As soon as those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent. Stella was taken aback as well. This girl really had no filter, huh? If replicating this thing were so easy, Darcie wouldn't just have one bottle; she'd treasure it like gold. Unless this thing wasn't difficult at all, and Darcie made up the story for marketing purposes. But with so many perfume blending technicians in the company having seen the S-type essential oil, if it was just marketing by Darcie, it would have been exposed ages ago. After all, there are no secrets in this world. With so many competitors, how could they not uncover such information? So, it was most likely really difficult to replicate.Originally, they were just considering compensation issues, but now that she had boasted like this, if Darcie really asked her to replicate it and she couldn't, she'd lose her job. Why were Gen Zers so bold these days? Stella thought her response was somewhat diplomatic, but the onlookers were more straightforw
Darcie naturally doubted that a young woman in her twenties could replicate this oil. The S-type essential oil was created before Freesia Hall's death, but it wasn't public knowledge until Darcie discovered it while sorting through her belongings after Freesia passed away. Over the years, Darcie and the perfume blending technicians she hired had tried thousands of methods to replicate it, even resorting to chemical analysis. However, they could never get the proportions right. Even their closest attempts fell short, with a slight difference making the scent of the recreated perfume miles away from the original. So, Darcie had to find ways to preserve the oil and minimize its evaporation. Nobody had been able to replicate it for years, so for Sonia, who had only smelled it, to claim she could make it was outrageous.Since Darcie couldn't believe it herself, she decided to give Sonia a chance. She hadn't even wanted Sonia at Caline in the first place; her resemblance to her father i
Jaylene was convinced Sonia wouldn't pull it off and started throwing shade early. "Quite the professional approach. Stella, how long do you think she'll take to pull it off?"Stella shot her a glance and responded casually, "At most, two hours. Didn't she say so? Are you deaf?"Jaylene scoffed, "If she actually manages to do it within two hours, that'll be something. The company wouldn't be harboring a slacker."Stella snapped back icily, "Hasn't the company always had a slacker around?"Jaylene paused for a moment, then realized Stella was talking about her. She frowned immediately and was about to snap back when Darcie cut in, "If you want to watch, keep it down. Speak, and you're out."Some people never change! Why bother arguing with her here?Jaylene clamped her mouth shut in frustration, waiting for Sonia to fall flat.Stella furrowed her brow, anxiously observing Sonia at work. She worried Sonia wouldn't pull it off, becoming the butt of jokes. But she also feared Sonia
The group moderator hesitated before calling out, "Ms. Hall..."For a brief moment, the group fell into silence.Someone piped up, "Ms. Hall, aren't you worried about losing with such a big bet?"Stella's response came calmly, "Taking a risk; maybe it'll pay off."With that, the chat erupted with praise for Ms. Hall's audacity.Soon after, several more bets against Sonia flooded in, with some even upping the ante.After a pause, the group moderator spoke up again, "Ms. Saun has bet against Sonia, wagering one hundred thousand."Stella paused, glancing up at Jaylene nearby.Meeting Stella's gaze, Jaylene smirked and tilted her head slightly, saying, "Just a bit of fun."Stella smiled back, mouthing slowly, "Have you recovered the twenty million you were swindled off?"Jaylene's expression stiffened momentarily, but she remained silent, catching Darcie's eye and eventually clenching her fists in frustration.As Sonia worked on her concoctions, adjusting proportions based on sc
Jaylene found herself irritated by Stella's smug tone and shot back, "What's with the attitude? You weren't the one who made it!"Stella blinked innocently and replied, "I brought in the genius talent through the back door for the company. Why wouldn't I be proud?"Then, glancing at Darcie, she continued, "Ms. Arnold, now that Sonia has successfully replicated it, should we address the unjust accusation of her smashing the oil, and whether withholding Wren's bonus is justified? Has someone exploited this to settle personal scores? Shouldn't the company's board of supervisors look into it?"Darcie gave her a calm glance and responded, "The scent is quite similar, but we still need to test its usability."Stella chuckled, "Then let's start by investigating the incident of the smashed oil."Just as she finished speaking, Darcie's phone rang. "Ms. Arnold, the police are here. Someone reported damage to the company's finances, and no one is owning up to it, so they're here to investiga
Trevor would show up three or four times a week, always chatty but kind of dim, with a knack for uttering the most mundane things. Every now and then, in the middle of conversation, he'd casually mention that if his sister were the same age, she'd probably be just as cute.Then, when his sister fell ill, he vanished for two whole months. Her dad took her to visit, and she met his sister, Jaylene. But she didn't find her cute at all; she seemed rather silly, nothing like him.As they were leaving, he tousled her hair and teased her, "You little heartbreaker. You call the doctor 'brother,' but I've known you for almost a year. Why don't you call me 'brother'?"She replied, "Because you're silly."Trevor was taken aback, as if he'd just heard something monumental.Sonia didn't see what was wrong with what she'd said. He was indeed a bit silly; it had been six months, and he still hadn't passed his pilot's license test. She wasn't even sure what he'd been learning.But this comment r
Stella was caught off guard, quickly turning her head.It wasn't anyone else speaking; it was her driver, Larry Bard.Her expression shifted slightly as she asked in a low voice, "Larry, what are you saying?"Larry's face paled, his slender frame slightly hunched, giving off an air of not quite fitting in with everyone else.His lips moved, and he spoke hoarsely, "Ms. Hall, I broke it. While I was cleaning in there today, I accidentally dropped it. I know the stuff in there is valuable, and I... I got scared, so I didn't dare to say anything." Bowing toward Stella and the others, he whispered, "I'm sorry."Stella frowned, her tone stern. "The company has cleaners, so why would you be cleaning?"Larry hung his head, afraid to meet her eyes. "I applied for the job with the company. I could earn thirty an hour. I wanted to make some extra money to get my son a cochlear implant..."Stella's expression darkened.The reason Larry gave left her unable to even get angry.This turn o
"I find it strange. The place where the S-type essential oil was stored was supposed to be locked. If there was a lock, Larry shouldn't have been able to access it. The fact that he could easily take it out suggests that it wasn't locked at the time. Larry probably doesn’t know these things, and there was no manager around to remind him. He accidentally broke the essential oil during his work, without any intention to cause harm. If we talk about responsibility, both parties should share it."But because Sonia made the S-type essential oil, this incident didn't actually cause us much damage. It's more like a stroke of luck. I think if we just fire him outright, the punishment would be too severe. With this precedent set, if another employee makes a mistake in the future, they might hide it intentionally out of fear of being fired, which could lead to bigger problems. Punishment should be a means of correction, not an end in itself. What do you think?"Before Darcie could respond, Jay
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