"Stop," Keegan playfully pinched Stella's cheek and said. "If you're being too greedy, I bet none of them will come true."Stella pouted and reluctantly complied. "Alright. I'll just go with the last wish I made." She then turned to Keegan and asked, "Where's my birthday gift?""It's closer than you think it is."Stella immediately grabbed her fork and began to search within the cake.Keegan was confused. "What are you doing?""You said it's close by." Stella did not even look up, and her face was filled with excitement. "What did you hide in the cake? Is it a piece of jewelry or a credit card? It might be a bit cliché, but I like it. Wait, where is it? Why can't I find it? Did you hide it at the very bottom of the cake?"Keegan did not know how to break the news to her. "Your gift this year is me."Stella paused and glared at him. Following that, she put down her fork and waved her hand. "Goodnight."Keegan's mouth twitched when he heard that. He stepped forward, wrapped his a
Caline had specialized laboratories and different rooms for storing various scents. When Stella was there, she got to smell fragrances she had never encountered before. It was a delightful experience for her.Darcie was very gracious and decided to accompany Wenham in giving Stella a comprehensive tour. She held a high position in the company, and everyone treated her with the utmost regard. Amidst the respect, there seemed to be a hint of awe.Stella did not have enough time to observe the situation to be entirely certain, but she realized something strange—the headquarters surprisingly did not have any employees with more than twenty years of service.Wenham mentioned that Caline's predecessor was called Enchanted and was established twenty-eight years ago. At the time, they recruited girls around 18 or 19 years old to work in the store. 'Based on their age, they wouldn't be retiring yet, right?' Moreover, when the classic fragrances were first introduced, Enchanted had already ma
There was no one else on the empty street, so neither of them noticed it when the heavily dressed man approached Keegan from another direction.It was not until he got closer and suddenly pulled out a baseball bat from his jacket that Stella screamed at Keegan to alert him.However, it was already too late. The man forcefully swung the bat at the back of Keegan's head.Stella's pupils contracted, as she dropped the thermos in her hands. She screamed for help and rushed toward Keegan.Keegan felt a sharp pain in his head. He staggered and narrowly avoided the second hit. He somehow managed to kick the attacker's knee, causing him to groan and kneel on the ground.Keegan's vision was going dark, but he used all his remaining strength to twist the attacker's arm behind his back and remove the mask from his face.As soon as he saw the man's face, a van came out of nowhere and sped toward Stella.Keegan was shocked, and his attention immediately shifted to Stella. He stumbled toward
The captain was taken aback. Then, he immediately stopped the security guard when he saw him dialing 911. "What are you doing? It's broad daylight, and who would dare to kidnap someone right outside the company? It's probably just a small fight between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. You must've misunderstood it.""But it didn't look like that at all, and the surveillance cameras—""Stop your nonsense and get back to work. Her parents will call the police if she's really been kidnapped. You have no business being so nosy. The meeting today is very important, and everyone from the board will be coming today. If you bring the police here and disrupt the meeting, do you think you can handle the consequences?"The security guard hesitated upon hearing that. The election was a big deal, and there was nothing he could do to handle the consequences if he made a mistake. He could only pray that what his captain said was right and that it was nothing serious.Aldor arrived at the office, made
Felicity was taken aback. "Gone missing? Stella just asked me how to make apple porridge this morning, and she even sent me a picture of it after she was done. She told me that she was going to bring it to Keegan."Vermont paused. "Try contacting Stella now and see if you can reach her."Felicity immediately tried contacting Stella through both calling and messaging. The call was connected, but no one answered. And her messages were left unread.Now, the both of them grew anxious.They would not be anxious like this if this was some other day.However, today was the chairman's election meeting of Vinci Rivera, so both of them going missing at a time like this made them overthink.Vermont immediately suspected that Chandler might be the person behind this.Chandler and Keegan were equally capable in the company, and both of them had a significant chance of winning the election. A few years ago, Chandler was more influential and powerful than Keegan, but things had changed.Altho
Stella recognized the kidnapper that Keegan had unmasked earlier. It was the same person who attacked Marshall previously.'Is he here to take his revenge on me?'No, that can't be right. He was going after Keegan, and he only pulled me into the van because I didn't let go.'Why would he do this to Keegan? Could it be that it's related to today's meeting?'Stella's mind was a mess, and she was overwhelmed by her own assumptions.However, she knew that it was not the time to find out the kidnapper's motive. Instead, she needed to find a way to save Keegan and herself.The kidnapper had searched both of them thoroughly and took away their phone and other electronic devices. The phone that Stella had secretly thrown under the seat was the only thing they did not take, which offered Stella a glimmer of hope.Her phone was on silent, and she needed to send out a message before the kidnappers found it.As she thought about it, she heard the driver answering a call. She could not hear
Even though she was trying her best to sound calm, her tears kept falling and dropping on Keegan's cheek when she looked at the blood all over him.Keegan could sense her fear and anxiousness. He could even feel her pounding heart.Keegan wanted to hug her, but his hands were tied behind him. Even the slightest movement caused intense pain in the wound at the back of his head.He endured the pain and wiped away the tears on Stella's face with his cheek. "Don't cry. I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all." he said softly.Stella cried even more when she heard Keegan say that.He was bleeding profusely, so it was impossible that it did not hurt.Keegan sighed and said weakly, "Stop crying. They'll notice it when they come back."These words seemed to work better than his attempt to comfort her earlier, as tears immediately stopped flowing from Stella's eyes. However, she was still overwhelmed, and her shoulders trembled when she tried her best to hold her tears back."How did you call
Keegan told Stella to turn off the phone's Bluetooth, enable power-saving mode, and hide it between two seats in the back row.Stella's face was covered in sweat after doing all that.However, Keegan only noticed that her right index finger's nail was broken when she tried to hide the phone. The blood seeping out from her nail was already dried.He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, clenched his hand tight, and remained silent.Stella saw the unpleasant look on his face and softly asked, "Is your wound hurting?" Then, she started blaming herself. "I should've just waited for you inside the office. None of this would've happened if you didn't get off the car outside the building just now."Keegan heard it and said, "They had this all planned out. Even if I hadn't gone out of the car, they would've still done the same thing in the parking lot. They were going to get me anyway. It's not your fault."Stella frowned. "But why would he do this to you? You've done nothing against him. If h
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