"Hey! I'm being serious! Do you know her or not?""Let me think about it. Kayla Wilson..." Keegan thought about the name but could not recall anything.Aldor, on the other hand, reminded him, "Kayla Wilson is the daughter of Mark Wilson, the owner of Mark Energy."Keegan was taken aback, "Mr. Wilson's daughter?""Who? Don't whisper. Let me hear what Aldor said."Keegan had no choice but to put his phone on speaker.Aldor said, "Mrs. Kane, does this Kayla Wilson have a mole on her eyebrow and wear multiple bangles when she goes out as if she wants everyone to know she's rich?""Yes, yes, yes. That's her. Aldor, do you know who she is?"Aldor chuckled, "She's the daughter of Mark Wilson. I do not personally know her, but Mr. Kane worked with his company before, so I did some background research on their family."Keegan frowned, "You didn't tell me about it.""I told you about Mr. Wilson. But when I was going to tell you about his daughter, you told me that you weren't intereste
On the other hand, the socialites dressed fancily; even small accessories like their hairpins could cost thousands of dollars. Their conversation revolved around the other wealthy families in the circle or the things they wore.Kayla sometimes needed to look up a logo online to know what brand it was, but these people could instantly recognize it and its value with just a glance.Perhaps she was trying to fit into this circle as soon as possible or to avoid being laughed at. She had been on a crazy shopping spree in the two years since she returned.She would buy whatever that was expensive or limited.The Wilson family was rich, and Mark was very indulgent with Kayla. Because he did not get to spend a lot of time with her due to his busy work schedule, he never stopped her from doing that.That was why the luxury goods sellers in Rivera loved dealing with Kayla.Not only was she rich, but she was also easy to fool.Stella pursed her lips. She found out that Kayla was somewhat s
Aldor glanced at Keegan, sitting next to him, looking completely out of place. Then, he cleared his throat and said, "I have no idea, but perhaps Mr. Kane can ask Mr. Wilson about it. He has a good relationship with Mr. Wilson."Then, he pushed his phone over to Keegan and silently stepped aside.So, Stella asked Keegan in a soft voice, "Darling, can you help me ask around where their banquet is taking place?"Keegan initially wanted to put on airs, but Stella calling him darling instantly changed his mind.He cleared his throat and asked, "Why would you want to know about that?""I want to get in touch with Ms. Wilson and get a deal done with her. Also, bring me along whenever you have any events or banquets to attend in the future. I want to expand my network."Keegan said, "You never liked to attend them, no?""That's because I didn't want to entertain those nosy and talkative people. But it's different now. I want to earn money from them and don't mind talking to them for ho
Kayla paused. Then, she remembered the luxurious and extravagant dress she had custom-ordered earlier. She was about to have it delivered, but she suddenly remembered the words Stella had said in the store just now. So, she paused for a moment before saying, "Mr. Morgan, do you have a simple black dress available now?"The manager was shocked, "Ms. Wilson, are you thinking of changing your dress? The one that you ordered previously was exclusively shipped from France, and the deposit has already been submitted. It will not be refunded if you change your mind now. Also, you'll have to cover the cost of the air freight."Kayla replied flatly, "I didn't say I don't want it. Get me a simple black dress, and have it delivered with the dress I ordered."The manager heaved a sigh of relief, "Sure. I'll get that done right away."It did not take long for Keegan to find out the details about the banquet from Mark himself. Mark did not ask many questions and even generously sent him two invi
Stella paused and lifted her gaze to meet Kayla's.Kayla was adorned with the same jewelry she had worn in the morning, but now her makeup was more refined. She wore a black V-neck gown, exuding elegance and grace.Upon spotting Stella, Kayla hesitated for a moment. There was a flicker of discomfort on her face, though it quickly faded. Beside her stood a woman resembling her, but she looked older. It was likely her mother, Lauren Bennett.Mark was glad to see his daughter. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Keegan Kane from The Vinci Rivera Group and his girlfriend, Stella Hall." He gestured toward them, "And this is my daughter, Kayla. You haven't had the chance to meet before, so now's a good opportunity for you young folks to get acquainted."Kayla remained silent, and Stella sensed she probably wanted to avoid mentioning their earlier encounter. Stella did not bring it up either. Instead, she extended her hand graciously, "Hello, Ms. Wilson."Kayla sized her up for a moment
Lauren gently nudged her husband, "Since when did Keegan have a girlfriend?"Mark was taken aback upon hearing that, "Come on. He's a respectable guy who accomplished quite a bit. Having a girlfriend is completely normal.""I was actually thinking of setting him up with Kayla," Lauren said."What? He's undoubtedly outstanding, but he's been through a divorce. I only have one daughter. I don't want her to marry a divorced man. Who knows what kind of trouble might arise in the future? Why not just let Wenham's daughter have him."Lauren hit him in the arms and scolded, "Times are different, honey. Why do you still care about this?""Well, I do, and that's that. Don't go meddling and complicating things unnecessarily."Lauren was displeased, "I was just casually mentioning it, yet look at how you act. You make it seem like I don't care about our daughter. Only you can do what's best for her!"Mark quickly reached over and took his wife's hand, whispering, "You know I'm not good wit
Gradually, Kayla realized those people did not want to be her friends. They were only after her for business.Stella, on the other hand, was an exception. She stated her true intentions, making Kayla slightly less repulsed."If you're so keen on doing business with me, you shouldn't have sent away that designer today," Kayla remarked."Wanting to do business with you doesn't mean I'm willing to resort to any means. I do not want to push something as beautiful when it clearly isn't, just to encourage you to spend more in the store. I'd rather not run my company that way."Kayla scoffed, "What's the difference? In the end, you all just want me to buy from you, right?"Stella put away her smile and spoke softly, "Ms. Wilson, there's no need to force yourself to fit into a place that doesn't suit you. You're different from those people. Mr. Wilson's position in the business world means you don't have to change yourself to cater to this circle. Instead, they should be the ones accommod
Xianna turned around stiffly, mustering a smile, "Kayla... Wh-What brings you here?"Kayla's gaze was cold, and her lips curved upward, "If I weren't here, how would I have heard your true opinion of me?""Kayla, i-it's just a misunderstanding, I—""Ms. Anne, I believe we're not close enough to be calling each other by our first names," Kayla cut her off coldly.Xianna's face grew even paler.Kayla swept her eyes across the crowd, "Ms. Anne and I aren't exactly close, and we certainly aren't friends. If any of you consider yourselves friends of hers, it's probably best to stay away from me from now on. I have no interest in having any sort of association with this type of people."Kayla's message was crystal clear. She gave the girls the choice to be friends with her or Xianna.All of them were there to win Kayla's favor.Since the incident with the Jewell family, the Anne family, which had the strongest ties to them, had suffered the most damage. Now, they were just barely hol
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