Stefan's words made Renee's blood boil. Fueled by her desire to beat Stefan, she immediately turned to his grandfather and said enthusiastically, "It's true, Grandpa. Liam and I are officially dating. I hope you can forgive me and give us your blessings. He's the one who can truly protect me and make me happy!"Liam looked tenderly at Renee next to him. He knew this was only an act to make Stefan angry, but he still felt touched by what Renee said. After all, he wasn't even Renee's backup plan.Liam suddenly felt a rush of happiness at the feeling of being Renee's boyfriend. It was like he'd won the lottery!Timothy remained stern for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter. He smiled at Renee and said kindly, "Silly child, of course I'll offer you my blessings. I wouldn't have invited you two over for dinner otherwise. I only wanted to see if this kid was reliable, and if he could look after you. You've just got out of a painful relationship, so how could I possibly le
Stefan blinked at Liam, dumbfounded. Naturally, he couldn't answer. Although he and Renee had been married for four years, he could count the number of times they'd dined at the same table. Even when they did, he never really paid attention to the food she liked."I don't waste time on pointless things like that," Stefan scoffed arrogantly."Pointless things?" Liam's playfulness instantly disappeared, and was quickly replaced by rage."That's right. A cold-blooded reptile like you will always be selfish. Why would you ever think of someone else?" Liam wasn't afraid of making Stefan angry. In fact, he would have loved to teach Stefan a lesson with his fists instead!"You know, I feel sorry for Ren. She poured her heart and soul into the relationship. She knows that you like mild-flavored food, not spicy food. She also knows you like your steak cooked medium rare, and learned over a hundred ways of cooking steak for you. Unfortunately, her thoughtfulness and efforts were just a waste
The annual Global Technology Summit was being held at Lux Hotel.Various media companies and reporters were waiting outside the hotel at the break of dawn with their equipment, eagerly waiting for two particular people to show up. One of them was a man troubled by his divorce, the future heir of the Hunt family, and also the CEO of Hunt Enterprise, Stefan Hunt. The other was a well-known researcher in the field of electronic chips, who also happened to be KCL Holdings' largest shareholder, Mr. Y. Mr. Y attracted a lot of public attention not just because of his mysterious identity and the fact that he'd never shown up in public, but also because he had a tight-knit relationship with Stefan. The chips created by KCL Holdings were only sold to Hunt Enterprise, which meant that Hunt Enterprise occupied 75 percent of the market in the electronics and technology industry. On top of that, Stefan frequently met with a mysterious man in a hotel. It was rumored that this man was most likel
"What do you think two men might be up to if they're staying in the same hotel room?" Someone said teasingly, and the group started laughing again.This 'rumor' regarding Stefan and Mr. Y had actually started out as a funny little insult within the industry. However, a series of coincidences made it sound like it was true."Besides, I heard that Mr. Hunt didn't divorce his wife because he was cheating with another woman. That 'mistress' was actually a paid actor, hired by Mr. Hunt and Mr. Y…""No way!"Renee was dumbfounded. She immediately recalled her interactions with the man. The way he avoided women, how there were never any scandals involving him, and how he didn't smile often around her… 'It does feel like there's some truth in this rumor, but if he really was gay, why did he… do that to me the other night?' Renee felt immensely confused, and opened up Google on her phone.There were so many people around that Renee was squeezed out of the crowd once the search results ap
Renee was stupefied as she observed the eager Julian. She thought to herself, 'Hey, my ex-husband is the one cheating here, so why are you so enthusiastic about it?'However, she was able to come to a conclusion quickly. "You entertainers really are quite open-minded! I bet you're so eager to catch this paramour because you want Stefan to be your sugar daddy, right?" Renee concluded smugly as she entered the elevator too. She felt like Sherlock Holmes for a moment, thinking she had figured out what was going on in Julian's mind."Pfft!" Julian's eyes widened as he nearly choked on his own saliva. This was a side of Renee he had never seen before. "Don't you think you're overanalyzing this?""Am I?" Renee replied defiantly, as she really didn't think she was. It was quite difficult to predict anyone's sexuality after all, especially an idol's.Some idols would interact in certain ways with the other members to maintain popularity using the fans' shipping culture, while some would
"What the…?"Before Renee could react, Julian disappeared from her view after saying, "Instead of sneaking around, isn't it better to just go inside and look for yourself?"'Why, you little…!' The woman cursed him in her mind angrily. She didn't even think about why Julian knew the password to the suite, all she wanted to do was make her escape. 'I'll be doomed if Stefan and his mysterious boyfriend find out I'm in their room!'It was fortunate that the suite was quite large, as she didn't notice anyone around. Just as Renee got to her feet to leave, she heard a voice coming from the bathroom.'Oh my god, are they… showering together?'Thinking about how intimate it was, Renee couldn't help but shudder, gulping nervously. 'I still can't believe the man I loved for four whole years… is actually gay! This is devastating…'Due to her curiosity and unwillingness to accept the fact, Renee mustered up her courage and walked towards the bathroom. She then pressed her ear against the gla
The hot mist within the shower created quite a steamy atmosphere.Stefan towered over Renee as he pinned her to the wall and murmured, "Is this close enough for you? Can you see everything clearly now?"Renee felt light-headed, her face burning up in embarrassment. She tried breaking free from his grasp, huffing in rage. "Let go of me, Stefan! I know you're a homosexual, so drop the act!""Homosexual?" Stefan narrowed his eyes, visibly confused. 'How did this crazy woman come to the conclusion that I like men?'"Aren't you?" Renee decided to take this opportunity to ask more questions. "Is your lover really Mr. Y, the largest shareholder of KCL Holdings? How long have you guys been dating? Was Briar just a scapegoat for your secret relationship?"Stefan stared at her incredulously, unsure if he should stay mad at her, or laugh at how ridiculous she was being.He leaned down towards Renee, brushing his lips against her ear as he said softly, "Do you really think I like men?""I…"
Stefan's eyes were dark with desire, and it looked as if he was about to kiss her again. Renee was like a tiny little lamb who had willingly offered herself as dinner.It would be quite a waste of her 'efforts' if he didn't take the opportunity to 'teach her a lesson'. Additionally, he'd be able to convince her that the rumors regarding his sexuality weren't true."I've already cut ties with you, but you keep coming back to tease me. Since you want me so much, I'll just have to give you what you want, right? Otherwise, you might say that I, as your ex-husband, am being too selfish.""You've misunderstood!" Renee protested with a gasp. Her entire body felt like it was burning up from within. She did realize that her actions were quite misleading, so she couldn't put the blame entirely on him for this misunderstanding."I really did come here out of curiosity, and I wanted to see just what the famous Mr. Y looked like! I never wanted to sleep with you! If I still liked you, even just
Livid, Mateo pulled the trigger without hesitation. However, he moved the gun less than an inch. The bullet passed by Liam's ear and hit an orange behind him.The fruit immediately blew up, its juices splashing on Liam's face."Aaaah!" Amber, terrified, trembled. Her eyes turned red, and she hurriedly tried to plead with Mateo. "Matt, cool it! Aren't you and Liam friends? You guys drank and chatted together in the past. You were so close to each other. How could you do this to him? Hurry up and put the gun away! If it goes off accidentally, it'll be over!"However, Mateo ignored her. His eyes were red as he glared at Liam. "Did you see the orange behind you? Let go of her now! If not, I'll blow up your head just like I did to that orange!""Is that all you got?" Liam taunted. He refused to let Amber go. He whispered to Amber, "Watch well. If he shoots me today, promise me not to marry such a man. I can use my life to knock some sense into you.""No!" Amber shook her head. Liam
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St
Liam walked ahead of Amber, then turned to glance at her. He faked a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Are you worried that I might take advantage of you?" "No, of course not!" Amber quickly shook her head and pushed her scarf up. It had fallen a little. "I just find it improper," she answered softly.She looked like a typical woman from Southeast Aeos, petite and with a small face. Her skin was tanned, and her facial features weren't very distinct. She was charming and reserved, exuding a girlish pureness. She had put on her country's special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting. "Hey, it's not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done that long ago. I don't have to wait until now." Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber's anxiety."Don't worry. I've always regarded you as my younger siste
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into