Stella called Vermont before she arrived at his company.At that time, Keegan was sitting on the couch drinking tea in Vermont's office. Vermont lost a few rounds of a game. He was quite angry as he stared at the person who had an indifferent look sitting opposite of him, "You didn't go home after you finished work. You told me you had something to do when I asked you to go to the nightclub. And the thing that you wanted to do was sit in my office drinking tea for an hour?"Keegan faintly glanced at him, "You don't have anything else to do, too, do you? Continue playing your game."Vermont was speechless.He squinted as he said in a probing manner, "Are you still fighting with Stella?"Keegan stopped moving. He expressionlessly said, "No."Vermont was sure once Keegan denied it, "Seriously? It'd already been a few days. If you're unhappy, go home and talk to your wife. Why are you spending time with me and venting your anger on me? You have a wife, but I'm still single. I want to
Vermont coughed when he saw Keegan's ruthless look. He asked, "What I meant was, was she still a minor when you first met?"Keegan petulantly said, "Mind your own fucking business!"Vermont then spoke obscenely after Keegan, "I wanted to mind my fucking business too. How do I get the chance to do that if you don't leave?"His phone rang as he said that. He then glanced at it. He suddenly perked up when he saw it was Stella who had called him. He quickly put her on speaker before he accepted the call."Mr. Snyder, it's me."Keegan stopped moving as he abruptly looked over.Vermont smiled as he said, "Stella, is there something I can do for you?""Are you in your office?""I am. What's wrong?""It's nothing. I just need you to be there. I have a box of Newblaubia oysters with me now. I'll leave it at your company's front desk later. Remember to bring it back after work.""Newblaubia oysters?" Vermont glanced at Keegan, "It's not easy to get that. Keegan loves to eat those. Why
As soon as the car door was opened, Keegan went in too. He even sat in the front passenger seat.Stella did not like it. She frowned as she said, "Why did you get in?"Keegan put on the seatbelt. Then, he petulantly said, "If you can go with him., why can't I?"Vermont was afraid that they would argue again. So, he defended Keegan, "Keegan is going help me to look for girls. He has experience in looking for a wife."Stella was speechless.'He has that experience, my ass. But he had many two-timing experiences, though!'But Stella wanted to earn money. So, she just put her unhappiness aside and drove them to that singles party.Stella was asked to join this party out of a sudden. So, her outfit looked overly simply compared to the girls who dressed up very beautifully.She was in a ponytail, wearing a white tee shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of canvas shoes. She looked out of place beside the two men in suits and ties.Before they went into the venue, Vermont said to them, "I'll
"Not at all." Stella clearly did not say what she meant, "Why'd I be angry with you? That'd make me look so unappreciative. Mr. Kane, you've overthought."Keegan frowned, "Don't call me Mr. Kane! It's annoying."When Stella called him 'Mr. Kane,' she sounded like she was insulting him. It made him extremely uncomfortable."How should I address you then? Kee? Keegan?"Stella acted like she seriously pondered for a moment. She said, "Why don't you pick one?"Keegan stared at Stella, who put on an act. He hated it very much. "How did you address me back then?"Stella paused.She had called Keegan "honey" back then. Since he did not disapprove of it, she had always called him that. She began to wonder, 'When did I stop calling him that? I don't really remember it. Probably after I realized that he wouldn't like me no matter how hard I tried.' Stella then said, "It's just a form of address. You like being addressed as Mr. Kane back then, so I'll call you that in the future."Keega
Stella sat down at a table nearby so she could easily help him out if he needed.'He's paying me two to three hundred thousand just to save him from unwanted encounters. I'm very happy to earn this money.'As soon as Stella sat down, Keegan followed her and sat opposite her.And right after he sat down, Stella noticed a few girls sitting behind them, constantly looking in their direction.Stella smirked. 'Keegan is just a normal human being. What's so interesting about him?'A waiter came over and asked her what she wanted. Stella had to drive later, so she said she wanted a glass of juice.The waiter said, "Miss, for every one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars' worth of spending on drink, we'll give you an extra rose."Stella asked, "Why do I need so many roses for?"The waiter asked, "This is your first time attending our singles party, right?"Stella nodded.The waiter passionately explained, "The more roses you have, the more people you can give the roses to
After the attendant left, Stella took out her phone and tapped away. Keegan glanced at her phone and noticed she was on the calculator application.He asked in bewilderment, "What're you calculating?"Stella did not lift her head and continued tapping away at her screen, "I'm calculating how much a bar like this can earn per month."Keegan was taken aback. 'Nowadays, I get increasingly confused about the things in this woman's head,' he thought."Do bars have peak and off-peak seasons?" Stella asked."Yes," Keegan pursed his lips before he continued, "Springtime is the off-peak season; many return to their hometowns before and after spring, so the people flow is significantly lesser. Summertime is the peak season; there's an increase in everyone's nightlife. Besides, bars are considered recreational summer retreats due to the hot weather. During wintertime, the customer volume is less than in the summertime. However, the income is still decent due to the many festivities."Stella
The girl said, "I'm a regular at this place. There's a dance floor over there and a card room. I'll bring you over to take a look."Keegan was silent for a moment before he answered, "If you please."Stella's heart clenched abruptly.When she lifted her head, Keegan and the girl had already disappeared into the group.'That girl is gorgeous, and her features resemble Bella's a little. She's Keegan's type, so he has no reason to reject her,' Stella thought.Suddenly, Stella felt a little suffocated.'Keegan and I will divorce soon, so he'll eventually be with other women. Haven't I come to this realization long ago? Why do I feel so upset seeing him not reject other women? The saying that one should meet gains or losses with composure is easier said than done. I know best how hard it is to leave a relationship. Vermont and the girl beside him also seem to have hit it off and are having a good chat. He probably doesn't need any of my help,' she thought.Stella lowered her head and
When the voice traveled into Stella's ear, it sounded as if it came from a distance; it was indistinct and surreal.Stella forced out a thank you and reached out to grab her phone. Just as she stepped forward, her knees gave out. She could no longer stand.Someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into their arms.Stella heard the warning bells in her head blared, enveloped in a person's unfamiliar scent. She struggled with all her might, but her limbs had gone weak; her movements seemed feeble as if she were playing around.Stella was dragged out in the person's arms. One of the attendants noticed something amiss and asked if they needed help.Just as Stella was about to call out for help, the hand on her shoulder promptly tightened on her neck. In an instant, she felt a suffocating feeling and could not make a sound."It's alright; she's my girlfriend. She had too much to drink and is upset with me," one of them explained.Then, another person said, "I'm so done with you
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