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
The main living room was transformed into a memorial hall. Dahlia wore a black dress as she stood next to Aurora beside Keegan's photo. They were welcoming the guests who came to pay their respects to Keegan.Cordelia sat in the wheelchair, and Baldwin stood behind her.Her expression was solemn, and her hair seemed even whiter than before. Her once chubby face turned bony, making her wrinkles more obvious.Keegan was the eldest grandson of the Kane family, and he died before he could have any child. Despite the grand setup of the memorial hall, there was an indescribable sense of sorrow.As soon as Stella stepped inside, she saw Keegan's photo hanging on the wall. The image was cropped from their wedding photo, but it was now in black and white.Dahlia, initially welcoming the guests, burst into anger as soon as she saw Stella. She approached Stella with a cold face and scolded, "Get lost! Keegan doesn't want you here!"Cordelia held her cold necklace in her hand as she watched
Stella was not worried about the wealth distribution but the blood-related kin Chandler mentioned.'Beside Dahlia, who could that person be?'Chandler smirked, "You've been married to Keegan for so long. Don't you know he has a daughter?"Stella instinctively denied it, "That's impossible!"Chandler replied indifferently, "Do I have a reason to lie about such things?"As soon as he finished speaking, Stella saw Aurora coming inside with a little girl dressed in a full black outfit.The little girl looked somewhat tanned and skinny but had large, lively eyes. Her facial features looked very prominent, too. Aurora was holding her hand while she looked at the unfamiliar faces around her curiously.When she saw Stella, her eyes instantly lit up. However, she quickly looked away, took small steps through the crowd, and walked to the center of the memorial hall. Then, she called out to Dahlia in an adorable voice, "Hello, Grandma."Dahlia's eyes turned red as she bent down to pick th
That voice was so familiar that Stella could instantly recognize it. However, she hesitated to turn around, fearing she would be disappointed."Keegan Kane!" Felicity exclaimed as she looked at the person who appeared at the door.Never before had Felicity found Keegan's face so endearing.Stella felt like she had lost all her strength as she turned around stiffly with reddened eyes.Keegan was seated in a wheelchair when he came in with someone pushing him from behind.It had been a month, and he had visibly lost weight. His hair was cut short, making his facial features look sharper. His complexion was extremely pale as if he had been seriously ill.Behind him was Jaylene pushing the wheelchair.A hostile aura surged within Stella almost instantly. She knew that she was right. After Keegan's disappearance, Jaylene acted strange, and it was not just her imagination. It was true that Jaylene had hidden Keegan.She shook off Marshall's hand with reddened eyes, overwhelmed with a
Hushed conversations filled the air. Some in the room understood what was happening, while others did not."Are you Jackson Kane?" The police officer pressed.Jackson snapped back to reality. He suppressed his emotions and replied, "Yes.""Do you know a Cody Hunter?""No, I don't," Jackson stated."No?" The police officer scrutinized him, "Cody Hunter was present at the club where you were drinking. Why was he at your gathering if you don't know him?"Jackson frowned, "I attend gatherings organized by friends. I don't keep track of who's present. Who is Cody Hunter?""He's the brother of one of the kidnappers involved in Keegan's disappearance," said the officer.He then shifted the focus and added, "Jackson Kane, we suspect you're connected to Keegan's kidnapping. Please come with us to assist in the investigation."These words unleashed a storm of emotions in everyone present.Chandler had been reorganizing the company's structure since Keegan's accident. Positions once hel
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