Stella was surprised."You sound like... a pretty experienced dad."Keegan said, "I don't want our baby to be a troublemaker like Coco. Our child is going to be a very obedient one."Stella kept quiet.After a long pause, she said, "You're very picky, aren't you?"'How can I possibly decide what the baby's personality will be like?' Stella thought to herself."I think Coco is very adorable," Stella added.Keegan snorted, "She's just pretending to be good in front of you. She always does that when she asks me to bring her to see you."Stella was shocked. "When did Coco know about me?""After we took our wedding photos, she kept pestering me to see them. So, I showed her." Keegan got a little angry, as he continued, "She said you look good, but I look like a zombie. Even if she was sick, she insisted on sneaking out of the hospital to see you. And then, she got hit by an electric bike."Even though she has anemia, she can be very naughty."Stella paused upon hearing Keegan's w
Stella did not say anything. Instead, she patted Keegan's back absentmindedly and said after a long silence, "Since when did you remember?"Keegan looked puzzled and was completely unaware of what she was asking about.'I wonder what's going on in his head right now...' Stella thought to herself.Suddenly, Stella's phone vibrated. She grabbed it and glanced at it.There was a text from Trevor. [Remember to look at what's in the first layer of the gift box.]Stella was stunned, as she wondered what it could be that Trevor had to specifically text her to remind her about it.As she thought about it, she got out of the car to retrieve the gift box. It was a document packaged in a paper bag.She returned to the car, turned on the overhead light, and took out the contents.When she flipped through the first page, her expression subtly changed.It was information about Raynard that she had asked Trevor to investigate.She did not think much about it before the investigation. She ju
"I didn't!"Stella glared at him, "You did! You even said that you want to be with Jaylene instead!"Stella told the lie so unwaveringly that she put Keegan in doubt."D-Did I really say that?"Stella continued, "Yeah. You said that you couldn't remember me, so you didn't want to be with me or even see me."Keegan looked somewhat pitiful, like an abandoned puppy. His lips trembled. After a long silence, he said, "I must have been confused. Can I take back those words now?""Can words spoken be taken back? I've heard them all. When you said those things to me, my heart broke."Keegan frowned, racked his brain, and said pitifully, "Can you forget them then?"Stella could not help but chuckle upon hearing that. She reached out to pinch his earlobe and gently rubbed his nose, "Hug me, and I'll forget them."Keegan immediately hugged her, "Have you forgotten?"Stella closed her eyes, "Not yet."After a few seconds, Keegan asked again, "Have you forgotten?"Stella replied slowly,
That was everything Keegan could remember about that night.Someone saved him.Stella thought about when Keegan probed Jaylene; she said she had found him on the shore.So, there were two possibilities: either Jaylene had lied, or she had been the one who had rescued Keegan from the water.However, Stella immediately dismissed this possibility.Jaylene never hid what she had done for Keegan.If she had jumped into the water to save him, why did she not let Keegan know and seek credit?Therefore, the second possibility was that someone else saved Keegan, and Jaylene took advantage of the situation.However, Stella could not figure out how Jaylene conveniently knew where to find Keegan.She then thought about Keegan's previous questions to Jaylene, 'Did Keegan suspect that Marshall told Jaylene where he was?'Stella furrowed her brows and remained silent for a long time.Just as she was lost in thought, she felt an itch on her neck. She looked down and saw Keegan clumsily fast
It was getting late, and Marshall had to take his leave.Wenham asked him to stay a while longer out of courtesy and then called for a driver to take him home. Marshall politely declined, saying a colleague was coming to pick him up.Shortly after, they heard a car engine outside the house. His colleague had arrived.After bidding goodbye, Marshall got into the car.The driver was his new apprentice, a graduate who had just finished his studies half a year ago. He appeared very young but somewhat reserved. After greeting Marshall, he remained silent as he did not know what else to say.Marshall undid the button on his collar, stretched his neck, and looked at his phone.There were numerous missed calls and voicemails, mainly from his mother. Two WhatsApp messages were from Irene, a few work-related messages, and some New Year's greetings from various group chats.He opened the message from Irene. One read: [It's the New Year. Why can't you just enjoy it?]The other one said: [Y
At the Saun residence, after Wenham had a cup of ginger lemon tea to sober up, Darcie helped him upstairs to rest.The maids cleaned up the mess they had made.Trevor came out from the washroom and saw Jaylene holding the photo album from Stella's childhood.Her fingers clenched tightly on the album. However, her facial expression was concealed in the shadows, making it difficult to discern.Nevertheless, her protruding knuckles revealed her current unsettled emotions.Trevor did not say anything as he quietly watched her from afar.After staring at the album for a few seconds, Jaylene slammed it onto the table. Then, she turned around and went upstairs.Once she walked away, Trevor walked over and picked up the album.The leather cover still bore the imprints of Jaylene's forceful grip from earlier. Trevor silently smoothed out those marks and then opened the album.He intended to look at Stella's childhood photos. However, as he flipped through the pages, he noticed somethin
Stella hesitated to speak. Finally, she could not resist herself anymore and asked, "Did you think that we—"She clapped her hands lightly as she spoke, "Clapped last night?"Keegan was taken aback."Did we?""Of course not! Do you think I'm crazy?"Stella was speechless as she thought, 'Why does Keegan always think that he is very capable in bed after getting drunk? What is wrong with him?'Keegan paused, looking somewhat in doubt. His gaze fell on Stella's neck, "Y-Your neck..."'Neck?'Stella went to the mirror and touched her neck, "You mean this? I did some scraping after taking a shower last night."Keegan kept quiet.Stella leaned over while blinking her eyes and teased him in a low voice, "Did you think they came from you?"She brought her neck closer to Keegan as she spoke, "Give me a hickey for comparison. Let's see if they look alike."Keegan's lips trembled. Then, he forcefully pulled the shirt she was sitting on and went to the bathroom with a stern face."Tsk
'Does he have some plan he doesn't want me to be involved in?' Stella thought for a moment and decided to trust Keegan.He did not talk about sleeping in another room anymore. After that, they visited Cordelia at her house and stayed there until nighttime.When they returned home, Stella found that the house had changed. The stairs and bedroom floors were all covered with thick wool carpets.Stella was taken aback as she turned to Keegan. He frowned, "Grandma is being overly worried."Stella did not say anything. She thought, 'How did Grandma know that I almost fell this morning?'Stella pursed her lips, "She's being thoughtful."She stepped on the carpet and said, "It's very soft."Keegan smiled faintly, but it instantly disappeared when Stella turned around. Then, he said, "I'm going to the study.""Okay," Stella said before lowering her head and chuckling softly. 'How childish of him,' she thought to herself.The next day, Trevor flew to Mystonia to investigate the cause of
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