Daniel's face turned serious as he watched Stella intently. He was impressed by how effortlessly Stella managed her expressions. Despite having many lines to remember, she memorized them all in just two minutes. Her delivery was so skillful that it didn't seem like she lacked acting experience at all.No one on set spoke until Stella finished her performance. Stella was confident, but handling every expression and line in such a short time was challenging. She did her best, and instead of commenting on her performance, Daniel exchanged hushed words with the people beside him. Then, he looked at Stella and suggested, "Why don't you try another scene?"Stella's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. She knew that if things hadn't gone well, they might have dismissed her after a short reading. A new was handed to her. As Stella looked down, she realized it wasn't the same character as before. This time, she was given the role of the third female lead, a consort.This character was a depa
Stella grabbed Felicity's wrist and said in a low voice, "We'll talk outside."After getting into the car and hearing Stella talk about what happened inside, Felicity widened her eyes."Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Daniel let you audition for the role of the beauty? Does he intend to let you play the beauty?"Stella shook her head. "I don't know. How could he let me play such an important role? Besides, hasn't someone already been cast for this role?"Felicity winded up the window."They're all rumors online. No one is sure if anyone, in particular, has been cast. Besides, Daniel isn't against casting newbies."Regardless, Stella still was not confident.On the other hand, Felicity was bursting with confidence. "Did Daniel say anything after your audition?"Stella shook her head, "He told me to leave my number. Maybe letting me audition was a spur-of-the-moment thing.""It would be great if you could play the beauty's role. But, getting the role of the fourth female lead i
Albert spoke sanctimoniously.'Others have lovers because they seek the thrill, but he's doing it because of his comatose wife. He has no choice but to look for other women since he can't satisfy himself. It's as if his actions can be justified after he changes the reason. Humans are not animals. What does he mean by biological needs? Or, are men this shameless in the face of infidelity and shirk the blame to women?' wondered Stella."If your mother was alive and well, I would've never gone to find other women. She and I went through thick and thin together to establish the company. Our relationship can't possibly be replaced by others."'If he hadn't hastily wanted to divorce my mother soon after her accident, I would have believed his nonsense! Besides, would he care if my mother's dead or alive if I weren't married to Keegan and still useful to the Jewell family? He hasn't divorced my mother only because he's pinning me down in the name of taking care of her,' Stella thought.St
"Let's grab a meal first. You can think while we eat. If you really can't remember, we'll hire a private investigator. We'll avenge your mom."Stella laughed.'If my mother were conscious, she would've fought Albert to the very end and turned the world upside down. She's someone who can't tolerate infidelity. I don't want things to get to that point; I just want to figure out who that woman is and why I find her so familiar,' she thought.The following day, Stella was woken up by her phone in the middle of her slumber.She frowned and picked up the phone. Then, she groggily said, "Hello? Who's this?""You're not awake yet, Stella?"Stella was instantly terrified by the woman's steady voice on the other end. She hastily got up from the bed and cleared her throat before she said in a low voice, "Dahlia? What's wrong?"Dahlia responded coolly, "A few of my friends are coming over today. Come over and help me entertain them."Stella was incredibly reluctant.Dahlia's friends were
"You can't make accusations like that, Mrs. Wood," said Mrs. Chapman.She intended to remind Mrs. Wood that Stella was still Dahlia's daughter-in-law, no matter what. While it was usually acceptable for them to banter around, going overboard was a little inappropriate.However, Mrs. Wood thought that Mrs. Chapman did not believe her."I'm not making accusations. Back then, one of my nephews worked at the Department of Transportation and took part in this accident's investigation. He said the car was badly damaged, and the two supposedly shouldn't be alive. After they were rescued, it turned out only her mother was badly injured while she only had some cuts."She continued, "She doesn't die easily. Women like her can easily cause the death of the people around her. They kill their husband, their sons...""Mrs. Wood!" Mrs. Chapman kicked Mrs. Wood under the table when she saw Dahlia's expression.Mrs. Wood finally realized that she had inadvertently spoken ill of Dahlia.Since Dah
Keegan snorted icily, "She doesn't have what it takes, yet she insisted on going. Letting her get the short end of the stick will teach her a lesson."Since Keegan had already made himself clear, Aldor kept quiet.It seemed like Mrs. White was somebody. When Dahlia spoke to Mrs. White, her tone was evidently more polite than when she was talking with the other two ladies. No matter the food preference or casual conversations, they all centered around Mrs. White's likings and habits.Naturally, Stella could not join their conversation. Thankfully, they ignored her most of the time, aside from their discussion about her in the beginning.Stella played her part as the person who ate and chatted with them, so things were not too difficult for her.After the ladies had their meal, they started Mah-Jongg, a tile-based game. Stella then played the part of the tea lady. She poured them tea and got them desserts.Once everything was prepared, she sat aside and spectated.The guests had n
Stella turned to Dahlia out of reflex.Dahlia indifferently said, "Mrs. White is talking to you."Stella pursed her lips."I'm not that good at it," she said.Mrs. White laughed."I like people who aren't good at it."And so, Stella took over Mrs. Wood's place and played Mah-Jongg with the three women.Mrs. White discarded a 3 of Bamboo. "I haven't seen Aurora the entire day. Where did that girl go? She's graduating this year, right?"Mrs. Chapman laughed, "Where else would she be? She must've gone to your nephew's law firm. Why don't you play matchmaker and tell your brother and his wife? After they get engaged, you and Dahlia will be considered in-laws in the future.""My sister-in-law likes Aurora. Naturally, she'll agree. As for Marshall, it's hard to say. That boy usually seems soft-spoken and easy to talk to, but he's actually very opinionated. I'm afraid we can't make decisions for him," said Mrs. White."They can bond after they get married. Didn't we go through the s
Mrs. Chapman said modestly, "All three of us won. I was just in luck.""Three won, so who lost?" asked Keegan.Everyone fell silent and unanimously turned to look at Stella, who had tears in her eyes.Stella was quiet."How much did you lose?" he asked.Stella bit her lip and said in a low voice, "460 thousand dollars..."Keegan lifted his head. "Did you play with your eyes close?"Stella glared at him through her tears.'It's not his money that I lost. Who gave him the right to ridicule me?!' she thought.Mrs. White said, "She's young. She still lacks experience."Keegan glanced at Stella and said indifferently, "It doesn't have much to do with experience. She hardly wins in any table games."His words implied that Stella was purely stupid.Stella was speechless.'That bastard, Keegan, is always up to no good! He's always finding ways to humiliate me whenever there's a chance!' she thought.Keegan grabbed the teapot and filled up the cups. Then, he said coolly, "It's a r
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