Keegan paused. "Who did you say found a girlfriend?""Marshall. Marshall Moore," Carter said, "You're so close with him. How could you not know?"Keegan pursed his lips.Vermont arranged a dinner together previously, and Keegan went there. But, Marshall did not show up because he said he had work to do. Then, they had not met each other since then.Keegan thought about it and realized that it had been some time since he last saw him.'Marshall has a girlfriend now? It's impossible for Vermont not to tell me that if that's true.'Keegan felt strange as he asked, "Do you know which wealthy family she's from?"Carter paused and said slowly, "I didn't ask that much. She looked unfamiliar, so she's probably not from a family that we know. She's very elegant, and she's a music teacher."Keegan tried to think of a person who matched the description but to no avail.He did not believe that Marshall would date a girl from an ordinary family as his family would never allow that to happe
Marshall was known to be a friendly person, and a lot of people greeted him as soon as he entered the venue.Inevitably, they also asked about Stella.Marshall introduced her to them, and of course, as Celeste Thompson.Stella's face was going numb after constantly smiling.Suddenly, she thought about attending banquets like this with Keegan. Keegan was like a walking iceberg, especially when he ran into people he was not familiar with. Even though many people would greet him, he would always keep a cold face. So, those people would awkwardly walk away after greeting him, which reduced her social obligations.She used to think that Keegan was very unfriendly for doing that. But now, she realized that what Keegan did was push away a lot of meaningless social interactions.The wedding venue was decorated in a very romantic way as all the flowers used there were all real. That alone was already extremely luxurious.Her wedding with Keegan was decorated with real flowers too, and ev
"Oh." Vermont gazed at Stella again, thinking that she looked somewhat familiar. He frowned while looking at her, and something suddenly popped into his head. "Hey, are you—"Corbin's voice came from behind before he could finish his sentence. "Can we sit here?"Vermont turned around and saw Corbin and Felicity standing behind him.Felicity had makeup on, and she was wearing a beautiful little dress. Her eyes were big, and she looked very lively and ladylike compared to how boyish she would usually be.Vermont was a little surprised. However, his expression became stiff and cold when he saw her holding Corbin's arm.He looked at Corbin before shifting his gaze to Felicity. "Why are you here? You know Duncan?"Obviously, Felicity was not a friend of Duncan, but the bride. She used to be a rather close friend with the bride during high school. She was there because she received a wedding invitation from her. The reason she came with Corbin was because she bumped into him downstairs
'Isn't this guy on the plane?'Did he jump off the plane and come down with a parachute?'Did he read my message? Is he going to recognize me?'Vermont then interrupted Stella's thoughts and said, "Why did you come alone? Where's your wife?"Keegan paused and corrected him. "I'm single."He was probably afraid that other people would start introducing girls to him like what Marshall had to go through because he then added, "Still trying to win her heart."Stella kept quiet.'He kept his promise by not announcing our relationship to others.'However, what he said was not any different from blatantly admitting it.Everyone at the table had the "I knew it" looks on their faces.Vermont wanted to make fun of him. But, he thought about it and figured that Keegan would always say that they were just having a small fight between lovers before he got back together with Stella to prove that he was in a relationship with her.Today, however, he claimed that he was single, and there wa
"Marshall, tell us about it."Vermont rested his chin on one hand and asked curiously, "How did you meet Miss Thompson?"His question caught the attention of everyone else as they looked over unanimously.Marshall was the one who had been single for the longest time among them. It was just surprising that he suddenly brought a female partner to attend his friend's wedding.Marshall paused and looked at Stella.They had not made up an answer to this question.Stella looked very calm as she took a sip of her juice before she said, "Through a dating app.""Pfft—" Felicity almost spat out the water in her mouth.She gazed at the woman sitting opposite her. 'The way she talks so quirkily sounds exactly like Stella.'When somebody asked her how she met her husband at the previous class reunion she attended, she would always say with a straight face, "On a dating website."Vermont then noticed something."Miss Thompson, aren't you working at Xenus High School? It's pretty far away
Duncan chuckled, "No one specific. She just looks familiar."The bride whispered, "Thank goodness I stopped you from mentioning it to Yara. Imagine how awkward that would've been?"Duncan grinned, "You're so smart, dear."The bride playfully hit him, and Duncan stopped teasing. He mingled with the guests for a bit before moving on.Later, someone approached Marshall and whispered something to him. Marshall turned to Stella, "They need my help. I'll be back soon."Stella nodded and touched her face confusedly.She wondered if the reason why so many people looked at her strangely was due to the makeup on her face.Despite this, she continued to tease Keegan.Once the toasts were done, everyone dug into the meal. Keegan, having been on the road all day, was famished. He stayed quiet, focused on his food rather than joining the table's chatter.As he reached for a spare rib, another fork moved toward the same piece. Keegan frowned.Meanwhile, Stella acted surprised. "Oh, sorry."
Stella stayed silent.Carter's cheeks strained from holding back laughter.He glanced at Lena, as if to say, "See, I told you he wouldn't recognize her."Lena took a sip of her tea and whispered, "Keegan is nearsighted. The lighting is dim, and he's far from her. That's probably why he can't see her clearly."Then, she added, "Stella disguised herself well too."Stella was so good at changing the way she spoke that it was simply difficult for a normal person to tell that it was actually her.In truth, Lena was correct. Keegan's nearsightedness made it difficult for him to see clearly.He hadn't paid much attention to Stella's appearance. To him, she appeared as a woman with heavily defined features, vaguely familiar. His main concern was Marshall's memory, and he didn't feel like focusing on Stella's face.Stella was irritated. Despite the time that had passed, Keegan still couldn't recognize her.Stella, who had been playful moments before, now felt her anger rising.'He cla
Keegan scrunched his face and finally took a closer look at Stella's face.She had applied heavy makeup, with eyeliner extending from the corners of her eyes, highlighting on her nose bridge to accentuate her cheekbones, and a thicker layer of foundation on her jawline, particularly... the mole on her earlobe! It was in the exact same spot as Stella's mole.There was a cunning glint in Stella's eyes, hinting at her plans to toy with him.Keegan eyed her suspiciously. "How long have you known Marshall?"Unaware that her disguise was revealed, Stella replied, "About a month or two.""Hmph," Keegan scoffed.Stella felt a chill. 'Why does it seem like he's mocking me?'Keegan's sneer deepened, knowing Marshall had claimed they'd only been dating for a short time.Even Stella's fabricated lie irked him now.But he quickly masked his expression, adopting a neutral face as Stella glanced at him.Raising an eyebrow, he remarked, "One to two months... Doesn't seem like a deep love if
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