"You're threatening me?" Xavier disliked being threatened the most, and could see through her schemes. "What do you take me for? Am I some kind of item offered to make peace?" "Did I?" Shirley smiled bitterly, looking very self-deprecating. "I just want to be your friend, but you're saying I threatened you. Do you want us to hate each other forever? Will that make you happy?"Xavier was at a loss for words. He wasn't happy about it, but it seemed like she just wanted them to be friends again. There would be no reason to plot against him just for that. "Fine, I can make peace with you and be your friend from now on. I hope you can keep your promise though; this thing ends here. Don't let it become worse." "Okay, you have my word." Shirley nodded and spread her arms out. "Can we hug each other as friends?""Isn't that unnecessary?" Xavier frowned, instantly cautious."It's just a hug between friends, there's no harm in it. What's more, I nearly died just now. Can't you console me
It was a very normal statement, but Leia could tell that Shirley was provoking her. She didn't know if she was overthinking it, but that kind of gaze disgusted her."It seems like I came at the wrong time. I don't want to disturb you, so I'll go now..." Leia bit her lip and kept her head low as she was about to leave. "No, it's fine." Xavier let go of Shirley and said to Leia coldly, "You caused such a great accident. Don't you want to resolve it?" He was on Leia's side but he could not favor her at a moment like this. Firstly, he didn't want to spoil her. Secondly, he didn't want to make Shirley jealous in case she decided to take revenge on Leia. Leia assumed that he was sorry for his first love, and bitterness and envy overwhelmed her. She didn't want to retreat, so she braced herself and walked into the ward before asking Shirley, "You know very well that I didn't push you down the hill on purpose, but I won't try to shift the blame either. So, what is it you want? Medical fee
"I want to but I don't know if Xavier..." Shirley looked at Xavier expectantly. "You don't have to ask him—the whole city knows that he's your number one fan. He's been running around like your servant for so many years, so I'm sure he's long wanted to marry you. You don't have to ask him," Leia glanced at Xavier and said enthusiastically. Xavier pursed his lips and made no reply. He just stared at Leia indifferently. "Isn't that true, Mr. Stuart? Miss White made such a bold statement, so shouldn't you express your thoughts on the matter?" Leia turned the conversation to Xavier, but did not dare to look at him out of guilt. She did not know what was on her mind. She was sad, but she pretended to be unconcerned. She did not want them to get back together with each other, but she kept making things worse. She must be crazy. "What else can I say? You're so good at talking, so you can help me say everything." Xavier had been watching Leia the whole time, looking displeased. Leia
After Leia spoke, she was overwhelmed with shame. She covered her face and rushed out of the ward. She could not fall in love casually any more. Even with her previous bad experiences, she had never been so hurt in a relationship before! One should never fall in love!Leia had apparently pushed Shirley down the hill just now, and now, her loyal man was with her, so Leia could not ask about Quinton's affair. She decided to wait until Shirley got better before she spoke to her seriously. She wanted to see if she could find the mastermind, so she decided she would stay in the small mountainous village in the meantime. She would have to be wherever Shirley was. Shirley was injured, so the shooting of Happy Days was paused for the time being. All the staff gathered in the small house to talk.Adam noticed that Leia was sitting sulkily beside a pond in front of the house. He was worried that she might be taking things too hard, so he immediately went over to comfort her. "Miss Osborne,
Leia frowned. "I can't say that either. What we have now should be extraordinary because we feel like killing each other." Adam assumed that she was purposely showing off her romance, and he smirked at her. "Don't worry, Miss Osborne. We're adults; I get it. I just want to ask if you're interested in the entertainment industry. Do you want to get popular?" "Popular?""Yeah, like being a fixed guest on this show. I'm sure we only need one season to make you popular given your character," Adam said confidently. He wanted to do Xavier the favor, and he also wanted to be successful. After all, he had directed so many shows, and now he had reached a bottleneck. If he could promote someone at this point, his career would grow to another level."What benefits will it bring me if I'm popular?" Leia raised her brows and asked him with a smile. "There are a lot of benefits. You'll gain fame and profit, and when people slander you, your fans will help you fight them. What's more, you can
"You like Santiago too? He's very nice and charming. What's more, he's professional, humble, and virtuous. In short... he's my idol, the one and only one!" When Leia thought of Santiago, she smiled and thought, 'Xavier, so what if you have your first love? I have an idol I admire too.'"Mr. Jiminez, do you know Santiago? I heard that he's pretty aloof and rarely befriends people in the entertainment circle," Leia asked him curiously. At first, she was not very interested in the shrewd director, but when she heard that he admired Santiago too, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. Her mood improved too, and she was friendly to him now."We're way more than that—we're close friends. I'll let you in on a secret… Santi owes me a big favor, so he'll surely come here if I invite him," Adam raised his head and said proudly.If a person could pacify such a difficult character in the entertainment circle, they were truly capable regardless of how wide their connections were. It was
Leia frowned, worried. "I just hurt Shirley. Everyone avoids me and sees me as a wicked woman, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get along with them."Leia felt anxious when she recalled how the other guests treated her that morning. Those people were fickle—if they saw Xavier and Shirley together, they would curry favor with Shirley and regard Leia as their enemy. If she had to shoot for the show under such circumstances, she was afraid that she might end up fighting with them on camera. "It's fine. You can fight with them if you can't get along with them. You can fall out with whichever pretentious person you want. Just be yourself, you don't have to pretend to like them. I hate pretentious people the most too." Adam took a fancy to Leia because he found her an unaffected person. She was unlike the stars who had been in the industry for many years. They were different in front of the camera and in private. As a result, the show became a platform for their hypocrisy. It was meanin
Leia was enraged by his words, and snapped at him, "Why? Do you want me to cry and kneel at her feet? Should I go throw myself off a hill to make up for it?""That's unnecessary, but you can't just pretend like nothing happened," Xavier said seriously. Everyone had been fussing over Shirley, and if Leia, the person who had caused the accident, didn't seem concerned, people would surely gossip about her."Yeah, that's not happening. Do something about it if you can't accept it," Leia said smugly, then placed her book on her face and swayed on the hammock, shutting everything out.She might be rude, but she could not be polite to a pretentious diva like Shirley. Shirley walked towards them, flanked by the others, and held Xavier's hand intimately. "Xavier, Miss Osborne is sleeping. Let's not disturb her. We'd better go back and rest. I said that I had forgiven her and that I don't blame her for what happened. Let's not dwell on that accident any longer." Everyone would surely prai
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
The thing Renee feared the most was that Jovan's action would infuriate the Baldwins.Quinton, Adie, Abby, and Margaret were still there. If the Baldwin family wanted to do something bad, Renee's family would be in danger. Her happiness was secondary. She just wanted to ensure that her family was safe and sound.It seemed Austin was full of schemes. Though he seemed to have brought her family to live with her, he in truth just wanted hostages to control her…Unfortunately, she couldn't go back in time even though she had seen through his tricks."What's the rush?" Jovan watched Renee with a meaningful smile. "Someone will handle it even if it's a big mess. Your family will be fine. My foolish cousin won't let them be in danger. At most, the two families will fight fiercely."Renee was shocked. She glared at him, and suddenly understood something. "So you did it on purpose! You wanted to watch them fight and get something from it.""That's not my concern. Once, I was more powerf
After all, Jovan was a human being. Such direct physical pain made him shake and groan. Normally, he should get angry and try all means to make her stop biting him.However, he was not an ordinary man. Although he trembled in pain, he maintained his posture and let her bite him as if he wanted to see who would give up first.Renee kept biting him fiercely, as if her teeth would gnaw through his palm. Blood oozed out of the wound. She was full of hatred, wishing to vent her anger. "Just bite me hard as long as you're happy. I'm enjoying myself too!"Jovan looked at her, whose head was lowered as she kept biting his palm fiercely. It was a bloody scene, but his words made everything sound ambiguous. Renee noticed his underlying meaning and was disgusted. She immediately let go of his palm. "Bah! Disgusting! You're sick!"Her lips were still stained with blood. From afar, it looked like a blooming rose from afar. It looked attractive on her. Aroused, Jovan held the back of her
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the