praised, "Mr. Kane, you acted very well."Keegan glared at her, his voice low and intense. "If you keep watching like this, Coco will cut ties with me tomorrow."Stella replied confidently, "No, she won't. After accepting the red envelope, she can tolerate you a little longer."Keegan asked sharply, "Did you teach her to ask for red envelopes like this?""Don't falsely accuse me; I didn't teach her.""You may not have taught her directly, but you set an example. Have you forgotten how you always make me buy things for you?"Stella was speechless. Whenever she wanted Keegan to buy her something, she would often say, "Gifts are only surprises when given voluntarily. If reminded, it shows they don’t like me that much."It had to be said, Coco had learned the essence of it.Stella also felt a bit awkward, thinking that in the future, she needed to avoid such flirtatious conversations between spouses in front of the children. They
Could she figure all this out?Keegan frowned, casting a disappointed look at Coco. "Are you not listening to me now?"Coco raised her gaze defiantly and stated, "Aunt Stella taught me that if I don't want something someone gives me, I can say no. I don't want this hairpin.""Didn't she teach you that even if you don't like something, you should still say thank you?"Coco fell silent for a moment, then reluctantly said to Jaylene, "Thank you, Aunt Jaylene, but I don't want it."Jaylene hesitated with her hand extended, unsure whether to retract it or leave it there, managing a strained smile. "Then what do you like? Next time, I will get you something you do like."Coco asked, "Do you want me to do something for you?"Jaylene was taken aback. "What?"Coco replied seriously, "Aunt Stella says offering help without reason is either deceitful or thieving. Since you don't like me, why else would you give me something? You want me to do something for you, right?"Jaylene forced a s
Leighton's incident did indeed revive their suspicions.Jaylene was gullible, but Darcie might see through this scheme. "Keegan, why didn't you go to work today?" Jaylene chose to ask directly at first.Keegan remained composed. "I've been busy with the press conference lately and haven't had much rest. Now that things have slowed down, I thought I'd take a break and relax."Jaylene spoke gently, "You should rest well. Since you came back, you've been busy, and you've been postponing Dr. Stone's follow-up appointments. Keegan, I'm really worried about your health. Since you're resting these days, I'll arrange for Dr. Stone to give you another check-up. Stella has been living here to assist your recovery for so long. We need the doctor to give a clear assessment of whether there's been any improvement. Otherwise, it's not good for Stella's reputation to stay here so long, unmarried and under one roof."Keegan nodded. "Okay, please arrange it. Thank you."His response was decisive,
Stella had just descended the stairs when she heard that remark, causing her eyelids to twitch as she thought to herself, “Damn it! He really knows how to come up with excuses!”Upon hearing this, Jaylene's eyes briefly flashed with disdain, but she ultimately accepted the shoe covers Keegan handed her. As Keegan led Jaylene into the house, her eyes continued to scrutinize every corner.There were a couple of pillows on the sofa, couple mugs on the table, wedding photos of Keegan and Stella on the walls, and even headbands and hair ties scattered on the table. The house exuded an unmistakable feminine touch.Jaylene's expression darkened, but when Keegan turned to ask if she preferred tea or coffee, she adopted a gentle, harmless demeanor. "Tea would be perfect."Keegan invited her to take a seat and called for Maria to prepare tea. Jaylene spoke softly, "Keegan, I heard from Stella that you brew Dragon Well tea better than anyone else. Is there a special technique?"Stella paused