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.
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo
Both Stefan and Justin arrived at Grace Hospital quickly. However, Stefan suddenly stopped before he entered the hospital. He looked at Justin curiously."Let's go! It's urgent. Stop standing here!"Justin hurriedly ran. When he turned around, he found that Stefan had not caught up with him. Confused, he asked Stefan, "Something is puzzling me. Don't you want me to stop seeing her? Why did you let me come with you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and interrogated Justin suspiciously, "Did you lie to me? Or are you plotting something?" "That's nonsense! Don't take me as you. I'm not full of schemes like you!" Justin sounded disdainful. In comparison to Stefan, Justin was not full of schemes. He also looked down upon Stefan since the latter was always vigilant.Justin answered honestly, "Yeah, I don't want you to meet her ever, but I'm sure she wants to see you if she's in danger. Yes, I hate you—but I want her to be happy." He guessed that Renee must be in a serious state since Jov
"Uh…" After some contemplation, Elijah nodded. "I know what to do, Mr. Hunt. It looks like you can see far beyond the current situation. Just leave this to me.""Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."Stefan remained calm; he didn't feel like he had stepped over the line. He merely wanted Justin to learn about the cruelty of the world since Justin was always being protected so well. Whenever he did something wrong, he had to pay a price for it.Besides, Stefan merely did it for his aunt, who had taken the gunshot for nothing. When they reached a consensus, Justin came to meet Stefan. "Hey…" After a pause, he said with dissatisfaction and helplessness, "Would you like to go with me?"Stefan raised his brows in confusion."I mean, do you want to visit Phoenix with me?" Justin sighed. He looked naive, like a college student, as he confessed, "I found Jovan. I don't know why he's so good at countersurveillance. After exiting the emergency room, he transferred her to