"It's me," a warm, gentle voice sounded.Stella was taken aback. "Mr. Moore?" she asked.Marshall was carrying a bouquet and smiling softly. "I'm not disturbing you by coming uninvited, am I?""Of course not," Stella hurriedly got up and tidied up the clutter on the couch. "Have a seat. I'll go boil some water."Felicity was impressed with Marshall. "I'll go boil the water. You stay here and chat with Mr. Moore," she hurriedly uttered.Marshall handed Stella the flowers and said, "No need to be polite. There was something I wanted to tell you after we parted ways last night, but I couldn't get through to you on the phone. That got me worried, and I happened to be in the neighborhood today, so I decided to stop by."Stella took the bouquet and teased, "And, you just happened to buy me flowers?"Marshall smiled and said, "Well, this is my first time here. I didn't want to come empty-handed. And, I saw a florist on my way here, so... I remembered that you planted flowers in your pr
"I didn't know that Keegan got you flowers, nor did he ask for my help," Marshall said as he looked at the flowers. "Maybe we have similar tastes. This bouquet looks quite similar to the one I sent you on the first day you were filming."Stella paused. "You sent me flowers?"Marshall nodded."Did you send them to the set?" Stella frowned and asked."No. I was afraid you wouldn't get them in time, so I sent them to your house. There was a card inside. Didn't you receive them?" Marshall tentatively asked.Stella remained silent, and she carefully recalled what happened on Valentine's Day. She and Keegan had just come back from 10th Street, and he insisted on going to her place for drinks. Stella went into her room to change, and Keegan came into the apartment with a bouquet of flowers, saying that it was for her. She praised Keegan for having a good eye, but he frowned. 'Why would someone like him, who gets high on praise, be unhappy when I complimented him? Is it because he wasn't
"No, I'm fine." Marshall forced a smile and put down the roses. He pressed his fingers against his temples and said, "Maybe it's a side effect of my new medication. Sometimes, I'd feel a little dizzy."Stella was about to speak when she saw blood on Marshall's temples. She was startled. "Why is there blood on your face?" She asked."Huh?" Marshall was stunned for a moment. He reached out to touch his face, but Stella tugged on his sleeve and said, "Your hand is bleeding."Marshall looked down and saw that the palm of his right hand was stained red. The several small cuts on it were oozing out with blood. There were also blood stains on the roses he had put down on the side. It was clear that he had pricked himself on the rose thorns."One, two, three..." Stella squatted next to him, cleaning his wound. While doing so, she counted the puncture wounds on his hand and finally said in shock, "Six! There are six cuts, and you didn't feel any of them?!"Marshall shook his head. "I'm nat
"Yeah, I do." Stella frowned. "He's my second uncle—Albert's younger brother. Do they still live there?"Marshall caught Stella's choice of words. "What do you mean? Have they lived there before?"Stella nodded. "In the earlier years, my cousins came here for school, but they had no place to stay. So, my mom gave them the keys to our old residence. The house needed to be cared for, and they needed a place to stay. So, mom decided to let them stay there since we were family.""I was in eighth grade at that time. So, it's been almost 11 or 12 years since then. My uncle has gained some wealth in the past few years. They bought a house here in the city a few years ago. I even went to their housewarming party, so I thought they moved out of that residence.""Not only did they stay there, but they also turned the house's backyard into a kindergarten," Marshall said in a deep voice.Stella was stunned. "Huh? But, the backyard was just a piece of wasteland."She thought to herself, 'Gran
Felicity's eyelids twitched when she heard what Marshall said. 'I-Is this a fucking confession?!! I knew the handsome Bentley guy had a thing for Stella! Who would take on such a small dispute over a high-paying case?'Stella is such a dumb dumb for saying that I'm overthinking it. She's just blinded by her love for Keegan. What's so good about that guy anyway? Apart from his good looks, he's sharp-tongued and scheming.'The fact that he called the police and had me arrested? Ugh. Makes me think that he'd probably send Stella to prison someday in a fit of anger if he suddenly stops liking her.'Plus, he looks like a playboy, unlike Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore looks gentle, and he's soft-spoken and polite. He also knows the law and is a great lawyer. He even gets worried about whether Stella arrives home safely during the night. He's such a good partner; way better than that hypercritical jerk, Keegan!'Felicity waited expectantly for Stella's answer. 'Did she not get the hint?!' she thoug
Felicity nodded immediately before Stella could say anything. "Bring us chocolate custard tarts too. Those are delicious."Stella was speechless. 'Felicity and Vermont sure are a match made in heaven. They always put everything down at the mention of food.'After that, Marshall did not stay long. He received a text and said goodbye to the ladies. Stella saw him off at the elevator and went back to her apartment. Felicity had already opened the box of pastries. There were two egg tarts in each box, and the packaging was exquisite. They also included a jade chick keychain."This keychain is a limited Thanksgiving gift for those who spend 2000 dollars at Royle's! My colleague has one, and I was so jealous! Mr. Moore is such a great guy for giving us the tarts and keychain!" Felicity squealed in excitement."Isn't he more handsome than Dr. Steven? How about I do some matchmaking for you two? Mr. Moore is single, you know?" Stella teased.Felicity was at a loss for words. She immediate
[Oh don't be so sensitive, Mr. Kane,] Stella chuckled. A gleam of joy flashed in Keegan's eyes as he replied, [Are you taking a leave for Thanksgiving? We can spend the holiday together.]Stella froze for a moment. 'Thanksgiving is the day families get together, but my family will never be whole again.'[Let's talk about it when the time comes. You should spend more time with Grandma.]Keegan wanted to spend the holiday with both Stella and Cordelia, but after some thought, he decided not to. 'Our relationship is a secret. We just got back together. I don't think Stella would be willing to celebrate with us. Plus, the Kane family didn't really leave her with a good impression. She probably wouldn't want to see those people on a day for giving thanks.'Keegan swallowed his words and returned to the initial topic. [I want couple stuff too.]Stella was stunned. 'I guess he isn't done with this yet,' she laughed. [I bought tons of couple stuff when we were together last time, but you
Stella was shocked. "One for Dr. Steven and one for Mr. Snyder? My, my, my..."Felicity was speechless. "Me and that Stinky Cucumber have nothing going on, okay? I'm going there to ask him a favor. I can't possibly show up empty-handed, can I?""Oh. We have a whole box of mangoes here. You should give them to Vermont. I mean, these are your favorite egg tarts. You should just share them with Dr. Steven. Are you and Vermont even close enough to be sharing your favorite food?" said Stella.Felicity was stunned for a moment. After a long time, she said, "It's not like they're new. I've already opened the packaging. That Stinky Cucumber doesn't deserve to eat a whole box of mangoes."Felicity did not seem like she wanted to stay on the subject. She opened the front door and said, "I'll be heading out now." Then, she disappeared.As Marshall turned his steering wheel to leave the parking lot, he saw a Maserati with a familiar license plate entering the place. When the car drove past, h