Stefan could never say nice things. When Renee heard his words, she felt annoyed. "Mr. Hunt, you're from a noble family, so why would you say such vulgar things? I'm not having an affair."Renee took a step towards him and sneered, full of ridicule. "Even if I did, it has nothing to do with you. What right do you have to criticize me?" "What right do I have?" Stefan said lightly, "I'm your cousin-in-law, if you think about it. I saw my cousin-in-law hugging another man, so don't I have the right to criticize you?"Cousin-in-law?" Renee's lips twitched. How could he be so shameless and arrogant?"Is there a problem?" Stefan raised his brows and asked snidely. "Aren't you madly in love with my missing cousin? He only just went missing, but you're already getting into a passionate relationship with another man. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?" "How ridiculous! Stefan, shouldn't you explain yourself given how you took liberties with me, your so-called cousin-in-law?" Renee f
Haze's gaze was resentful and provoking. "Did you forget that the Hunt family suffered a terrible loss these past two years, which your family only managed to resolve by having an alliance marriage with the Murphy family? Now you're facing so many enemies, and yet you still claim that Beach City is ruled by the Hunt family.""Yes, the Hunt family has a lot of enemies, and it's fine if your family is one of them too. Come at me then, if you really think I'm so powerless."The two men glared at each other icily, and the atmosphere became tense and dangerous.Stuck in the middle, Renee was forced to mediate the situation. "Okay, there's no need to argue like children. Take a step back and it'll be a win-win situation. Isn't that nice? There are so many resources for you guys to share, so one will be left out. You guys don't have to fight against each other, both of you will suffer losses this way."The Hunt and the Baldwin families had been sworn enemies for the past few decades, but
Stefan finally let go of her hand and explained solemnly, "Yeah, I did take liberties with you previously because you were too charming. I felt that your gaze, behavior, and soul were trying to seduce me. I failed to hold myself back, and gave in to your seduction. It was my fault, so let me apologize to you.""Umm… what exactly are you talking about?" Renee did not expect that he would say such an outrageous thing. He was an arrogant man, but he had bluntly admitted to falling for her charms."Didn't I make myself clear? You're a very charming woman. You can move me even if you do nothing. Well, I could be wrong, but you need to be held responsible too," Stefan repeated sincerely.Renee blushed as she smoothed her hair and grinned. "Well, look at you! It's a known fact that I'm charming. I can't help it, I'm sorry. I'll hold myself back next time, so you won't be tempted...""That's more like it." Stefan then grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, his gaze intense. "So, c
Stefan sounded so practical that she had no way to argue."Cousin-in-law..." Helplessness overcame her. "You're so noble. You flirt with your cousin-in-law while claiming that you can't let her cheat on Jovan… How hypocritical.""That's different." Stefan loosened his tie, and his gaze was sharp as he said casually, "Jovan and I share the same surname, so my family won't be humiliated if anything happens between us. However, Justin is a Baldwin and my family's enemy, so there's no way you can get into a relationship with him.""Why should I listen to you? Do I look like your slave? You have no right to meddle in my business." Renee was disgusted by his words, so she tried her best to push him away. "Let me make it clear to you—Justin is trying to win my heart. I didn't feel anything for him before this, but a guy like him is so much nicer than an overbearing and arrogant man like you. Maybe he's the right man for me… so I want to give him a chance!"Stefan's eyes widened in rage. "
"Mr. Hunt, don't worry. Miss Garcia is doing just fine. She'll recover and be discharged from the hospital in a week if nothing goes wrong." Joanne's attending doctor explained carefully. "But her body is weak. It seems like something's troubling her, so she's not trying to stay alive. She doesn't eat much either, and just relies on the IV drip to survive. It's all a bit complex… it'd be good if you could give her some moral support."Stefan nodded. "Thank you, I'll do that then."The hospital dean and Joanne's doctor walked with Stefan for a while until they arrived at Joanne's ward. Stefan was about to send them off, but suddenly thought of something. "By the way, why did Renee come to this hospital?""Miss Everheart?" The hospital dean remembered Renee, but mostly because of Justin. "She came with Mr. Baldwin. It seems like something went wrong with her brother's surgery, so they rushed him here as an emergency case. His attending doctor was hired by Mr. Baldwin though. He made a
"Umm..." The dean looked conflicted. "We do know an expert in this field, but Mr. Baldwin set up this team, so it might upset him if we suddenly change it.""You're worried about upsetting him? What about upsetting me?" Stefan's gaze turned icy, and his aura became menacing.The dean went pale, and swallowed nervously. "I understand, Mr. Hunt. Please let us handle this." "Make sure the effectiveness of your doctor surpasses Justin's," Stefan added casually as he walked away. "Don't worry, Mr. Hunt. We'll do our best." The dean gritted his teeth and decided to use all his resources and connections for this task.The Hunt family ruled Beach City; they'd rather take their chances with an angry Justin than an angry Stefan.Stefan was silent, but he was no longer upset. 'Wait for me, Renee… You'll be crying tears of gratitude once this is done.'Renee returned to Quinton's ICU ward. Haze was waiting there, and he peered at her intently as if he were appraising a piece of art.Feelin
"You're overthinking. We were never that close, and so many things have happened between us that things can't go back to the way they were," Renee said softly as she gazed into the distance. In the past, she might have had feelings for him, but after all these events, they had started to fade.The only thing she wanted now was for her family to be safe and healthy—that was all that mattered.After a while, they heard footsteps, and saw Robert walking towards them dressed in casual clothes and carrying a surgery kit."Doctor Cromwell, aren't you going to treat my brother today? Why do you…"Renee looked at Robert's attire in confusion. He didn't look like someone who was about to perform surgery. "Miss Everheart, Mr. Baldwin… I'm so sorry, I can't treat him. The dean has arranged for someone else to take over, so you both can talk to the new attending doctor… I have something to do at home, so I'll leave now.""What?" Renee's eyes grew wide in shock. "Didn't you do a good job with
"Mr. Wilfred, what happened? Why did you remove Doctor Cromwell from the medical team? He's my brother's attending doctor and he saved his life! He should be in charge of the case," Renee exclaimed in outrage.If Quinton wasn't hospitalized there, she would have lost it completely."Umm… We don't want to delay Mr. Everheart's treatment, so we're going to get a better doctor to take over his case. We're trying to help him wake up as soon as possible." Ezra Wilfred didn't dare to speak frankly since they had yet to succeed, and he couldn't reveal that it had been Stefan's order. "Doctor Cromwell is very good, and he's someone we trust too. I don't think there's anyone else more suitable than him. Can you put him back in charge?" Renee was firm. She had always suspected that Quinton's accident was the result of someone's scheme, and she trusted Haze's doctor since he had saved Quinton's life."Miss Everheart, please believe me when I say that there's always someone better out there.
Elijah sounded urgent and serious. "Mr. Hunt, something's wrong!"Meanwhile, Renee exited the hospital. There was a luxurious convertible at the entrance which attracted a lot of people's attention. Jovan, who kept a high profile, was sitting in the sports car.He was wearing an ostentatious black floral shirt. However, his ostentatious appearance coupled with his casual aura made him look more charming like a model from an advertisement. Renee covered her face and stealthily got into the car. "Can you stop keeping a high profile? You're very eye-catching. It's dangerous!"Jovan kept waving, shouting, and whistling at her just now. It filled her with deep embarrassment. "Well, we're all experiencing the world. If I don't keep a high profile, people won't remember me. I don't care what they think about me as long as I have a great time!"After Jovan confirmed that Renee had sat properly, he pressed hard on the gas pedal and started driving. Although Renee found that unaccept
"Are you trying to sound me out?" Renee smirked, squinting her eyes at Stefan. Although he claimed that he wanted to end things with her and kept some distance from her, his actions betrayed him. These days, he kept staying close to her. Besides, he kept acting when it was time for her to leave the hospital. He purposely dawdled while helping her pack her things. Besides, he even asked about her relationship with Justin. It showed that he was reluctant to part with her. She was baffled. She wondered why he was that aloof if he could not part with her."No, I'm not." Stefan smiled and did not hide anything. He openly admitted, "I care about you.""You finally…" Renee's eyes brightened as she looked at him eagerly. She wondered if he had come to his senses and wanted to tell her the truth. He was willing to face the difficulty with her.However, he sounded even calmer. "After all, you're Adie and Abby's mother. Grandpa is always concerned about you. I want you to be happy and sa
The Lotso bear was a villain in the movie, but it was a pitiful villain because it was abandoned by its owner. It used various means and encountered a lot of hardships to return to Daisy, its owner. In the end, it found that its owner had long gained new toys.After getting hurt, it no longer wanted to be kind. It was used to act cunningly as a form of disguise. But honestly, it was a dear baby who needed love. Of course, it was not a villain at all. Renee liked it because she saw herself as well as others in it. Everyone was gloomy in some way. People got hurt and slowly became gloomy. Instead of criticizing such a thing, Renee felt more compassion and sorry for such a situation. "But you still don't want it and want to throw it away." Stefan was gripped with complicated feelings after listening to Renee's explanation. He sounded sad."Yes, I like it. But I still want to throw it away. It's better to stop in time." Renee laughed and stopped shaking her legs. She was her usual
A week later, Renee recovered because she listened to the doctor and underwent treatment. She could be discharged from the hospital.In the meantime, Stefan stayed outside the ward and did not enter the ward.On the contrary, Jovan kept entering the ward from time to time. Renee would either scold or drive him away. Stefan entered the ward on the day Renee was leaving the hospital. He quietly helped Renee pack up her things. Generally, a caretaker could do that. However, Stefan acted like he wanted to repent and felt better when he took it upon himself. "Do you still need this?" Stefan pointed at a Lotso bear toy at the head of the bed and asked Renee calmly.During the one-week hospitalization, Renee got bored. Stefan would give her some blind boxes as entertainment. Renee found Rubik's cubes, stickers, and keychains when she opened the boxes. She would always throw them away because she was not interested in them. When she unpacked a rather large Lotso bear toy, she became
Jovan had kidnapped Renee, but he risked his life for her though he appeared like a cunning and selfish man. Renee felt that she did not deserve his love. She had wronged both Jovan and Justin, but she could not love them back. On the other hand, the one she wanted to love kept pushing her away cruelly…She slapped herself fiercely. Her action frightened the nurse. "Ms. Everheart, we can talk things out! Why did you hurt yourself? You can't…" "Don't worry. I'll get better and won't harm myself again." Renee was teary and laughed at herself. "I slapped myself because I recalled the things I'd done. I was very stupid, and I wanted to knock some sense into myself." "Okay, I'm glad to hear that." The nurse heaved a sigh of relief, but she was afraid to see Renee keep acting crazily. After she was done bandaging Renee's wound, she left hurriedly.When Stefan saw the nurse exit the ward, he walked in nervously and inquired about Renee. "How she's doing?" "She's already feeling be
Having said that, Justin turned to leave. He knew that if he stayed, he would only look more of a fool. "Tsk! What a pity!" Jovan watched him leave, shrugging and sighing. "He's sincere and loyal. Too bad he pales in comparison to the scumbag!""Get out!" Renee was overcome with sadness and pushed Jovan away fiercely. "Get out! I don't want to see anyone!" Knowing that she had harmed Justin again, she was filled with guilt. She just wanted to be left alone."Rest well. I'll be with you until you're recovered and discharged from the hospital," Stefan said calmly before exiting the ward.In a while, a nurse came to tend to the bandages that Renee had removed. She advised Renee, "Ms. Everheart, you have to be careful. You're weak now. You can't get angry, or it might be life-threatening.""I don't care. My life is so messy, I'd rather die."Thinking of the recent events and the men around her, a severe headache hit her. She wanted to keep being unconscious."Please don't say tha
"Do you still want to marry me?" Justin asked Renee."I…" Renee could talk nonsense with Jovan, but she couldn't joke with Justin. She had harmed him many times and couldn't keep hurting him. Honestly, she didn't want to marry him or anyone else. She did not want to rely on anyone. She knew she could rely on a man and lead a steady life if there was love. But without love, it would be very hard to rely on a man.However, she knew that Justin liked her and wanted to marry her. If she promised to marry him, the impulsive Jovan would get the staff of the City Hall here. If she turned Justin down at that time, she would harm him again."Fine. You don't have to feel stressed. I know the answer." Justin was no fool. Renee's hesitation told him what she wanted. "When I begged you to marry me, you forced yourself to say yes. You just wanted to repay me for saving your life.""No, you're wrong!" Seeing Justin hurt pained her more than when she was hurt. She hurriedly explained, "I reall
"What is it?" Renee looked at Justin curiously.Renee, Stefan, and Jovan were curious about what was on Justin's mind."If my family starts fighting the Hunt family, which side will you take?" Justin went straight to the point. He had been curious about that as he made wild guesses about Renee's mind. Since Renee was right before him, he wanted to get the answer from her before he could give up."Hmph! I thought it was something serious. Why did you make it sound that serious…" Jovan burst into laughter, finding Justin a loyal man. "Isn't that obvious? If she wants to take your side, you guys would be married by now. There wouldn't be so many shitty things either!""Shut up, Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. If she was stronger, she would beat him up. She said coldly, "Did you forget how you took me away?""Yes, I used some cunning means to take you away, but let's be frank. If I didn't come that day, would you marry him?"Jovan had long gotten used to Renee's fierceness. On the c
Similarly, Renee used an iron wire to cut her wrist just to meet Stefan."Am I right? You did so many things just to see him. Now you finally met him. Are you happy and satisfied now? But you look worse than before." Jovan teased Renee. He found her pitiful, but at the same time, he felt that it served her right. It seemed everybody was a joke in their romance with others. Only those who never loved could be at the top of the food chain. They would laugh at those who gave up their hearts to others and could not understand those people's bizarre actions."Stop gloating. It's none of your business! Let go of me, or I'll make you feel sorry for yourself."Renee had just escaped death and was weak. Had it not been for that, Jovan wouldn't be able to stop her or watch her make a fool of herself. Still, she would be fine with losing blood again just to torment him if he kept on talking nonsense. Then, he would watch his tongue."Tell me, Phoenix. Is he telling the truth?" Justin