"No, I was just a lackey. It was all because of my boss' great wisdom that Carmine Pawnshop became successful. You don't know how hard he worked back then. He was even dragged a few dozen metres from a car just to get an item his enemy had! He truly risked his life to establish Carmine Pawnshop bit by bit." "I know he's always been a hard worker. I feel like a worthless piece of trash who muddles through life compared to him…" Renee admitted."You can't say that, Ms. Everheart. You come from a totally different background. You're a rich, young lady that enjoyed luxury and led a worry-free life… but my boss was different. He couldn't even afford to eat when he was younger, and his foster parents used to abuse him. Only his sister was a bit nice to him, but at last, she also..." Chase stopped, realising he had said too much, then quickly continued, "In short, you can't blame him for being extreme. He's had to suffer his whole life just to survive." "I know that he's suffered, we're
Chase was silent for a while, then finally heaved a long sigh. "Forget it. Ms. Everheart, I can tell you if you really want to know. I believe that you're the only one in this world who truly cares about him and wants him to be happy. I won't regret it as long as he can resolve that hatred of his. Even if he wants to punish me for it, I'm willing to take the risk..." The man abruptly gulped down his beer, then started to talk about their past."You know that he was abandoned when he was young, right? After that, he got adopted by a poor couple in that small fishing village. The couple already had a son and a daughter, so they were very reluctant to adopt my boss. Because of that, they used to hit and scold him all the time, and they also didn't give him food and made him do heavy labour every day." Chase had also grown up poor in that small fishing village, but because he was the only son in his family, he had lived a worry-free life."When we were young, the boss was very handsome,
"Yes, Ms. Garcia was wonderful. She was like a pure flower—simple and naive without any malice in her. She was my boss' motivation to survive. Eventually, he gained enough power to leave the small fishing village, but he suppressed his talent and capabilities just so he could be with her. He stayed in that tiny village and became a humble fisherman...""What happened afterwards? Where did she go? Why didn't my brother mention her?" Renee had so many questions."After that..." Chase frowned and murmured, "That wicked brother of hers bullied her, so my boss beat him up and ran away with Ms. Garcia. I was a rebel too back then, so I went with them. We were just broke kids at the time, so we decided to go to the chaotic Water Dock to survive. We then risked our lives to establish Carmine Pawnshop.""Quinton really is amazing... All of you were." Renee could not imagine how three penniless youths established Carmine Pawnshop in that land of chaos. It was the border of three countries, an
"Hmph! Of course." Chase snorted in disdain. "He's just a sanctimonious and disloyal man who'll do anything to get what he wants. He was so shameless that he even tricked and fooled a pure, naive girl! Even if he behaves differently and does a lot of charity now, he can’t hide the fact that he's rotten to the core." Chase's opinion of Stefan was similar to his opinion of Joanne—though he hated the man, he couldn't deny that he respected him very much too. After all, he had been Stefan's subordinate for four years at some point. During that time, the despicable man seemed... not as despicable as Chase had thought. It was very conflicting."The light that saved him turned out to be a knife that stabbed him... Joanne's betrayal was a fatal blow to Quinton. No wonder he hates Stefan so much!" After listening to Chase's explanation, Renee finally understood Quinton's character.A betrayal by the person you loved the most was the worst—it could turn even the most innocent person into a m
"You can hit me or scold me if you're mad, but stop running around like this! It's dangerous!" Xavier watched in horror as the woman ran to the zebra crossing. She tried to cross the road, which terrified him so much that he couldn't breathe. At that moment, a police officer on patrol walked over from the road opposite them, watching them earnestly. "Sir, please help me. This gangster is trying to take advantage of me!" Leia quickly ran over and stood behind the police officer, pointing at Xavier, who was rushing towards her."Leia, stop that! Come here." Xavier extended his hand to her, looking frustrated. "Stop messing around and causing trouble for people.""How outrageous! Don't you see me standing here? What are you trying to do?" The police officer stood before Leia and scolded Xavier loudly."Sir, this is a personal issue, so we don't want to trouble you. Please step aside." Xavier tried his best to calm down and spoke properly to the police officer."Personal issue?" Th
"Of course, I can prove it!" Xavier declared confidently. "Well... How do you plan to do that?" The police officer sensed there was more to the story, so he was willing to give Xavier a chance to prove his innocence."Take my phone out of my bag. Unlock it with my face and go find a secret photo album. You'll know after you see that." Xavier decided to risk everything to regain his freedom. He even gave up the last bit of his dignity. "A secret photo album?" The police officer was very curious, and so was Leia. She grabbed Xavier's phone before the police officer could. After she used his face to unlock his phone, she asked, "Which secret photo album?" "Umm... It's called 'my bedtime dessert'. Just show it to the police officer." Xavier's handsome face was flushed as he said through gritted teeth. Leia found the hidden photo album and clicked on it. When she saw the photos in it, a blush rose on her cheeks, and she immediately sobered up. "You... Why did you..." She turned
"Are you sober now?" After Xavia locked his phone, he averted his gaze, acting like nothing had happened."Yeah, I'm sober now." Leia pushed her hair behind her ear and nodded shyly."It's late now. Let me give you a ride home?""Okay." She nodded again, unusually docile. She always thought that Xavier never regarded her as a woman and that he didn't desire her, but when she saw those photos, she knew just how much he longed for her. He had liked her secretly for such a long time... and considered her his bedtime dessert. Of course, she would feel shy. Xavier hailed a cab and told the driver to drive to Osborne Mansion.Although Leia had her house, she spent most of her time staying in Osborne Mansion. Geronimo had five daughters before Leia and Liam were born, so naturally, he cherished the twins greatly. Liam had been traveling around the world for a year now, so he wasn't around at the moment. Hence, Geronimo and his wife focused all their attention on Leia instead. If Leia
"Mmph—!" Xavier would never have guessed that the previously shy and timid woman would suddenly become so passionate now. His body immediately tensed, and he didn't dare to move.Wrapping her arms around his neck, Leia closed her eyes tightly as she enthusiastically kissed the man before her, the alcohol in her body spurring her on. She had been unsure about Xavier's feelings for her in the past, but she was confident now after seeing those photographs today. "Xavier, just admit it—you like me. You don't have to pretend."She grasped the back of his head, demanding, "Tell me the truth!" Even though Xavier had always been able to handle the countless women who threw themselves at him, Leia was the first person who was so brave and enthusiastic.It was hard for him not to be moved..."Woman, are you a woodpecker? Where did you learn how to kiss? You're terrible at it!" He said hoarsely as he broke off the kiss, and then gently held her face in his hands, and leaned down. His eyes d
"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
The party started officially at night. It was a small party, and only some close relatives of the Baldwin family attended.Austin took the main seat while his son and daughter-in-law sat in the secondary seats. Justin and the others sat accordingly.After dressing herself up, Renee attended the party in simple clothes. She looked like a young lady from a great family. Adie, Abby, and Quinton did not attend the party to avoid unnecessary disputes. Renee was the only one who attended the party. When she reached the hall, the people had already taken their seats. They sized her up maliciously and studied her as if they wanted to make her pay a heavy price."Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I got here late." Renee took a deep breath and naturally greeted everyone. She appeared composed, but she knew she was rather frightened. She never panicked when she faced such a scene alone in the past. She could easily handle it because Justin would always take her side no matter what happened.
Quinton was fine even if Renee wasn't that happy. But she must lead a steady life and live beyond a hundred years old. "Quinton, I know I owed the Baldwin family a lot, even if you didn't tell me. I won't be back if not for the sake of their kindness."Renee did not hide or lie even if Justin was around. She merely wanted Justin to hold no hope in her. "How could you be this straightforward?" Quinton had purposely brought Justin along because he wanted to bring Justin and Renee together. He felt that they could still be together since things weren't that hopeless. But the disappointing Renee ruined all possibilities easily. Kindness didn't exist between a romantic couple."It's fine." Justin looked indifferent before he snorted. "I'm glad she made things clear. It's better than being ambiguous.""I'm sorry." Renee looked at Justin. Although she had made herself clear, her guilt did not diminish. She immediately expressed her guilt and helplessness since Justin did not igno