"Cruel?" Xavier sneered and glared at Shirley. "Letting you live after everything you've done is already generous!" Shirley's eyes instantly turned watery, and she grabbed his arm and sobbed. "I know that you're still mad at me because of the affair, and that's why you're behaving like this, but don't you still love me? Give me another chance, we can start over!""No way." Xavier brushed her hand off in disgust. "My intentions back then were sincere, and I really did want to spend the rest of my life with you, but you disappointed me. You're devious and greedy, and I hate that kind of person the most. The only thing I feel for you now is disdain, and if you leave now, maybe I won't think so badly of you." Shirley collapsed on the floor in despair and helplessness. "I didn't do that because I was greedy... I just hoped I could be the perfect match for you. I didn't know things would turn out that way. Your father and I...""Shut up!" Xavier interrupted her and clenched his fists.
Shirley was about to leave in a fit of anger with her agent and assistant, but froze when Leia crashed to the ground in front of them. Everyone was dumbstruck as they stared at her."Ugh, how embarrassing…" Leia mumbled, keeping her head low. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her... Maybe she could migrate to another country tomorrow.Knowing she couldn't hide from them any longer, Leia looked up and smiled at them widely. "Umm… hi. What a coincidence, I just happened to be passing by!"Shirley sized Leia up condescendingly, then scoffed, "Yeah, what a coincidence! Miss Osborne, weren't you eavesdropping on us?""Of course not! Why would I do something like that? I told you I was just passing by." Leia stood up and dusted off her clothes, stubbornly refusing to admit it."I thought you were a virtuous person given your noble background, but it looks like the two clearly aren't connected. Although I grew up in an ordinary family, I never did such an immoral thing
Leia's words infuriated Xavier, and he growled at her, "Really? Is that what you think?""As if you didn't say the same about me!" Leia protested."We've been a couple for a while now, so don't you know how I feel about you? Are you just going to believe whatever people say when they try to sow discord between us?" Xavier's words were sharp. He felt that his relationship with Leia was different from what he had with Shirley. He and Leia were soul mates who loved each other; their love was simple and fervent, and couldn't be shaken by others… But now, Shirley had so easily created a rift between them.Maybe the relationship wasn't as deep as he thought… Maybe he was just a nobody to Leia. Though he was hoping for reassurance, Leia's next words disappointed him even more. "Yeah, I think Shirley is more rational than me. She was right, you know—you did sacrifice everything for her. She was your first love that you adored greatly, and I... Well, I'm just another one of your flings. Th
Xavier's lip curled in anger as he growled, "You've done enough damage already. Can you get lost now?""Why, you!" Shirley stamped her feet and walked out of the office furiously, her agent and assistant quickly following her.As soon as they left the office, her agent said anxiously, "It looks like Master Xavier is serious about Miss Osborne. No wonder he agreed with the board of directors to suspend you. It'll be very troublesome if things went on like this.""Enough talking… You know what to do," Shirley said cryptically as she calmly touched up her makeup."You're saying..." The agent trailed off when Shirley glanced at her meaningfully, and she soon realised what she meant. The agent sighed, her heart sinking. When she first made her debut, Shirley was a naive and gullible young woman. At that time, she never complained even if things were hard because she wanted to earn money for her mother's illness and her brother's gambling debt. She worked hard to get to where she was n
Renee saw a dark red jelly-like thing in the box that resembled a mushroom. Although Renee didn't know what it was, she couldn't tear her gaze away from it."That item is an ancient mushroom. Generally, it's very rare to find a thousand-year-old mushroom, and even if you do, most of them are white. But this is a ten-thousand-year-old mushroom, so it's dark red. It's said to be able to bring people back to life, so many noble families around the world would pay any price to get it to live longer. I didn't expect it to be here in Carmine Pawnshop though... Well, it's certainly the most valuable treasure in this shop," Haze elaborated enthusiastically. He liked studying codes and reading books about treasures, so he was happy he managed to see such a rare item today."Wow, Quinton, you're pretty generous. You spent a fortune because of your sister. I'm afraid all men will come in pursuit of Phoenix if you announce this as her dowry... I must get her for this mushroom alone!" Haze said j
Haze immediately kept his mouth shut and stared at the chessboard intently.Both Renee and Quinton had a heart-to-heart talk with each other for a long time. After that, Renee recalled why she went to him in the first place. She asked tentatively, "Quinton, is it uncomfortable for you to wear this mask for long?""It's fine. I found it heavy in the past, but now I've gotten used to wearing it.""I saw your photo before your face was ruined on the Internet, and you're so handsome! Your eyes resemble Mom's and your features look just like Dad's. Your aura is like Grandpa's. You're indeed my brother… You're so perfect!""Of course. I'm not bragging, but if my face hadn't been ruined, I could've made a great living in Beach City. I established my business by relying on my charms back then." Quinton was very confident in his charisma. In the past, he could kill anyone and do anything he wanted without any obstacles because of his charm. It was also the reason why he hated Stefan so much
Naturally, Quinton couldn't refuse after Renee mentioned Adie and Abby. "Well… just do whatever you want then," he said awkwardly.Renee's eyes lit up, and she asked excitedly, "Quinton, do you mean it?""Of course. I just don't want you, Abie, and Addy to leave. I love the kids very much, and I don't want them to be afraid of me, so… I'll give in, even if it hurts my pride." Although he sounded pitiful, his face was full of happiness. To him, the children represented hope and a new beginning. He considered Adie and Abby his descendants, so he was willing to sacrifice anything for them; a minor face recovery surgery was nothing."Great! Don't worry, Quinton, I know you'll lead an exciting new life after the surgery," Renee said as she quickly took the business card out and called the doctor. "We'd better not waste time. I'll set the surgery for tomorrow to make sure nothing goes wrong. What do you think?""Whatever." Quinton waved his hand dismissively. He didn't bother protesting
"But..." Renee didn't know what to say to that. Quinton didn't want to make things difficult for Renee, so he snatched the consent form from her and signed it swiftly. "I'll bear the risk. Hurry up and do the surgery, I've got things to do after this." "Okay, please come to the surgery room with us." The doctor nodded and led Quinton to the surgery room, while Renee, Leia, and Haze waited in the corridor."Lei, did we make the right decision? Why do I feel so worried?" Renee paced back and forth in the corridor, nibbling her lip anxiously."Stop overthinking; trust the doctor's skills and Quinton's luck. Even if you don't, you should trust Xavier's character. He recommended the doctor to us, so I'm sure everything will be fine," Leia said comfortingly as she rested her hand on Renee's shoulder. Although Xavier was a scumbag in love affairs, he was a loyal friend. Leia trusted that nothing would go wrong given that he was the one who recommended the plastic surgeon.Half an hour
Some people felt that Stefan's reply was friendly, and that he didn't want to fight the Baldwin family. Some felt that Stefan's reply was a provocation for the Baldwin family. As the culprit, he claimed that he felt sorry for them. It was a great humiliation for the Baldwin family. "He's outrageous!" Justin roared.When he read the report, he shared the same thoughts as some of the netizens. He felt that Stefan was openly mocking him. As the winner, Stefan mocked him for failing to keep his fiancee. Justin grew mad and smashed everything in the room."What's going on?" Sophia was carrying some soup for her dear son. When she saw that scene, she became worried.A servant was standing outside the door with her head low and carefully replied, "Mr. Baldwin got angry after reading the response from Mr. Stefan Hunt. We're too afraid to stop him. Please help us, madam.""The response from Stefan Hunt?" Sophia didn't pay attention to the relevant news and had no idea what it was
Jovan looked away and snorted. "Stop daring me. It's useless. I won't let you go—at least, not now.""Then you're going to get me killed!" Renee became angry and anxious. Jovan must be crazy—there was no way to make him compromise! "I can't watch you get killed, so I can't let you go." Jovan coldly got up and exited the room.Renee watched silently as the door closed. A greater anxiety gripped her when she thought of the conflict between the Baldwin and Hunt families. She had to leave immediately, but she couldn't break free of the chain around her foot. There was no way to make Jovan compromise. She had no idea how to leave.While under great pressure, she noticed an iron art product on the bedside cabinet.A horrible idea dawned on her, but she had no idea if it would work. Jovan would probably be indifferent about it, and it might be useless. That, and she would have to pay a greater price. But she had no choice. "Forget it! I have to take this chance!" Renee took
Jovan awkwardly tried to comfort Renee. However, his words sounded more hurtful and made her cry even louder. "This is all your fault!" Renee raised her head, then pointed at him while bawling loudly. "Did I ever anger you? Why did you frame me? What good did it bring you?""I…" Jovan's heart softened because of how pitiful she looked when she cried profusely. However, he was a pretentious man and would not show that he had gone easy on her. Instead, he tried to provoke her even more. "You can't change anything even if you cry loudly. Austin wants nothing but to kill you and your family now. If I were you, I wouldn't be in the mood to cry. I'll brace myself to manage a funeral for them."Renee was flabbergasted. She didn't expect him to be this inhuman. She was heartbroken, but he kept hurting her. She cried even more profusely."I'll keep on crying. Let me go if you can't take it. If you don't, I'll keep on crying until you can no longer take it!"She cried loudly as if she
A major issue happened to two famous and great families. The entertainment channel and news channel kept reporting about it, let alone the financial channel.Jovan didn't have to turn to a specific channel when he turned on the TV. The screen was showing a scene related to the engagement ceremony."They…" Only then did Renee learn that while she was waiting in the makeup room for her turn to make an entrance, the atmosphere in the hall had turned very tense. Alexander and Francine argued and fought against Justin's parents in a way unsuited to their statuses. Everyone failed to wait until she made an entrance before she went missing. She saw how the situation gradually became worse. She also noticed Justin's disappointment in her and Austin's wrath. Austin finally couldn't control himself, and kidnapped Alexander and Francine. "The Hunt family has yet to make a statement about it. We also have no clue about Mr. Alexander Hunt and his wife's current circumstances. However, we
Renee said seriously, "I would like a plate of pasta with more vegetables and is not spicy. I'm afraid this is my last meal."Jovan was rendered speechless. Although Renee was being sarcastic, he still went to the kitchen to make her a delicious plate of pasta. He added some vegetables and a nice fried egg for a balanced diet. "It's done." Jovan had sent off all the servants of the mansion, leaving Renee with him. Hence, he was the one who cooked the pasta and served it to her. "Wow, you're fast." Renee wanted to get a chance to run away since she had sent him away to cook for her, but she couldn't come up with any trick.In the end, she got hungry when she saw the pasta. It was mouth-watering. She was starving!Jovan was good at cooking pasta, even though he didn't seem reliable. The pasta he made tasted like home-cooked food."Give it a try." Jovan didn't say much. He meticulously blew on the pasta and handed her a fork and spoon. Renee accepted it, eager to start eatin
Jovan watched Renee fall into a deep thought. His gaze deepened, filled with renewed ferocity.Jovan turned his wrist and said slowly, "Okay, stop overthinking. I can tell you the truth if you want to know it." Renee abruptly looked up. Her eyes were teary as she begged him, "What's the truth?" "Listen to me and stay with me." Jovan frowned. After a short contemplation, he grinned and continued, "Stay with me for ten days or half a month. Then, I'll tell you.""That's not possible!"Renee immediately refused him, growing cold. "I have to leave right away. I can't watch the two families get into a fight."If she didn't return to North City immediately to explain things, the Baldwin and Hunt families would get into a big fight. Regardless of her circumstances, she didn't want them to fight. They were good people, and she refused to see them hurt. "Just let them fight. It's just a fight among bad people. Your family can grab this chance to get back to the top. Don't you want tha
Jovan felt that he wasn't as passionate and loving as Stefan."Stop beating around the bush. Why is he trying to hold himself back? You made a scumbag sound like he'd suffered a lot!" Renee snarled.She gnashed her teeth. If her foot was not chained, she would have long beaten Jovan up for being evasive and mysterious."I think he was forced to give up his beloved woman because of his identity. He has suffered a lot." Jovan frowned, his tone laced with sympathy."What about his identity? I've already known about that. Our grandfathers decided on our marriage. What are we, Romeo and Juliet?" Renee had wondered if their families were sworn enemies. It might be the reason why Stefan was in a dilemma.However, her grandfather made the Hunts take care of her when her family was doomed. Her grandfather always wanted the best for her. He held her hand and told her that only Stefan could make her happy, and only the Hunt family could protect her. It seemed unreasonable that Stefan was
Jovan was stunned to hear Renee's words. He was so furious, he laughed."Maybe!" He agreed with her and looked at her wickedly. "Since I can't win him over, I want his beloved woman.""You're out of your mind!" Renee was disgusted as goosebumps gripped her. "I'm not his most beloved woman. He loves Briar the most. You got the wrong person. You should kidnap Briar instead. Then, you can get to him."She was acting out of spite, but she meant what she had said.In the past, she was confident that Stefan loved her the most. After so many things had happened, she was no longer as confident. Stefan eventually broke up with her because of Briar. It was enough to prove her position in his heart."Haha! Do you really think so?" Jovan shook his head, his lips a complicated smile. He seemed to be muttering to himself or hinting at something. "Unfortunately, he can't always do a good job. His romance is a mess. His most beloved woman doesn't understand him. How pathetic!""Stop mumbling!
"You're trying to take revenge on Stefan, aren't you? What did he do? Why do you hate him so much?" Renee demanded.She was particularly clueless.At the very least, she felt that Stefan and Jovan didn't have a grudge even if they couldn't get along. Besides—back then, Stefan survived because of Jovan's blood.In a sense, they should be close to each other. Stefan was able to live on because of Jovan.Yet now, Jovan wanted to ruin the one he had once risked his life to rescue."No, I don't hate him," Jovan answered honestly. "I even admire him, and I'm jealous of him. He's my role model, the pride of my family.""Then, you're envious of him!" Renee went straight to the point. "You can't defeat him, so you tried to make him disappear. When that happens, you'll feel better. No one will block you, and you'll get a chance to shine."Jovan, speechless, slowly stopped smiling. Renee had accurately guessed his innermost thoughts. Since he couldn't defeat Stefan, he would let Stefan b