Liam barged in and held Renee's shoulders, asking anxiously."I'm fine. Go and save Joanne now. She's in great danger." Liam pressed the gun to the guard's head and demanded, "Where's Joanne?" "I'm not telling you anything, so you might as well kill me." The guard tilted his head and closed his eyes, refusing to give in."You!" Liam was greatly infuriated. The people in the fort had undergone high-intensity physical and mental training, so they were loyal to Benjamin and would never easily admit defeat."Maybe she's in the dismantling room," Amber said hesitantly. "I once heard from Mateo that anyone who betrays my dad will be sent to the dismantling room. Their body parts will then be dismantled and sold." "What?" Renee clenched her fists and snarled indignantly, "That old man is merciless!""Maybe that's why Joanne reported my dad. I didn't expect that... it would put her in such great danger." Amber kept her head low. She did not approve of some of Benjamin's actions, but
Both Renee and Liam looked for Joanne in every room, but even after ages of searching, they couldn't find the dismantling room Joanne was in.Suddenly, they heard a distressed cry from the most secluded corner in the southeast. "That sounds like Joanne!" Renee gasped, her face going pale."Let's go!" Liam held Renee's hand tightly. They got rid of all the people who blocked their path and ran towards the room the sound came from.The dismantling room was guarded too, but before Liam could use the gun in his hand, Renee kicked them away. She quickly picked up their weapons and shot the tightly closed door of the dismantling room, forcing the door open. The scene that greeted her was horrifying. Joanne was strapped to an operating table with both sides of her waist cut open, and a man in a lab coat was about to reach into the wounds to remove Joanne's kidneys. He looked up at the sudden intrusion, and his eyes grew wide. "Who... Who are you?" He took two steps back fearfully,
"We didn't do anything! Maybe the blood loss was too much." "Blood loss?" Renee's head began to ache, and she demanded, "What should we do now? Will she be okay?""You have to rush her to the hospital for a blood transfusion. If not... it'll be quite dangerous," the man in the white coat stammered. After all, she had such a big cut on her body, and it had bled profusely. In the past, all these men needed to do was cut open the body. They were never asked to sew up the injuries, so they weren't prepared for such emergencies. "I'm so sleepy. I want to sleep now..." Joanne's voice was practically a whisper, and her hold on Renee's hand grew weaker."No, Joanne, wake up! Don't fall asleep... Hold on just a little longer. I want to take you home so Quinton can meet you. He misses you very much, so don't fall asleep." Regardless of what Renee said, Joanne eventually lost consciousness.Liam patted Renee's shoulders gently to comfort her. "Boss, don't panic. What we need to do now is t
"Liam!" Amber's eyes turned watery as she rushed towards the man lying on the ground. She felt the breath leave her lungs, and her face went pale.Liam pushed away the man in a white coat on top of him and stretched his body. He sounded relaxed as he said softly, "Miss, stop crying. I'm still alive..." The people who had been shot were the two 'surgeons' in lab coats. Liam had hid behind them, so he had escaped unscathed.Renee was hiding in the dismantling room with Joanne, who had fainted. They did not come out for the time being."Master, you're a bit cruel to your disciple. If it weren't for these two, I would be dead by now," Liam said slowly, staring at the two dead men on the ground."How dare you fool me!" Furious, Benjamin ordered, "Aim your guns at him. Fire again!""No, you can't do that!" Amber spread her arms out wide as she stood before Liam, and said seriously, "Dad, it looks like you don't want your daughter anymore. Go ahead and fire. I’ll die with Liam." "Dam
Benjamin waved his hand and snarled, "Okay, I give up. I'll grant your wish." Amber opened her watery eyes. Smiling, she said, "Dad, I knew you weren't that cruel...""Don't get cocky. I'll let them go… on one condition." Benjamin stared at Liam fiercely, then sneered, "My daughter's willing to give up her life for you. It's obvious that she loves you very much, so I want you to promise to stay and marry her. If not, all of you can't leave the fort."Hearing that, Amber's face turned red and she protested, "Dad, you... Don't be like this. A marriage will only be happy if both parties love each other. You can't force people to marry like this!" Benjamin ignored Amber and stared at Liam intently. "What do you think? Are you willing to marry my daughter?" "I..." Frowning deeply, Liam looked conflicted and hesitant. His heart belonged to someone else, so naturally, he was unwilling to marry a woman he did not love. However, he was also afraid that he, Renee, and Joanne would end up
Renee left the fort with Joanne, and they soon arrived at a hospital in the city.Joanne was placed on a stretcher and pushed into a surgery room quickly."Doctor, please save her. You have to save her!" Renee begged pitifully as she followed them. They had gone through so much to save Joanne, and Liam had even been forced into a marriage; she did not want all their sacrifices to go to waste."We'll try our best," the doctor said solemnly, and then the door to the surgery room was closed.Exhausted and dejected, Renee sat down on a chair in the waiting area. Helplessness overwhelmed her, and she stared at the floor absently. She wanted to sleep in a nice, warm bed or rest her head on someone's shoulder.At that moment, she saw a pair of long legs striding aloofly towards her.The crisp suit set off the slimness of the man's legs, and it was clear that the person was tall and attractive.Renee raised her head and met the man's cold gaze. Her eyes were filled with tears, so her vi
"You're overthinking. I just told him that I didn't want to see my partner get his hands dirty. Surprisingly, Benjamin let you go. You guys must be pretty lucky.""Hmph, I know that you're not that kind." Renee looked away and ignored him. She glanced at the flickering lamp of the surgery room and recalled Joanne's final wish. Feeling angry, she turned to Stefan and glared at him fiercely. "You scumbag!"He stared at her incredulously. "What did I do to you now?" "It's not about what you did to me, it's about what you did to Joanne! You tricked her and manipulated her. You even watched her fall into the sea but didn’t save her. Calling you a scumbag is putting it lightly!"Renee's eyes turned watery, and she fought back tears. "Do you know how loyal she was towards you? She knew she was about to be killed, but her final wish was to meet you one last time. A scumbag like you doesn't deserve her loyalty!" Stefan's gaze was indifferent as he said cryptically, "You're not Joanne, s
Stefan frowned. "What do you mean?" "Never mind, it's nothing." Renee mumbled and then turned to the doctor. "Take my blood. Now!"After that, she rushed into the surgery room. "Take mine too." Stefan followed her quickly. He felt that a man should bear this kind of burden."You both…" This was the first time the doctor had faced such a situation, but he didn't want to waste any time. "Alright. Both of you can donate blood in case we need a lot of it." Finally, Joanne was saved due to Renee and Stefan's joint efforts. When her condition was stable, she was transferred into an ordinary ward."Are you alright?" Renee and Stefan asked each other at the same time as they exited the surgery room. "I'm fine. I told you that my hematopoietic function is very strong." Stefan put his hands in his pockets and raised his brows slightly."Yeah, you're very strong. But you fainted earlier, didn't you?" Renee asked, raising an eyebrow."No, I didn't. I just dozed off.""If you say so.
"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
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the
Meanwhile, Liam and Leia became vigilant when they saw that scene."What are they doing?" Liam walked past the guests enjoying the fun and stood between Alexander and the two guards. He faked a smile and said, "We're the guests you invited sincerely. Is this how the Baldwin family treats their guests?""Guests?" Austin got off the stage and strode toward them. Although he was smiling, coldness gleamed in his eyes. "Have you ever seen any guest steal the hostess?""You can't say that, Sir Baldwin..." Liam smiled and added, "How could you be sure that it must be the Hunt family?""Who else could it be?" "This is just your guess. They've always been here. Even if they wanted to do that, they couldn't. So… You should act fair and square, given your noble identity. Shouldn't you find fault with the culprit instead? Isn't that more reasonable?" Liam looked at Austin. Although he was younger and came from a family weaker than the Baldwin family, he was still domineering.Besides, his
Alexander took a deep breath and analyzed logically, "This wasn't Stef's style. If he wanted to snatch her away, he would have done it openly in front of everyone. But this trick was cunning and dishonest!""Yes, you're right, but this is a special case. If he didn't use a trick, his woman would marry someone else. It's normal for him to be restless." Although Francine agreed with Alexander's analysis, she felt that Stefan could do anything if it concerned Renee. Naturally, he would stoop this far. "Regardless, we have to leave," Alexander whispered to Francine, sensing danger. "Austin has always been decisive and cruel. Since Stef humiliated him, I'm sure he wouldn't let Stef off easily. We're in danger too.""Is it that serious?" Francine looked at Austin, who was standing on the stage. He coldly ordered his assistant about something. It seemed like he wasn't that crazy. "I don't care what he'll do. We have to get out of North City right away because this city is controlled b
"What?! She's gone?" Justin's face fell immediately. He grabbed the collar of the person who came to inform them and demanded coldly, "What do you mean?! Why is she gone for no reason?""We… We don't know!" That person looked at Justin while trembling and reported everything. "When we got there, we found no one else in the makeup room except the makeup artist lying on the ground. We didn't see Ms. Everheart, either. We don't know what happened!""Something must have gone wrong with her!" Justin pushed that person away without hesitation and rushed toward the makeup room."Hey, Justin! What are you doing?" Sophia watched Justin disappear in front of everyone. She wanted to pursue him but failed.Everyone below the stage fell into an uproar and discussed among themselves endlessly. "The bride went missing all of a sudden! Did her ex-husband come for her?""It's possible. They were once madly in love with each other. Plus, the Hunt and Baldwin families were in conflict for many yea
On the surface, everyone felt that Justin was passionate and respected the bride well. However, only he knew that he was just terrified. He was afraid that the reality might exceed his anticipation. He was terrified to find that he was betrayed in the end when he had trusted Renee that much and treated her so sincerely."Justin, what's going on with you? How could you talk about that at such a time like this? The most important thing now is to make her come out and have this engagement ceremony. We should do the guests justice. If not, everyone will laugh at us after we've kept our dignity well for so many years!"Sophia couldn't understand his hesitation. They were just going to urge Renee to appear. It had nothing to do with their patience or ability to take good care of Renee.Both Alexander and Francine looked at each other in confusion."Dear, did you do anything?" Alexander asked Francine softly.If Renee suddenly failed to attend the ceremony, it might have been Francin