Stella could not help but feel a little perplexed when she was reading the story. 'Doesn't this story take place in an olden-days setting? Since when were people from those times so open?' She glanced at Keegan and saw him calmly sipping his tea. He was unfazed by the plot.So, she continued reading aloud. "Elana trailed a wet towel from the scholar's chin to his chest. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable, the man rolled over, which caused his clothes to fall open completely. He had fair skin and an average body. 'He looks so different from the brawny men who come into this place,' thought Elana, knowing that he was not from town. Elana's late husband was also a scholar. Unfortunately, his health was not in good condition. He passed away after less than three months into their marriage. 'We only had sex a few times,' Elana reflected..."Stella paused briefly after that.Keegan did not hear the last sentence, so he asked, "What's wrong? Why did you stop?" His expression was so nonchalant t
The assignment helpers offered a range of services from beginner to master-level pieces. Since the final coursework affected Vermont's overall credit score and he didn't lack any funds, he opted for a master-level writer to do his assessment. Vermont paid them a deposit, and they assured him that he would get high marks.The writer finished the story in just three days after the initial payment. Upon inspection, Vermont was impressed with the short story which was a few thousand words long. He only read the first half of the paper and continued to pay the remaining balance.Vermont then added his own name to the document and submitted it to his professor. Upon receiving Vermont's work, his professor lodged a formal complaint with the college dean, accusing him of inappropriate behavior and harassment.The college did not take the harassment allegations lightly and launched a formal investigation. When Vermont was summoned back to campus and confronted with the evidence, his face tur
Stella immediately sealed her lips, and her gaze wandered in uncertainty. "Uh... the trash still needs to be taken out. I'll go do that real quick."She attempted to slip away, but Keegan was not willing to let her go. Knowing that she knew his secret, he firmly grabbed her wrist and stopped her. His face tightened, as he probed, "When did you find out? Who spilled the beans? Was it Aldor?"Stella looked surprised. "Aldor knows about it too?" she asked.Both of them fell quiet for a while.'Shoot. I should've just blamed it all on Aldor,' thought Stella.Under Keegan's intense gaze, she eventually mumbled, "You were the one who told me."Keegan found it hard to believe. "No. That's impossible.""But, it's true." Stella glanced at him and softly added, "You told me when you were drunk."Keegan froze with disbelief painted across his face."You even willingly showed me the scar. Despite my resistance, you insisted that I look. I didn't even have a choice," Stella went on to deli
Keegan was stunned and took on a somewhat displeased look. "You think I'm lying? Why would I resort to something like that?" he asked.Stella quickly waved her hands and said, "I didn't mean it that way. I was just asking."Keegan's face turned cold. "Then, what did you mean?"Stella stole a glance at him, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered something into his ear.Keegan's gloomy expression shifted to bewilderment in an instant. He looked into Stella's eyes and hesitated for a long time before he finally said, "What did you learn in biology?""Huh?" Stella stared at him, as she was dumbfounded.Keegan rubbed his temples, and he seemed annoyed by the situation. He then turned to Stella and said, "Looks like I might need to give you a refresher on human anatomy."Before Stella could respond, Keegan swiftly scooped her up into his arms.Startled, Stella thumped his shoulders and angrily protested, "What are you doing?! Put me down!"Keegan looked at the woman in his arms and sai
Throughout the year, @ShilohTalks published extensive articles on almost every trending topic on the news while delving into the depths of the matter and its broader implications. She wrote about a student being mean to a cat, a problem at a university cafeteria, a person taking bad pictures of others in the subway, someone cheating at a famous school, and a really sad time when a famous person on the internet died.In an age where honest journalism was scarce, the blogger fearlessly spoke the minds of many. Hence, it came as no surprise that she garnered a massive following.Felicity didn't always agree with what the blogger said. Sometimes the blogger seemed too much on one side or tried to make people angry. But still, some of the things she wrote were fun to read. So, Felicity started following the account and reading what they wrote.It had not been a year since this account started, but it already had millions of followers from different places.The kindergarten thing wasn't
Stella chuckled and said, "We could call the cops, but Hylda wants everyone to join in. We gotta fight fire with fire. If the police handle it quiet, her reputation stays intact."Felicity worried. Hylda was sneakier than Bella. 'That homewrecker, she twisted Albert around her finger, playing the waiting game as his secret love. Stella dashed those hopes. Now, she might try crazy stuff since her cash flow's drying up.'"Stella, maybe you should have Keegan arrange a bodyguard for you. I'm worried you might get beaten up.While they talked, Keegan strolled in shirtless, wearing boxers like it's his home. It was early morning, and Stella was more than happy to enjoy the view.Keegan had an amazing physique. Muscles stood out, and Stella could not help peeking more than once.Keegan had just woken up and felt a little groggy. When he saw Stella sitting cross-legged on the couch, sipping from her cup, he asked, "Got water?"Stella pointed to the kitchen, "Yep, there. Cups in the cupb
"I want twenty thousand points. No negotiation allowed," said Keegan.Stella felt surprised by the big number. She clenched her teeth and warned, "Don't push it, Keegan!""I might end up in jail," Keegan said again, sticking to his point."But twenty thousand points is just too much!" Stella exclaimed. 'At this rate, the points will fill up soon! What if I can't keep Keegan in line?' she thought."I'm taking a big risk helping you with this plan. Shouldn't I get a few more points?" Keegan argued.Stella pursed her lips, relenting, "How about five thousand points?"Keegan moved her hand away from his leg and told her, "Let's talk about this later."Stella didn't give up, suggesting, "Okay, how about eight thousand?"Keegan paused. "Let's make it ten thousand points."Stella's fingers shook as she pointed at him. "Deal!" She said firmly.She then passed him the phone and urged, "Now make the call!"A faint smirk appeared on Keegan's lips as he seated himself beside her. Holdin
'Why the hell is he blaming me? Does he even remember what he said about the ripped jeans?' thought Stella. She recalled Keegan had looked at her indifferently and said, "Can't you afford clothes without holes? How expensive can normal clothing be? It's one thing for Aurora to dress like that at her age, but you're a married woman; could you dress a bit more maturely?"Naturally, that did not go down well with Stella. She felt offended because she was only a few years older than Aurora. So, she bought a few more pairs of ripped jeans and wore them every day, purposely showing them off in front of Keegan.By coincidence, autumn arrived and brought rain for over half a month. Stella preferred sun-dried clothes since air-drying left a lingering smell, and machine-drying made clothes feel less fresh. As a result, a pile of dirty clothes accumulated and remained unwashed.When the skies finally cleared, the housekeeper tossed everything into the washer, unintentionally causing some of th
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