"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
The company had somehow managed to survive for the past few years. Although Shirley was now the most popular actress, her business value was still low. Deciding to risk offending Xavier, the board of directors hesitantly suggested replacing Shirley with someone new. Everyone was prepared for Xavier's wrath, since they all knew that Shirley was his favorite.However, to their shock, he wholeheartedly supported the idea. "I was thinking the same thing! In Shirley's case, we've lost more money than we've earned. She doesn't deserve all our resources," Xavier said firmly from his seat in the middle of the conference room."What?! Mr. Stuart, you agree to replacing Shirley? That's... unbelievable!" Ryan Wallace, the person in charge of marketing, exclaimed in disbelief."Was I not clear, or do you have trouble understanding me, Mr. Wallace? Isn't it normal for us to replace someone who isn't performing well? Why are you so shocked?" Xavier's eyes narrowed as he rested his chin on his h
Xavier eagerly opened the door to his office, and saw Leia standing in front of the French windows. He quickly walked up to her and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck as he murmured elatedly, "My darling, you finally came to see me. You want to tell everyone about our relationship now, right?" When they started dating, their behavior changed drastically. In the past, Leia had been the clingy one, while Xavier was always uncommitted and vague. He had always been reluctant to officially make her his girlfriend, but now, he was the one who wanted to announce it to the world. He had become the clingy one in the relationship, and always wanted to hug and kiss her. However, Leia was concerned about her work, and requested a secret relationship instead."I don't understand why we can't expose our relationship. You're not a celebrity, so it won't affect your career, right?" He complained while hugging her."I'm not a celebrity, but your ex-girlfriend is. You don't know how horrible h
Renee covered her face and turned away, looking embarrassed.Xavier scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Renee, you're here. Why didn't you say anything? I didn't realize….""It's alright, it's just Ren. There's no need to treat her like a guest." Leia walked up to Renee and pulled her into the office, then said to Xavier, "You're aware of Quinton's condition, right? Well, Ren and I came here today to ask if you know any good plastic surgeons. We want to help him treat his scar.""I see. Well, you came to the right person. I do know a lot of good plastic surgeons, but… are you sure he's willing?" Xavier looked troubled as he explained, "I introduced a good plastic surgeon to him before—one who's operated on many celebrities. It would have been easy for the surgeon to heal such a scar, but Quinton refused to go for surgery and argued with me about it, so I didn't dare to bring it up again.""Oh, now I remember. You told me that before but you didn't update me agaim after that. I
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked
The party started officially at night. It was a small party, and only some close relatives of the Baldwin family attended.Austin took the main seat while his son and daughter-in-law sat in the secondary seats. Justin and the others sat accordingly.After dressing herself up, Renee attended the party in simple clothes. She looked like a young lady from a great family. Adie, Abby, and Quinton did not attend the party to avoid unnecessary disputes. Renee was the only one who attended the party. When she reached the hall, the people had already taken their seats. They sized her up maliciously and studied her as if they wanted to make her pay a heavy price."Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I got here late." Renee took a deep breath and naturally greeted everyone. She appeared composed, but she knew she was rather frightened. She never panicked when she faced such a scene alone in the past. She could easily handle it because Justin would always take her side no matter what happened.
Quinton was fine even if Renee wasn't that happy. But she must lead a steady life and live beyond a hundred years old. "Quinton, I know I owed the Baldwin family a lot, even if you didn't tell me. I won't be back if not for the sake of their kindness."Renee did not hide or lie even if Justin was around. She merely wanted Justin to hold no hope in her. "How could you be this straightforward?" Quinton had purposely brought Justin along because he wanted to bring Justin and Renee together. He felt that they could still be together since things weren't that hopeless. But the disappointing Renee ruined all possibilities easily. Kindness didn't exist between a romantic couple."It's fine." Justin looked indifferent before he snorted. "I'm glad she made things clear. It's better than being ambiguous.""I'm sorry." Renee looked at Justin. Although she had made herself clear, her guilt did not diminish. She immediately expressed her guilt and helplessness since Justin did not igno