Stella's eyelashes fluttered while her eyes were closed. 'Am I hallucinating? Why does that sound like Keegan?'"Stella." The voice got closer. "Stella, open your eyes. There's no one else in here. Look, it's me."Stella slowly opened her eyes, and the blurry figure in front of her started to become apparent. It was Keegan. She burst into tears once she calmed down. She hugged Keegan and proceeded to hit him as she cried out, "You bastard! Why did you scare me like that, you mutt?!"Keegan knew he was in the wrong, so he did not dare to talk back at her. He hugged her back tightly, no matter how much she tried to break free. Keegan then tried to comfort her by saying, "Don't cry. I'm sorry. I was just fooling around. It wasn't real, okay?"Stella was in shock. The fear of the unknown after being drugged in the car and brought to a hotel really scarred her. She even thought she would have to have sex with her captor for a moment.When Stella gradually stopped crying, Keegan asked,
Stella hugged onto her knees and curled up into a ball. "I-It's just an aphrodisiac. I'll take a cold bath and wait for the drug to wear off. I'll be fine."She was so stubborn that Keegan had no choice but to go to the bathroom and fill the tub. He pursed his lips when he thought of the person on the bed being tortured by the drug.When the water was ready, Keegan came out of the bathroom and called for Stella. But, she was lying on the bed and out of strength. She sat up limply when she heard the man calling her. Keegan looked at her for a few seconds, bent down to pick her up, and carried her to the bathroom.As her body was soaked under water, she suddenly frowned and asked, "Why does it feel warm?""The cold tap is broken, so there's only the hot option. It's okay. The water will cool down after a while.""How long will that take?" Stella asked, feeling uncomfortable in the warm water. Keegan took a mug and sat down by the bathtub. "I'll move the water around to make it cool
Keegan's blood turned cold. "Do you know what you're asking me right now?" he gritted his teeth and asked."Mhm," Stella replied.Keegan bit her lip angrily and said, "Mhm?"Stella frowned in pain. "Don't you men like it when there are no commitments?""Who even told you that?"Stella could not control herself. She reached out to touch Keegan, but he stopped her and said in a low voice, "Tell me, and I'll allow you to touch me."As soon as Stella heard that Keegan was willing to let her touch him, she immediately confessed that she had seen a post about it on the internet. "What did it say exactly?" Keegan undid a button and continued to elicit information from her. "In detail, and I'll let you see what's under here."Stella was not someone with a strong will. Now that she was under the influence of the drug, Keegan seemed like her walking antidote. Her rationality had been thrown out the window at that point. So, she told Keegan about the post. Although she kept quiet about inf
Keegan did not move and just let Stella kiss him. It was not until she reached out and grabbed his shirt that he held her down. He then put some distance between them, stared into her watery eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Do you really want to have sex with me?"Stella nodded."Do you know who I am?" Keegan asked.Stella was confused by why he would ask that and replied softly, "Yeah. You're Keegan." As she said that, she wanted to kiss him even more.Keegan avoided her lips and whispered, "Don't you ever say those words you said earlier to anyone else but me, got it?"Stella was no longer in a rational state. She did not know what Keegan was referring to, but she knew she would be rewarded if she played along. So, Stella nodded and eagerly said, "Got it."As expected, Keegan was delighted with her answer. He took her hand, lowered his gaze, and kissed her fingertips. Stella's fingers trembled under his touch. A tingling sensation spread from her hands to her heart. It almost j
Marshall pressed his lips and pulled the corner of the sheet to look at the woman underneath it. His face turned gloomy when he saw who it was. He let go of the sheet blankly, turned around, and left the room.Marshall tried to contact Stella, but she did not pick up. He then dialed Felicity's number. Felicity sat on the couch and yawned, but the people around her did not leave. Suddenly, her phone rang. Before she could answer the call, Vermont quickly glanced over at the caller ID and froze. [Handsome Bentley Guy]"Hello?""Ms. Thompson, hi. I'm sorry to disturb you, but is Stella home? I want to discuss something with her, but she's not picking up her phone.""Stella is out right now. I'm guessing that the party isn't over yet. She told me that she was going to let loose and have fun tonight."Marshall frowned at the sound of that. "Can you try to contact her? It's dangerous to be out this late.""Huh? Okay. I'll update you later if I get ahold of her.""Thank you.""Who was
Felicity had been in the film industry for ages. Naturally, she did not take the initiative to help a screenwriter change the plot. Instead, she would tactfully mention that the script could be better with some appropriate changes. However, this time, the screenwriter passed this responsibility to her.Felicity was fine with polishing the script, but she did not want to change the original plot. The screenwriter for the particular script she was working on kept praising her and said that they could assign her as a co-writer if she executed it well.Felicity was intrigued as soon as she heard that. Like everyone in the same field, she hoped to make a name for herself with one of her works and become an actual screenwriter. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, Felicity had to take it. She let go of her other work and focused on changing the script.Felicity stayed up almost every night for more than half a month, and when she finally revised the entire script, she sent it to
"You want me to become an artist in your company?" Felicity put her hand on her chin and asked. She held her phone to her face and stared at her reflection before saying in a low voice, "That doesn't sound too bad."Based on my looks, I can play the role of a concubine or maybe a young, innocent intern who has something going on with the CEO, don't you think?"Plus, they don't really focus on looks anymore, right? There have been several average-looking female stars who have become quite popular in the past two years. Maybe I'll be in the next generation of celebrities, huh?"Vermont was speechless. "Do you wanna go to the bathroom for a sec?"Felicity looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Why would I need to go to the bathroom?""To freaking look at yourself in the mirror," Vermont replied with a serious look on his face.Felicity felt offended. She kicked him off the couch. "You go look in the mirror!" she yelled.Vermont slumped onto the carpet and sat there with one of his
Felicity glanced at Vermont and asked, "Have you ever seen the ad for pain-free surgical abortions?""What?""There was this girl who was undergoing pain-free surgery, and she asked the doctor if they were going to start, but the doctor told her that they were done.""What are you talking about?" Vermont frowned."That was how I felt that night," said Felicity, and Vermont froze.'Are we going to start? We're already done. Not only was it fast, but it felt as though there was nothing.' Vermont could not believe it and was a little embarrassed. 'This is my manhood we're talking about. Shit. There's no way that's true, especially not after I laughed at Keegan for the same thing.'"You were so wasted that day. You probably don't remember how it felt."Felicity gave Vermont a sideways glance and said, "Even though I have no experience prior to this, I'm sure I should've felt something, right?"I mean, the pain I felt after getting a shot lasted for two days. But, I didn't feel a th
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