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
"Of course it's normal—she thinks I'm a controlling pervert, so she wants to stay far away from me. I guess I should just be grateful that she doesn't want to kill me." Quinton looked up at the clouds and smiled bitterly. "Maybe she's just biding her time waiting for the perfect opportunity to deliver the final blow."Renee shook her head. "Quinton, stop. Let's just find Joanne and make it clear to her—""I would happily sink into the ocean with her if it happens again." Quinton interrupted her, his gaze distant. Renee was scared by this sudden change in Quinton. She needed to find Joanne as soon as possible and clear up their misunderstanding, but Joanne had disappeared. Even the doctor had no idea where she went, so it would be like finding a needle in a haystack."Quinton, buck up. We'll come up with something and find her." Renee started the car and turned on the GPS. "Do you know if Joanne has any friends in Beach City? Who's the most likely person she'll go to?" "She doesn
"Baby?" Quinton's gaze turned cold, and he sneered, "That was my last regret. That baby was a sin, and had no right to come into this world, but she foolishly wanted to deliver it… I would never have let her do such a stupid thing."Quinton's sudden change scared Renee. She swallowed nervously, feeling like she was walking on eggshells. "But why? Since you and Joanne cared so deeply for each other, why didn't you want a child with her? Why—""Shut up!" Quinton shot her a fierce glare. "Stop asking about it! If you really cared about me as a sister, you wouldn't reopen my wounds just to satisfy your curiosity!" After that, he got out of the car and stormed off.Speechless, Renee helplessly watched him leave. She could tell that this was what was troubling Quinton and Joanne. However, only they knew the real story, and if they refused to talk about it, it would torture them forever as it grew worse.After dwelling on it, Renee felt that she could only resolve this issue after locatin
"How do you know my favorite fruit is kiwi? We must be quite close if you know that much," Stefan remarked casually as he smiled and ate his kiwi."Yes, you're right. You nearly killed my brother, and I nearly killed you. That must make us close, right?" Renee rolled her eyes and said."That's right, so we're even now. Can we let bygones be bygones and just move on?" Stefan suddenly demanded, which reminded Renee of Jovan's shameless behaviour. It seemed like after Stefan received Jovan's blood, he inherited some of his characteristics too."I nearly broke your neck but you're forgiving me so easily? Are you still the petty man I knew?" Raising her brows, Renee asked."What about you? Do you forgive me?" Stefan asked instead. But Renee averted her gaze and said nothing."Why aren't you answering my question?" Stefan smiled and urged, "Do you still hate me or have you forgiven me? Tell me." Renee looked up and met his gaze. "Is it important?""Yes, it is." Stefan nodded eager
Renee's response did not surprise Stefan, and he scoffed, "Why did you even come to see me if you hate me? You even pretentiously brought so many supplements. It's hard for me to believe that you're not here to kill me instead." Renee glared at him. "I don't bully the weak, and I already said that we're even… but it doesn't mean I've forgiven you.""You baffle me…" Stefan leaned back with his eyes closed, letting out a deep breath. "You can pick up where you left off. I won't resist, and I promise that I'll die for real this time.""Don't drag me into this! Just open the window—I'm sure you can kill yourself by jumping off this eighteen-storey building," Renee uttered grumpily. She felt that she was too soft-hearted if she could speak so nicely to such a wicked man. If it were someone else, they would have slapped him hard. "So, you came to see me even though you hate me… What is it you really want?" Stefan opened his eyes and stared at her shrewdly, not beating around the bush.
"They?" Stefan frowned, finding her words very interesting."Yeah, you know that my brother just got out of a coma. His character has changed, and he isn't as violent as he used to be. He even told me that he'll give up on the feud between you two… I just wanted Joanne to meet him to clear their understanding," Renee told Stefan sincerely. She felt that Stefan was not an unfeeling person despite his wickedness. If he mediated the conflict between Quinton and Joanne, it wouldn't affect him at all, and they would owe him big-time. Of course, it was a good bargain. "That's your assumption." Stefan narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Men are very good at pretending, and they'll do anything to get what they want. He was once Joanne's closest brother, but you know the despicable things he did to her." Men knew men; there was no guarantee that Quinton had changed or whether he was just faking it. Besides, Joanne was the most pitiful woman Stefan had ever met, and she'd got into this mess becau
Francine initially wanted to scold Renee, but upon seeing her dejected expression, her heart softened. She couldn't bear to say anything harsh to her, and said instead, "I know that Stef nearly died in your hands again. I don't know what he's done to make you do this to him repeatedly, but you were once my daughter-in-law. Do me the favor and stay far away from Stef for his sake. Don't you see accidents always happen when you both get close to each other? The both of you might love each other truly, but you're not suitable for each other." Francine sincerely liked and admired Renee, but unfortunately, she was not fated to be with her son. Francine felt that she had to break them up for the sake of Stefan's health.Renee nodded calmly. "Don't worry, you don't have to remind me. I know that I should stay far away from Stefan but sometimes I need to come to him for urgent matters. It's alright, I'll give you my word now that I'll never see him again unless I'm forced to.""R–Really?" Fr
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s