Vermont barely had a chance to ponder how Felicity had discovered his secret. His brain was already working at full speed, as he attempted to minimize his wrongdoing. He admitted, "...Yes, but the burn was not as severe as I made it out to be."Felicity glared at him. "Are you trying to deceive me again?""I'm not," said Vermont, and his tone softened. "It did hurt at the time, and I didn't expect you to be so concerned. I was just trying to tease you.""Tease me?" Felicity's face darkened. "Am I a fool to you? Do you find it amusing to string me along?""No, that's not what I meant." Vermont tried to get up.But Felicity promptly pushed him back down and warned, "Don't you dare get up, or I'll knock you out!"Vermont complied and laid back down. "Felicity, when did you start liking me?" he asked in a soft voice.Felicity's ears burned, as she angrily responded, "I don't like you, you liar. If I had known that you were faking your illness to deceive me, I would've never gotten i
Felicity had mixed feelings after hearing Vermont's words. "While it may not have been your intention to manipulate my emotions, did it ever occur to you that using a fake illness to garner sympathy meant that my feelings for you were driven by pity and guilt? You say you were just giving me more time to get to know you. But, wasn't it an attempt to sever any potential connection between me and Dr. Steven? Doesn't that fall under the category of deception, Vermont?"Vermont's face turned pale. "Well, it's true I didn't want you to be with Corbin. He's not right for you.""And, you are? You went to great lengths just because you liked me. You allowed me to walk into your trap like a fool willingly. What happens when you stop liking me? Do you treat me the same as how you treated your ex-girlfriends? Are you going to give me a house or a car in hopes that it'll get rid of me?"Vermont's heart ached. He felt as though he had wasted the past half a year pouring his heart and soul into a
Shortly after Vermont's departure, Felicity found herself alone in the empty apartment. She felt an indescribable emptiness in her heart. Her emotions had shifted from anger upon learning the truth to a current state of bewilderment.Seeking solace, she decided to call Stella.Stella had just finished attending a concert with Marshall featuring a well-known orchestra from abroad. Despite Marshall's enthusiastic introduction of the group, Stella could not recall their name.The music was beautiful, and the concert hall's acoustics were impressive. However, Stella struggled to discern anything special beyond that. Marshall noticed her constant nods to the music and realized that something was amiss.In a low voice, he asked, "Do you not like the music?"Stella shook her head. "It's not that I don't like it; I just don't know how to appreciate it like you do."Marshall paused for a moment and whispered, "I'm sorry. I thought you'd like this since you play the piano.""I learned to
Marshall let out a chuckle. "If spending a little money can make you happy, then I think it's worth it."Stella stayed silent. She avoided his gaze and focused on the piano. "I don't really know much piano pieces.""Do you know how to play Lyphard Melody?""I guess so."Marshall quickly searched for the sheet music on his phone and placed it on the stand. "Why don't you give it a go?"Glancing at the moving shadows in the audience, Stella walked around the piano and sat down. After studying the sheet music for a while, she slowly pressed the keys.The ethereal melody instantly filled the hall. Stella's fingers were slow, and the chords barely connected due to her lack of practice. The world-famous piece sounded rather unpleasant when Stella played it.She considered giving up, but before she could stop, a pair of well-defined hands landed on the piano keys next to hers.The person had fair, slender, and elegant-looking fingers. The veins on the back of their hand were subtly vi
Stella remained quiet. Exploiting Marshall for scandals was one thing, but shamelessly manipulating his feelings to secure his cooperation was a moral boundary she refused to cross. She would rather have Marshall know the truth than burden him with this favor, even if it resulted in his hatred and resentment toward her.Marshall picked up the necklace in his palm and said, "Let me put it on for you. This 'token of love' is going to make headlines tomorrow."Stella instinctively tried to back up, but Marshall did not move away. He gently pressed Stella's shoulder, and his deep voice echoed in her ear. "The paparazzi are already taking pictures. If you reject the present, the groundwork we laid won't be believable."Stella immediately froze in place.Holding the necklace in both hands, Marshall put it around her neck and gently fastened it.From the audience's perspective, the two seemed to be intimately involved.Stella turned her face away, avoiding eye contact with Marshall. How
Felicity murmured, "I don't want to live so close to him."Stella figured that something had probably happened between Felicity and Vermont. However, since Felicity refused to talk about it, Stella did not ask any further."Okay, then. I'll go look for a house with you tomorrow."Felicity replied with a "Mhmm" and then thought of the topic she had argued with Vermont earlier. "Stella, what's happening between you and Marshall? Everyone is saying that you two are together. Is that true?" Felicity asked softly.Stella turned to look at Marshall, who was talking to the management staff not far away. Marshall seemed to sense her gaze, lifted his head, and met her eyes with a gentle look.Suddenly, Stella said out of the blue, "Can dissociative disorder really harm people?""What?""Nothing," Stella looked away, as she continued flatly, "I just want Keegan to come back, no matter what it takes."Before Felicity could figure out what Stella meant by that, she said goodbye and ended t
Frederick was sitting in a wheelchair. Although he had become very skinny, his eyes still radiated authority.He stirred his tea, as he said flatly, "Parents have always been the ones arranging marriages for their children since forever. When did they have the right to make their own decisions? Wenham, you spoil the children too much."Wenham smiled and said, "Stella is twenty-six this year, and she only returned to our family a few months ago. I haven't raised her at all, so how could I have the right to interfere with her marriage? If my late wife knew, she'd probably prefer that Stella never return to us."I'd rather she chose a son-in-law I don't like than to have her hate me because I interfered with her decision."Frederick's gaze darkened.Clearly, he did not appreciate what Wenham said at all.He was too used to controlling everything in the Moore family and being self-centered. Especially with the Moore family's political background, he looked down on families like the S
Darcie whispered, "You shouldn't have gone so far anyway. I just received updates that the Kane family has dropped all the search and rescue teams. It won't be long before they publicly announce his death."Wenham was taken aback. "So soon?" he said."It's been almost a month. The entire Kane family has been through a lot, and it's time for them to have closure.Wenham felt a pang of sorrow and remained silent for a long time.Stella had waited for Keegan's return, but she received news of his tragic fate through an announcement from the Kane family instead.The Kane family had told the public about Keegan's accident, and his memorial service was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.Stella stared at the words on her phone and felt a sense of suffocation overwhelming her. It felt as if she was being choked, and her head became dizzy and heavy. Every word on the screen seemed as though it was spinning, and she could not comprehend what the announcement was saying at all.A wave o