Renee rubbed her eyes groggily. "What is it? Are there people insulting my brother again? Ugh, back to the warzone!""No, no, not your brother, but your ex-husband! Just look… Everyone's going for his throat! This is great!" Leia pridefully exclaimed on the other end of the line."What? Stefan Hunt?" Renee instantly sat up and looked through her phone. The first three trending searches were now all related to Stefan, and each was as shocking as the other.The first three words in the search were all related to Stefan, and every word was enough to be described as explosive.[Stefan Hunt's brutality!][Stefan Hunt should be in jail!][Stefan Hunt is an absolute scum!]The woman's entire body tensed up, her eyes glued to her phone screen. After that, she clicked on each of the articles and read through its contents.A user named 'I_Got_You_Good_Now' seemed to have written a long essay about how Quinton was once abandoned in a village where he fell victim to horrifying abuse during
However, since Liam left, no one sent her any of these cupcakes. She tried looking for it herself, but to no avail, which worsened her cravings. With the comfort awarded by the cupcake, Renee felt much better. She silently chewed on the cupcake at the table as she looked for the user's IP address.Liam glanced at her screen and smiled. "Who's the big shot? Why are you personally looking for them?"Renee waved her hand dismissively, clearly not in the mood for banter. "Oh, you won't get it, kid. Go along and play somewhere else."Liam folded his arms and cleared his throat. "Boss, you can just stop. The person who wrote that article is right underneath your nose.""What do you mean?" Renee finally turned her attention to Liam, looking the man up and down.Liam smirked pridefully. "I mean it literally.""You're not saying you were the one who leaked that information, are you?""Pleasure to meet you." The man nodded, patting Renee on the head as if he wasn't scared for his life
Renee's words piqued Liam's curiosity."Key figure?" Liam rubbed his chin and closer toward the woman with an intrigued expression. "Keep going."Renee rolled her eyes at him and mindlessly scrolled through the webpage, her expression blank. "My brother doesn't only hate Stefan for destroying his face, but also for making his most trusted person betray him. She used to be the light of his life, but she betrayed him for Stefan and stabbed him in the gut.""That's when my brother lost all morality. And well… How do I say this? He takes things to the extreme now.""Yeah, he is pretty extreme." Liam nodded in agreement. "No wonder I felt a sense of empathy when I first saw him. I knew he had hurt the same way I did, for love."Renee rolled her eyes again. "For love? Since when? Oh, stop playing the victim?""Is it not miserable enough that I acted as a loyal lapdog for almost a decade with no one to love me back?"The woman was speechless. "You might not know this, Boss, but peopl
Renee would no longer have to worry once she's brought Joanne back to reconcile with her brother, after all."Hell no." Liam refused, putting his index fingers into the shape of an 'X'. "I can't even handle being there, and I play around a lot! You're a girl and a beautiful one at that! Who knows what would happen when you're there! I won't let you risk your life!""I heard it's a pretty hellish place. Even a beast would be left with scars all over its body. But don't you know me? When have I, Renee Everheart, ever been scared of anyone?""I know you're strong, but you need to know that there are stronger people out there. My master is no joke! I almost made him explode when I refused to be his godson and escaped! He might imprison you and make you his concubine if you went there!""Shut it with the nonsense. Hand me the address!" Renee was impatient, restricting the man's arms behind his back, increasing her force with every word she spoke until it was unbearable to him. "So, a
Renee walked into Stefan's office, led by a secretary. It had been so long since she last came here, but everything was still the same… except the man opposite her. Renee stared at him, and sadness filled her. He was standing in front of the large French windows like he used to, his back as straight as an arrow."What are you doing here?" Stefan turned around and shot Renee a cold glare, looking hostile and unwelcoming.The secretary glanced at Renee, and suggested hesitantly, "Mr. Hunt, I can show Ms. Everheart around if you're too busy. We can come back after you're done with your work." Inwardly, the secretary was grumbling, 'Why is Mr. Hunt behaving like this? They've been married for a long time, but he doesn't show his true feelings for her. He deserves it if Ms. Everheart runs away!'Stefan's face turned livid as he turned to the secretary and growled, "Get out." "I apologize for intruding," Renee said and bowed her head slightly, about to turn around and leave.Stefa
Infuriated by his carefree attitude, Renee stormed over to him and grabbed his tie, jerking his head down as she snarled, "Can you swear that you didn't slash and ruin my brother's face? Can you honestly tell me that you didn’t defeat my brother because of Joanne's betrayal?" "Joanne just did what she felt was right. I don't think it was a betrayal." Stefan looked up and met Renee's gaze intently. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath on their skin, and suddenly, the air became thick with tension. Renee swallowed briefly and put some distance between them. She gritted her teeth and said, "As a man, you should at least have the integrity to admit to what you did. You tricked Joanna and ruined my brother… Don't you feel even the least bit guilty?""As opponents in a battle, it's only natural that there's a winner and a loser. If I didn’t do what I did, it might have been my face ruined or my corpse in the sea.""You..." Renee couldn't argue."Do you believe t
Renee felt relieved after getting Stefan's answer. Some part of her knew that the man wasn't as aloof and cruel as he made himself out to be. Although she did not have much time to carry out that difficult mission, at least Stefan would not do anything to Quinton during that period. She could leave Beach City with peace of mind.After she walked out of the president's office, she saw a lot of employees in the corridor. She only knew some of them, but all of them looked at her with sparkling eyes. "Hi, Mrs. Hunt!"When some of the senior employees saw her, they waved at her frantically as if they were fans who were meeting their idols."Umm… hi." Renee nodded politely before she corrected them, "Please don't address me as Mrs. Hunt anymore. I've divorced your president." She felt annoyed every time she thought about it. She had divorced the same man twice, and the second time had been thanks to Quinton. It was just like when Stefan pretended to be Mr. Q and married her. She was
Seraphina gritted her teeth and said, "Didn't you hear what the employees call you? If this goes on, Stefan will remember everything sooner or later, and it'll be bad for his brain if that happens. We both know what he experienced a year ago and how painful it was for him. He's better now, but seeing you will probably affect him. Don't you feel bad harming him again and again like this?""I... I didn't think of that." Renee lowered her head in shame after hearing that. Stefan nearly died by her hand a year ago, so she swore to God that she would never get back with him in exchange for his safety and happiness.However, even if she didn't do anything, sometimes things developed beyond her expectations. The grudge between Quinton and Stefan was the perfect example—she was caught in the middle of it, so she couldn't just stand aside and do nothing about it...Seraphina sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Ms. Everheart, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to insult you, but my relationship wit
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.