Stefan's tall and sturdy body was hidden behind the window. He watched the car for a very long time until it dropped out of his sight. "Stefan, what are you looking at? You're so absorbed."Seraphina flipped through the magazine in boredom. When she saw Stefan look out the window all that while quietly, she became alarmed. "A bird." Stefan replied lightly."A bird?" Seraphina found it weird. She stretched her neck out to look out of the window. "There's nothing outside. What bird?" "A bird that flew away, but I think its wings aren't that strong. It won't fly far."Stefan averted his gaze before he sipped his coffee and said with profound meaning.The bad premonition in Seraphina's heart grew stronger.It seemed that the bird he mentioned was not a simple bird. After pondering it, she pretended to ask casually, "Stefan, did you see Miss Everheart again these few days?""Didn't I tell you that I won't see her alone again?"Stefan's expression was slightly serious. "I
Seraphina maintained her calm and combined bits and pieces of some incidents before she debated right and wrong with Stefan. "Is… Is that so?"Stefan's deep-set eyes flickered with a mix of wrath, unwillingness, hatred, and doubt. This truth vastly differed from the truth he had imagined. For a moment, he couldn't accept it. "If you trust me, this is the truth. If you don't, you can ask her about it."Seraphina stated with absolute certainty.Her statement was flawless. Even she was almost convinced of its truth, let alone Stefan. Besides, she had Francine as a witness who confirmed those things."That'll be unnecessary…"Stefan slowly clenched his fingers and said coldly, "She had long admitted to it, but I was just unwilling to believe her."He stubbornly thought that there must be some secrets in it. Why would such a wicked woman take her blood to use as an ingredient for his medicine? Now, it seemed the truth was just that simple. She simply tried to atone for her s
The car stopped before an antique shop.Renee wanted to push Jovan into the shop, but she was turned down."Wait for me in the car. The driver can push me into the shop." He did not want to expose the surprise he prepared for her in advance, or all his efforts would be futile. "Okay, I would like to see what kind of trick you will pull."With deep curiosity, Renee watched the driver push Jovan into the antique shop.She leaned against the back seat in slight boredom. When she checked the time, it was coincidentally afternoon at Beach City. The two children might have gone home from school by now, so she gave her brother a video call. His brother always answered her calls within seconds. But strangely, today, he did not answer her calls at all. She tried repeatedly, but it yielded the same result."What's the matter?" A crease soon formed between her brows as a bad premonition overwhelmed her. She immediately called Margaret, and the latter picked it up just as quickly.
This man had ended up in this state solely because of her. If she left after manipulating him, she could not live with herself. "Oh, gosh! What should I do?"She closed her eyes in a dilemma. She was in deep pain. At that time, she heard a bang. A giant noise came from the antique shop before the whole shop collapsed abruptly. There was fire everywhere."Ah! It’s on fire. Hurry up. Save them!"South Street was considered the liveliest street in that whole town. Besides, this antique shop generally had a lot of guests. When the explosion occurred, a good number of people were in it.Endless screams of shock and horror could be heard from everywhere. People held their heads as they ran helter-skelter in a panic, fearing they might get burned by the raging flames. Renee was rendered speechless by the horrific sight.With a wide-eyed gaze, she stared at the antique shop that was on fire. She was struck dumb. She only managed to regain her wits after a long while."Jovan… Jova
"Mr. Hunt sends his regards?!" Renee furrowed her brows tightly. She could not believe what she had heard. With a solemn expression, she sought confirmation from the driver. "Are you sure that was what that man said? Are you mistaken?" "Joan, I did get hurt, but I'm not dumb. I remember what happened at that time. I don't have to lie to you." The driver coughed twice. He sounded very firm. Hailing from the same hometown as them, he spoke very good English. She could not have heard him wrongly. However, he did not expect that everything would change so fast. He had no time to ask for help and could only watch Van getting dragged away by another man. "Okay, I got it. Thank you. Take care. I'll come to see you again if I have time."Renee was stupefied on the spot for a long time. Countless possibilities coursed through her mind before she gave the driver a firm bow and left the hospital.She walked on the street alone. The weather in the morning was very low, and the air w
At that moment, despair almost engulfed her son. She felt like a puppet whose every speech and behavior was being controlled by that fucking person from afar. As a result, she was full of indignation and helplessness. It seemed like she could not escape from that battle. She could only hope that she would not suffer an utter defeat.Renee simply packed up her things and boarded the earliest flight back to Beach City. After being away for half a year, everything was still the same, but the people had changed.When both Chase and Margaret heard that she wanted to come home, they were soon relieved before they heaved a sigh, one after another. Renee was worried about her brother, so she returned to Carmine Pawnshop first.The two children missed her too much. They had been waiting at the door early and looking for her. "Mommy! Mommy!"Abigail saw the car Renee's car from afar. She jumped happily.On the other hand, Aiden was also standing at the side eagerly. But his emotions
Aiden was fuming. With his hands behind him, he ran to a river. Facing the billowing waves of the river, he pretentiously put up a dull look. Renee walked over to him quietly. When she saw his back, helplessness was the only thing left in her. She inevitably became mesmerized by how awesome one's genes could be. They were indeed strong. Aiden appeared gloomy and dull before her, just like a mini-Stefan. When he grew up, he might even become colder and more aloof than Stefan. Carmine Pawnshop was located at the border of three countries, so its surrounding environment was rough and chaotic. It was a lawless place, a refuge for bad hats and ne'er-do-wells. However, this area alone was serene and calm, as if it was a utopia in the midst of the chaos. No one dared to scheme against Aiden, regardless of how bad and complicated the people out there were. Here, Aiden was regarded as the emperor's successor, heir to the Night Demon. This meant he would be safe even if he stood by the
"You... you even went to him?""Yeah, I sneaked out to Daddy's company to see him when Uncle was busy the other day, but he seemed to not know me."When Aiden reached the point, he appeared very composed.It was because the most difficult time was over. He was no longer sad but a little regretful now."Oh, my dear Adie. You've suffered so much!"Renee's eyes became scarlet before she pulled Aiden into her arms, sobbing. "It's my fault. I thought you and Abby were very strong and sensible, and I ignored your feelings. Let me say sorry to you. I promise that I'll never leave you guys again. Never!" When she thought of how Aiden went to Stefan pitifully, yet Stefan ignored him, a pang of grief grabbed her heart. Aiden would feel that he was abandoned by the whole world when his mother went missing, and his father ignored him."But what about Daddy's brother? Margaret told me that you need to take care of that person. So, you'll leave one day, won't you?" Holding Renee's hand,
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
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked