Quinton immediately panicked when he saw Renee's teary face, and grabbed her shoulders. "Renee, are you okay? Do you hate me for restoring this place? Stop crying. I'll make a call now and ask them to demolish it, and we can rebuild it the way you like. What do you think?" With a shake of her head, Renee wiped away her tears and hugged Quinton. "No, you did such a good job that I thought we had travelled back in time. It looks exactly like the Everheart Manor I grew up in. I'm only crying because I'm touched and recalled a lot of my childhood memories. How nice it would be if you weren't kidnapped back then and you grew up with me..."Renee confessed her inner thoughts to Quinton. She was indeed very touched; only family members could give one this kind of feeling. However, when she thought of how Quinton had done those cruel things, she felt conflicted."Silly girl, we can't change the past, but we have control over the present and future. We should live in the moment." Quinton pa
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Quinton asked her hesitantly. He could tell that something was weighing on Renee's mind, and he could pretty much guess what it was. He didn't want to open Pandora's box, so he didn't ask her about it, but now it seemed like he could not ignore it any longer. He had to face the consequences of his actions."Ask me whatever you want to ask. I'll tell you everything honestly." Quinton stopped smiling and became serious too.Renee clenched her fists and said, "I want you to tell me about what happened in the past with Stefan. Are you really as innocent as you claim?""I never said that I was innocent. Every battle will have a winner and a loser. Stefan was capable but shameless when he defeated me back then. I have nothing to say about that. The only thing I can do is try to defeat him this time..." His eyes glittered, and he said shrewdly, "Like now. It's a great chance for us to defeat him since everyone is now on our side. We need
Renee's eyes grew wide as she retorted, "So, you want me to take your side? Does it mean that I can't stop you even if you want to kill people? That I have to allow you to take innocent lives?" "Isn't that what you should do?" Quinton grabbed Renee's shoulders, his eyes wild. "We're siblings with the same blood running in us. You're me, and I'm you; we're in the same boat. All I want to do is revive the Everheart family and take revenge for our deceased parents. Shouldn't you support me?" "I don't mind you wanting to revive the Everheart family, but there needs to be a limit. If we don't have principles, we'll be just like those villains who destroyed our parents. Such a bloodstained path of revenge would never make our parents happy if they knew.""Well, what do you want me to do then?" Quinton punched the balcony hard, and his knuckles started to bleed. "Are you aware of my past? If I was bound by limits, I would be long dead by now. I was able to crawl out of that demonic abyss
Of course, he suffered a lot living the way he did throughout the years."What if I say that Joanne... is still alive? What would you do?" Renee swallowed slightly and observed Quinton's expression carefully.Quinton turned to stare straight at Renee, and asked sharply, "Are you saying that Joanne is still alive?""No, I'm not. I'm just asking you about the possibility. What would you do if she's still alive?""I don't know." Quinton shook his head and smiled bitterly. "After all, she won't forgive me. I'd better...""What would you rather do?" Renee eagerly asked.However, Quinton stopped dwelling on it, and said cryptically, "It depends on whether she's alive or not.""She..." At first, Renee wanted to tell him that Joanne was still alive, but then she remembered Stefan's reminder and went silent.Quinton noticed the change in her expression and chuckled. "She's still alive, isn't she? But you see me as a wicked demon now, so you're worried I'll do something to her, right?"
Renee was curious when she heard someone walking up the stairs. When she saw the newcomer's face, she gaped slightly in surprise. "Haze, what... are you doing here?"She hadn't seen him ever since they had said goodbye back then. Now, she was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say."It's been a long time, Phoenix." Haze smiled at her, dressed casually as usual. With both hands in his pockets, he looked like the very picture of nonchalance. "I've been thinking about you and watching you from afar."Renee got goosebumps hearing that, and stuck her tongue out at him. "That sounds creepy, you know? People might think you're a stalker who's been having a crush on me for years." Quinton glared at Renee and scolded, "Renee, don't be rude. Mr. Baldwin is our important comrade. His family is very powerful and influential, and they're the only family that can fight against the Hunt family. If we want to defeat the Hunt family, we need the Baldwin family's support. Also, he's the reason I g
Renee frowned. "Quinton, the Baldwin family is powerful, and Haze is a very cunning man. If we cooperate with them, we'll definitely suffer a great loss." "How could you say that?" Quinton turned to Justin appreciatively. "Maybe you don't know this, but though the Baldwin family invests eighty percent, they only take twenty percent of the profit and let us have the remaining eighty percent. No one else would be willing to do that, so of course it's not a loss for us!""Umm..." Renee's confidence dwindled, and she couldn't help but whisper to Haze, "Did you really spend that much?"Haze grinned and whispered back, "Of course! My family's willing to go that far as long as you marry me." Renee was speechless. She looked around, unsure of what to do. It was already hard enough to ask Quinton to cooperate with Stefan, but now the Baldwin family had appeared and promised them a great profit. Her dream of the Everhearts cooperating with the Hunts seemed impossible at this point. Aft
"Would you really do that?" Renee's eyes were wide and watery. She never expected that Quinton would give her up for the sake of revenge, even though she would have done anything for him. Of course she was hurt, but she knew he was only like this because of his past. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Quinton, I know you only said such things because you're blinded by your hatred. I won't take it to heart. Both you and I need a few days to calm down, and after that, I think we can find a solution." After that, she went downstairs alone."Ah, Phoenix..." When Haze saw her leave sadly, he sighed deeply. He paused briefly, then went after her.However, Renee did not go far. She went to the large pagoda tree in the yard and sat on the swing, swinging back and forth sadly. The chilly night breeze caused flowers to fall off the tree one by one, and they stuck to her hair and lips. It was a rather enchanting scene. She then looked up at the starry sky and recalled her childhoo
They bickered like an old couple, and eventually, Renee's mood improved. She knew he was trying to make her happy, and smiled at him. "Haze, to be honest, you're not that bad when you're not behaving like a scumbag… Thank you."Haze chuckled and flashed her a grin. "You know, your compliments aren't too bad either."They smiled at each other as if they were long-lost soulmates."Haze, do you really think I'm biased?" Renee sighed, hoping Haze could help her analyze the situation from the view of a third person."Do you want to hear the truth?" Haze asked her, smiling faintly."Yes. It's okay, you don't have to worry about upsetting me.""Well, on the surface, you seem to be partial towards Quinton, but in actual fact, you're more partial towards Stefan..." Haze said contemplatively, then pursed his lips and said oddly, "But it's normal. After all, he's your ex-husband, and of course lovestruck women like you would put your husbands above everything else!" "No, that's not it! I
"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