Vermont staggered and was directly tackled to the ground by a huge and furry thing. A wet tongue licked his head, and Vermont got goosebumps on his back. He was about to fight back when Felicity yelled, "Don't hit it! Don't hit it!"Felicity rushed over and pulled the thing away. When Vermont backed up, he realized what it was. It was a three-feet tall Caucasian Shepherd Dog that seemed taller than Felicity when it stood up. Its coat was gray with white stripes, and its hair was fluffy and shiny. Its limbs were big and strong. The dog could not stop turning in circles after Felicity pulled it back. With Felicity's small figure, she could hardly hold him down. "Richie! Richie! Calm down!" she muttered.Vermont used to think that he was not afraid of dogs, but now he realized that it depended on their size. The biggest dog he had ever seen before was a golden retriever. A Caucasian Shepherd, however, was bigger and a lot stronger. Nine out of ten people would be scared if they saw it.
Vermont was speechless after knowing that Richie had gone through his clothes and torn them up. 'That dog is targeting me!'*A mini scene.On some random day, Keegan received a text from Stella while he was working. [HR is so expensive right now.][I think the prices are alright,] Keegan replied.[It was cheaper last year.][Prices are increasing due to inflation, my dear.][But, it's over my budget.][Are you in need of HR?] Keegan asked.[Yeah. I've been working too much lately, and I've been staying up late. I really need to treat myself,] Stella responded.Keegan thought of how Stella had stayed up all night shooting a movie recently and how her dark circles were getting worse. So, he texted, [I'll make some arrangements.][Thanks, honey. You're the best,] Stella replied.Felicity gave her a thumbs up and said, "So, this is how you save your money…""I'm just giving him a chance to perform."Felicity gave a knowing look and used the same tactic on Vermont.Vermont res
Felicity was embarrassed about Richie tearing up Vermont's clothes. "I think he likes you. I've never seen him so excited to see anyone before," she said, trying to repair the damage.Just as she said that, they heard Richie tearing another piece of clothing, and Vermont was utterly speechless.Felicity's grandmother was a kind little old lady. After she saw how miserable Vermont looked, she immediately said, "Felicity, go and grab a set of your father's old clothes for your friend to change into. You can bring him to buy new clothes in the morning.""Alright," Felicity said and immediately ran upstairs to get the clothes.Vermont was dirty and covered in thorns. He was too embarrassed to sit down on the couch, so he stood obediently in the living room. Although he was in a mess, his silver tongue remained unchanged. "Hi, Grandma," he said.The old lady smiled and said, "When Felicity said she was bringing a friend home for the holidays, I didn't expect it to be a young man."Ver
'It seems like she's fine with it,' thought Vermont. "May I know why you still have his clothes?""Well, my mom bought them. There was no way we were going to let him have it," Felicity rightfully said. "My mom was going to give the clothes to my uncle, but they didn't fit him. She was reluctant to get rid of it, so she kept it. A lot of the labels have not even been removed yet. They're probably considered antiques.""Do you have a good relationship with your dad?" asked Vermont, wanting to learn more so that it would be easier for Felicity's family to like him."It's not good per se, but it's not bad either. We didn't really have much time together. My dad is not from here. When my mom married him, she lived far away from here for six or seven years. She then took me back to live with my grandma and got divorced in less than two years. My dad was still in school back then, so I didn't get to see him much. He finished high school and wanted to study abroad. My mom was not willing t
The girl's parents had handwritten the thousand-word thank you letter. In addition to expressing their gratitude, there was a section detailing their daughter's account of the incident. The girl said that she had entered the store around the same time as Stella and had witnessed Stella's argument with the two minors.She said that one of the girls had pulled Stella's mask off and held her phone in the celebrity's face. That was when Stella pushed her phone away.The post also stated that Stella was not responsible for the girl's fall. Another girl had pushed Stella during the argument, which caused her to accidentally bump into the first girl when she stepped back.That was the first time the girl, who was saved, had seen Stella in real life. She could not help but take a few videos and photos of the incident to show her friends some firsthand news. She stood very close to them in order to get a clearer shot of the incident.The scene was very heated, but it was mostly the two perp
[There is something wrong with the angle of the video circulating on the Internet. Stella did not exert her force at all. I clearly saw her from behind but did not dare to speak out because of the fame and power that the other party holds. I'm overjoyed to see her being dragged down these past few days. I should have come forward sooner.[I was one of the staff members responsible for Bella's protective gear at that time. Strangely enough, Bella asked me to help her add an extra set of knee pads that day. There was no need to do so since the danger level for that scene was not high. It seems like she knew she was going to be badly injured.]As more and more people came out, the public had different views about the situation.Bella was in the hospital at that time. Her eyes reddened with anger when she saw the viral posts on the internet. She tried to call the mystery person who had contacted her before, but the number was no longer in service. The man had said that he would reach ou
Andrea's suicide note was also revealed online. The contents detailed the night she had dinner with Bella. She did not suspect Bella at the beginning and even regarded her as her best friend. Andrea was terrified after being sexually assaulted, so she consulted Bella immediately to discuss the matter. She thought about calling the police, but Bella stopped her.Bella advised her not to call the police on the grounds that she was about to be signed on as an actor. She told Andrea that the casting directors would definitely rethink their choice if things came out, despite the fact that she was the victim. "I think you should wait till they sign the contract before calling the police," she said. Andrea felt alone and helpless at the time. So, she had no choice but to trust her good friend, Bella.Andrea had nightmares every night about the torture she suffered. To add to the trauma, her private pictures were uploaded to the internet. Netizens started calling her all kinds of names when
Fans often turned a blind eye to their idol's morals if they did not go against the law. A celebrity's follower deciding to leave the fandom was a huge deal. This caused Bella's name to explode all over the internet. Out of all the times she had been in the eyes of the public, this was the first time she had gotten so much attention.Stella was eating an apple while she scrolled on Facebook. Keegan sat next to her, answering his emails. "The suicide note is fake, right?" Stella asked. She agreed with the skeptics that Andrea would have published it to the public before her death."So what if it's fake?" Keegan asked."You can go to jail for falsifying evidence," Stella leaned over and explained.Keegan glanced at her and said, "The suicide note was burned long ago. This is considered a rumor at best. Though, the police wouldn't have time to worry about such trivial matters right now. They have too much on their plate with the sexual assault case reopened.""And I thought you were
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