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
"You know nothing. What gives you the right to take matters into your own hands?!" Kayla asked.Stella stared at her without flinching, "Ms. Wilson, would your former friends mock you for not dressing in the latest fashion?"Kayla hesitated for a moment and pursed her lips, 'Of course, they wouldn't.'Real friends are people who are there through thick and thin. They offer constructive criticism and support but never betray."Ms. Wilson, there's nothing wrong with wanting to make friends or fitting into your surroundings. But you've got the wrong people. Those who genuinely consider you a friend wouldn't try to take advantage of you."As you can see, many in this circle have masks on. They might look glamorous, but they are playing roles they despise. But you don't have to do that. No matter how they talk about you, everything you have and the position you hold is a height they can never reach."They stand in the shadows and criticize you while finding some satisfaction in it. Th
Stella pushed Keegan away and shot him a glance. "Maybe it's best if we just stay divorced. I could find a whole bunch of guys younger and more handsome than you with a billion dollars."Keegan could not believe his ears. 'I should have kept my mouth shut,' he thought.The evening was still in full swing when Wenham called. "Stella, what time are you coming back? I've already made the bed, and your brother even put out some sleep-inducing essential oils for you. We're waiting for you to return and see if you like it."Stella glanced at the time, and it was already 9:00 p.m. She felt a twinge of guilt, as she thought about her elderly father waiting for her at home."I'll be back soon, dad. It's getting late. Please don't wait up for me.""It's fine. I'm watching TV while waiting for you. Can you drive yourself back, or should I have the driver pick you up? It's pretty dark out.""Don't worry, dad. Keegan will drive me back shortly."Wenham was at a loss for words. He was not at
Jaylene looked at the cheap canvas bag and compared it with her designer bag that had not even been used. It was a struggle to maintain her smile. 'How could she bring herself to swap my high-end bag for this poor offering?' she thought."Stella, you're so thoughtful," Wenham praised.Suppressing the sourness in her heart, Jaylene opened the bag and could not help but sigh. Sure enough, as she suspected, Stella had given her only cheap, low-quality items.Stella smiled, as she said, "You can have a good look at them, Jaylene. If you don't like them, I can exchange more stuff for you."Jaylene looked at the insincere look on her face and forced a smile. "Since you personally chose them, I bet they must be the best in your eyes. Our tastes are so similar. If you like them, I'm sure I will too."Stella paused. She looked at her and smirked. "That's good to hear."With their daughter officially moving back home, Wenham was overjoyed. He busied himself in the room, as he feared that h
Trevor cleared his throat. "That would be me.""Woah. I can't believe a CEO like you was once one month old?" Stella teased.Trevor chuckled. "I even wet my bed too."Stella laughed and continued flipping through the album.As Trevor grew older, their small family became even more heartwarming. The album not only documented Trevor's growth, but it also held many family portraits of the trio.It was not until they reached the last family photo, where Trevor was around five or six years old. He stood at the forefront while Wenham supported Freesia from behind. She was wearing a coat, and her visible belly indicated her pregnancy.She looked so happy. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant. Compared to the earlier photos, her face appeared slightly rounder. However, every corner of her eyes and every arch of her brows exuded the tenderness of a mother, adding a touch of grace.There were no more pictures beyond that. All records came to an abrupt halt."When mom was pregnant with