"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
Haze closed his eyes and tried to kiss Renee. For the first time, Renee did not punch him, but tried to accept it.Human beings needed roughly seven years to have a full cell metabolism, so maybe a person could transform into someone else in seven years. Renee knew that she had loved Stefan wholeheartedly for more than ten years. Even her cells had completed their metabolism, so by right, she should also get a new lover.After all, a vague love affair would probably just fade with time.Their lips gently came into contact, but before they could deepen the kiss, a cold breeze hit them."No, I can't!" Renee suddenly gasped, and pushed Haze away. She looked like she had woken up from a dream, and said remorsefully, "I must be out of my mind!" Haze frowned and held her shoulders, asking gently, "What's wrong? What's troubling you?""Nothing's wrong, it's just..." Renee shook her head and muttered, "Men and women should get together because they love each other, not because they have