LOGIN"Alright, it's just a painting. Let's eat."Although Quinton acted indifferent about the painting and urged Renee and Joanne to keep eating, he was actually very concerned. He kept trying to recall where he'd seen it before.Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind. It was the first time he ever saw the painting. The realization hit him so hard that his plate slipped from his hand and crashed on the floor."What's wrong, Quinton? Did you recall something?" Renee noticed how distracted he seemed and asked in a nervous tone."N-Nothing." Quinton grabbed another plate and kept his head down while he ate. He didn't seem to want her to notice his strange behavior. "Hurry up and eat."Renee could tell he was intentionally hiding something, but she didn't press further. They were both distracted for the rest of the meal.Soon, it was time to pick up the kids from school.Recently, Renee had been busy with Azure Group, so Quinton and Joanne had been the ones picking them up.She assumed
Renee looked at Quinton curiously when she noticed his serious expression. "What's wrong, Quinton? Do you have thoughts about this?" Quinton frowned. It seemed like he was struggling to recall something. "I feel like I've seen this painting before.""You've seen it too?"Renee's heart skipped a beat. She looked troubled. "How could you have seen it? This painting had always been part of Mom's personal collection. It'd been in our old house the entire time. Before we reunited, you'd never even had contact with the Everheart family."Quinton shook his head. Fragmented memories seemed to enter his mind. It left him feeling confused."I don't know. I just feel like I've seen it before. I need to think."He stared at the painting while trying to recall more. Suddenly, he froze as if he had uncovered an unbelievable secret."What is it? Did you recall something?" Renee sensed something was off with Quinton and quickly asked.Quinton avoided her gaze and changed the subject. "How a
"Hey, I'm fine. Don't touch me. Don't…"Joanne clearly wasn't used to Quinton's touch. Standing on the stool, she instinctively resisted, but she lost her balance in the process and fell straight into his arms.They locked eyes. For a moment, it felt like time itself had stopped.The way Joanne looked at Quinton was unlike the fear and hesitation she used to have. There was now something else mixed in.Meanwhile, from the way Quinton looked at her, it was obvious his heart went out to her.Renee stood off to the side like an audience member in a romcom flick. She covered her mouth to hide her grin, and she was screaming on the inside. 'They're truly childhood sweethearts. I'm so here for this!'"Ahem! Quinton, aren't your arms getting tired? If they are, maybe you should put Joanne down first."Renee finally spoke up after a few minutes. Seeing how the two were locked in the same pose, she decided she had to interrupt."Oh! Right, right!"The two of them snapped out of it at
"Of course!" Joanne exclaimed.Although she had no idea what kind of help Renee needed, she happily followed Renee into the bedroom.After tidying up for a while, Renee carefully retrieved an ancient painting from a box. She began studying the room and trying to decide where to hang it."Wow, this painting is beautiful! The woman in it has such an elegant presence," Joanne said.She leaned in to look at the painting. She was just as captivated as Renee and Leia had been before."Yeah. Chase gave it to me. I want to hang it in my room. Where do you think it would look best?"Renee treated the painting like family. She was determined to place it just right."Over here. Right across the window. When the sun comes in, the light will hit it perfectly. It'll look even better."Joanne pointed to the wall directly across from the window. That section of the wall happened to be empty. It was almost as if it had been left empty for this exact painting."We really do think alike. That's
In the end, Renee returned to Everheart Manor with the painting.After Renee had spent a night out camping, everything was back to normal at Everheart Manor.Her kids were growing up fast, and they were becoming more sensible by the day. They hardly caused any trouble for the adults anymore.By the time Renee got home, they had already gone to school. Quinton and Joanne had taken them there together and were now returning side by side.At a glance, the kids almost looked like they were born to the both of them."Quinton, Joanne, thank you for helping me take care of Adie and Abby these past few days. I honestly don't know what I would've done without you."Looking at Quinton and Joanne, Renee's gratitude was written all over her face.Ever since Margaret's accident, she had been like a headless chicken. She was juggling the company's affairs on one hand while managing the kids' daily needs on the other. She even had to find time to investigate the truth behind the Everheart fami
"Huh? So this painting actually has that much of a story behind it?" Leia blurted out.As she listened to Renee, her curiosity instantly flared up.She studied the painting carefully. What once seemed ordinary now felt unusually intriguing."I think there must be some kind of secret hidden in this painting. Otherwise, why would your mom play a game like that with you?"Leia rubbed her chin. It looked as if she had turned into a detective who spoke with absolute certainty."I think so too. This painting definitely isn't simple. I was too young back then and didn't think much of it. By the time I actually wanted to study it properly, the Everheart family had already fallen. I guess this painting was sold off during that time."Renee let out a long sigh. Looking at the painting felt like stepping into a time machine. It took her back to the days when the Everheart family was still thriving.Back then, everything had been wonderful. Her parents and grandpa were still alive and well.
Renee walked in with a curious expression and asked, "What can I help you with?”Mr. Q was wearing disposable plastic gloves in both hands. He was marinating the steaks with a secret sauce.“Help me wear the apron, please. My hands are occupied.”He gestured to an apron hanging on the cabinet with his
The room that had been in total chaos just moments ago was now instantly in perfect silence, just as if someone had turned off a switch."He… He's waking up?"Renee gulped nervously. The ruler hung from her hand in mid-air. She had no courage to turn around."Yeah," replied Abigail, nodding firmly afte
Stefan left after he finished speaking.Renee stayed in the garden on her own. She stood under the moonlight and got lost in thought while she gazed at the field of sunflowers.Truth be told, Renee did consider doing exactly as he said.Although Stefan's words were unpleasant, he was speaking the truth
"Of course. Only a caterpillar's fluid can be used to cure rashes caused by one. This caterpillar happens to be fat and juicy. I'm sure it works great," Renee said in a relaxed manner while smearing the liquid against Stefan's back."C-Caterpillar's what?" Stefan froze. His entire body became tense."







