"Great! Quinton, you're the best." Renee heaved a sigh of relief and gave Quinton a bear hug.Leia chimed in curiously, "Ren, where are you going with Liam? It sounds so mysterious. I want to go too!"Liam stuffed a drumstick into Leia's mouth and said irritatedly, "You're just a kid. Stop meddling in the adults' business. Eat more and grow up."Leia's eyes bulged in anger, and she removed the drumstick from her mouth angrily. She glared at Liam and snapped, "Liam, I'm only a few minutes younger than you. Stop acting like a kid!" Liam could not help laughing and said cheekily, "The only child I see here is you!"The others burst into laughter as Leia hurled the chicken drumstick at Liam, missing him entirely.Leia became angrier. "Help me settle this, since we're three pairs of twins with mixed genders. Why are Ren and Abby's elder brothers so warm but my brother so mean? He always bullies me!" Liam explained, "That just means you should reflect on yourself."The others laugh
The plane touched down at Goldshire the next morning. A long row of cars waited at the exit ostentatiously, as if they were welcoming a diplomat."Liam!" A man in sunglasses and a floral shirt waved at Liam from afar. He even held a toothpick between his teeth, which was visible with his wide grin. His skin was tanned, and he was thin and tall. There were two dragons tattooed on his arms, and it was clear that he wasn't someone to be trifled with."Matt!" Liam waved back heartily, and whispered to Renee, "That's Mateo Harrison, the subordinate my master values the most. He's cruel and fierce, so everyone in this city is afraid of him. If you want to win my master's trust, you have to win Matt over first."While he was talking, Mateo walked over to Liam. Mateo hugged Liam enthusiastically, smacking the latter's back playfully. "Kiddo, you're back! Looks like you still have a heart, eh? Master always talks about you, so he's going to be so happy you're back.""Of course! Master is li
"I'm not nervous. It's just that... I think things are getting interesting now." Renee had left that circle for many years, so she rarely experienced risky situations like this. She suddenly felt like she had entered an adventure game, and adrenaline was pumping in her veins. Benjamin lived in the center of the fort. Although the large reception hall was not as luxurious as a five-star hotel, it was still magnificent, with plenty of armed guards around.Benjamin sat at the main seat in the reception hall, looking like an amiable old man in a casual floral shirt. He even had a white beard. When he saw Liam, he smiled happily. There were five men of different ages sitting beside him, and all of them looked intimidating and dangerous. They were Benjamin's foster children, just like Mateo. There was only one woman in the hall, and she was wearing a white traditional suit, looking charming and delicate. Renee felt curious just looking at her, and tugged on Liam's sleeve as she asked,
Benjamin ignored Renee's greeting, a prime example of male chauvinism. Renee was told to sit at a neighboring table with a group of strangers. She did not even get to speak to Benjamin.On the other hand, Liam was treated very well, and was asked to sit at Benjamin's left.While eating, Benjamin and Liam had a very happy chat.It was clear that he liked Liam very much, and wished he had a son like him. Liam behaved obediently the whole time, making Benjamin very happy.When it was almost time for the feast to end, he glanced at Renee, and pretended to ask Benjamin casually, "By the way, Master, where is Joanne? Why didn't I see her?" Both Joanne and Liam escaped from the red-light district together. They had become Benjamin's disciples at the same time, but Joanne chose to stay while Liam wanted to leave.Back then, Benjamin valued Joanne just as much as he valued Liam. She should have been promoted to a very high position, but Liam hadn't seen her around, which was strange.
Mateo nodded and glanced at Renee before he explained, "The people who dare to doubt Master will have their tongues cut off and lips sewn shut. After that, they will be locked up in dungeons until they die."Renee unconsciously swallowed, in disbelief at how cruel this old man was. Such a ruthless punishment was almost as bad as the punishments Quinton used."What are you waiting for? Hurry up and execute her!" Benjamin barked, unable to stand the sight of Renee. "Wait!" Liam immediately stood up and begged for mercy for Renee. "Master, it's my girlfriend's first time being here, so she doesn’t know the rules. Please let her off the hook this time. I promise that she won’t do it again. I spent quite a long time trying to win her heart. Besides, I respect you very much, so I brought her to you. Please do me a favor, okay?" "Fine, just this once." Benjamin sneered before he ordered, "Lock her up in the dungeon first. I'll release her after negotiating with Liam."Although Liam cou
Renee was held by armed guards and pushed into a remote place in the fort that was surrounded by a lot of guards. "How dare you offend Mr. Jenkins! If not for Mr. Osborne, your tongue would have been cut off by now! Stay in there and reflect on yourself." The guard fiercely pushed her into a small, dark room, which was the so-called dungeon. The door was closed again, and Renee felt her throat tighten in the tiny room, like she was being strangled. "Who’s there?" There was movement in the furthest corner, and Renee immediately realised there was someone else in the dungeon with her."You're new here?" The person leaned back against the wall and stared at Renee. Renee couldn't make her features out in the dark, but her voice was eerily toneless.Renee frowned and asked tentatively, "Could you be... Joanne?" She vaguely heard that Joanne was locked up in the dungeon too. Besides, there were practically no women around, so it was very likely that this person was Joanne. "You're ne
Joanne clenched her fists so tightly that her long fingernails dug deep into her palms. "It depends on who the angel meets. If an angel meets another angel, then it'll be heaven. But if the angel meets a demon, it'll go to hell... He was the one who sent me there!""Miss, you... Wait a minute..." Renee's mind was a mess. Feeling bewildered, she asked Joanne in confusion, "You betrayed him and stabbed him, but you also said that he was a demon who pulled you down to hell… Is that right?""Yes, that's right." Joanne nodded vigorously, unashamed of what she had done."Well, you're being unreasonable. How can you shift the blame to him?" Renee argued."What do you know? No one knows about my past with him, so none of you know how he dragged me to hell." "Do you mind telling me then? It seems like both of you are troubled by something… maybe I can help?" Renee felt that the woman she had heard about was not that unreasonable and ruthless. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
"Er... that..." When Renee noticed Joanne's intention of letting it all go to hell, she was in a dilemma. When a person had lost all hope, it would be near impossible to save them."If you don't leave, you'll meet a miserable end. Even if you manage to stay alive, the master will torture you. Have you ever thought about the consequences?" Renee patiently tried to persuade Joanne."Yeah, I'm aware of that but I don't care. If I was afraid of death, I wouldn't have betrayed him. I can't bear his lawless behaviour, so I hope that I can do something nice before I die to make up for the mistakes I made," Joanne said absently. She had long lost all hope to survive. When she recalled the things she did in the past, as well as the things she had experienced, she lost her desire to live. She no longer recognized herself. "You want to make up for your mistakes, so it proves that you haven't given up all hope. There's still something you can't let go of... So, don't just give up on yourself,
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