'I didn't say it because there was none. But, is it because her first love broke up with her in two weeks, so she didn't want to say it?'Stella was someone who never took responsibility after teasing. Her words disturbed Keegan's heart, and then she started watching the movie again. So, Keegan's mind was completely out of the movie during the next half of it and was full of thoughts about who her sexual fantasy was.Keegan kept frowning as he walked out of the theater. Stella noticed that he still looked despondent when she returned with drinks, so she placed the cold drinks against his neck. The sudden chill caused Keegan to shake off his thoughts immediately.Stella glanced at him and asked, "Do you want to continue watching?""Huh?" Keegan could not get the meaning of Stella's words.Stella said casually, "I didn't expect you, who are usually serious, to have the same taste as Mr. Snyder. Don't you like the one with the curvy body?"Finally, Keegan understood her meaning.St
Stella glanced at the time and said, "It's late now. Thanks for driving me to a movie today. Let's call it a night and head back to our respective homes."Stella turned around and left after speaking. Keegan grabbed her wrist abruptly and pulled her back into his arms."Are you done?" Keegan's eyes were ardent. "You should have given me a chance to say a few words after you finished, right?"Stella looked at him. "What do you want to say?""You don't have to try to make me give up. Do you think I don't know that you did that to me on purpose? You keep testing my tolerance for you. Don't you believe in my determination to be with you?"Stella licked her lower lip without saying anything. Her undeniable crush on him and mixed feeling were easily found out by Keegan.Keegan held her hand and whispered, "I know you have a lot of uncertainties about me in your heart. I also know that the issue of childbirth has been weighing on your mind. I won't force you to make a choice so soon. If
The matter of infertility was something that largely affected Stella. She must have gathered a lot of courage to take the first step into discussing having children. Keegan felt a lot of intense emotions at that time. He turned his head and gently rubbed against Stella and said in a soft tone, "Let's go make a wish on a sky lantern."Stella froze for a moment and said subconsciously, "Aren't you afraid of being caught?""Nah. We can write Vermont's name on the lantern," he replied.Stella was speechless. 'No wonder Vermont pranks him all the time. He isn't particularly nice to him either.'There was a lantern event on 10th Street near Lumi River that day. The whole road was covered with lanterns. If one stood at the intersection, the century-old alley would look lively with endless lights illuminating it.While they were there, Stella saw an antique mask in one of the booths. She picked it up, put it to her face, and asked Keegan if it looked good."It looks good on you," he said
Stella was also involved in this whole thing, so she could not exactly try to show her sympathy for Jaylene. If she did not look at Keegan from an ex-wife's perspective, Keegan was indeed a very attractive man. It was not surprising for girls to have a crush on him.However, Jaylene showing affection for her ex-husband so soon after their divorce was not ideal, especially since Stella had saved her before. Matters of the heart could not be controlled, but there was still a need for moral restraint.Stella did not want to define someone through something like that, and she certainly did not want to stay and embarrass that person. So, she took Keegan's hand and whispered, "Let's go somewhere else.""Okay," Keegan replied and pulled her away.Jaylene looked at the familiar Red Agate bracelet on Stella's wrist and clenched her fingers tight. She was both embarrassed and humiliated. Her face was ashen. She had dolled herself up for this date, but Keegan gave her over to Jackson. She dia
Stella got out of the car and followed Keegan. While they were in the elevator, Keegan suddenly asked, "Do you think it's still raining?""Probably not. The weather forecast didn't predict any rain. It'll most likely stop in a while," Stella replied."The rain lasted for two hours last time," said Keegan. Stella immediately recalled the two of them being drenched when she heard that. "Well, we're not outside this time."After she said that, the elevator door opened, and Keegan walked out. "It's not safe to drive in the rain," he said.Stella paused and realized why he could not stop talking about the weather. The guy was looking for an excuse to stay. Stella was amused, but with a serious look on her face, she said, "Drive slow.""We're here. You can go now," she added.Keegan let out a disappointed sigh of acknowledgment and said in a low voice, "I want to see you go in." He thought that Stella would pity him and invite him in for some tea. But, she slammed the door behind her a
Keegan kissed Stella's lips again and said, "Thank you for taking that one step. You're much braver than me taking those 99 steps toward you."Stella was surprised that their 18+ romance had turned into a high school romance. 'Fuck,' she thought to herself."Stella, I—" Before Keegan could finish his words, Stella suddenly grabbed his collar and started biting his lips. She was not as patient as him. She kissed him passionately and let go of him after that. She then stared at him and said, "You idiot!"Keegan was confused. Stella jumped off the shoe cabinet with a dark face and walked away. Keegan did not know why she was mad. 'She was fine with me kissing her earlier.'Just as he was thinking about it, the doorbell rang. Keegan came back to his senses and answered the door. It was the community security guard holding a bouquet of flowers. The security guard was shocked when he saw a man open the door. "Is Ms. Jewell home?" he asked.Keegan glanced at the bouquet and said lightly,
Stella was surprised. 'He's upset about this?' she thought. 'Seems a bit petty. Who cares if I prefer this bouquet? He's the one who bought it, after all.'Not wanting to start an argument while she was in a good mood, Stella tried to reassure him. "The flowers you got me before were practical. They were great for baths and making rose petal cookies," she said, trying to comfort him. But Keegan wasn't appeased. He remained unimpressed.Thinking about cookies made Stella remember that Felicity had baked some treats and wanted Keegan to try them.Felicity was a great baker. There was a time when Keegan used to send roses to their apartment almost daily. It was a shame to just throw them out since they weren't cheap, but Stella didn't have anywhere to put them.So, Felicity plucked the petals, washed them, and turned them into cookies and tarts. She even sealed each of her creations into individual packaging to preserve them longer. The two of them would then eat them as a snack when
Keegan could have just taken the food home, but he decided to throw it in the garbage in front of their house because he knew how happy Stella was every time she saw that his lunch box was empty.He never expected Stella to see him doing that. Because of his actions, she stopped cooking for him.Stella was shocked when she heard his explanation. "Don't lie to me. You told me that my cooking was bad.""I mean... It wasn't the best food I've ever had, but it wasn't bad. Sometimes, it's way better than the company cafeteria food. Sometimes, I just have to drink tons of water the whole afternoon. Overall, it's okay. Plus, I've never been to the doctor for food poisoning after eating your lunch."Stella was speechless. "No one asked for your opinion."Keegan smiled. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gently rubbed her fingers. "I'm not someone who doesn't know that he's privileged. You worked so hard to cook for me. "I wouldn't have brought the food you made to work if I didn't
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