Keegan was a typical person who could be swayed by a gentle approach and not by forceful persuasion. If Stella had talked to him like she usually did, he might not have agreed so quickly. However, as soon as she lowered her voice, Keegan had no thoughts of refusal.Once Keegan agreed, Stella went upstairs to pack.Keegan waited downstairs for more than half an hour. Just when he was getting impatient and wanted Maria to go upstairs to urge Stella, she came down.Stella was wearing a black V-neck dress that flowed down to her feet. Her hair was styled in big waves that gently fell on her shoulders, making it look shiny and luscious.As she walked down the stairs, she raised her head slightly, revealing a delicate face. Even without any jewelry, her face was enough to make people feel dazzled.She was wearing high heels and walked slowly toward Keegan, linking her arm with his and smiling softly. "Let's go."Stella was not overdressed, but with that face, she had an air of elegance
Keegan could not help but be curious when he saw Stella so engrossed in a book. 'Is she really that fascinated by a book about world history? What chapter is she in?' He leaned in closer, and then his lips twitched.He noticed that there was a phone tucked in the book that Stella had spread out. On the screen of the phone was a livestream video of a male internet celebrity.That man's tank top was drenched with sweat, indicating that he had just finished a strenuous workout. The light shone off his glistening body and face. Although Keegan could not make out what the man was saying, a stream of "yes" comments flooded the live chat. Stella, on the other hand, repeatedly hit the "like" button on the screen. Suddenly, that man began to remove his tank top.Keegan was at a loss for words. 'I thought she was reading to cultivate herself, but she's watching this?' With a scowl, he took the book away from her. The phone, which had been leaning against the book, fell onto Stella's lap.Ste
Keegan disapproved of the speech because it contained personal content, and Sophia seemed more focused on promoting herself than the company or project.Being a popular influencer, she knew how to leverage her strengths. Following the first two recruitment talks, Sophia's personal social media account experienced a surge of tens of thousands of followers. The news and popular topics also started to revolve around her more frequently.However, this was not a good thing. It could make Sophia's image entangled with the Vinci Rivera Group. Over time, people would start to associate her personal image with the Vinci Rivera Group's reputation.If she could maintain this "perfect" image, that would be fine. But, humans were prone to making mistakes, and it was impossible to always maintain an immaculate reputation. Any slip-up or wrong move could tarnish her reputation and make people jump to conclusions.Keegan pursed his lips and picked up a pen to strike out the long paragraphs of Soph
Trinity University not only value this project, but they also welcomed Keegan, one of its esteemed alumni.Year after year, the Vinci Rivera Group recruited a multitude of talented individuals, with many of them being Trinity University graduates. The company not only provided job opportunities but also sponsored promising students to study abroad, ensuring that exceptional talents remain in Hustuabourg. This had been vital in elevating the reputation of Trinity University.Around one in the afternoon, Stella and Keegan left the company in a car and arrived at Trinity University within a mere twenty minutes.A huge banner hung at the campus entrance read "Welcome back, our shining star, Keegan - let's make the 'Rising Star' project shine". Even the plants at the entrance were trimmed into a bear shape, bowing in a welcoming gesture. The campus gate was wide open, and many students were holding their phones to take pictures of the passing cars.Despite having graduated years ago, Ke
Keegan did not like to play riddles. But, he had great respect for Mr. Jackman, so when he heard Mr. Jackman say that, he went along and asked, "Who is it?"Mr. Jackman smiled and said, "You'll find out when we go inside."Soon they arrived at the lounge. When the assistant opened the door, Stella immediately saw Marshall sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the lounge. He wore a gray suit and a pair of silver-metal-framed glasses, and he was flipping through some documents in his hands."Marshall, guess who's here?" Mr. Jackman said.Marshall looked up at the sound of Mr. Jackman's voice, took off his glasses, and revealed a pair of warm, light brown eyes. "Keegan."Stella was a little surprised, but then she remembered that when she asked Marshall to help her with her lawsuit, he told her that he was from Trinity University's School of Political Science and Law. It was just unexpected to see him here on this occasion.However, Mr. Jackman quickly cleared things up for everyone.
After Sophia had left, the staff checked the equipment at the scene once again. In just a few minutes, the door to the multimedia control room was knocked on."Come in," the staff said."Hello," a clear female voice rang out. The staff turned his head. The woman said in a friendly tone, "The screen outside doesn't display the image properly. Could you come out and take a look to see what's going on?""How could it not display the image properly?" the staff said, getting up and walking to the screen."I have no idea either. Please come and take a look to find out the problem."Their voices faded away as they walked away.The door to the multimedia control room was slightly ajar, and the monitor screen inside flickered slightly.When the staff arrived to look at the outdoor screen, he realized that it was not that it failed to display the image properly but there was no signal at all. He quickly asked his colleague in the multimedia control room to find out why. After going into t
As Stella approached Keegan, he immediately reached out to remove her sunglasses. She frowned and was clearly unhappy with the gesture. So, she asked, "Why did you take off my sunglasses?"Keegan responded, "You're wearing sunglasses on stage. It distracts the audience's attention away from the recruitment talk."Stella snorted. "Yeah, you can control me. But, can you also control the audience's attention?""Pfft," Aldor could not help but laugh. "Madam is truly a performer. She has a bit of comedic talent."But, as soon as Keegan shot Aldor a glance, Aldor cleared his throat, trying to act natural.Keegan folded the sunglasses and put them in his pocket. "Stella, sit next to me and behave yourself. Don't talk nonsense.""Okay," Surprisingly, Stella did not argue with Keegan this time.At three in the afternoon, the recruitment talk had officially begun.Mr. Jackman started by giving a brief introduction to the collaboration between the Vinci Rivera Group and the university. Th
As Sophia was speaking, the large screen behind her switched to a presentation slide interface. However, what appeared on it was not what she had mentioned about the "Rising Star" project but a paternity test report. Scrolling down, it revealed Sophia's birth certificate and her parents' information.The presentation slides detailed Sophia's parents — Albert and Hylda — having an extramarital affair and giving birth to her, putting her in a welfare home, and then arranging for Albert's wife — Rainee — to adopt her.The sudden revelation left the audience bewildered, and the media quickly realized that something was amiss. They were frantically filming the scene."Holy shit. Sophia is Albert's illegitimate daughter!""Who's Albert?""He's the husband of the couple who adopted Sophia. Isn't he her adoptive father? How could he be her biological father?""It's written on the slide that Albert had an affair with his secretary, resulting in the birth of Sophia. To cover it up, they pu
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