Marshall phrased his words perfectly.For someone as meticulous as Marshall, how could he be so careless and say that he "forgot" Keegan had lost his memory?Stella put down her cup and looked at Marshall.He sensed her gaze and turned to meet her eyes.Stella smiled at him with a gentle expression.Marshall's eyelashes trembled slightly as his expression immediately softened.Keegan noticed their interactions, and his gaze darkened. Then, he subconsciously held Stella's hand under the table tighter.Stella paused, lifted her other hand, and lighted scratched the back of his hand. He abruptly pulled his hand back, looking uneasy."Tsk," Stella clicked her tongue.'What a coward. He's pretending to have lost his memories, yet he can't contain his jealousy. I bet he's very angry right now.'As she thought about it, she reached over again and pinched Keegan's thigh.'Wow. So muscular!'Keegan was startled and stood up abruptly, causing the table to shake.Everyone else looked
"Unfortunately, the retirement age has been changed now. When it's our turn to retire, we'll probably be sixty years old by then. I might not even receive my pension before I kick the bucket. I can only get a portion of what I contributed to the pension scheme all those years. It's pretty sad to think that after working so hard for so many years, I'll be gone before even I can enjoy them."So, after thinking about it, I've decided to get married after thirty-five and preferably have a child after forty. By the time my child is twenty and heading to college, I'll be officially retired and too old to be walking around, which means I won't have to babysit my grandchildren and still get to enjoy my pension. It's not that bad, right? Even if I don't live to sixty, the money in my pension account can be passed on to my child. They won't go to waste," Felicity added.Vermont's lip twitched, "Why do you care so much about your pension?""What? Without it, how am I supposed to get money when
After going upstairs, Stella caught a glimpse of Aurora's figure flashing across the walkway.Stella needed to use the restroom badly, so she did not care much about it.Meanwhile, Aurora held something and waited for a long time, but Dahlia was nowhere to be seen. She kept glancing at the time, feeling a little uneasy.'Is Mom simply drawing me away because she wants to do something bad to Stella?'Mrs. Chapman and Mom have a good relationship. If Mom were to do anything at the wedding, Mrs. Chapman could help cover it up,' Aurora thought to herself.She became restless upon thinking about that. She turned around, intending to leave. Just as she pulled the door open, Dahlia stood at the entrance, about to come in.Seeing Aurora wanting to leave, Dahlia paused and stared at Aurora. "Where are you going?" she asked."Nowhere." Aurora took a step back and said in a low voice, "Mom, you told me to be here, but you haven't come yourself. I thought you had something else to do, so I
Dahlia said gently, "The ceremony hasn't started yet, and we've been here for quite some time now. Mrs. Chapman is getting hungry, and the food will only be served later. It's not nice to carry a plate of food around in front of so many people. It might seem a little inappropriate."Aurora was unsure why Dahlia could not just ask a kitchen staff to do the same, but she did not question further as she was lost in her fantasy of a happy family. Instead, she said softly, "I specifically picked the desserts you like. Try them."Dahlia gently touched her face, "I have raised you right. You're always so thoughtful."Aurora heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, 'I'm glad that Mom finally thought this through.'Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed at the door. Dahlia paused, raised her head, and said, "Aurora, you should go back to the banquet hall. The ceremony will begin soon. I'm going to go speak to Mrs. Chapman for a while.""Okay, sure."When Aurora was about to leave, Dahlia stoppe
When Stella came out of the restroom, she turned her head to the spot where she had seen Aurora earlier. However, she did not see anyone there and proceeded to go back downstairs.Then, a loud noise, accompanied by a woman's scream, echoed in the staircase. The hotel staff on the floor paused. Then, he hurriedly rushed over and saw Stella covered in blood.When that person came in to tell everyone that someone had fallen, nobody knew who it was. However, Keegan's face turned pale when he heard that blood was mentioned. He abruptly stood up and ran outside.Aurora's expression changed, and she followed him out.Marshall watched Keegan lose his composure as he tapped on his wine glass without showing any reaction.Felicity became very worried as well upon hearing that there was blood everywhere. With a pale face, she stammered, "Stinky Cucumber, c–could it be... Stella—"Before she could finish speaking, Vermont cut her off with a teasing smile, "The stairs aren't that high. Even i
The manager was also shocked and quickly asked the on-duty staff about what had happened.However, none of them had a clue.Keegan told Olivia to prepare a room and had Lena take Stella inside to check on her.Dahlia was not surprised to see what happened at all.They had been hiding the news of Stella's pregnancy from the public. It was very unlikely that they would disclose it at a time like this.However, Dahlia figured that the baby in Stella's belly had no chance of making it, given how much blood she had lost.Dahlia felt very happy upon thinking about that.Then, she stepped forward and spoke in a gentle tone, "Keegan, it's Mrs. Chapman's daughter's big day and the ceremony will begin soon. Stella looks fine. Someone probably accidentally dropped an oil bottle, covering the stairs with oil. We should put this aside and investigate it later. Let's not delay the ceremony because of this."Felicity could not hold back her temper upon hearing that, "Are you hearing yourself?
After that, Olivia brought everyone to a smaller banquet hall downstairs and used the projection equipment to show them the surveillance footage.The cameras were installed near the staircase. At the beginning of the footage, it captured a few people walking by, but none approached that side of the staircase. It was not until over half an hour later that Aurora came out of the main banquet hall and entered the staircase carrying a bag.Then, the footage switched to the entrance of the staircase on the floor above, where Aurora came out from inside.From the time mark, it was evident that Aurora stayed on the staircase for about ten minutes.It was simply too suspicious.Everyone began to shift their gaze to Aurora.Aurora's face was pale, thinking about the identical bag Dahlia had given her before leaving. Then, she turned her head and stared at Dahlia.However, Dahlia did not look at her. Instead, she was just watching the footage with a frown, seemingly as nervous as everyone
Aurora froze in place.She looked at Dahlia with both shocked and fearful eyes and stuttered, "M–Mom, wh–what are you saying?"Dahlia put on a heartbroken expression on her face, "I know that you don't like Stella. You'd always tell me about it, but I thought you were just ranting. I never thought that you'd actually do something like this at Mrs. Chapman's daughter's wedding. I've spoiled you too much, and you have no sense of right or wrong! You'd better hope that nothing bad happened to Stella, or the entire Kane family will never forgive you for what you did!"With her still pale face, Aurora stared blankly at Dahlia. Every word she uttered felt like a cold knife stabbing her in her heart.Compared to the suspicious and disdainful look of the outsiders, Aurora was more troubled by Dahlia's attitude.Just moments ago, she had said that she would not target Stella anymore for the sake of her grandchild and wanted them to live happily as a family. But now, she became the first to
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