"What's with that face?" Stella asked.Keegan tried to be honest. "You look nice, but with that outfit, you don't seem like a young guest invited to a wedding."Stella thought to herself, 'He's indirectly telling me that I look old.'"Still got time, do you want to change into something else?" Keegan asked her."No need," Stella sprayed some hairspray, then gently ran her fingers through her hair, adjusting it in front of the mirror. She said lightly, "This is the look I want."After all, she wanted to give Albert and Hylda a "surprise" at their wedding.It was Albert's second marriage, and he had invited almost half of the social elites in Rivera.He wouldn't have been able to invite all those people on his own. But he was cunning. He had someone create a guest list for the invitation and posted it on social media. When everyone saw that Keegan and Vermont were coming, they decided to attend as well.After all, Keegan was now an eligible bachelor in Rivera. There were too many
As soon as Stella arrived at the wedding venue, she saw Sophia in a light yellow maxi dress. Sophia was busy welcoming the guests. She dressed so grand that it seemed as though she was the one getting married that day. After years of being known as the illegitimate daughter, it was understandable that Sophia wanted to let everyone know she was the real deal.Although Stella was no longer in her previous circle after her divorce, she still received updates about what was going on from Olivia. Stella heard that Sophia had recently become well-known among the people and had even found a boyfriend.It was said that Sophia's boyfriend came from a good background. His family owned a Multi-Channel Network (MCN) company where they managed online creators and influencers. They offered services such as audience development, content programming, product collaborations, and more.Over the years, the e-commerce industry became more and more popular. Many internet personalities had been able to g
When Stella was looking around for the location reception, she heard Sophia's voice from behind her. She said, "Excuse me, Ma'am. The reception is over there."Stella's dark green dress was remarkable under the night lights. With her excellent figure, she looked elegant from the back.Thinking that Stella was a noble lady from one of the wealthy families. Sophia's tone was polite and gentle. "Allow me to show you the way."Stella slowly turned around and pushed back the hair on her shoulders. "Thank you," she said with a smile.Sophia's expression immediately changed when she saw the familiar face. "Stella? What are you doing here?"Stella showed her the wedding invitation and said, "Can't you tell? I'm here to celebrate Albert and Hylda's union."Sophia almost grabbed the drink beside her and threw it at Stella, as she hated her. Thousands of people criticized Sophia after the incident at the press conference, causing her to lose the opportunity to enter Vinci Rivera and come in
"I don't mind as long as Stella doesn't mind. After all, it's just a name," Sophia smiled and said.Hearing that, the crowd began to discuss Stella being an illegitimate daughter."I can't believe Stella is the illegitimate daughter, and Sophia is the actual daughter of the Jewell family. You don't even get to see this kind of a plot twist on TV.""How does she have the nerve to show up on such a joyous occasion?""Look at her. I bet she's either here to win sympathy or to ask for money. I heard that Mr. Jewell has been secretly helping her out despite her not being his actual daughter.""Mr. Jewell is a good man. I would've found someone else too if I knew that my wife cheated on me and had a baby."Stella's eyelids twitched when she heard that. 'No wonder Albert transferred fifty thousand dollars to me for no reason before this. It's all for show. He just wanted to establish the image of a good father,' she thought.Stella's expression remained the same no matter what the peop
Sophia was taken aback when she heard what Stella had said. 'Oh, she's really pushing it,' she thought."I understand that you're not into these brands, Stella. After all, you used to wear high-end clothing from Elie Saab, but things are different now. I'm sorry that I could only afford dresses from Wendy Carlson. Even though it's not as extravagant as your previous attires, I still think it's better than what you're wearing right now," said Sophia with a smile, implicating that Stella was out of line.Stella glanced at her and pushed her hair behind her shoulders, showing the designer dress she was wearing that accentuated her curves. A silver embroidered phoenix on the side of her dress gleamed under the light. Due to Stella's figure, the bird looked like it was about to take off."Why does that embroidery pattern on that dress look so familiar?""Is that actually embroidery? I thought it was printed on there.""Right? I feel like I've seen that design somewhere.""It's probabl
Everyone felt that Xianna was right. To them, it was better to wear a generic brand than a counterfeit.Since Stella did not look like she could afford to wear a designer dress, the people believed that she bought a replica to save her face after her downfall. After all, not many people had ever seen the famous phoenix embroidery in real life."I can't believe she resorted to wearing knockoffs when she used to wear so many high-end designs before.""I know, right? The embroidery looks like the real thing, but there's still a difference if you look close enough. The feathers on the phoenix seem different from the original piece.""She should've worn something less recognizable, in my opinion. I mean, that design literally went viral online. She has to be dense to wear that.""I think she's rather smart. How else are people going to notice her if she doesn't wear a Lea Sartorre knockoff? After all, she always had to be the center of attention back when she was Mrs. Kane."Sophia wa
"Annie Crawford? The Annie Crawford who won the World Fashion Awards?" The crowd began to burst into sound."I heard it's impossible to get her work now. She's literally in every fashion show and the top fashion designer in the country!""Stella's dress must be the real deal if Annie Crawford said so. She and Lea Sartorre are very well acquainted with each other. There's no way she'd be wrong about Sartorre's work.""I can't believe Xianna actually hinted that Annie Crawford knew nothing about the fashion industry when she's the top player in the game.""Did you guys hear what Annie Crawford just said? She said that Lea Sartorre gave that dress to someone as a gift. That means Stella was the one she gifted it to!""Oh, my God. That dress is priceless.""I knew Stella wouldn't wear a knockoff to an event like this. She would never make a joke out of herself no matter how bad the situation she is in.""So, that's why Stella said that Sophia was someone who didn't know much. She di
Stella loved watching the National Embroidery Show. She would always sit in front of the TV whenever the show came up. Keegan was not interested in the program but would still watch it with Stella to pass the time.However, that was not what Stella thought he was doing. From Stella's point of view, Keegan was simply trying to steal the TV from her. Whenever she went to the bathroom during the commercials, Keegan would switch the program to the finance or sports channels. He would also intentionally hold onto the remote and make Stella beg for it. Stella did not know that that was Keegan's way of trying to interact with her.Despite being in the digital era, Stella still liked to catch up on shows on TV rather than the internet. She often worried that looking at her phone too much would affect her eyesight. Stella was very protective of her eyes, as they were important for expressing emotions in acting. She would also take a break to rest her eyes after every episode she watched.Kee
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