Renee did not broach that topic, feeling embarrassed to do so."Let me guess... Is it Stefan?" Justin instantly guessed from the look on her face, but there was one thing he couldn't figure out. "If he wanted to harm Quinton, why would he go to all that trouble to hire Owen? It doesn't make sense." "Who knows? Maybe he wanted to make me let my guard down and then use a crueler way to get rid of my brother. If my brother's gone, both the Everheart family and my brother's status in Water Dock will no longer be a threat to him," Renee suggested. She generally didn't like to see the bad in people, but she had seen how complicated and wicked people could become with time."It could be, but I think you should ask him about it. He's rather straightforward, so I'm sure he won't deny it if he was the one who did it," Justin said slowly.Renee stared at him for a while, then smiled oddly at him. "You're... weird."He grinned back at her. "I'm being nice, okay?" "That's what's puzzling me
Stefan's shock surprised Owen. Raising his brows, Owen asked, "You didn't know about it?"Stefan was speechless, a solemn expression on his face. A waiter immediately came forward with a new glass for Stefan, and carefully filled it with wine. "You really didn't know?" Owen found it strange. "Shouldn't Miss Everheart inform you if something happens to her brother? You two seemed pretty close." "Close? Hardly," Stefan scoffed and drank his wine grumpily."Stefan, you can't be that blind. It's obvious you both have feelings for each other, but you both keep trying to hide it!" Owen always traveled, so he wasn't aware of the news in Beach City. He also didn't know that Stefan and Renee were once married to each other, and as an outsider, he only noticed that the two had feelings for each other. "We did have history, but I had an accident, and I forgot all about my past with her. All the people around me claimed that she did a lot of things to harm me, and even she admitted that I
"Have you got a minute? I want to ask you something." Renee sounded very cold on the phone."Come to Tipsy Grove." Stefan ordered the driver to stop the car at the door of Tipsy Grove and waited for Renee. Renee arrived not long after. When she saw his car, she knocked on the car window.Joel Montana, Stefan's driver, opened the door and said to Renee, "Miss Everheart, there you are. Mr. Hunt, uhh… had a bit too much to drink tonight. Should I drive you guys to a hotel or..." It was late, and Joel felt a hotel was suitable given Renee's relationship with his boss.Renee glanced at Stefan, who was clearly drunk. She then sighed heavily. "Drive us to Hunt Villa.""Okay. Please get in the car, Miss Everheart. I'll get you guys there." Joel asked nothing more. All he needed to do was to drive his boss to his destination. Renee took the shotgun seat. She did not converse much with Stefan, who just kept his eyes closed. Nobody knew if he was actually sleeping or if he was just drunk.
"Fine, you promised." Renee immediately took out the silver ring from her bag and asked, "Is this yours?" Stefan stared at that diamond ring with his eyes narrowed, then said softly, "Yes, I always keep it with me.""Really..." Renee's heart ached with the realization, but she still refused to accept the truth. "Why did I find it beside my brother's pillow in the ward if you always keep it with you?""Beside your brother's pillow in the ward?" Stefan frowned, suddenly looking alert. However, his expression was complicated and unfathomable. Renee caught his surprise, and a sliver of hope appeared in her heart. She quickly asked, "Why? You don't know why this ring appeared beside my brother's pillow, do you? Did you lose it? Or did you give it to someone else?"She was trying to give him a reason to deny it. Whatever he said, she would believe it.Unfortunately, he whispered after a long pause, "I didn't give it to anyone else or lose it. I was the one who placed this ring beside
"You don't think I will?" Renee's eyes turned fierce as she gripped his throat tightly. She could easily break his neck if she wanted to."No, I don't think you can." Stefan laughed coldly, his gaze challenging."Fine, I'll grant your wish if you want to die that badly." Renee gritted her teeth and dug her fingers into his skin, gripping his throat hard."Ugh!" Stefan's face instantly turned red, and veins bulged on his forehead and neck. After a while, his eyes started to roll back into his head. "Hard—Harder. I'll have no regrets... if I die in your hands." Using his last bit of consciousness, he whispered to Renee. Blood started oozing out of Stefan's mouth, and if Renee used a bit more force, he would be dead.But at the last moment, she could not bear to do it. She let go of him and sneered, "Killing you would be too generous. I'll ruin you one day, just you wait and see." After that, she got up and left."Ren..." Her figure gradually turned blurry, and Stefan fainte
Seraphina stopped pretending after hearing what Stefan said. In fact, she was waiting for this after leaving the ring there."Yes, I left the ring beside Quinton's pillow on purpose to distance you and Renee. Go ahead if you want to punish me, but I don't regret what I did." She then lifted her head and closed her eyes, waiting for his decision."You…" Stefan did not expect her to admit to it, and he was fuming. He didn't know what to do with her. He couldn't bear to punish her given their past and all her sacrifices for him, but he couldn't pretend it had never happened. "I have nothing to do with that woman; you should know that all I care about is you. However, what you've done will only make me hate you more." Stefan swallowed, and the pain in his throat brought a frown to his face. He was still very weak, but his dangerous aura filled people with trepidation. "Hmph, all you care about is me?" Seraphina scoffed, acting like she had heard the most preposterous joke. "Stop fool
After all, Seraphina had done something dishonorable with Stefan's brain surgery. She had replaced Renee in his mind with her so she could win all his love. However, he was being so cruel to her now that she wondered if the surgery had lost its effect."That was the past. Now I know for sure that you're not the one I like." Stefan's answer was blunt and honest, filling her with despair.Stefan's words might be cruel, but he could no longer lie to himself. He knew that she was not the type that could bewitch him, and he couldn't figure out how they fell so madly in love with each other in the past."If I'm not the one you like, then who is?" Seraphina choked on her tears, her eyes wild. "It's Renee, isn't it? She charmed you the moment you saw her, and you changed your mind. Didn't you even consider that I only did it because I love you? You forced me to do it!""Yes." Stefan nodded. "So I'll bear the consequences. You were the one who pulled off Quinton's oxygen mask, but it was be
"I'm just reaping what I sowed. I wronged her first, and she was being generous by letting me live," Stefan explained hoarsely. He could not tell Francine the truth."You're out of your mind! Clearly, she's stolen your heart again." Francine sighed exasperatedly and said firmly, "Anyway, you can't cancel your marriage with Seraphina. It has to be carried out accordingly. A fortune teller told me that you and Seraphina are a great match, and that our families will prosper if you both marry. In short..."At the beginning of last year, Renee left Beach City and Stefan had woken up. After that, Francine went to Ninth Mountain to meet a legendary fortune teller to ask about her son. Francine had actually asked the fortune teller about the compatibility between Stefan and Renee before she looked into the compatibility between Stefan and Seraphina. She had to admit that she liked Renee more because she was decisive, capable, responsible, and straightforward. Unfortunately, Renee had suffere
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t
Time passed by. It was soon the day for the engagement ceremony between Justin and Renee.The Baldwin family held a grand ceremony while adhering to tradition. It was both traditional and romantic.Renee put on a red slim-fit silk gown with intricate black and gold embroidery. Her long hair was delicately pinned up, showing off her fair and slender neck. She looked elegant."How pretty!" Margaret stood in front of the vanity table and looked at Renee, whose face was dolled with exquisite makeup. She looked gratified, as though she were looking at her daughter."If your parents saw how pretty and elegant you were, they would be very happy." Margaret gently placed her hands on Renee's shoulders and commented, "You married Mr. Hunt when I wasn't around. You must have suffered a lot. But things will get better now… I'll stay with you and protect you forever. I'll be your strongest support."Back then, Renee was left alone when her family was ruined. She married Stefan without anyo
Alexander and Francine were already old. It was fine even if others criticized them or took violent revenge on them. But they were worried that the younger generation, especially Adie and Abby, would have a hard time handling it."You're right. I wasn't thinking straight…" Francine became teary and sobbed. "I just wanted to relieve my guilt and failed to consider the kids. We brought this upon ourselves. I'll probably have to suffer this pain for the rest of my life.""Stop thinking about that. It's all over. It's useless to regret or dwell on it." Alexander walked over and hugged her shoulders. He whispered some consoling words, "No one can tell who was right or wrong about that affair. We're already punished. Just act like everything is gone…"Is it? You're just trying to make yourself feel better." Francine leaned against Alexander's shoulders, full of melancholy. "Don't you think the kids are suffering the consequences of our actions? They love and understand each other bu
"No, I'm not going to snatch away the bride." Stefan put his fork down and stood up. He added calmly, "Plus, I'm going to give them a huge wedding gift."Flabbergasted and shocked, Francine's face stiffened. "I'm full. Just enjoy your meal." Stefan went past Francine and headed upstairs to his room. Francine and Alexander watched Stefan's upright but desolate back for a long time, unable to snap back to reality."Alexander, is there something wrong with him? Should we get an exorcist? He's acting weird!"Francine could not accept to see Stefan that generous all of a sudden. His woman was snatched away, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he wanted to buy the couple a big wedding gift. She couldn't come up with any other possibility except that Stefan was crazy or possessed. "I can understand him." Suddenly, Alexander became sad as if he recalled his past. He looked gloomy as he added, "Sometimes, letting go is a kind of happiness. Helping the others to be together is true l
"How could you!" For a moment, Timothy was rendered speechless. After all, his anxiety was useless since Stefan was calm. "Forget it. I'm not eating. It's annoying! I'm going upstairs." Timothy did not want to argue with Stefan since Stefan was already an adult. He could not force Stefan to do anything. Instead, he chose to get away from such annoyance to not ruin the harmony of the New Year. After he got up and left, Francine braced herself to mediate the situation."Your grandpa isn't very healthy. He should rest early. Let's eat. We should enjoy our meal happily no matter how unhappy things are." Alexander soon gave his cooperation as well when he heard that. He put some food on Stefan's plate and smiled. "Yes, we can't force things in life. Let's enjoy our meal first." "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry you guys are worried about me. Happy New Year."Stefan quietly ate and raised his wine glass, toasting to his parents. He looked normal and calm, and was warmer toward them.However,
Coldness rapidly engulfed everyone. "It's said that Ms. Renee Everheart and Mr. Justin Baldwin have been best friends for many years and ended up as soulmates. They're going to hold a grand engagement ceremony three days later. They've also announced that the Baldwin family has finally made peace with the Everheart family. Many distinguished guests will attend the ceremony. It's still unknown if this event will bring any new changes to North City and Beach City. Let's wait and see!"The host was reporting the affair excitedly on the TV as if he was an eager onlooker."Tsk! What TV station is this? How lousy! I'm going to acquire it!" Francine criticized it before she told the servant to turn the TV off. She also looked at Stefan and Timothy carefully from time to time. She wondered what was on their mind since nobody spoke up.After the TV was turned off, a strange feeling overcame everyone."Let's enjoy our reunion dinner. Don't be angry." Alexander urged everyone to start eat
After a pause, a long sigh escaped Timothy. "Well, children are lacking."Both Alexander and Francine kept quiet. They knew he was going to start talking about that again.Timothy would always talk about the same thing whenever they sat down for a meal. He would make Stefan ask Renee to remarry him, and then demand he get his children home. The harmonious atmosphere would become particularly gloomy and tense every time Timothy brought that up. They knew the thing he yearned for was a prohibited topic for Stefan.It seemed Stefan had made up his mind to never have anything to do with Renee. His face would sink every time they talked about him making peace with Renee, remarrying her, or the children. He would put the fork down and leave. However, Timothy mentioned that topic straightaway during dinner. Awkwardness soon filled Alexander and Francine, and they didn't dare to speak at all. They were afraid that the reunion dinner would become a battlefield."Yes, you're right."