The next morning, Keegan woke up with a hangover and a throbbing headache. He wanted to rub his temples, but he noticed someone was pressing onto his arm as soon as he tried to raise it. Keegan froze and turned to find Stella lying beside him with her head resting on his upper limb.Keegan's expression relaxed as his thumb gently stroked against her cheek. Stella found it itchy and reached out to scratch her face. Keegan skillfully dodged her hand and continued rubbing her cheek once she went back to sleep.Stella frowned. She got mad after not being able to catch what was grazing her face. All of a sudden, she opened her eyes and met Keegan's gaze. The ambiance in the room was awkward yet romantic.Stella moistened her lips and explained, "You were drunk last night and wouldn't let me leave, so I stayed.""Mhm," Keegan replied in acceptance of her statement, but his expression showed otherwise. His half-smile seemed to be saying, "You're making this up."Stella pursed her lips an
Stella frowned. 'What's this?' She was shocked when she clicked on the headline. Yolanda was sent to the emergency unit for overdosing on drugs and was still in critical condition.'Wasn't she taken in for questioning? How did she have an overdose? Was she released from the police station yesterday?'Stella was confused. In the end, she turned and looked at Keegan. The man was still depressed about her comment, which said that he was running around naked last night. He was also puzzled by the fact that Aldor was there to witness it."What's wrong?" Keegan asked."Yolanda overdosed on drugs and is now in the emergency unit. She's been there for a few hours and is still in critical condition.""Oh," Keegan replied, not caring about the news."Do you think someone is doing these things to her? First, she was exposed for tax fraud and misuse of drugs. And now, she has an overdose in less than two days? Her reputation is done for." Stella could not help but gossip.Yolanda was a suga
Aldor thought about what Keegan was referring to and roughly got it. 'He's probably talking about what he said in the car last night when he was drunk. It was indeed rather violent.'Aldor coughed and teased, "I understand. A little spicy romance wouldn't hurt anyone."Keegan was quiet. 'The thing is you don't understand!' He wanted to silence Aldor at the thought of him being watched running around the room butt-naked. He had been gloomy for half the day. "Did you finish the minutes of yesterday's meeting?" he tightened his jaw and asked."I can hand it to you by noon," Aldor replied.Keegan finally found a chance to vent his anger. He shot a glance at Aldor and said coldly, "You used to submit them on the day of the meeting. Are you getting older? Why has your productivity dropped? The youngsters will catch up if you don't do something about it. Don't bring shame to my name, Aldor."Aldor was speechless. 'Didn't he say I can finish the meeting minutes later because he wanted me
"No. The thing is, Yolanda doesn't think much about us. To her, we're just a bunch of low-level staff who don't benefit her. She's actually rather nice to those who are more famous than her. When Bella was hospitalized due to allergies, Yolanda visited her and even brought her an expensive gift. She even heavily promoted Bella's shows at that time. But, what's the point? Everyone is trying to avoid being associated with her now that she's gotten into trouble. They literally hate her.""It's pretty normal to cut ties with people in this situation since whoever's friends with Yolanda will be trending and talked about on the internet.""What's there to talk about? Mr. Winfield went to her funeral to see her off one last time. But, Bella, who Yolanda shared the same pair of pants with, didn't even send her flowers. Their friendship is clearly fake."Bella heard the crew's discussion as soon as she came out of the lounge and looked a little uneasy. She was pushed into the limelight after
"Who else has the power to cause Yolanda's downfall other than Keegan? She was only playing around with you, yet you wanted her dead. Are you not scared that she'll turn into a ghost to haunt you in your dreams and take your life in exchange?!" Bella sneered.Stella was a little confused. She did not understand what Bella meant when she said that Yolanda was just fooling around with her. Still, it did not prevent her from being irritated. She rolled up her script and put it aside as she stood up and grabbed Bella by the collar. Looking down at her from above, Stella said in a deep voice, "Did you turn your embarrassment from being rejected to anger? "Even the haters on the internet don't turn as quickly as you. "Didn't Keegan provide you with tons of resources over the years? You wouldn't be where you are today if it weren't for him.""There's an official report from the police regarding Yolanda's case. You can avenge your bestie by going to the authorities if you have a proble
Marshall paused and said, "I know a wonderful makeup artist who can give you a touch-up if you're worried about being recognized. He's so good that even your acquaintances won't be able to recognize you if they were standing right in front of you."Stella was speechless. 'You really thought of everything, huh?' she thought. She would not hesitate to help Marshall if he had asked her for help with something else. After all, he had been a great help to her in dealing with her mom's funeral and her lawsuits with Albert after her divorce. However, she felt that pretending to be his girlfriend was a little out of her morals since she was already seeing someone."I still don't think it's a good idea. Why don't I... hire a one-day girlfriend for you online?"Initially, Stella wanted to ask Felicity to be Marshall's date. But, she knew that Felicity would reject the offer because she had been getting along with Corbin pretty well recently. Moreover, Marshall was a lousy actor. He would
Marshall looked a little dazed. There was a complex set of emotions behind his eyes when he stared at Stella, which she found strange. "Marshall? Mr. Moore?" Stella called out several times before he came back to his senses.Marshall was aware that he lost his composure. He cleared his throat and said in a low voice, "I'm just in shock. You look like a completely different person."Stella looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. "Yeah. I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror. This is the first time I've seen this type of makeup skill. It's like the ancient art of disguise.""You can't really tell in pictures, but people may notice that you have heavy makeup on in real life. However, it's not obvious because you have a good base," the makeup artist said with a smile while cleaning his makeup brushes.After saying that, he teased Marshall and said, "It looks so real, right?"Marshall did not answer. Instead, he stood behind Stella, propped up against the back of her chair a
Stella glanced at Keegan, left the suitcase with him, and washed up. She was no longer mad at him.'I guess only Keegan knows how to deal with my nonsense,' she thought after having flashbacks of their time together."When will we be leaving?" Stella got up and asked."Now," Marshall glanced at the time and replied.Stella checked her phone several times for Keegan's response on the way to the wedding venue. He had told her that his flight would land at 5:00 p.m. But, it was already 6:30 p.m., and she still had not heard from him."What's wrong?" Marshall asked in a low voice when he noticed her looking at her phone."Nothing." Stella clutched onto her phone and looked up. "How long till we reach the venue?" She asked."We're here."Stella paused and immediately glanced out the window. She did not know who Marshall's client was, but she assumed that he was not an ordinary person since the wedding was held in one of the best hotels in the city.The parking spaces near the hotel
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