"Hey, what's the matter? You're scaring me. Are you really my brother?" Renee asked teasingly as she held Quinton's face and scrutinized him. After that, she nodded solemnly. "Hmm... You're handsome, so you must be my brother." "Heh. You know I can't get mad at you." Quinton rubbed Renee's head dotingly and left the hospital together with her. Joanne was standing in a corner out of sight, and she watched them until they left. She dug her nails into her skin as her heart throbbed painfully. "Quinton..." Past memories of Quinton doting on her the way he did with Renee flashed in her mind.How had things ended up like this?...The car sped along and finally stopped in front of Everheart Manor. It was once a burned-down manor that frightened people, but after Quinton's meticulous repairs, its liveliness and warmth had returned. Adie and Abby loved the place very much, especially Abby. She needed a good environment because of her asthma, and it wasn't until they moved here that Abby
"Umm... I'll try my best," Quinton replied reluctantly. In the past, he had always dreamed of making a comeback and avenging the parents he had never met before. However, after surviving this disaster, he was no longer as vengeful as he used to be.Chase's disappearance had dealt a great blow to Carmine Pawnshop, and Quinton's position in Beach City wasn't as strong as it was before. Plus, if he wanted to take revenge, there would be collateral damage, and Quinton didn't want to harm his family and friends. He preferred spending peaceful days with his family than fighting; more than anything, he didn't want to lose his family. "What? You're a man, so you should act like one! Your grandfather and father were famous and mighty in Beach City, but how is it that you're such a wimp? You should act like the grandson of a general you are!" Levi was very close to Theodore Everheart, Renee's father, and had been planning to avenge his cousin. He always felt that Renee shouldn't get involved
Quinton reminded Yulia of Eleanor Cruz, Quinton's mother, and it broke Yulia's heart. Yulia felt that the accident might not have happened if she had spent more time with Eleanor back then."Everyone, today's a reunion, and it's a happy event. Let's not make it so tense. Before we plan anything, we should feast first!" Renee exclaimed cheerfully, quickly leading everyone to their seats. She felt that even if they wanted to take revenge, they should be rational about it. Eventually, everyone stopped bringing up the past and started enjoying the food. "Well, I think we should make an announcement to all the people in Beach City that the eldest son of the Everheart family has returned. We can make it a grand ceremony, and I'll even invite all the noble families to it!" Renee declared as she raised her wine glass. She felt that Quinton had suffered a lot in the past and had never been supported by his family, so by doing this, she would give him a sense of belonging and show people how
Quinton felt conflicted as he turned to look at Renee, but ultimately decided not to hide anything. He nodded slowly and admitted, "You really do know me best. You can always tell what's on my mind." "Before this, nobody could even say Joanne's name in front of you, and you were very fierce to me the first time I did. But now... that's no longer the case. You're obsessed with her, and it seems like she has full control of your feelings." Renee didn't know why he had changed so much, especially when it came to his feelings for Joanne. She didn't know if she should tell him the truth or not. Things would be better if Quinton stopped hating Joanne, but Joanne would be in danger if the news of her survival was exposed."Maybe my mind changed after I nearly got killed twice," Quinton remarked casually. "Why?""I was filled with hatred the first time I almost got killed. I told myself that I must survive to take revenge, but this time… I was full of love for all of you. I told myself t
Renee repeated herself, rendering Quinton speechless. Quinton swallowed and clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down as excitement surged in his veins."Quinton, are you... alright?" Renee whispered anxiously when he remained silent."I'm great!" Quinton took a deep breath, then asked eagerly, "Where is she now? What happened to her?""Ah, that's a long story..." Renee explained everything to him, then sighed regretfully. "Back then, it was Liam who calmed the fort master down, giving Joanne and I the chance to escape. If he hadn't done that, they would have taken out Joanne's organs and sold them. However, even when things were tough, she never gave up."The dark zone of The Triangle in Southeast Aeos was a dangerous spot, and a pretty woman like Joanne would've been easy prey for all the merciless sadists there."Stop, I don't want to hear anymore." Quinton's face turned pale, and his body trembled. He was well aware of the kinds of torture in The Triangle, since the Wate
"I..." Renee looked down guiltily. "I was unsure what Joanne would face if I told you.""And are you sure now?" Quinton asked her quietly.Renee pursed her lips and answered, "At least I know that you won't hurt her, and that you'll protect her forever.""Who knows," he replied cryptically, clenching his fists.Renee's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? You said hating is harder than loving, and that you want to move on. Why are you saying this now?""I did want that, but it's not something I can decide on my own..." Quinton looked into the distance, sounding sorrowful. "Resentment isn't easy to resolve; she may not want to fix things even if I do.""Oh, that's what you're worried about." Renee sighed in relief when she realized that Quinton didn't hate Joanne. "Don't worry, though Joanne may hate you, she still cares about you. If not, she wouldn't have whispered your name when she almost died. I know her too, so I can talk to her and help you both meet." Renee wanted
After washing up, Renee went downstairs and had breakfast with her family."It's been so long since this manor has been this lively. I'm sure the late Mr. and Mrs. Everheart would be very glad if they could see this," Margaret commented, her eyes teary. She had woken up early to prepare breakfast for them. "Well, I'm sure our manor will always be lively like this. Our family will get stronger, and we'll stay together forever," Renee declared happily."Yes, we'll always be together!" Adie and Abby echoed cheerfully.After breakfast, Margaret drove Adie and Abby to school. Quinton was lounging in a chair, reading a book.Renee watched her brother for a while, then stood up and said quickly, "Quinton, you've just recovered. Stay home and rest; I'll come home soon." Quinton looked up from his book, and stared at Renee contemplatively. "Are you.... going to see her?""Yeah..." Renee hung her head, but didn't deny it. She knew that she couldn't hide anything from her brother. "I'm
Renee soon found Joanne's attending doctor. "Doctor, may I know where the patient in ward 1206 is? Did she move to another ward?" She remembered Joanne's ward, which happened to be on the same floor as Quinton's former ward. However, both Quinton and Joanne had never got to see each other even if they were only a few dozen meters apart.The doctor was not surprised by Renee and Quinton's visit, and even seemed as if he had been waiting for them. He adjusted his glasses and told them calmly, "You're late—Miss Garcia has already been discharged from the hospital.""What? She's been discharged?" Renee spluttered, feeling her hope fade. "Wasn't her case pretty serious? I heard that she has to be hospitalized for at least three months, and it's only been around two weeks since then. Why was she discharged? Can her body take that?""Well, I couldn't say anything since it was the patient's choice. I did try to dissuade her, but she insisted. I can only respect her wishes.""It was her i