Stella seethed with anger. "So, I'm supposed to pay you in the future if we have sex, huh?"Keegan let out a soft chuckle, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "No need for that. Business is business, and pleasure is pleasure. Pleasing my girlfriend is my duty, and I'm willing to go to any lengths."Stella couldn't let his comment slide and decided to launch a personal attack. "But I didn't feel pleased, though."Keegan paused, then suddenly strode toward her. His expression was devoid of emotion, his steps steady, and his commanding presence filled the room.A hint of intimidation crept over Stella. However, surrendering was never an option for her. She straightened her posture and locked eyes with him, defiance emanating from her gaze. "What do you want?"Keegan swiftly bent down, lifting her onto the table. He parted her legs and positioned himself in front of her, one hand gripping her waist and the other firmly planted on the table, ensnaring her within his grasp.Stella was sta
In the world of showbiz, it was only natural for actresses within the same age group to be compared. Nicole Aspen, a former star of teen dramas, had successfully transitioned her career and managed to sweep almost every mainstream award before reaching the age of thirty. On the other hand, Bella Young, despite attempting a career shift, found herself confined to the realm of teen dramas. The rivalry between their respective fan bases had been ongoing, and Bella's fans had always come up short.Winning awards served as a clear way to establish dominance in these fan wars, and Bella lacked any acting accolades to wield as ammunition. What could her fans possibly use to level the playing field?However, things took an unexpected turn with the official announcement of the drama series, Twinkling Lights. Bella's fans finally had something to boast about. They flooded social media with triumphant posts and tweets, even going so far as to leave snide comments on Nicole's social media pages.
An actress had devised a cunning plan to ensnare her rival, ultimately leading to the rival's tragic demise. If this allegation held any truth, it would undoubtedly cause a major uproar.Having finished perusing the lengthy post, Stella eagerly sought to delve into the comments section and gauge the public's response. To her dismay, she discovered that the comments were inexplicably inaccessible. She attempted to refresh the page in the hopes of remedying the situation, but to no avail. The post had vanished into thin air. Returning to the homepage, Stella couldn't help but notice its sudden absence from the list of trending topics. She couldn't help but think to herself, 'Bella works fast.'Among the details Keegan had shared with Stella about Bella, this particular incident had also been mentioned. However, the reality of the situation proved far more horrifying than what had been exposed by the owner of that social media channel.Andrea Sonn not only had her pictures taken, but s
Lindi complained, "Are you riding this wave too? Do you even need it?"Nicole glanced at her and shot back, "Aren't you always telling me to not offend others? They approached me, so shouldn't I appreciate that?"Lindi was at a loss for words. She thought, 'She never listens when she should and always listens when she shouldn't.'Meanwhile, Bella, having received Nicole's positive response, quickly composed a congratulatory tweet for Nicole's award-winning show and eagerly awaited Nicole's reply.After approximately thirty minutes, Tammy stumbled upon Nicole's freshly posted tweet and exclaimed excitedly, "Nicole tweeted!"Bella hurriedly asked, "What did she post? Did she tag me?"Tammy's mouth twitched slightly as she checked.Noticing Tammy's silence, Bella furrowed her brow and inquired, "What's wrong?"Tammy brought her phone in front of Bella, who took a look and felt her anger rise, almost leaving her breathless.Nicole had shared a screenshot of Tammy's request for soc
Stella was staring at the fish in the pond when her call connected."What's up?" Keegan's voice came from the other end of the phone. Stella returned to her senses and asked, "Why is Sevin in our yard?"Keegan paused and slowly said, "Didn't you say two days ago that the pond in our yard looked empty? So, I went to Grandma's place and stole a random fish."Stella's face darkened when she heard that. "You took Sevin just because I mentioned the pond seemed empty? If I were to say the yard looked empty, would you snatch Juno too?" She muttered to herself, frustrated. 'Grandma's pond is teeming with fish, and Sevin is the biggest. And you expect me to believe it was a random catch?'"Well, the yard isn't big enough for Juno," Keegan chuckled."Stop joking!" Stella said as her eyes widened. "No wonder Grandma called me and told me she couldn't find Sevin. She must've known that you stole it! Maybe she thought I was your accomplice and called to test me! I told her I would ask you, and
"What are you talking about? This hairstyle has been trending these past few years," said Stella. Keegan pulled out a picture of Isaac Newton and compared Stella's hairstyle with his, concluding that it was a century-old fashion. Stella was so mad that she went to straighten her hair the next day.'I can't believe he compared Grandma's perm to a clown's wig,' she thought. "Then... I'll have Keegan send me a few pictures of Sevin and forward them to you.""Ask him to take some close-ups, and don't try to fool me," said Cordelia.After Stella agreed to Cordelia's request, she ran downstairs, lured Sevin out with some bait, and took pictures of the fish with her phone. She waited a long time before sending the photos in order to appear that they were sent to her by Keegan.Cordelia was eating some grapes in her garden when she heard the phone ring. She asked Baldwin to pick it up and saw that it was photos of the koi. She then grabbed her reading glasses and said, "Zoom in the picture
Aurora seemed to have grown a lot after the incident. Cordelia was a little relieved. "I'll talk to Keegan later and have him arrange a suitable position for you," she said in a kind voice."Okay, Grandma," said Aurora. "Can I return to my place after getting the job?"Cordelia plucked her tea leaves gently and said, "You've been living well here for some time now. Why do you suddenly want to go back?""I'm used to living in my old place. Plus, it'll be more convenient for me to get to work from there. Your place is a little far from the company, Grandma," Aurora said softly.Cordelia sipped her tea and said, "I'll have Baldwin drive you to and back from work if you think it's too far. I'd be worried if you lived alone."Aurora observed Cordelia's face as she spoke. Seeing that her expression was soft, Aurora's courage grew a little."There's another reason I want to return to my home, Grandma. I want to bring Mom back. She had a cyst removed a while ago, and she's not recovering
Aurora was so choked up that she could not speak. Cordelia then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your mother's actions after Stella married your brother had shown that she was not worthy of respect. But, what about before that?"Not only did she not help your brother out when he first joined the company, she even transferred his income to her account, causing him to almost lose himself. After your brother found his footing in the industry, your mom secretly used his name to promote the Crosby family's business. They didn't even know how to run a business. Every now and then, they would encounter problems and have your brother clean up their mess."You said raising you alone wasn't easy for a widow like her, but did we ever treat her poorly in the 20 years she lived in our house? It's true that she raised you, but did she use the Crosby family's money to do that? Do you really think she didn't remarry after your dad passed away because she wanted to take care of you? No.
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