Aldor suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Kane, there's one more thing I discovered while investigating this matter."Keegan looked up, "What is it?"Aldor pulled a photo from a pile of documents. It was taken at a funeral home, showing a wreath with a tribute to Kaia. Beside it stood a young girl, clenching her fists, staring intensely at the portrait of the deceased.Keegan's pupils contracted, "Willow?"Stella was taken aback and examined the girl in the photo closely. She had never met Willow, but the girl's face was strikingly familiar. It resembled the makeup she had worn when Marshall Moore had her pose as his girlfriend.No wonder Keegan had been so upset that day. It wasn’t just because she had helped Marshall; it was also because Marshall had made her look like someone who had passed away, pretending not to know the significance.Stella clenched her hand, thinking about Marshall. What kind of heart lay beneath his gentle exterior?Seeing Stella’s distressed expression, Keegan knew
For Marshall, Keegan felt he had done more than enough. Whether it was helping with his mother's treatment, hiding the truth about Willow, or later taking care of Willow’s affairs, he did everything he could. In the end, he only received inexplicable resentment in return.Marshall still refused to admit he remembered Willow. The trust between them had long vanished. Since that was the case, let Marshall investigate Willow's matter himself. Only by uncovering the truth on his own might he resolve his inner conflict.Stella asked, "Don’t you want to know who you took the blame for, causing him to hate you?"Keegan looked down. "At first, I did. But later, I didn't. Regardless of the reason, there's no going back for us."After more than twenty years of friendship, reaching this point, even if misunderstandings were cleared, the hurt caused along the way made it difficult to go back. Keegan was somewhat avoiding the situation.He didn't know how to handle the relationship, so the sim
Stella answered the phone, hearing Darcie's gentle voice, "Stella, it's me. How are you feeling? Have you been resting well?""I'm good," Stella lied, as usual. "I haven't been to the office these past few days, so I'm behind on work. Sorry for the trouble, Darcie.""You always speak so politely," Darcie paused for a moment. "A friend gave me some top-quality bird's nest. I asked Jaylene to bring some to you. It's very good for your health if you drink it regularly.""Thank you, Darcie, but it's not necessary. I already have some at home. You should keep it for yourself.""This bird's nest is of excellent quality, not something you can easily buy. Even your father loves it. He always tells me to save some for you if I get more. If you don't take it, he might think I'm being unfair," Darcie paused again, then continued, "Jaylene is already on her way and should be there soon. Just try it, and if you like it, I can send more later."Stella cursed silently but replied politely, "Alri
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
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,
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
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
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,