Albert said in a gentle voice, "Even though you and Stella are divorced, to me, we're still family. Besides, I'm just used to calling you that after so many years."Keegan raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, I'm afraid that you have to start getting used to addressing me in a different way now. You're not Stella's father. Technically, I'm not related to you in any way. If you don't stop calling me that, I'll have to do a lot of explaining to others. So, please stop doing that."Albert felt really awkward but managed to keep his composure.Hearing Keegan say Stella's name so kindly made Albert see that Keegan still cared for her, despite past lies. This reassured Albert about his choice to adopt Stella and be her foster dad, especially since the Kane family had been so good to him over the years; he couldn't give that up.Albert quickly regained his composure. "I might not be Stella's real dad, but I've looked after her since she was little. I've talked to her about adopting her, and
'I can't believe it!'Stella was still worried that Keegan's acting would be unnatural and too obvious to trick them.It turned out that her concern was completely unnecessary, as she saw how effortlessly Keegan said that.The serious and calm look on his face was so convincing that even Stella herself was going to fall for his lies.Albert got interested as soon as he heard what Keegan said. However, he remained skeptical."Is that even possible?"Keegan said, "Our technology is so advanced now that gene engineering and gene medication are very normalized. So, why would it be impossible to do that?"Albert immediately got tempted. "C-Could you send me her contact, then?"Keegan replied, "Of course. Just mention my name when you call her."Albert was extremely grateful, but he was filled with deep regret when he saw how well Stella and Keegan looked together.However, he could not spare more time to chat with them anymore, so he said to Stella, "Stella, my words always stand.
"We talked about something else too, but I mainly want to find out if he knows anything about his uncle. But, he doesn't seem to know much."Keegan dismissed the idea with a scoff. "That would be surprising. His parents aren't close to Irene, and they barely communicate. "The Moore family isn't fond of Irene's husband at all. "They didn't even let them have a wedding ceremony after getting their marriage certificate, and Marshall has met him just a few times."Stella was taken aback. "But Marshall's mom seemed so close to Irene at the jewelry exhibition back then. How can you be so certain?"Keegan replied calmly, "They were just pretending for the sake of appearances." He paused briefly before adding, "Marshall had a younger brother who was two years his junior, but he tragically died after choking on a small toy."Marshall's parents were out shopping at that time because Frederick was very happy that Irene had come back from studying abroad. He prepared a grand welcoming party
Stella flipped it open and saw Ian White's information.Ian White... No, it should be Phil Corden. This person had a very similar background to Hylda.They were both from a small town and came to Rivera with nothing when they were just teenagers.He worked as a waiter, a nude model, a helper in a barbershop, and a car mechanic...He had worked in almost every position that was available to the lower-class laborers.The two positions that he worked the longest were as a model and a waiter at Sapphire Clubhouse.His parents had passed away a long time ago, and his family, including his two older brothers, had not seen him for a very long time.A lot of people believed that he died in an accident, and even his identification documents were destroyed.That was the exact reason why Hylda could seamlessly fake him as Ian White.He was a person without an identity, and nobody would suspect anything if he were to replace another person who was abducted and went missing a long time ago
Keegan's eyelid twitched, and he repeated what she said. "You have men's clothes at your place?"Stella replied, "I did a photoshoot for a local clothing brand previously. They had a design that looked really good, so I took two sets of it for you. The fabric is very soft, but it's not something very expensive. Just forget it if you're not interested."Keegan paused. "Why are you speaking as if you've bought me any expensive clothes before?"Stella was speechless.Then, she gritted her teeth and said, "What makes you say that? The socks that I bought you cost a few hundred dollars for a pair, and the ones I'm wearing are just a few dollars!""Except for socks," Keegan said."What about boxers? They cost several hundred, and some are even more than a thousand!"Keegan was speechless."Except for boxers."Stella opened her mouth and argued back, "I didn't buy you expensive clothes not because I'm not willing to spend that money on you, but because they're just not worth the pric
Stella glowered at him. "Then you should've just stopped blabbering."Keegan scratched her palm. "I was just playing hard to get. Otherwise, I'd make myself look desperate and cheap."Stella was speechless.'What a genius.'Felicity was not home; she probably went to the office. Stella opened the door and handed Keegan a pair of slippers. "Change your shoes into these. I'll go get the clothes.""Okay." Keegan changed his shoes and walked inside.He looked at the house decorations and noticed not much difference from the last time he came here. Luna had been sent back here and was getting charged at the corner.Keegan called out to Luna, and it came to him. "Daddy."He opened the operation port on its body. Then, he upgraded its system and changed its safety mode.When Stella came out with the clothes, Keegan was transferring data with his phone."What are you doing?"Keegan replied, "Collecting the data so it'll be easier for me to make adjustments.""Oh," Stella said and s
There was a couple in that video. The woman had poofy and wavy hair and wore a black miniskirt, and her bra was unbuckled. She held the bra against her chest as she walked to the man condescendingly before sitting on his lap with her back facing the camera.The man buckled her bra for her. When she stood up, she lifted her foot with a strappy heel and placed it on the man's shoulder. The man looked at her and tied it for her elegantly.The man and woman had no intimate interactions throughout the video, but it was very suggestive and immersive.That video gained a lot of traction on the short video platform, and many online celebrities started doing their own versions of that video. Also, plenty of them became viral, whether they were being serious or just messing around. Clearly, Kaiden wanted her to hop on the trend.Stella was never interested in these trends or challenges of girls showing off their skinny waists, long legs or touching their belly buttons from behind. They bore
Keegan paused as he lightly tapped his fingers on his knee and said emotionlessly, "Is it hard to film a video like this?"Stella said, "Not really. It's very simple, and it'll probably be done in a minute. However, the filter and the background music are what create the atmospheres.""I haven't filmed a short video before," Keegan said.Stella was confused.Keegan added, "I'd like to try."Stella was even more confused.Keegan continued, "I'll let Carter take care of the postproduction so nobody recognizes me. In that way, you won't have to feel awkward while filming this with a stranger."Stella thought to herself. 'I'm a professional. I wouldn't feel awkward at all.'She knew exactly what Keegan was thinking. She knew that he would not openly say that he was jealous, and he would come up with all types of excuses to cover up his real intention.She would play around with Keegan if this happened in the past, but she figured that his recommendation was pretty interesting afte