With a loud "clatter", all six tapes fell to the ground, and the caretaker quickly rushed to pick them up.Stella glanced up. As soon as she noticed something peculiar about the tapes, she shouted, "Don't move!"The caretaker was startled. She froze in place and did not dare to pick them up. She said nervously, "I... I didn't mean to. I don't think they are broken."Instead of explaining herself, Stella walked over and crouched down to take a closer look.She discovered that the song lists of the tapes were marked with numbers using pens, and each tape had a unique number.Stella picked up the tapes and got up to rummage through the other tapes. There were more than two hundred of them, but only six tapes were marked with numbers.'This can't be a coincidence,' Stella thought.Seeing Stella's solemn expression, the caretaker whispered, "Stella, why don't you play them to see if any of them are broken? I'll pay for any damages."Only then did Stella come back to her senses. She
Keegan wondered, 'Maya was on vacation yesterday, and she didn't come to work until noon today. How could she possibly know what happened last night?'Maya was startled as she realized that she had let something slip. She quickly averted her gaze and said, "I-I heard it from your mother.""Mom talked to you about this?" Keegan asked with a frown.Maya stammered, "Sh-She was in a bad mood today... She accidentally mentioned this when she was talking to me, and I remembered it."'Mom wouldn't share our family's private affairs with Maya, even if she didn't like Stella. How could she talk to Maya about this? Maya's story is full of holes! Stella isn't stupid enough to leave an empty pillbox on the table, especially one from a few days ago." As he thought this over, Keegan's face darkened."Maya, go to the HR department tomorrow morning to settle your salary and don't come back again."Maya was stunned. She asked, "Are you firing me?"Keegan gave her a cold glance. "You can resign o
Maya could not utter any more words. She gritted her teeth, got up, and left with reddened eyes.Stella had not returned that night. The next morning, when she came back after buying breakfast, she was bombarded with calls.When she saw that it was Dahlia calling, her eyebrows instantly furrowed. She took a deep breath and tapped her phone to answer.But, before she could speak, Dahlia asked, "Stella, did you ask Keegan to fire Maya?"Stella was confused. "Fire what? What are you talking about, Dahlia?""Keegan fired Maya. Maya came crying to me early in the morning. What did Maya do wrong that you have to fire her?"'Did Keegan fire Maya?' Stella frowned. "Dahlia, I was caring for my mom in the hospital last night. I don't know what happened at home.""You don't know?! Keegan blew up at Maya because of you! He's still recovering from his injury, and yet you ran to the hospital to take care of your mom. She's been bedridden for years. Do you really need to be there for her? Seri
Stella was a little surprised.'Why is dad calling me?' Stella wondered. 'Don't tell me he regrets giving me that bracelet the night before.'In Stella's perception, Albert was very stingy.Rainee said that he was probably afraid of being poor because he grew up in poverty. Even after he had the money, he was still stingy with it. His stinginess was not just toward Rainee and Stella but also himself.Rainee, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She liked to spend money when she made it. Maybe it was because they had different values. They would argue about money all the time.Albert would criticize Rainee for spending money without restraint. Rainee would perceive that Albert's mindset was too narrow and that he was too concerned with making or losing money. When they met big clients, he would not even buy a suit that cost over ten grand and would not book a decent hotel. He was afraid of losing money if the deal fell through.But, to say that Albert was penny-pinching w
"The ones made by a different cook will taste different. I remember you used to love them."Stella pursed her lips and stopped declining. "Thank you, Dad."After a moment of silence, Albert spoke. "To be honest, I haven't been feeling great for the past few days. It's like white truffles. As long as you're part of the family, it doesn't matter who eats them." He sighed, and his voice was filled with remorse. "I regretted it when I got out of the hospital that day. It's hard for me to apologize as a parent, but the bracelet I gave you was my way of saying sorry. If you're not happy with it, please let me know. I won't scold you for it."If he had said that a few years ago, Stella might have felt moved by his words.In the past, before the accident happened, Rainee used to paint a perfect picture of Albert as a father in Stella's mind. So, during those times, Stella still had hope for Albert.However, after the accident, his cold and ruthless actions destroyed the father-daughter re
It was uncertain whether Albert had caught her sarcasm. He spoke gently, "You're my only daughter, so everything from the Jewell family will be yours in the future. If Sophia can have a place in the Vinci Rivera Group, she can help you in your career when I'm no longer around. Everything I do is for your sake."After she hung up the phone, Stella felt that something was wrong. She wondered, 'With Sophia's qualifications, how did she enter the Vinci Rivera Group?'Stella could not help but suspect that Keegan had given Sophia preferential treatment and opened a backdoor for her.'But, that seems out of character for him, given his dislike for my family members. He has always maintained a clear distinction between his work and private affairs. Two years ago, when his company was looking for a project partner, his uncle approached him through Dahlia, wanting to secure the bid. Even though his uncle had repeatedly assured Keegan that he could get the qualification within three months, K
Stella thought, 'Or, did he heal faster after Bella bandaged his wound?'Stella had a lot of questions. But, before she could ask, she heard Keegan's voice from the other end of the phone. "Who told you I want to talk to her? Don't take matters into your own hands!"Stella was at a loss for words.Aldor smiled. "Please don't be upset. Mr. Kane wasn't yelling at you. He wasn't feeling well when he came in this morning. He had a fever. I tried to persuade him to see a doctor in the hospital, but he insisted on waiting until we finished our work. The pain must have gotten to him, making him short-tempered. If you have the time, could you swing by the office? Mr. Kane forgot his medicine.""What nonsense are you talking to her?" Keegan interrupted. As soon as Stella heard Keegan's words, the guilt she felt just moments ago had vanished.Stella forced a smile and said, "Keegan sounds perfectly fine to me. He must be feeling better since he can start working. Besides, he won't let the p
Stella thought that the messages would contain some offensive words she could screenshot and show to Marshall. She figured that it would help with the lawsuit. But, when she opened the conversation tab, she was stunned.The message sender claimed to be Bella's manager, hoping that Dusk Galaxy could participate in the variety show, "The Sound of Film and Television".Stella received this invitation not long after she had turned down the offer. She was impressed by how resourceful Bella was.Stella scrolled down the message to read on. The sender talked about Dusk Galaxy's previous social media post that aimed to clarify the rumors about the voice-acting role in Honor of the Deities. "He" pointed out that the post had caused some misunderstandings, but Bella was willing to let it go, assuming that it was not Dusk Galaxy's intention."He" also emphasized that the success behind Secret Sweetheart was the result of the collaboration between Bella and Dusk Galaxy, which was significant t