Jaylene was left without words after Darcie confronted her.Darcie's face lost color as she sighed. "Jaylene, you've always been such a good listener and excelled at everything since you were a child. I worked hard to raise you to be someone independent, not just someone's wife."Even though Keegan did develop feelings for you, think about it. If he could leave Stella for you, what's stopping him from leaving you for someone else?"Darcie clenched her teeth and added, "You have Saun as your last name, but you're not tied by blood to this family. No matter how much your dad and brother love you, their blood ties will always be stronger. You can't rely on the Saun family forever."You've got to become strong on your own. When you become a big deal in Caline, no one will dare to underestimate you." Don't get worked up every time I mention Stella. She's back with the Saun family, living a good life with Keegan. But notice something? She hasn't slowed down at all, managing The Velvet
Keegan juggled work while keeping an eye on her. After observing her for a while, he could not hold back any longer but asked, "Why can't you just sit still?"Stella sighed. "I have no one to talk to and I'm bored. Moving around makes me feel less dull."Keegan was speechless. "Do you want me to call Vermont over, so you two can talk?""It's okay. I can chat with Aldor too. Aldor, you're not busy, are you?" Stella blinked her eyes as she asked, looking hopeful.Aldor shook his head. "I'm almost done with my work, just waiting for Mr. Kane to look through."Stella immediately sat down. "Aldor, how are things between you and Aurora now?"Her question caught both Aldor and Keegan by surprise.She was not bored. Instead, her curiosity was driving her crazy and she finally decided to unleash it.Aldor chuckled awkwardly. "Mrs. Kane, can we talk about something else?"Stella said, "Did Keegan threaten you with something and force you to marry his sister? It's okay, you can be honest
After a brief pause, Stella said angrily, "I dare you to say that again!"Keegan took her hand and gently pulled her into his embrace. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder and said in an affectionate tone, "I'm right in front of you, yet you just wouldn't stop asking about another man's love life. That doesn't sound very appropriate, does it?""Well, should we talk about our own love life then?"Keegan nodded, looking expectant.Stella stared at him for a long time but found it difficult to speak. After some time, she frowned and said, "I don't feel like talking about it anymore."Keegan felt disappointed.Stella playfully covered his eyes. "Don't give me that cheesy look. It's weird how fast you remembered everything. Before, if I touched you, you'd back off like a super proper guy." She blushed, admitting, "I kinda liked that."Keegan was quiet.He let go of her hand, creating some space between them. His expression turned cold again.Stella felt her heart race, thinking,
"But I don't regret it." Keegan looked up at her with a loving gaze. "If I didn't let go of myself that day, perhaps neither of us would be alive, let alone having them."He placed his hand gently on her belly. "One for three, it's worth it."Stella was upset. "What's worth it? Do you still expect me to give birth to your babies when you're dead? Impossible! If you don't come back, I'll find another man immediately and show him off to you on your grave. You may be a hero, but you're still going to need someone else to take care of your wife."Keegan could not help but smile at her complaints. "I must have heard your 'ungrateful' whines and couldn't bring myself to leave, so I came back."Stella hugged him tightly and whispered, "I'll pack a lunchbox for you tomorrow. You got so much thinner after the incident. You're not as huggable anymore."Keegan frowned. "How can I let you cook for me while you're pregnant? Do you think Trevor would let that slide if he knew? He'd probably kil
Stella's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't believe your family has such a secret. Please, tell me more."Keegan had kept this secret for so many years, so Stella figured that probably only a handful of people knew about it. Otherwise, she would have heard Olivia gossiping about it long ago.Keegan kept stuttering as he explained it and it took a long time for Stella to finally understand what happened.Keegan himself was not clear about the exact details of their past, but at his father's funeral, he saw Chandler and Dahlia hugging each other.However, once he started having suspicions, he could not help but pay extra attention to them. After all, there were no secrets that could not be exposed.The Crosby family was quite well-off back in Rivera. Dahlia and her brother, Blake, were prominent figures in Rivera's social circles. The Crosby siblings were exceptionally good-looking and caught the attention of many.The Crosby family doted on the siblings, but the excessive affectio
Keegan was taken aback.'This does indeed sound like something I would say. Or rather, more like the kind of thing mom would throw my way back when I was younger.'No matter how stellar Keegan's achievements were during his childhood, Dahlia always had a way of cutting him down. "Don't be too proud. Someone might surpass you next time.""Your dad and I spent a fortune on your education, it's the least you can do," she'd say.Keegan rarely received praise from Dahlia. Naturally, he struggled to share his achievements with his partner properly. What he intended as uplifting encouragement often sounded more like belittlement.Dahlia wasn't the best role model for Keegan. Despite thinking he'd distanced himself from his mother, constant praise from those around him blinded him to how much he mirrored her in specific aspects.Looking at Stella with puppy eyes, Keegan asked softly, "So, do you prefer the old me or the current me?"Stella chuckled and whispered in his ear, "You're the
Having bottled up her frustration for too long, Olivia seemed to have enough.After getting Erick behind bars, she swiftly got in touch with her lawyer to reclaim every dime he spent on his mistress—Linda—and their child.Though, she didn't stop there. Olivia accused Linda, along with Erick and Dahlia, of orchestrating a scam against her.Despite the mountain of evidence she had gathered, Olivia knew that the legal process could be a tedious affair.Procedures were slow, and Olivia couldn't wait. She had no intention of letting the mother and child live in a house she had bought with her own money any longer.So, she brought seven to eight burly security personnel from her hotel during New Year's to evict the family.When Stella arrived at the scene, Olivia had already kicked the family to the courtyard of the residential complex. Security personnel were sporadically carrying luggage out.Linda was crying and cursing out loud."Olivia's kinda tough for telling them to leave the
Stella handed Felicity a glass of milk and said, "Having inheritance rights doesn't mean she'll get a share of the money. After all, Erick isn't dead yet."This remark visibly riled up Olivia. Her husband's family had kept her in the dark for two decades, and her mother-in-law had consistently undermined her, blaming her for not bearing Erick's son.Despite her annually generous and lavish gifts, she never received a kind word because she couldn't produce a male heir.Just yesterday, her mother-in-law had gathered a bunch of relatives to cause a scene at her doorstep. They urged her to use all her family's assets to bail out Erick.They also funneled money to Linda and promised all family assets to her son.At the same time, the Warrens criticized Olivia for not having a son even though she took care of them.The audacity of her in-laws treating her daughters with such disdain infuriated Olivia."Fine," she said with a cold tone. "You can wait till Erick dies and then come for y