As a blind person, the scariest thing that could happen was a change in environment, not the fact that he couldn't see. The little wooden house had always been his shell for the past six months, and hiding within this shell brought him a sense of safety and comfort."Please calm down, sir. You have injured your back. That's why you'll have to be hospitalized for a short period of time. Don't worry. We will make sure to take good care of you," The nurse consoled him patiently.Despite this, Jovan flung his arms like he was in a manic episode and yelled, "Get lost! I don't need your care! Get lost right now!""Where's my guardian!? Where is she?! I only want her!" The man's voice was filled with anger and desperation as if he was a child, worried that he had just been abandoned.The nurse frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, I… I don't know where your guardian is, either. You were alone in this ward when I came."Jovan's face turned pale as a sheet, and he begged the nurse, "I'll pay you to s
Jovan finally fell asleep shortly after, with a faint and sweet smile plastered on his face. Like an actual child, he treated Renee as the center of his life.When Renee was around, everything was sunshine and rainbows. Even the air tasted sweet to him. However, on the contrary, it felt as if the world was ending once she left his side. He wouldn't even have the will to live on without her.He knew that it was absolutely insane to feel this way, but he couldn't help it. Her presence was far too addictive. Renee silently watched the man sleep and sighed. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tired. In fact, she was both physically and mentally exhausted.Jovan had always been a madman, and his methods were rather extreme. Back then, he had always been an 'all-or-nothing' guy and loved creating chaos in any situation.Yet now, he was as tame as a little kitten. He was no longer reckless or arrogant and had placed her on a pedestal. It was as if he had completely turned into a
"Oh, yeah, it's you, Joan! I can finally see properly. Hey old friend!" The two were especially friendly with her.Nearly everyone in the hospital knew who Renee was, as she had been frequenting the place with Jovan for his medical treatments and checkups. Hence, all of them were familiar with each other by now.The woman then continued to talk to them for a bit. With that, not only did she find out where Seraphina's surgery was ongoing, she even found out which hotel they were currently staying at in the town."I'm going to check up on Van now. Bye, guys!" Renee nodded softly at the nurses and left the stairway once she was done smoking. Initially, she was going to head back to Jovan's ward, but her body walked toward the operating rooms unconsciously.She hid around the corner, peeking out of the wall carefully. She quickly noticed Stefan, who was standing by the doors.He was still wearing the casual white dress shirt she had seen in the morning. However, it was now drenched
Watching as Stefan happily finished the dumplings, Renee started smiling behind the wall around the corner as well.'That's right! Good food always helps to melt your worries away!'A couple of hours later, the doors to the operating room finally swung open. As the doctors exited, Stefan immediately approached them nervously."Don't worry, she's still alive, but her back and legs are severely injured. The patient will be required to stay in bed for a while," the doctor spoke up. "As her guardian, you'll have to take care of her during this period of time.""Thank goodness she's okay." Stefan let out a sigh of relief as a weight instantly got lifted off his chest.Renee, who was still standing in the corner, gulped. 'What? Seraphina hurt her back too?! This is such a coincidence!'Moreover, she had no clue that all the orthopedic wards were on the same floor, which meant that… Jovan and Seraphina's rooms would be near. 'That means we're going to bump into each other no matter wh
"Mr. Hunt, here are your dumplings. Have some while they're still warm!" The nurse then placed the bowl down on the table."Thanks." Stefan nodded, feeling as if he was about to drool at any moment. Habits were indeed quite an odd tendency, as the man soon got used to eating them, despite only having them for four days.Sensing a threat, Seraphina shot the nurse a dirty glare. She asked coldly, "Where did these dumplings come from? Isn't it Aeos cuisine? Can I have some too?""Uhm… No!" The nurse refused without any hesitation. After all, Joan had specially bought these dumplings for Stefan. She couldn't possibly make another bowl."Why not? Could it be that you've been personally making these for my fiance? Aren't you being a little too considerate then?""No… I…" The nurse felt awkward and failed to explain herself.Stefan quickly came to the nurse's defense. "You're still recovering, and seafood is prohibited.""Yes, yes! Eating seafood may affect wound recovery, which might
Still doubtful, Stefan intentionally headed to the hospital food court during dinner."I'd like some seafood dumplings," he said to the staff through the window.The staff was immediately confused upon hearing his order."Do you guys not have seafood dumplings?" Stefan asked again, emphasizing his words this time."No." The staff glared at him as if he were a fool, pointing to the menu. "Everything's on the menu. Order anything you want."Scanning through the piece of laminated paper, Stefan realized that it was, in fact, filled with foreign cuisine. There wasn't a single dish originating from Aeos, let alone seafood dumplings. 'So that nurse was lying?'Stefan returned to the main hospital building and found the nurse who delivered those dumplings to him every day."I think we need to talk."The nurse's expression stiffened anxiously. "Mr. Hunt, what… what would you like to talk about?""You know why I'm here.""I don't know. I don't know anything at all." The nurse shook
Renee then stood up and stubbed out her cigarette, her slender figure disappearing into the dark…Stefan, on the other hand, waited for an entire day but never received the bowl of dumplings he longed for.He was still able to endure the wait when he realized that the dumplings hadn't arrived in the afternoon. However, as supper time arrived, he just couldn't believe that none had been delivered to him.The man was losing patience."What happened? Why are there no dumplings today?" Stefan stopped and questioned the patrolling nurse while Seraphina was resting."W… Well…" The nurse rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "They stopped serving it. Why don't you check out our other offerings, Mr. Hunt? We have steak, hamburgers, spaghetti…""I don't want any of that. I just want dumplings, seafood dumplings." Stefan completely shed his image as a CEO and started demanding for his food like a child. The nurse was speechless. "Please don't tell me you haven't eaten for the whole day.
"You can still make one more, right? Please, Miss, just this once!" Renee begged with sincerity."You can come back tomorrow. It's just some dumplings. People won't die just from not having one, right?""No, no, someone might really die without those dumplings… Basically, it's super important, so please make one more! I'm a regular, aren't I? You wouldn't let me go back empty-handed, would you?""Oh, you, alright, alright! Come on!" The storekeeper shook her head helplessly and opened up her kitchen again just to fulfill Renee's request.In actuality, the storekeeper wasn't the only one who cared for Renee. The entire town loved her and would do anything to help her out.Naturally, they sympathized with her because she had to take care of a disabled man, despite her fragile figure. However, she managed to win them over with her sincere and adorable nature, along with her diligence. She had always helped many elderly who lived alone with technology, so everyone thought of her as
"You're trying to take revenge on Stefan, aren't you? What did he do? Why do you hate him so much?" Renee demanded.She was particularly clueless.At the very least, she felt that Stefan and Jovan didn't have a grudge even if they couldn't get along. Besides—back then, Stefan survived because of Jovan's blood.In a sense, they should be close to each other. Stefan was able to live on because of Jovan.Yet now, Jovan wanted to ruin the one he had once risked his life to rescue."No, I don't hate him," Jovan answered honestly. "I even admire him, and I'm jealous of him. He's my role model, the pride of my family.""Then, you're envious of him!" Renee went straight to the point. "You can't defeat him, so you tried to make him disappear. When that happens, you'll feel better. No one will block you, and you'll get a chance to shine."Jovan, speechless, slowly stopped smiling. Renee had accurately guessed his innermost thoughts. Since he couldn't defeat Stefan, he would let Stefan b
The thing Renee feared the most was that Jovan's action would infuriate the Baldwins.Quinton, Adie, Abby, and Margaret were still there. If the Baldwin family wanted to do something bad, Renee's family would be in danger. Her happiness was secondary. She just wanted to ensure that her family was safe and sound.It seemed Austin was full of schemes. Though he seemed to have brought her family to live with her, he in truth just wanted hostages to control her…Unfortunately, she couldn't go back in time even though she had seen through his tricks."What's the rush?" Jovan watched Renee with a meaningful smile. "Someone will handle it even if it's a big mess. Your family will be fine. My foolish cousin won't let them be in danger. At most, the two families will fight fiercely."Renee was shocked. She glared at him, and suddenly understood something. "So you did it on purpose! You wanted to watch them fight and get something from it.""That's not my concern. Once, I was more powerf
After all, Jovan was a human being. Such direct physical pain made him shake and groan. Normally, he should get angry and try all means to make her stop biting him.However, he was not an ordinary man. Although he trembled in pain, he maintained his posture and let her bite him as if he wanted to see who would give up first.Renee kept biting him fiercely, as if her teeth would gnaw through his palm. Blood oozed out of the wound. She was full of hatred, wishing to vent her anger. "Just bite me hard as long as you're happy. I'm enjoying myself too!"Jovan looked at her, whose head was lowered as she kept biting his palm fiercely. It was a bloody scene, but his words made everything sound ambiguous. Renee noticed his underlying meaning and was disgusted. She immediately let go of his palm. "Bah! Disgusting! You're sick!"Her lips were still stained with blood. From afar, it looked like a blooming rose from afar. It looked attractive on her. Aroused, Jovan held the back of her
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the
Meanwhile, Liam and Leia became vigilant when they saw that scene."What are they doing?" Liam walked past the guests enjoying the fun and stood between Alexander and the two guards. He faked a smile and said, "We're the guests you invited sincerely. Is this how the Baldwin family treats their guests?""Guests?" Austin got off the stage and strode toward them. Although he was smiling, coldness gleamed in his eyes. "Have you ever seen any guest steal the hostess?""You can't say that, Sir Baldwin..." Liam smiled and added, "How could you be sure that it must be the Hunt family?""Who else could it be?" "This is just your guess. They've always been here. Even if they wanted to do that, they couldn't. So… You should act fair and square, given your noble identity. Shouldn't you find fault with the culprit instead? Isn't that more reasonable?" Liam looked at Austin. Although he was younger and came from a family weaker than the Baldwin family, he was still domineering.Besides, his
Alexander took a deep breath and analyzed logically, "This wasn't Stef's style. If he wanted to snatch her away, he would have done it openly in front of everyone. But this trick was cunning and dishonest!""Yes, you're right, but this is a special case. If he didn't use a trick, his woman would marry someone else. It's normal for him to be restless." Although Francine agreed with Alexander's analysis, she felt that Stefan could do anything if it concerned Renee. Naturally, he would stoop this far. "Regardless, we have to leave," Alexander whispered to Francine, sensing danger. "Austin has always been decisive and cruel. Since Stef humiliated him, I'm sure he wouldn't let Stef off easily. We're in danger too.""Is it that serious?" Francine looked at Austin, who was standing on the stage. He coldly ordered his assistant about something. It seemed like he wasn't that crazy. "I don't care what he'll do. We have to get out of North City right away because this city is controlled b
"What?! She's gone?" Justin's face fell immediately. He grabbed the collar of the person who came to inform them and demanded coldly, "What do you mean?! Why is she gone for no reason?""We… We don't know!" That person looked at Justin while trembling and reported everything. "When we got there, we found no one else in the makeup room except the makeup artist lying on the ground. We didn't see Ms. Everheart, either. We don't know what happened!""Something must have gone wrong with her!" Justin pushed that person away without hesitation and rushed toward the makeup room."Hey, Justin! What are you doing?" Sophia watched Justin disappear in front of everyone. She wanted to pursue him but failed.Everyone below the stage fell into an uproar and discussed among themselves endlessly. "The bride went missing all of a sudden! Did her ex-husband come for her?""It's possible. They were once madly in love with each other. Plus, the Hunt and Baldwin families were in conflict for many yea
On the surface, everyone felt that Justin was passionate and respected the bride well. However, only he knew that he was just terrified. He was afraid that the reality might exceed his anticipation. He was terrified to find that he was betrayed in the end when he had trusted Renee that much and treated her so sincerely."Justin, what's going on with you? How could you talk about that at such a time like this? The most important thing now is to make her come out and have this engagement ceremony. We should do the guests justice. If not, everyone will laugh at us after we've kept our dignity well for so many years!"Sophia couldn't understand his hesitation. They were just going to urge Renee to appear. It had nothing to do with their patience or ability to take good care of Renee.Both Alexander and Francine looked at each other in confusion."Dear, did you do anything?" Alexander asked Francine softly.If Renee suddenly failed to attend the ceremony, it might have been Francin