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
Bella seethed internally, 'I tried to extend an olive branch, but you've made your choice.'...Meanwhile, as soon as Stella turned off the Facebook app on her phone, Aldor's call came in.She frowned as she thought, 'It's late. Why are they bothering me now?" She chose not to answer, not because it was Aldor calling, but because the call was likely related to Keegan. And, Stella did not want to deal with him.Despite Stella's refusal to answer, Aldor's calls persisted. So, the phone rang incessantly.Eventually, the caretaker could not stand it anymore and said, "Stella, why don't you answer? What if it's an emergency?""What emergency?" Stella huffed before begrudgingly picking up the phone."Madam, Mr. Kane has a fever of 39 degrees. Do you have any fever-reducing medicine at home?"Stella sat up in surprise. "What's the point of taking medicine at such a high temperature? Take him to the hospital right away!""Mr. Kane refuses to go. I can only get him some medicine to bri
Stella's heart sank as Keegan's words planted the seed that made her begin to lose hope of winning his love.Despite knowing that Keegan had only married her under duress and was in love with another, Stella's youthful confidence led her to believe that since they were already married, it was just sooner or later that she could win him over and have him all by herself.But, it was all a delusion — that other person remained in Keegan's heart. No matter how hard she tried or how well she did, there would never be a place for her in his heart.She recalled that Keegan began to talk nonsense as his temperature rose to 38 degrees at that time.This time, his temperature was very high. Stella doubted that it was lower than last time. Most likely, the fever was caused by wound inflammation. No matter how many grudges Stella held against him, she did not want anything to happen to him. So, after a short thought, she said goodbye to the caretaker and left.After Aldor hung up the phone, h