Jaylene followed along. She did not think that Stella had any way to deal with the situation. After all, Grace was not an easy person to persuade. If she had really tried 'Cloud Nine,' she definitely would not be interested in anything else.When Grace arrived at the fragrance testing room, Stella was already waiting at the table full of perfume bottles. Grace frowned. "I only want to try 'Cloud Nine'; why did you bring so many other ones?"Stella smiled and pointed to an ordinary-looking bottle next to her and said gently, "This is 'Cloud Nine.' I was afraid that you might not like it, so I brought some others for you to try.""That's pretty thoughtful of you." Grace crossed her legs and said calmly, "Let's begin.""Sure," Stella responded and picked up a test strip to sample the perfume.Julia saw what Stella was doing and suddenly said, "Ms. Hall, should we let Mrs. Esper try 'Cloud Nine' first?"Grace paused and realized that the bottle in Stella's hand was not 'Cloud Nine,'
Stella said gently, "When I first met you in the reception room, I didn't smell any scent on you. You have makeup on, but most makeup products have some scent to them. The ones you're using are scent-free, yet you're not someone who doesn't like fragrances. So, I had a feeling that you came prepared."Grace was impressed by how observant Stella was. She then figured that a person like Stella would only promote products that suited the client from their perspective and would not fabricate things just to make them buy their products.Then, she said flatly, "Let's carry on."Jaylene's expression darkened.Stella lowered her gaze, nodded, and continued letting Grace try the other perfumes.She let Grace test nine perfumes in a row and said great things about each one, continuously impressing Grace. However, smelling so many perfumes made Grace's sense of smell numb, especially since each perfume required her to identify the top, middle, and base notes.The whole process took some tim
Stella had heard a few perfumers talking about olfactory fatigue in the pantry. She learned that when one smelled various fragrances for too long, the sense of smell would weaken, so they would not continuously smell fragrances for more than three hours a day.She then looked at the time and found out that it had been two and a half hours since they started. Grace was not a professional perfumer, so two and a half hours should make her sense of smell less sensitive.But seeing Grace's hesitation, Stella became nervous, fearing that her plan would fail.Grace glanced at 'Dream Weaver,' then at 'Cloud Nine.' Finally, she settled her gaze on the latter.Stella's heart sank. Just as Grace was about to speak, the phone in her bag rang.She opened her bag and took out her phone. When she saw who was calling her, her expression turned gentle.Upon answering the phone, she said, "Where are you? Don't you have class today? Oh, okay. Give me a little more time. I'm still testing the perfum
The young man hugged Grace's arm. "That was his fault. He rode against traffic in the tunnel and went up to a hundred and sixty miles. I've never rode faster than a hundred and twenty."Grace raised her voice. "Is one hundred and twenty not fast enough already?""It is, it is. Mom, please forgive me. I just couldn't resist myself. Please don't tell Dad. I won't ride ever again in the future."Before Grace could say anything, he added, "Mom, did you change skincare products recently? Your skin looks a little... strange."Grace became nervous upon hearing that, and she immediately touched her face. "I didn't. I'm still using the same brands. What's wrong with my face? What do you mean strange?"The man widened his gaze, looked carefully at Grace's face, and said, "Strangely beautiful."Grace could not help but smile as she pushed him away. "You cheeky boy. Stop teasing me!"He then hugged Grace's arm. "I mean it. While other moms are getting older, my mom is actually looking young
Jaylene's expression turned awkward. "I didn't mean it that way. We've tested 'Cloud Nine' many times. Every person who has smelled it said it's nice."Then, she looked at Stella and added, "Ms. Hall, 'Cloud Nine' is a top-tier product of our company. Its ingredients are very rare, and it's on a different level from other perfumes. You should explain it more to Mr. Esper."Stella said truthfully, "It's not that I don't want to explain it, but I just don't know much about it. I only found out about the existence of this perfume when Mrs. Esper wanted to try it."All I know is that it uses a rare essential oil that can't be easily found in the market. As for other details, you know I'm not a professional perfumer, so I have limited knowledge about it. I don't want to give him any false information."However, when it comes to perfume, I believe personal preference is the only measure of its worth. Even if it's expensive, it's worthless if the person doesn't like it."Joe exclaimed, "
"You didn't remember it?" Stella looked displeased. "Mrs. Esper spent the whole afternoon testing perfumes, and she could accurately identify all of them. As one of the group leaders in the Perfume Blending Department, identifying scents is one of your essential skills."It seems you completely forgot about the scent until Mr. Esper mentioned that it didn't smell good. Is your ear responsible for discerning scents for you?""I..." Jaylene anxiously clenched her hands as she looked at Aubrey for help. Aubrey realized that they had gotten into trouble and quietly went outside to call Darcie.By speaking slowly and calmly, Stella managed to make the whole situation clear for everyone in the room.Grace came from a wealthy family and had seen a lot of things in life; she was not that naïve. She immediately understood that someone was using her to plot against Stella.She became even angrier upon coming to that realization. She wanted no part in Caline's internal conflicts, but she wou
Jaylene had been spoiled for over twenty years and had never been treated so poorly like this before. With just a few harsh words from Grace, tears welled up in her eyes as if she would burst out crying anytime.Her comfortable bubble had finally burst, and she was forced to confront the real world.Stella had experienced worse when she worked part-time as a waitress during college. Grace was not even being unreasonable, yet Jaylene still could not take it.Aubrey came back soon after and said to Grace while holding her phone, "Mrs. Esper, Mrs. Saun would like to speak to you."Grace was still angry and said coldly, "Who does she think she is? If she wants to speak to me, tell her to come here right now!"Of course, Darcie could not come over at this moment because she was more than a thousand miles away.So, Aubrey quickly put the phone on speaker, and Darcie's voice came through. "Mrs. Esper, it's me. Aubrey has told me about the situation. I can't believe the two girls made su
This time, before Darcie could speak, Stella stepped forward and said gently, "Mrs. Esper, I apologize for your unpleasant perfume testing experience with us today. Not only did we take up your afternoon, but we also did not manage to get you a perfume you liked. I'm truly sorry for what happened."She took a deep bow and said, "Thank you for supporting Caline over the years. It's our fault for not meeting your expectations today. Please take this bottle of 'Dream Weaver' as our apology to you. I hope you can accept it."I'll help you process the cancelation right away. Of course, after this, any after-sales-related issues with the products you purchase from us will still be entertained, and you'll still be treated as our VIP client. This is the least we can do."Grace paused, and she looked at Stella from head to toe. She was somewhat surprised that Stella did not try to persuade her or even please her. Everyone in the company, including Darcie, had been trying to subtly flatter he
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