Jaylene was delighted, thinking she had guessed it right.[Stella usually doesn't talk much. Keegan, why would you want to catch a break from her? Did you two get into a fight?]Stella was getting better at imitating how Keegan texted as she replied: [She and Aurora don't get along. They'd start arguing as soon as they see each other. It's just too noisy at home.]The explanation was perfect and conveniently matched what Aurora had previously fed to Jaylene.Jaylene consoled: [Stella does have a bit of a temper. Mom and Dad would always ask us to tolerate her whenever we can.]Then, Stella stopped texting back again.After not getting a reply for a long time, Jaylene felt anxious and decided to call.Stella did not answer the call. Instead, she hung up and messaged her: [The line here is very bad. Text me if there's anything.]Jaylene had no choice but to continue typing: [Keegan, how have you been recovering lately? Stella has been staying with you for some time now. Have you
Stella and Keegan came quickly and left just as fast. Arthur didn't want them to go, but he asked Keegan to write something nice on a few sheets of paper before they left, so he could show off Keegan's fancy writing.Keegan didn't mind and wrote on several papers that Arthur hung up around his yard.Stella heard Arthur mutter, "The guy down the road charges eighty bucks for a piece even though his handwriting isn't as nice as Keegan's. I could probably sell Keegan's work for at least a hundred each, don't you think?"Stella was speechless as she thought to herself, 'Well, I guess he's pretty good at doing business.'On their way back, Stella got a call from Trevor. He informed her that Sonia's father's funeral arrangements were sorted out, and he was heading to Hanowa to assist Sonia with school-related matters. Trevor assured Stella that he would return within three days."After I get back, I'll take you to join Caline," he promised.Trevor was still worried that the employees a
Stella explained, "Actually, the nurse Trevor met in Mystonia didn't have any useful information. She was just a minor player in the whole incident and didn't know much."If I were the mastermind, I would've known how much the nurse knew before Trevor did."Knowing she couldn't give Trevor valuable information, there'd be no reason for the mastermind to harm him, right? It's very suspicious."The plane crash made them both certain that the culprit was among them.To be honest, the person behind the crash was foolish, exposing themselves completely.Keegan had pondered Stella's points before. After thinking it over, he offered his own theory. "Could it be possible that there's more than one person involved? Maybe one of them feared exposure and acted impulsively against Trevor."Darcie was known for being clever and cautious. If she had been involved, she wouldn't have done something so foolish that would expose her.Stella was surprised. 'More than one person... I never consider
As Wenham contemplated silently, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Have I ever expressed any of those sentiments to her?'Since Stella had returned to the family, they hadn't really discussed his relationship with Darcie. He feared that Stella might distance herself from him because he had married another woman.Admittedly, Darcie had taken excellent care of the household since their marriage. However, hearing Stella express gratitude felt somewhat awkward to Wenham.He believed there were many other ways to thank Darcie. 'Why does it have to involve a trip?' he pondered.Subtly, Wenham tugged at Stella's sleeve, but she simply moved away in silence, leaving him speechless.After the initial surprise, Darcie quickly regained her composure.She spoke gently, "We're family, Stella. There's no need for you to thank me. Taking care of this family is my responsibility as your dad's wife."As for you, you've spent so many years apart from us, and your dad feels deeply saddened whenever he
Wenham didn't particularly want to go either, but he couldn't bear to disappoint Stella. "Darcie, ask your assistant to reschedule your work. Stella has put a lot of effort into this, so let's take it as an opportunity to relax," he suggested.Darcie clenched her fist and glanced at Stella before forcing a warm smile. "Since you put it that way, there's no reason for me to refuse," she said.Stella inwardly clicked her tongue, thinking, 'Darcie is incredibly patient and composed. Apart from the day we met, the only time she lost her cool was when Leighton exposed Jaylene's fake illness by throwing Noah onto her.'Even then, Darcie regained her composure within minutes. However, it revealed a vulnerability that Stella could exploit.If Darcie didn't have a clumsy daughter like Jaylene dragging her down, she would have been a much more formidable opponent to deal with.The impression Darcie had crafted in front of Wenham was impeccable—gentle, considerate, always siding with his bio
Stella was taken aback. She had always viewed this matter from her and Trevor's perspective, neglecting to consider it from Wenham's viewpoint.She had to acknowledge that Wenham marrying her late mother's best friend had stirred a sense of discomfort within her.However, Stella hadn't been present to witness the events that unfolded back then, nor did she understand the circumstances surrounding Wenham's marriage to Darcie.There were six years between Stella's mom dying and Wenham getting married again. Only Wenham knew how hard those years were.Wenham had been a widower with a kid and a sick mom back then. Darcie helped them a lot. Wenham's mom worried about him being alone after she died, so she wanted him to marry Darcie, who was nice and could help with the household.Stella thought maybe Wenham meant there were things he couldn't change. Perhaps he didn't want to upset his sick mom and couldn't bring himself to leave a woman who had helped him so much, even risking her lif
Aurora was not someone who would do someone's chores for some new clothes. "I'll pass," she snorted and spoke.Stella looked at Keegan. "Did you give her a raise? She sounds cocky."Keegan said, "Nope, her salary is still seventeen thousand.""This is not adding up. She lives in our house, which is a bungalow, and you're not deducting the rent from her salary? Five thousand a month sounds fair, right?"Aurora's eyelid twitched. She sensed that something bad was coming her way.After a brief thought, Keegan said, "It seems too cheap. Not only that her room have an independent bathroom, but the house also has a swimming pool, a sunroom, and a massage chair. Aldor used to rent an apartment near the office for seven thousand a month, and we're talking about a villa here.""She's your sister, after all. It's only right for us to give her a discount."Keegan nodded. "Fine. Let's settle with five thousand then. I'll have the finance department transfer it to your account directly."St
Stella piled the clothes up and looked up, asking, "Do you know who gave me these clothes?"Keegan shook his head, but as he saw Stella's expression, he took a guess. "Jaylene?""Good guess."Keegan frowned. "Even if you weren't pregnant, these clothes wouldn't fit you, right? Why would she give you clothes that don't fit?"'To mess with me, obviously. She's mad because she had to apologize, so she's giving me these,' Stella thought to herself.But she said something else, "To show off that she's skinnier than me. Her legs are like twigs, so slim and straight. They're much prettier than mine, don't you think?""I haven't really noticed."Keegan wasn't about to get caught in Stella's trap. It wasn't because he saw through it, but because he simply hadn't paid attention to Jaylene's legs. To Keegan, there were only two types of women: Stella and everyone else.He never really cared whether other women were conventionally attractive or had a great figure. The only thing about Jayl