"Why don't you ask that good sister of yours?"Keegan glanced at her. "She said you held a grudge against her for taking your gown. You excused yourself to the bathroom and sneaked away."Stella let out a scornful laugh. "Why do you ask me when she has already told you about it?"Keegan pursed his lips and said flatly, "I didn't believe her. I would like to hear your side of the story."Stella froze for a moment and puckered her lips. "Would you believe me if I told you Aurora locked me in the restroom?" Stella did not look at Keegan when she said that. She never thought that Keegan would take what she said seriously. She knew very well how defensive Keegan was of his sister. No matter how reckless Aurora was, she would still be the simple-minded little girl in Keegan and his family's eyes. It was impossible to make them believe that their innocent little girl had locked someone in the restroom.Stella had braced herself for Keegan's backlash, but she only heard a sigh from Keegan
Keegan could ruin Stella's good mood with one sentence. His rebuke in her face made her angry and aggrieved. She withdrew her hand and glared at him with red eyes. "That's right! I am dumb! I have never been to any accessible restroom before. How would I know if there was an emergency call button in it? I'm sure you wished I stepped on the wrong foot and fell to death. That way, you can save on the property division and have room for you and the other woman to be in each other's pockets.Keegan narrowed his eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about?"Stella gritted her teeth. "You know what I'm talking about!""And, what exactly do I know?" Keegan pulled back the hand that she had withdrawn to him and put on another band-aid. "You have such a temper for that limited ability. If you didn't know about the emergency call button, what about your phone? Can't you make a phone call?"Stella retorted, "Your sister damaged my brain. Otherwise, why would I be stupid enough to climb the win
Keegan recognized the man as someone who had just been introduced to him. A twenty-something-year-old who co-founded an up-and-coming internet enterprise with a modest bit of his family's funding. The company seemed to have good momentum too.Keegan walked toward them with a long face. The young man saw Keegan and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Kane."Keegan remained composed, making it hard for people to see through him. He asked calmly, "What were you talking about?""Oh, it's nothing," The man laughed. "We were classmates in the past, so we were just catching up.""Classmates?" Keegan asked while staring at Stella. The man thought that Keegan was referring to him and explained, "This is Ms. Stella Jewell, my high school classmate. We haven't been in touch for a long time. I didn't expect to run into her here. Stella, this is Mr. Kane from The Vinci Rivera Group.Stella was speechless. This classmate of hers was enthusiastic but senseless. The next moment, Keegan smirked, "I can
Stella wiped off the smile on her face and looked toward the sound. Bella wore a blue rhinestone dress and was walking in her direction. Her appearance was bejeweled, and her makeup was glamorous. Both her expression and posture were composed. As one of the most famous actresses of today, she truly deserved the stature of a celebrity.Usually, the ladies would, at most, have mere acquaintances with these young actresses. They would not care too much as it was frequent to see celebrities during these events. But, the way she called Keegan's name was too intimate, so they could not help but probe. The rumors about Keegan and the famous actress Bella were widely spread. However, there was no news about it soon after, so everyone thought that it was just a publicity stunt. Seeing that Bella called Keegan in such an intimate way in front of his wife seemed to make the news to be more than just hype.The nature of humans was to gossip, and it was the same for all social circles. The crowd
Stella really wanted to splash her drink on Bella's face. To be honest, three years of marriage without kids was nothing special. The fact that Dahlia went all over the place for a doctor to force her into having a boy was revolting. Dahlia made it a widely known piece of news. Apparently, people would not say anything about it. However, they would gossip that she could not have children behind the scenes. This was why even though they were married for many years, people still shoved girls into Keegan.Everyone began to inquire as soon as Bella raised her head. Evidently, they weren't concerned about Stella's pregnancy. Since everyone knew that she could not get pregnant, all they wanted to know was if there was a joke to laugh about.Bella wanted to enrage Stella and make her lose her temper out of embarrassment. However. Cordelia was most concerned about the Kane family's reputation. 'Would Cordelia protect Stella if she lost her temper on such an occasion and brought shame to the
When Mrs. Chapman realized that she had been scammed and went to look for the artist, the artist had already left with the money.Stella heard about the incident from Aurora during a meal one time.That incident was the reason Mrs. Chapman hated celebrities within the entertainment industry, so she could not possibly side with Bella.Even though Mrs. Chapman appeared kind, she was actually a petty person.'She won so much money during our game of Mah-Jongg but ended up losing it all when Keegan showed up. So, how could she not hold a grudge?' thought Stella.Mrs. Chapman did not dare to cross Keegan, but she was not scared of his wife—a nobody. Besides, she was certain that Stella would not dare to offend her publicly.It was true that Stella did not dare to offend her.''Mrs. Chapman isn't like Bella. If I offended Bella, I'd at most get into an argument with Keegan; but if I offend Mrs. Chapman, she'd probably plot my demise again,' Stella thought again.Stella did not even r
Everyone showed expressions of agreement regardless of what they thought.Stella consulted her with an earnest expression. "But, what if the man made a principle-based mistake? For example, he has an affair and gets some woman pregnant, and the woman comes to you and challenges you. How do you think this situation should be handled?"After Stella spoke, Mrs. Chapman's expression changed. Meanwhile, Bella also became pale and looked panicked.Mrs. Chapman pursed her lips and asked with a stiff expression, "Did you experience such a thing, Mrs. Kane?"Her words were incredibly blunt. Obviously, this was also something the crowd was very curious about.Stella steadily took a sip of her juice. Finally, she spoke, "It's a friend of mine. Her husband had an affair, and that woman got pregnant. However, my friend did not want to get divorced, so she went to find that woman and negotiated with her. She wanted the woman to abort the baby and leave her husband. The woman agreed and asked fo
Stella was startled. "What did you say?"Keegan avoided her gaze and said coolly, "Cordelia's people here. I don't want grandma to hear any stories, so don't read too much into it."'No wonder,' she thought.Stella pouted.'I knew it. He wouldn't say such strange things. He's the one who's a performing art major graduate; he can get into character anytime and anywhere. But, why should I cooperate with him?' she thought.Just as Stella was about to reject his request, she suddenly saw Bella look longingly in their direction. She looked as if she wanted to pounce over and separate Stella from Keegan.Suddenly, Stella changed her mind.She grabbed Keegan's shoulders and murmured, "Keep your word."Then, she tip-toed and kissed him on the lips.Keegan's lips were a little damp and tasted like red wine; it was faint and smelled a little good.'Keegan definitely doesn't know how nervous I feel every time I use every trick in the book to seduce him. No matter how experienced I prete
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