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
The Baldwin family showed their sincerity and invested a large sum of 4.5 million dollars in Carmine Pawnshop to help them remedy their loss. Quinton was grinning all the time and was always discussing things with Haze. He was very submissive and respectful towards Haze too. However, Quinton and Renee's relationship had become strange after that night. They were not as close to each other as before... and now, they just chose to ignore each other. Sometimes they pretended like they didn't see each other when their paths crossed, and wouldn't even greet each other. Whenever they spoke, it was only either out of necessity or to insult the other. Both Haze and Leia were stuck in the middle of their fight, and they felt like they were walking on eggshells."Quinton, eat more. If not, your belly will become so small that nothing can go in it." As they sat at the table to eat, Renee suddenly put some food on Quinton's plate.Everyone could tell that Renee was implying that Quinton was pe
"How?" Renee was still angry at Quinton, but she also wanted to help him. "I think Quinton's grudge against Stefan isn't because of the fight, but rather his ruined face… Think about it—everyone likes pretty things. He used to be so handsome, but now, his face is scarred and he has to wear a mask all the time. It's something he'll have to see everytime he looks in the mirror, so won't that make his hatred for Stefan grow deeper?" Leia said contemplatively.Renee gaped at her friend, then slowly nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense actually.""So, I suggest we start at the cause—let's try to heal his face. What do you think?" Leia asked eagerly."We could, but his scar is so deep. How would we do it?""Ordinary plastic surgeons might not be able to do it, but plastic surgeons who work for celebrities can do just about anything. I'm sure a renowned plastic surgeon can do it!" Leia had seen how much celebrities changed after they debuted, so she knew just how talented some plastic surgeo
Macsen clenched his fists, agitated. For many years, he was mainly responsible for the armed forces of the fort. On the other hand, Benjamin instructed his adopted sons to take care of his business. Previously, Hunt Enterprise promised the Jenkins family many profits under the condition that Renee and Joanne could leave the fort safely. Hence, Benjamin let them go at that critical point despite the humiliation he faced. Afterward, Stefan continued his close cooperation with the Jenkins family. While this happened, the relationship between Macsen and Benjamin grew tenser. Gradually, Macsen kept gathering power to surpass Benjamin one day and take revenge on Stefan.Renee and Leia's sudden arrival at the fort was beyond Macsen's expectations. Although he was getting stronger, he wasn't powerful enough to fight Benjamin and the Hunts. Despite this, he naturally wouldn't give up such a good chance easily. Macsen's revenge was the result of his impulsiveness. He had been reckless,
"Well, you're bold. A pity that…you fell in love with such a cruel man like Stefan!"Macsen took a deep breath and waved melancholicly. Then, he instructed someone to push Renee into the river.Renee neither resisted nor tried to stall for time. She just wanted to get it over with. Having seen through men and human nature, she suddenly became pessimistic.Macsen's subordinate grabbed Renee and dragged her to the river bank. Before he was about to push her into the river, a dazzling light ruined the darkness and oppresiveness of the jetty. "I knew it was you, Macsen!" a furious voice resonated in the air. Liam, holding a floodlight, shone it into Macsen's eyes. "You and I aren't enemies! Why did you target me? Do you know how important these two people are to me?" he growled fiercely. Mateo followed closely behind. At first, he watched everything in silence. Eventually, he said something to sow discord between them. "Macsen, why couldn't you talk it out with us? You secretly
Disgust overcame Renee. She found Macsen pathetic."You claimed that you love your girlfriend, but you married Luneth. You married her and got a kid. Now, you want to be intimate with the woman you've just met. Do men think that love is just a trivial thing?""How could you…" Macsen was stunned. He didn't expect her to say that so directly. Guilty, he retorted, "You don't know anything! Men's love is different from women's love.""What's the difference?" Renee snorted and shot him a disdainful stare. "Yeah, it's different. Women are superior human beings. Once they fall in love with someone, they'll never sleep with another man. But men are different. Men are simply animals. They can love many people and sleep with different women. Maybe men and women shouldn't exist at the same time. Then, there won't be so many heartbroken women.""I disagree!" Macsen rolled up his sleeves, turning competitive because of Renee's words. "You make it sound like only men will have a change of heart.
"What kind of condition? I'm listening," Renee said curiously."It's very simple. The best way to take revenge on a man is to humiliate his beloved in front of him, especially by making her a slut in front of him. So…"After a pause, Macsen sized Renee up and cracked a wicked smile. "Turn on your social media, go live, and show everyone how you and I fool around. Let them see how you enjoy my lovemaking. Then, I'll consider letting you guys live!""That's outrageous!" Leia snarled, unable to tolerate it any longer. "You're out of your mind! Your woman is humiliated, so you should find fault with the culprit! Why do you want to hurt another innocent woman? If you love live shows, you should go shoot that kind of video yourself and sell it worldwide. It'll satisfy your special tastes!"Her sarcasm angered Macsen, who turned to his subordinate beside him.The subordinate immediately walked forward. Without hesitation, he grabbed Leia to the large ship behind Macsen."It's finally qu
Renee interrupted Leia for fear that the latter's words might drive Macsen up the wall.Macsen's intense reaction proved that he wasn't lying. Stefan had probably done something outrageous to his girlfriend.However, there might be some hidden clues in that incident. Given Renee's understanding of Stefan, he wasn't so ruthless even though he was abominable."No, she's right." Macsen took a deep breath and sneered. "I should make myself clear. If not, you'd never know how wicked someone could be… When I found my girlfriend, she was naked and had all kinds of bruises. She cried and told me that Stefan had assaulted her for several days and nights. In the end, she jumped off a building and died in front of me because of the utter humiliation!""What?!" At that point, Leia expressed her disbelief. "That can't be! There must be some misunderstanding! Stefan's a scumbag, but he's not a skirt-chaser or a deviant. That kind of thing would never have happened. Given his identity and sta
"Oh?" Macsen looked at Renee, interested. "Is there a way to cause him pain? Well then, I'm all ears."Renee looked at herself and Leia, then said, "I can tell you, but you need to let us go first. At least, let my friend go."Macsen grew cold, and snorted, "Hmph! You can't negotiate terms with me. I think killing you both is enough to cause him pain. Men, do it!""No!"Renee found Macsen's emotions to be very unsteady—he would turn hostile at any minute. Hence, she said patiently, "Okay, I won't ask you to let us go since you don't want to. At least tell us what terrible things Stefan has done that made you hate him so much. Maybe I'll pity you once you tell me. Then, I'll help you take revenge on him.""Don't take me as a fool. You, help me take revenge on him?" Macsen glared at Renee. Macsen wasn't so foolish to believe that a woman deeply in love with Stefan would betray him and work with his enemy to target him.Then again, it would cause Stefan greater pain if his beloved
At that point, Leia leaned backward and laughed heartily. Renee listened to the conversation and shook her head helplessly. They were doomed, alright.Their enemy wanted them dead later, but here Leia was, insulting and rebuking him fiercely. He would probably kill them on the spot.Just as Renee had expected, Macsen said nothing more. Instead, he waved and instructed his subordinate, "Do it now. I can't wait any longer.""Okay, boss." Macsen's subordinate nodded respectfully and glanced at the rest of the guards. They approached Renee and Leia with two sandbags and ropes. "W-What are you doing?" Leia swallowed, terrified at the sight of the sandbags and ropes. Masen sneered and said fiercely, "Didn't you say I'm a coward? I'll show you what a coward I am."The guards bound Renee and Leia tightly and secured the heavy sandbags around their ankles.Macsen's subordinate looked at Renee and Leia, now tightly bound, and asked him carefully, "Boss, it's done. Do we just push t
The man was stunned, then laughed heartily. "No wonder you're Stefan's most beloved woman! You're smart.""Huh? He's Macsen? How can you tell?" Leia looked at the man with confusion, her eyes widening. She never took this man as the amazing figure Liam had talked about."In the whole fort, other than Benjamin, the master, no one could offend Liam and snatch the hostages away from Mateo except for you, the one with an army. Plus, I hurt your dearest son. It's not hard to guess your identity," Renee said, her logic sound. "What a logical analysis! You think fast. I admire you for that." Macsen clapped, giving Renee an admiring look. The next moment, he turned cold. "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. I took you here to settle the grudge between us." "It's fine if you want to take revenge on me, but you have to let my friend go." Renee stood in front of Leia, meeting Macsen's gaze boldly. "This incident has nothing to do with her. Don't hurt her.""No." Macsen s
"Divorced?" The man was surprised at first, but soon remained calm. He snorted, "That's not a big deal. We can't judge the love a man holds for a woman through marriage. Many men ignore their wives and are madly in love with their lovers. I'm sure Renee is the woman Stefan loves the most.""I'm telling you, he doesn't love her!" Leia insisted.She sighed. Filled with indignation, she added, "He divorced my friend for his mistress. Based on your words, his mistress should be the one he loves best. If not, he wouldn't divorce my friend and watch her date another man. Do you think a man would behave like that if he loved her?""Is that so?" The man narrowed his eyes, trying to ascertain the authenticity of Leia's words. If Stefan divorced Renee for his mistress, then from the perspective of a man, that meant he did have a change of heart. Renee was no longer the woman he loved the most.Then again, based on the information the man had found, Stefan was madly in love with Renee. He r