Stella asked, "Mr. Sadler, would you be interested in joining a singles group I'm part of? It's a community of young people, where everyone's profiles are transparent, and we can chat openly. Later, when we arrange social events, you can come along and see if you're interested."Keegan was confused. With a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" mentality, Keegan replied, "Sure."So Stella added him to a WhatsApp group named "Socializing Group Seven."Upon entering, the group flooded the chat with "Welcome, newcomer," giving him a warm reception.Keegan was pleasantly surprised and responded with an emoji. Then, the group leader—his restless wife—@mentioned everyone with an announcement.The announcement contained personal introductions of every group member, except him.As Keegan scrolled through, he noticed he was the only male among nine members, with all the others being girls, and everyone worked at Caline.While Keegan was still processing this, girls in the group had already
Feeling overwhelmed by the female spirits of the group and unwilling to lie or provoke his wife's ire, Keegan opted for honesty and spilled the beans about the entire situation.Stella's expression turned stern. "So you believe I'm secretly going on blind dates behind your back? That’s why you added me on a fake account, trying to catch me cheating?"Keegan promptly refuted, "Absolutely not! How could you ever doubt me?""Then why did you use a fake account to deceive me?"Keegan whispered, "Aunt Jacobsen mentioned you added seven or eight blind date candidates, and I was just curious why."Impatiently, Stella retorted, "What else could I do? Didn't you see? I'm contemplating replacing you!"Keegan, acknowledging his fault, softly apologized, "Stella, I genuinely didn't doubt you. I was just envious. Your uncle and aunt suggested so many blind date candidates for you, and I realized they don't favor me much. It hurt my feelings."Stella's anger was calmed by his admission, espec
"I don't, but Aldor does. Initially, he found all the blind date candidates for your brother. Whether they were teachers, doctors, or civil servants, he had them, all the types that are popular in the blind date market."Stella's eyes lit up. "Then ask Aldor to find some for me. Between the ages of 25 and 35, no history of marriage, stable job, decent appearance, just send them all my way! Once it’s done,' I'll give Aldor a big red packet!"Keegan, with a smirk in his eyes, replied, "I'll talk to him later."Aldor Hart, who inexplicably kept sneezing while making amendments on a document for Aurora Kane, suddenly felt a foreboding sensation creeping up his spine. He suddenly felt the urge to take a vacation.Glancing at the time, Stella whispered, "Wait for me after work today. I'll take you somewhere."Keegan asked, "Is it for my birthday?"Stella exclaimed, feigning annoyance, "Oh, come on! You're unbelievable! Even if you know, at least pretend you don't! There's no sense of a
This question was indeed quite bold, especially after Wren had "betrayed" her.Stella understood why Wren didn’t pursue the issue when she stood up for her. For a girl with no background and a seriously ill family member, this job was crucial. If she didn't accept the olive branch offered by Darcie Arnold, she would be seen as ungrateful, and her future in the company would become increasingly difficult.Stella knew Wren had her reasons, but she couldn't help feeling hurt. She wanted to say, "What does that have to do with you?" but seeing the cautious look in Wren's eyes, she couldn't help but remember the time she found Wren crying in the bathroom because she couldn't afford her grandmother's medical bills.Having experienced such helpless moments herself, Stella couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh. However, she wasn’t ready to forgive Wren easily either, so she responded with a cold "Hmm."Wren's eyes dimmed. She seemed to want to say something else, but the elevato
Stella said coldly, "I'm not Jaylene. Don't try your flattery on me, and don't blame me if my words get harsh."Julia's face turned a mix of green and white. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't get a word out.The elevator arrived at the seventh floor, and Wren, Julia, and the others stepped out. Stella, expressionless, closed the elevator doors.Once the doors were fully shut, Julia looked up, her face openly showing her resentment. "She just got lucky being born into the right family. People call her Ms. Hall and she really thinks she's something!"A colleague quietly cautioned, "Stop it, someone might hear you."Julia dismissed the warning, "Let them hear! Everyone in the company knows Caline belongs to Ms. Arnold. We're just humoring Stella by calling her Ms. Hall. Even Wren knows who to listen to. Doesn't she get it?"The colleagues exchanged glances but said nothing.Last month's paychecks showed that employees in Stella's department received a bit more money. The surprisi
Kiara Lark was the one who stepped in, having just finished her business and witnessing the scene."What are you doing? Fighting in the company?"Julia, still fuming, pushed Kiara away. "Stay out of this. I'm teaching this ungrateful wretch a lesson for Ms. Hall!"Wren refused to back down. "Stop using Ms. Hall as a shield! You just want to play both sides, and now that Ms. Hall isn't buying it, you're taking it out on me!"Julia, fearing that Jaylene might hear this, retorted angrily, "Who's playing both sides? You ungrateful wretch! You're the one taking money from Ms. Hall while benefiting from Ms. Arnold! Isn't that true?"Wren responded coldly, "I'll say it again, I didn't take Ms. Hall's money. Keep slandering me, and I'll call the police."Kiara tried to mediate, "Alright, both of you, calm down. We're all colleagues here. Is this really necessary?"Julia, emboldened by her aunt Aubrey's position as Darcie's confidant, was used to bullying weaker colleagues like Wren. Wre
Wren didn't say anything more and turned to leave, carrying her files.As Stella left the company, she ran into Larry Bard. He had become a security guard, responsible for company security and occasionally helping park cars. When Stella saw him, he was frowning at his phone. He looked up alertly as someone approached, meeting Stella's indifferent gaze.Larry was taken aback and awkwardly greeted her, "Ms. Hall."Stella responded, "They transferred you here?"Larry nodded.Stella said nothing more. She didn't ask if he was adapting well or if he was doing a good job. As Keegan had advised, she had to let go of the urge to help others; everyone has their own fate, and she had done all she could.She waited with her hands in her coat pockets for Samuel Herston to bring the car from the underground parking lot. Larry stood nearby, fidgeting with his fingers. After a while, he mustered the courage to approach her. "Ms. Hall, this is a drawing my son made. He asked me to give it to you
Stella suddenly got a strange feeling about Larry.Here was a guy with just a middle school education, yet he had impeccable handwriting. He had a wife with mental health issues and a son with hearing impairment, and he was the sole provider for the family. And yet, he somehow managed to afford his son's lessons in painting and calligraphy. Instead of cutting back on his son's expenses to save for a cochlear implant, he took on extra jobs on the side, even if it meant risking his main job.Stella had seen parents sacrifice and scrimp to give their kids the best education, but something about Larry's situation didn't sit right with her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.Even as she met up with Keegan, her brow stayed furrowed. When Samuel finished his shift and went home, Aldor took over driving duties. Keegan tossed his jacket onto the front seat and joined Stella in the back."What's up? You look troubled," Keegan asked, buckling his seatbelt.Stella shook her head. "It's