"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
Both Leia and Xavier glared at each other."I want a clean break with you from now on. I won't even call you this week. Goodbye!" Leia declared and turned away, her nose in the air."Fine! I won't call you either!" Xavier got angry and hurt, feeling like he wasn't important to her. "If you stop calling me just because of that, I feel like you wouldn't hesitate to leave me if anything happens… I think we should seriously think about whether we want to keep this relationship going."Leia's body stiffened and her lips parted in surprise. "What? Are you breaking up with me because of something this trivial?" "I didn't say that, but I think we need to be rational and figure out if this should go on," he said coldly. He looked like a nonchalant playboy, but when he fell in love, he would do anything for his partner. His feelings would get stronger easily, and he would be more impulsive and childish in his thinking. Xavier said that only because he was serious about this relationship, an
Shirley was wearing an expensive white suit and had a pair of sunglasses on, looking every bit the famous movie star. She lowered her sunglasses slightly and waved at Leia enthusiastically.Leia, however, just rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Well, it's not. This place isn't big and we have our eyes on the same guy, so it's not strange that we bump into each other here. Don't act like we're close." She hated scheming women who always pretended to be weak. Besides, Shirley was Xavier's first love who he had adored for many years, so Leia naturally found her an eyesore."How rude! Shirley is a famous movie star, you know? She actually greeted you politely, but you dare be rude to her! Aren't you afraid of being attacked by Shirley's fans?" Shirley's assistant argued with Leia angrily. Shirley was respected everywhere she went given her current popularity, so her team wasn't used to being treated coldly. Despite Leia's position as the young lady of the Osborne family, the assistant refused
"Xavier, you're here..." Shirley pretended to be shocked and then glanced at Leia. "I don't know why Miss Osborne is so angry. I greeted her politely, but she just started insulting me... But it's fine. As a public figure, I can't make everyone like me."Leia rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and mocked, "Yeah, obviously you're the most innocent person here. I was the unreasonable one for targeting a star like you; I'm nothing but a narrow-minded madwoman.""Miss Osborne, don't say that. I didn't mean that..." Shirley looked at Xavier pitifully. "Xavier, you've been with me for years, so you know me best… Am I a troublemaker?"Xavier glanced at her coldly and said, "If you had acted this well in your movies, we would have profited ages ago.""Xavier, you…" Shirley's face turned livid and she quickly lowered her head, gritting her teeth in anger. Xavier always praised and adored her, so she never expected that he would embarrass her in front of another woman. She could not accept it!"
Xavier put one hand in his pocket, his posture cold as he walked into his office. He then casually dropped onto the sofa, uncaring about his image now."Umm... It's fine. Mr. Stuart, you can talk to Shirley alone and she can brief us later. If we go in, we'll only be in your way," the agent explained quickly. Of course, she hoped that Shirley could win Xavier's heart back. After all, Shirley would fall from grace in less than half a year without a sponsor given her lack of skills. She would lose both her net worth and her huge fanbase, and it would be tough for her to make a comeback again."Just come in. As her team, you should be involved in her future plans, right?" Xavier frowned impatiently, burning with anger. Leia's indifference earlier had annoyed him, and now, these women were trying to scheme against him."Well... This..." Both the agent and assistant glanced at Shirley, waiting for her order. They were loyal to Shirley, so they always obeyed her. "It's fine, just come i
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