"Did you guys hear what I said?" asked Aurora.Stella shuffled the cards and laid them out in front of Keegan for him to draw. Then, she replied to Aurora, "How hardworking of Jaylene to be working overtime."Keegan glanced at the cards in Stella's hand before drawing one himself. As he turned it over, he realized it did not match with the cards he had.Stella immediately got excited. "Pay up, pay up!" she said.Holding the ace of spades, Keegan furrowed his brow. "Did you swap cards when I wasn't looking?"Aurora interjected loudly, "I said Jaylene is working overtime. How are you two still in the mood to play?"Neither of them paid any attention to her this time.Stella stared at Keegan and said, "Can't handle losing, huh?""Hand over my phone. I'll transfer the money to you," Keegan told her despite being skeptical.Stella immediately sat up and reached for the charging phone. When she did that, Keegan noticed that she was sitting on the three of hearts.He pulled out the
Keegan glanced at Stella and said, "No. What happened?"As Stella shuffled the playing cards, she recounted, "During my SAT, Sophia was gearing up for her high school entrance exam. Since we were both at boarding school, we only went home every two or three weeks. Most of our time on campus was spent studying. When holidays rolled around, I just wanted to kick back and relax, but not Sophia."Even during semester breaks, Sophia would return home with a stack of hefty reference books and practice exams. She would dive into her studies after meals and recite vocabulary words every morning before dawn.Back then, Sophia told Albert that she wanted to get into Rivera High just like Stella.Albert was thrilled to hear that. He praised Sophia's diligence to everyone he met, boasting about her academic achievements.But when it came to Stella, he always said, "All she does during school break is play. She never picked up a single book."Stella used to argue back, but eventually, she sto
One of Stella's classmates joked, "What? Did you have a baby? You were the first to get married in our class. Your kid must be running around by now, right?""Yeah. They stick to me like glue," Stella chuckled."You're not very thoughtful, you know. You got married without even telling us, sneaking off like that.""Oh, come on. We had just graduated back then, and none of us had much money. How could I have the heart to tell everyone? I couldn't just let you guys spend on me," Stella replied.Everyone laughed upon hearing that. "After we're done visiting Luanna, let's all hang out. Bring your husband along, too. I want to see who managed to snag our class's beauty."Stella put her hands together and begged, "Please spare me, everyone. My husband isn't anything special. He just runs a small business to make ends meet. He's decent-looking, but he's got a temper. If I bring him, and he says something unpleasant, all of you will think twice about inviting me out again.""Stop pretend
Stella paused and turned around.Marshall had a coat on, carrying a briefcase. His hair was slightly tousled as if he had just rushed over.He nodded at Stella, walked to the bed, and said to Lina, "Ms. Saab, you shouldn't act so rashly. Luanna is already declared dead. Once someone looks it up, you'll be exposed. You might even be sued for fraud."Lina was somewhat agitated. "Then what should I do? You said the suicide note can't be used as direct evidence and that we need something more. How am I supposed to do that?"I'm not familiar with anyone around her, so this is the only thing I can do! Do you expect me to just watch those who killed my sister walk free?"Marshall said, "You can call the police."Lina scoffed. "When Luanna was still alive, all the anonymous tip-offs she sent were ignored. After she was exposed online, her accounts were locked before she could clarify anything."If calling the police worked, would she be dead? Would she be dead?!"Stella lowered her gaz
Keegan suggested sarcastically, "I think you should just join them."Aldor was speechless.Then, he texted Aurora: [I bought you a cup of coffee. Come over now.]After that, he sent her the location of the café.Marshall was about to order Stella a cup of coffee, but she waved her hand, saying, "It's okay. Let's get straight to the point. I have something to attend to shortly. I won't stay for long."Marshall paused, ordered a latte for himself, and lifted his gaze. "How has Keegan been lately? Is he starting to remember anything yet?"Stella shook her head. "Still the same. The doctor suggested trying hypnotherapy. Mr. Moore, do you happen to know any reputable hypnotherapists?"Marshall nodded. "I did meet one when I was undergoing treatment abroad. I'll forward you his contact information later."He looked indifferent as he spoke, showing no signs of anything unusual.Stella smiled. "Sure, thank you."The waiter brought over a glass of water. Stella took a sip of it and lo
The pain and sadness in Marshall's eyes felt too genuine. If the same thing happened in the past, Stella would have surely blamed herself for saying such things.He had helped her so much during her most difficult times, such as before and after her divorce from Keegan. She would still consider him a friend even if he were not Keegan's childhood friend.However, when she realized that Marshall might have something to do with the kidnapping, she could not bring herself to trust a word he said anymore.Stella closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. After a while, she said, "I'm sorry. I was just too shocked."Marshall lowered his gaze and asked hoarsely, "Stella, did you find the days I spent with you when Keegan went missing repulsive?"Stella pursed her lips. After a long pause, she said, "I'm very grateful for your help during that time, and I feel ashamed for using you to force Keegan to come back. I only lashed out at you because I was worried that he might be involved in
It was not until Keegan took the watering can from Stella's hand that she regained her senses."I'm back," Keegan said.He sat down next to her and asked in a low voice, "Is everything okay?"Stella said, "Keegan, have you been to The Hox Club?"Keegan's expression remained calm. "Do you want to know if I have anything to do with Luanna's death?"Stella frowned. "Of course, I know it has nothing to do with you. I just want to know what you were doing there at that time. Be honest and tell me everything. We've got to plan our next step very carefully."Stella finally figured everything out after listening to Keegan. He had mentioned before that Luanna looked familiar, probably because he had seen her once in the club.However, it was perfectly normal that he could not remember her immediately as it was just a passing encounter. What Stella was worried about now was that Luanna's case might involve him.The photo was like a time bomb. Even if he had nothing to do with it, there w
Stella paused then said, "Are you saying that Lina has other intentions?"Keegan shook his head. "Not necessarily her, but it could be someone else who directed her to Marshall."Keegan figured that if Marshall wanted to use this matter against him, he would not have waited until now.Marshall had yet to find out what exactly happened back then, and he would not act so recklessly. That was just not his way of doing things."Why would that person lead Lina to seek Marshall's help for this case? Who could be behind it, and what's their purpose?" After listening to Keegan's speculation, Stella felt even more confused.Keegan thought for a moment and lifted his gaze, saying, "Marshall is different from other lawyers. He has the Moore family behind him, so he dares to take on cases that others wouldn't. Maybe that person saw this as an opportunity."'That person was probably worried that Marshall wouldn't agree to help, so they used this photo as bait to lure him in. It seems possible