Leia decided to do what she had been doing for a while and focus on her career. Men are nothing! There's no reason to let them affect her emotions!"Anyway, thank you for today. I'll make it up to you somehow. Goodbye!" Leia told Xavier and walked up to the side of the road to stop a cab.She wanted to stay away from Xavier—not because she hated him, but because she was just too vulnerable and fell in love too easily. Therefore, she would quarantine herself and force herself to get away from him.Nonetheless, Xavier stepped in front of her, stubbornly stopping her from leaving. "Be more direct with your gratitude. It lacks sincerity if you put it off."Leia glared at him, but she was also curious. "In that case, what do you want? I don't have any money with me.""You have time, don't you? I'm hungry and was thinking about supper. You can keep me company," Xavier said directly."A playboy like you could summon a truckload of ladies with a single phone call. And you'd still rathe
Leia was left flushing all the way to her ears by Xavier's obvious innuendos."Y-You're such a pig!" She snapped, and slapped him across his chiseled cheek before shoving him as far as she could. "I must have been crazy to think that you were nice, but you're nothing but a pig!" Seeing that she really was upset, Xavier finally stopped smiling and explained, "Okay, okay—I was just messing with you. Also, I don't mean 'enjoy' in the way you think. It's a misunderstanding.""Then how do you mean it?!""I heard from someone that you like crayfish, and I bought ten pounds so that you'd have enough for a while. In some cultures, it's a food that wards off bad luck too. How is that for your enjoyment?""Crayfish?!"Leia's eyes lit up at those words—she had to admit that crayfish was her favorite food, bar none. She would devour them whenever they were in season, or she could not stand it.And while she was incarcerated, it was what she missed most of the world outside.In that case,
The instant Leia opened the door and saw the interior, her expression of anticipation stiffened on her face.Within the 300 square feet room, all the walls were covered in huge posters of Shirley White, the recently crowned best actress.It was not just posters—everything from magazine covers, figurines, and photo albums of Shirley was there! It was as if the huge room was a realm that Shirley ruled, the shrine of a zealous devotee!Just as Leia thought, Xavier loved Shirley—to him, Shirley would always be the one who got away.Even as her heart seemed to clench, Leia stopped at the doorway and turned away, closing the door firmly behind her. At the same time, sizzling could be heard from the kitchen—the crayfish was soon cooked, and Xavier carried two plates full of crayfish. Five pounds were seasoned with pepper, while the other five were seasoned with lemon, all served with two large cans of beer."Come on, eat up!" He exclaimed cheerfully.Leia took a deep breath, composi
Leia froze, feeling as if every fiber of her being was jolted while her heart raced.She turned towards Xavier and feigned nonchalance as she scoffed. "I have to give it to you—you really know your way around a girl's heart. But I'm immune now, so just spare me."In fact, it was almost a habit for him to flirt—to speak ambiguously, then make a clean break from her when she was lost in love. When that happened, she would not even cry…Hah! That was why no matter how much her heart raced for him—no matter how much she loved him, she was not about to fall for the same trap. All those ambiguous words, stirring emotions, and enigmatic affection? She would rather live without those!"Really? What a shame…" Xavier trailed off.However, a hunter as experienced as he understood that Leia was just being obstinate and not actually eager to leave.As such, he walked up to her, staring at her dainty, fresh face as he wiped the pepper sauce staining the corner of her lips, and said slowly, "
With those words, Xavier scooped Leia up in his arms, brimming with a boyfriend's energy.They headed to the bedroom—the night was still young, and there was still much to be done.-The next day, Leia woke up feeling reinvigorated in heart and spirit, finding it a little unreal to see the handsome face asleep beside her.In reality, they did not do anything at all—Xavier's heart bled for her after she was bullied thoroughly in prison, and he tended to her wounds, then held her in his arms as they slept.She was the one who was getting restless with her dainty hands, caressing him all over as if challenging his resolve.Still, he did not give in to her flirting at all and held her in his arms with his eyes closed. "Calm down," he said with some detachment. "There's no need to jump into action—we have years ahead of us." And now, she stared at him as he lay sound asleep, complaining inwardly about how he was usually a Casanova that bedded every woman he met, but he turned out to
Xavier stood stiffly in place as she told her coolly, "You should have known better. What's the point of saying all that now?!""I made a mistake, Xavier. Can't you forgive me? I've already made it clear to the old man that I would be with you… even if he's going to cancel me!"The woman grabbed his waist like her life depended on it and cried a river—she was none other than Shirley White, the star actress whom Xavier brought to stardom and the one who occupied a part of his heart—and the reason he had a chip on his shoulder! Their story was one you would find in romance novels—the rich showbiz tycoon falling in love at first sight with the young actress with modest roots. He then broke the bank to push her towards stardom, even keeping himself chaste for her, as if Casanova himself decided to reform…In fact, anyone searching for Xavier's name online would always yield results for Shirley as well. Countless netizens fawned over them, wrote fanfiction, and shipped them to kingdom
Shirley remained composed and confident as she argued, and that left Leia shaken.She knew that Xavier was infamous for being a flirt, marred with scandals involving numerous ladies. Still, they were willing to throw themselves at him. Only Shirley was different—because Xavier was the one enslaving himself to her.And that alone was why Leia paled in comparison."If my hunch is right, you must be the thick-skinned type who chased Xavier around for a long time before he finally got interested, right?"Shirley studied Leia from head to toe, shaking her head with disdain. "If you've been around Xavier long enough, you'd know that you're not his type at all. He just happened to need someone to help him through this painful time—or, if I had to put it plainly, beggars can't be choosers. Anything is fine, and even if it wasn't you, it would be someone else."And now that I'm back, you're pointless as a replacement.""Enough!" Xavier snapped, unable to restrain himself any longer. "H
Leia's tone was firm because she didn't want either of them to have any regrets. She left the apartment and took the elevator downstairs, and wasn't surprised to find that Xavier didn't come after her. Leia's lip curled in disgust, and she wiped her tears away furiously. "Ugh, all men are pigs! There's no end to their greed!"At that moment, she felt as if she had been sinking into an abyss she couldn't pull herself out of.Come to think of it, she was probably cursed to only have one-sided loves—first with William Jones, now with Xavier Stuart. All she ever amounted to was the 'rebound'... fated to return to the sidelines once the actual love interest returned.It was tragic. Was this fate? If it was, maybe she should just do away with love for the rest of her life! Leia soon returned to Carmine Pawnshop, cutting a miserable figure. However, when she stepped through the front door, there was a loud 'pop' overhead as confetti rained down on her."Welcome back, Ms. Osborne!" C
Jovan awkwardly tried to comfort Renee. However, his words sounded more hurtful and made her cry even louder. "This is all your fault!" Renee raised her head, then pointed at him while bawling loudly. "Did I ever anger you? Why did you frame me? What good did it bring you?""I…" Jovan's heart softened because of how pitiful she looked when she cried profusely. However, he was a pretentious man and would not show that he had gone easy on her. Instead, he tried to provoke her even more. "You can't change anything even if you cry loudly. Austin wants nothing but to kill you and your family now. If I were you, I wouldn't be in the mood to cry. I'll brace myself to manage a funeral for them."Renee was flabbergasted. She didn't expect him to be this inhuman. She was heartbroken, but he kept hurting her. She cried even more profusely."I'll keep on crying. Let me go if you can't take it. If you don't, I'll keep on crying until you can no longer take it!"She cried loudly as if she
A major issue happened to two famous and great families. The entertainment channel and news channel kept reporting about it, let alone the financial channel.Jovan didn't have to turn to a specific channel when he turned on the TV. The screen was showing a scene related to the engagement ceremony."They…" Only then did Renee learn that while she was waiting in the makeup room for her turn to make an entrance, the atmosphere in the hall had turned very tense. Alexander and Francine argued and fought against Justin's parents in a way unsuited to their statuses. Everyone failed to wait until she made an entrance before she went missing. She saw how the situation gradually became worse. She also noticed Justin's disappointment in her and Austin's wrath. Austin finally couldn't control himself, and kidnapped Alexander and Francine. "The Hunt family has yet to make a statement about it. We also have no clue about Mr. Alexander Hunt and his wife's current circumstances. However, we
Renee said seriously, "I would like a plate of pasta with more vegetables and is not spicy. I'm afraid this is my last meal."Jovan was rendered speechless. Although Renee was being sarcastic, he still went to the kitchen to make her a delicious plate of pasta. He added some vegetables and a nice fried egg for a balanced diet. "It's done." Jovan had sent off all the servants of the mansion, leaving Renee with him. Hence, he was the one who cooked the pasta and served it to her. "Wow, you're fast." Renee wanted to get a chance to run away since she had sent him away to cook for her, but she couldn't come up with any trick.In the end, she got hungry when she saw the pasta. It was mouth-watering. She was starving!Jovan was good at cooking pasta, even though he didn't seem reliable. The pasta he made tasted like home-cooked food."Give it a try." Jovan didn't say much. He meticulously blew on the pasta and handed her a fork and spoon. Renee accepted it, eager to start eatin
Jovan watched Renee fall into a deep thought. His gaze deepened, filled with renewed ferocity.Jovan turned his wrist and said slowly, "Okay, stop overthinking. I can tell you the truth if you want to know it." Renee abruptly looked up. Her eyes were teary as she begged him, "What's the truth?" "Listen to me and stay with me." Jovan frowned. After a short contemplation, he grinned and continued, "Stay with me for ten days or half a month. Then, I'll tell you.""That's not possible!"Renee immediately refused him, growing cold. "I have to leave right away. I can't watch the two families get into a fight."If she didn't return to North City immediately to explain things, the Baldwin and Hunt families would get into a big fight. Regardless of her circumstances, she didn't want them to fight. They were good people, and she refused to see them hurt. "Just let them fight. It's just a fight among bad people. Your family can grab this chance to get back to the top. Don't you want tha
Jovan felt that he wasn't as passionate and loving as Stefan."Stop beating around the bush. Why is he trying to hold himself back? You made a scumbag sound like he'd suffered a lot!" Renee snarled.She gnashed her teeth. If her foot was not chained, she would have long beaten Jovan up for being evasive and mysterious."I think he was forced to give up his beloved woman because of his identity. He has suffered a lot." Jovan frowned, his tone laced with sympathy."What about his identity? I've already known about that. Our grandfathers decided on our marriage. What are we, Romeo and Juliet?" Renee had wondered if their families were sworn enemies. It might be the reason why Stefan was in a dilemma.However, her grandfather made the Hunts take care of her when her family was doomed. Her grandfather always wanted the best for her. He held her hand and told her that only Stefan could make her happy, and only the Hunt family could protect her. It seemed unreasonable that Stefan was
Jovan was stunned to hear Renee's words. He was so furious, he laughed."Maybe!" He agreed with her and looked at her wickedly. "Since I can't win him over, I want his beloved woman.""You're out of your mind!" Renee was disgusted as goosebumps gripped her. "I'm not his most beloved woman. He loves Briar the most. You got the wrong person. You should kidnap Briar instead. Then, you can get to him."She was acting out of spite, but she meant what she had said.In the past, she was confident that Stefan loved her the most. After so many things had happened, she was no longer as confident. Stefan eventually broke up with her because of Briar. It was enough to prove her position in his heart."Haha! Do you really think so?" Jovan shook his head, his lips a complicated smile. He seemed to be muttering to himself or hinting at something. "Unfortunately, he can't always do a good job. His romance is a mess. His most beloved woman doesn't understand him. How pathetic!""Stop mumbling!
"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