In the middle of the night, a black luxury car drove fast across the winding mountain roads, as if it were a phantom. It seemed to be heading towards the deepest corners of the forest.Renee was holding the steering wheel with one hand, drifting through a 90 degree curve perfectly with ease.She then looked at the rear view mirror, staring at the man laying in the back of her car. He seemed to be heavily affected by the sedative, remaining fast asleep despite the speed and bumps throughout their ride.'Tsk, tsk, Francine sure is cruel. How could she give her son such heavy drugs? Isn't she afraid that it might affect his brain?' Renee thought to herself, then called the dean of Greenwood Sanatorium, Sebastian Walker. "Mr. Walker, I'm almost there. Sorry for the trouble, we might occupy the sanatorium for quite a while."Sebastian, who was on the other end of the line, was warm and friendly. "Hey Ren, why are you being so polite with your old Uncle Walker? I was best friends with
However, Margaret never would have expected everything to turn out so smoothly, with so many coincidences on their side. 'I guess it's their destiny. The gods knew that they still had unresolved fate with each other, and forced the two together in their own mysterious ways.'Sebastian chimed in warmly. "Ren, I heard about your situation from Margaret, and rest assured that the sanatorium will provide everything you need to help Mr. Hunt recover as soon as possible.""Thank you! Thank you so much!" Renee was so touched that she teared up, and bowed to everyone deeply."It's getting late, so why don't you and Mr. Hunt go get some rest for now? We have arranged the west wing suite for you—it has the coziest environment we can provide. Not only can you cook, rest, read freely, you can even take a hot bath under the beautiful night sky while listening to streams of water gushing gently. It is truly a place for relaxation." The vice dean, also known as Sebastian's wife, Yulia Norris, intr
"Dang, your face is smooth as usual. How can you have better skin than most women? I'm honestly impressed!" Renee murmured appreciatively as she touched the man's face.Stefan normally would act like a ferocious beast, refusing to allow anyone into his heart. Yet now, he just seemed like a tame little kitten, and wouldn't fight back no matter how she caressed him.Just as she was getting addicted to it, Stefan suddenly opened his eyes and jumped up, pinning Renee under him in the blink of an eye.His long, slender fingers wrapped around the woman's neck harshly. As he continued tightening his grip, he growled, "I'm a weakling to you, huh? And you could just shove me into a bag after knocking me out, huh?! You damned woman, how dare you?!""You…!" Renee coughed and choked. Her lovely neck looked rather fragile, as if one could snap it if they used just a little force.The man was using so much of his strength that it was starting to suffocate her. Her face was flushing dark red, an
This made Stefan feel even more doubtful. "What is our relationship? Why would you put in so much effort just to treat me? Don't you know the consequences of transferring me to another place in secret?""I don't care as long as you can get better," Renee said, determined. She knew that if Seraphina or Francine found out about her actions, she would have to take quite a heavy fall. However, Margaret mentioned that they needed him to be in a completely secluded area if he were to receive proper treatment. With no other choice, she merely decided to improvise."Hmph, and yet you still refuse to reveal our relation to each other. No matter how generous and kind you're being, all of this is just too odd for me to trust you." The only person Stefan could trust right now, was Seraphina. Hence, his tone was frigid when he spoke to Renee. "As long as you send me back to Seraphina's side, I can consider letting you off.""Sorry, I won't agree to that." Renee stood up and patted his should
Anxiousness crept into Renee's heart instantly. 'This is weird, it's so early in the morning, and that guy is in an unfamiliar place! Besides, he's blind, so where could he have run off to?!'She swung the door open as she intended to look for the man, bumping right into the vice dean. "Good morning, Ren. You're up early. Did you have a good rest?" Yulia asked with a gentle smile. She then pointed towards the employee behind her, who was pushing a white cart. "I had the dietary department make some nutritious breakfast according to both of your physical conditions. Quick, have a taste."Renee, unfortunately, was in no mood for this, her expression sorrowful. "Thanks, Mrs. Walker, but I have a bigger issue to deal with now.""Don't panic. What is the problem? Can I help?""Well…" Renee seemed conlifted, uncertain if she should tell the truth. After all, it was embarrassing to admit that she couldn't keep an eye on a seriously injured, blind man. It was no different from admittin
Yulia shot the guard a dirty glare and comforted Renee once more. "Don't worry, our sanatorium hires professional forest rangers to clear out Dragonmount regularly. There shouldn't be that big of an issue, so I'm sure we can find him.""I know, and he's not an average person either. He's going to be safe." Renee took a deep breath, her gorgeous face lacking emotion. "Mrs. Walker, you can head back for now, I'll go look for him.""No way!" Yulia refused immediately. "Dragonmount is a complicated area, there are just too many dangers out there, with dark pits and ponds, and occasional sightings of wild boars and wolves too! You have no experience in dealing with that, so let's just have a forest ranger look for him instead.""Didn't you say there shouldn't be that big of an issue, and that you're sure we can find him?""Ah…" Yulia seemed awkward. She wasn't exactly lying when she said finding him wouldn't be an issue, it's just that they would likely find him… dead."Don't worry, Mr
The large bear was enjoying its meal at the time. However, hearing some noise coming from behind it, it paused and turned to look at the woman.Its mouth and fur were drenched in blood, and it was holding onto a piece of bone, with a few smaller pieces of flesh still attached to it. "Ah!" Renee broke down right there and then.'That… That's Stefan's bone… Stefan's flesh… And it's right in front of me!'Roar!The bear howled at Renee, and the woman was unsure if it was excited, or trying to provoke her."I'm going to kill you! I'll shred you to pieces!" Renee shrieked as she attacked the bear's head with a spin kick.Despite her petite figure, she was a very agile and strong person, and immediately sent the black bear stumbling backwards.The bear had never met such a bold person and was frozen in place. The bone in its hands was no longer as appealing now.It just stared at Renee blankly, as if it was trying to ask: "What the hell is wrong with this woman?!""What are you lo
Renee looked towards the direction of the voice. Even though she just caught her breath, she leaped up and hugged the man tightly. "Stefan! But… weren't you torn to shreds?""Can't you wish me some good?" Although Stefan seemed disdainful, he allowed the woman to hug him.Renee shook her head, still in disbelief. "You… Were you the one who shot the bear?""What's wrong with that?" Stefan was indeed holding a hunting rifle, with wisps of white smoke still coming out of the muzzle. It was clear that he was, in fact, the one who opened fire. His aim had always been quite accurate. Even though he hadn't been training for a long time, he was still able to hit a bullseye with a blindfold on. All he needed was sound to dictate which direction he had to shoot in."You're amazing, and almost as amazing as me! If the bounty hunter organization knew about you, they'd definitely spend millions just to hire you!" Renee rejoiced excitedly, looking at the man with more admiration than before. S
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s
Time passed by. Gradually, the pain knocked some sense into Justin. He no longer wanted to take advantage of Renee."Let me get you some water." Renee had no idea what she could do for Justin. After some contemplation, she got to her feet and poured him a glass of water.Finally, she studied the room closely and found that it was a wedding room as Justin had mentioned. Everything was set up according to her preferences, which she had occasionally mentioned to Justin. For example, she loved keeping some ceramic ornaments on the bedside cabinet and hanging some seashell wind chimes at the windows. The entire room was painted in beige and green, which were her favorites, too. Beige gave a sense of warmth, while green gave a sense of gloominess. All of those details became the perfect wedding room for Renee.If everything went on smoothly, she would spend most of her time there, and he would be her life companion. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in the world.Renee handed the gla
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b