Stella finally had a free day. After dealing with those annoying matters online, she ate something and went downstairs to read the script.Although her role was important in the entire drama series, the screen time was short. Most of her scenes were in the latter half of the series.The queen's character was less likable than the concubine's. If she followed the conventional acting methods, the impact would only be mediocre.Actors portraying antagonists often appear one-dimensional, failing to make a deep impression on the audience. Stella knew that if she wanted to use this drama series as a stepping stone for her career in showbiz, she could not afford to give a mediocre performance.She kept reviewing the classic works of those experienced actors in showbiz and repeatedly pondered the character development, gradually coming up with some ideas.Before she could savor her thoughts, Aldor's call interrupted her."Madam, Mr. Kane left a document at home, and it's urgently needed
Keegan descended the stairs and found a sizable crowd gathered downstairs. Maya sat outside the railing on the second floor, crying and pleading to the onlookers. Some snapped pictures while others chattered away.Sophia first spotted Keegan, and she promptly called out, "Mr. Kane!" Instantly, the crowd hushed and parted to make way for him.Jackson, who had someone bring him a chair to the second floor for a better view, was sitting there, sipping his coffee. When he saw Keegan, he paused and smirked. "Keegan, you finally showed up."Keegan glanced at Jackson and looked around. He said in a cold and authoritative voice, "Everyone, get back to your work!"Those few words exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation. Then, seeing the crowd begin to disperse, Jackson spoke up, "Keegan, Maya has served our family for a long time. If you don't handle this matter fairly and transparently, even if it's resolved, people will think our company is using its power to suppress others."Maya
Keegan's face darkened.Maya thought she had the upper hand and continued to speak out, "I worked for the Kane family for sixteen years. They not only fired me but also refused to give me any compensation. I have a family to support; my husband is unemployed. They are pushing us all to the brink."Jackson chimed in, "Keegan, you are too heartless. Isn't it ruthless to treat an employee serving us for over a decade this way?"Keegan's eyes narrowed, and he spoke coldly to Maya, "I followed the contract, and I don't see anything wrong with how I handled the situation. If you're dissatisfied, you can apply for labor arbitration. Threatening me here won't change anything, and I can even sue you for slandering the company's reputation!"As Keegan spoke, he turned to Aldor and ordered, "Call the police!"Maya's arm trembled, and she began to feel anxious. Dahlia had told her to take a couple of days off and promised to talk to Keegan when he was calmer.But just one day later, Maya rec
Maya was, after all, Dahlia's person; she felt more confident with Dahlia around. Dahlia's words almost convinced her to come down.'If Maya comes down, how is this show supposed to carry on?' Jackson calmly said, "Dahlia, if they could talk this out, Maya wouldn't have risked her life sitting here."Maya was immediately alert. 'Dahlia wouldn't have shown up if I didn't make a scene. If I come down now, how am I supposed to negotiate? Dahlia is Keegan's birth mother, and she will naturally take his side.'With that in mind, Maya sat back down and said, "I've already put my reputation on the line today. I'm not afraid of being laughed at anymore! All these years, I've worked hard for the Kane family. But Mr. Kane decided to fire me because of a single word from Mrs. Kane. He even falsely accused me of skipping work and did not plan to compensate me. In our line of work, reputation is everything. Mr. Kane has ruined my career by firing me! I'll jump off the Vinci Rivera Group building
Originally, everyone was just whispering to each other. But Sophia's words shifted the blame to Stella, making everyone point fingers at her."Stella, Maya has been caring for you and Keegan for many years. So why don't you just let it slide?" said Dahlia while thinking, 'As long as Stella bears the blame, Keegan's reputation in the company will be safe.'Stella finally understood why Aldor had called her over. She cursed inwardly, "The hell they need me to deliver that document! They just want me to be the scapegoat for Keegan because they're too damn scared the incident will smear his precious reputation among the employees!"She shot Keegan and Aldor a cold glare. Aldor averted her gaze, feeling guilty.Keegan frowned and pursed his lips before he said, "Mom, this is not a matter we can privately negotiate anymore. If I set a precedent today, what if someone else gets laid off and makes a scene like this? Should I just turn a blind eye to it? Is our company some kind of charity?
"She's been in a similar situation in the past; maybe that's why she wants others to go through worse."...Sophia smiled when she heard their words. She said, "Stella, dad has always taught us to be forgiving. Maya's already apologized, so you should give her a smaller punishment if you're still angry. Think of it as giving her a small punishment to prevent her from doing something worse. Besides, so many people are around. It'll look bad if you keep this up."Stella glanced at Sophia icily.'If I back down and let the matter rest, I'll surely be labeled as someone who's inhumane and oppresses the elderly,' she thought.Stella pursed her lips. Suddenly, she said, "Maya, you said I'm dismissing you because of Keegan. Then, tell everyone specifically why and let them decide if my punishment for you is too harsh.Maya was startled.'What am I supposed to say? That I purposefully placed the contraceptive she had thrown away at an obvious place so that Dahlia and the old lady would
The doctor said it was an allergic reaction, so Stella went home to search for the allergen. Unfortunately, when she checked the security cameras, she inadvertently discovered Maya's son staying at their house.Dahlia hated when employees did not know their boundaries. Maya was worried that she would lose her job if Dahlia found out that her son had stayed over at her employer's house.Maya cried and begged Stella not to tell anyone.Back then, Stella did not say a word. She merely told Maya to change all of the sheets and reminded her to disinfect the rooms at least three times a week.Stella did not like holding other people's past mistakes over their heads.'The past is in the past,' she thought.As time passed, Maya herself also forgot about the matter.'Now that I'm saying I didn't take out the trash, I'm also admitting that I didn't clean the room. I can't refute at all when Stella's using this matter to turn the situation around. Since I can't speak of the real reason Kee
'How could I have any good ideas?' thought Sophia.Then, she said casually, "At least... Don't let her be unemployed. Transferring her to a different position would work too; dismissing her is too inhumane."Stella gave it some serious thought for a while. Then, she turned to Maya, "You really want to stay at the company?"Maya was desperate to keep her job, "I can do anything as long as I remain in the company."Stella turned to Keegan, "The truth is, I wanted to refer Maya to Mrs. Franklin's place so she could work there. I've already contacted her, and her salary will be the same as we give her. However, I'll dismiss Maya since she's sentimental about the company. We'll go with what Sophia said and let Maya work as a janitor at the company. Then Maya's wishes are fulfilled."Sophia twitched her lips.'Since when did I ask for Maya to become a janitor at the company?!' she thought.When Maya heard about working as a janitor at the company, she instantly turned red in embarrass
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