"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
"I know I shouldn't beg you for this, but you're a good person, so I think I can discuss it with you."Renee was curious now. "Please go on." "It's about Adie and Abby's custody—" Francine started, but was immediately interrupted by Renee."No, I'll never give up custody of them," Reene said firmly.Although Francine had anticipated this, she still felt very aggrieved. "Normally, I wouldn't give up custody of either of them because they're Hunts at the end of the day…"Renee shook her head and argued, "You're wrong. Biologically, only women's genes are passed down, which means Adie and Abby are Everhearts and don't have much to do with the Hunt family." Francine frowned petulantly and complained, "Stop being so stubborn. If this becomes a court case, the judge will surely give the Hunt family one of the kids.""Fine, go ahead. I have the most outstanding civil attorney who has never lost custody cases like this before. Try it if you don't believe me. The Murphy family won't be
Renee felt dejected after she came back from the hospital. When she arrived at the Everheart Manor, she found Quinton digging the ground with Adie and Abby in the large back garden. The children were jumping around Quinton happily, a thin layer of sweat on their chubby faces."What are you all doing?" Renee's heart softened and she smiled tenderly when she saw them."Mommy, look! Uncle is teaching us how to plant flowers." Abby's cheeks were flushed from all the jumping around, making her look even more adorable."Really? What kind of flowers are you planting?" Renee walked into the garden and asked curiously. "Of course, we're planting sunflowers, your favorite. Uncle said this kind of sunflower will blossom in a month, and by then, this garden will be filled with golden sunflowers as pretty as the ones in Sun Island!" Abby exclaimed, sounding a little wistful. Sun Island was where she and Adie were born, and they had so many wonderful memories there."Mommy, when can we go back
Amber's eyes lit up, showing admiration for Renee. "Ms. Everheart has kids? And they're fraternal twins? She established a company, too? She's awesome! I never expected a woman could be so amazing! She's a great role model for women!"To Amber, the most amazing woman was Luneth, who managed her family well and was lovey-dovey with her husband.Once she heard about Renee from Liam, however, her worldview expanded. She realized that women could still lead incredible lives even after leaving men and romances behind. She could do the same—she could focus on her career instead of her marriage or a man. "Of course! If not, I wouldn't have called her my boss!" Liam couldn't stop talking about Renee, feeling proud. He began reminiscing about Renee's amazing past. "To be honest, she's a great scholar and is talented in the sciences. Plus, she was the top hacker in the world…""Wow, she's amazing!" Amber kept gushing; she had never heard about such things. The two of them spent almost a
"I find their relationship wonderful. Their love is so deep! I envy it—imagine having such a passionate and intense romance!" Amber gushed like a lovestruck fool, her eyes bright.Movies were popular in the fort. Hunt My Everheart gained high popularity there that year. After that movie, Shirley won multiple film awards and Best Actress. Stefan, who acted in it as well, gained a lot of female fans.Fans soon dug up the story behind the movie. Since Amber could use the internet, she could talk about the movie with great familiarity. She had always assumed that Stefan and Renee belonged together. They were the perfect match for each other! She had never considered the possibility that there were other unknown things between them."The movie's nothing but a sham. It's all an act! It's not the same as reality, and you can't believe it at all." Liam had never watched that movie because he held it with disdain. Grumpily, he continued, "Plus, Stefan invested in that movie. Of course
At that time, Amber suddenly realized that there was nothing happier than marrying someone who she loved and who loved her back. The key to an everlasting marriage, which was long and complicated, was not to force herself or her lover."It's great you think that way, but the world might not be as wonderful as you've imagined…" Liam said, melancholic.Amber seemed to have grown up and was no longer the silly young woman who was infatuated with him. She had her thoughts about love and was no longer stubborn about marrying him. She yearned to explore the world and find a new guy. Liam felt that the girl who had always longed for him would finally leave. "The men out there are more wicked than the ones in this fort. There are many cunning and disloyal men. You can't fall in love with just any guy. Someone pure like you will be lied to and bullied. Do you understand?" Liam advised her eagerly, as though he were her senior. He patted her head gently, making her want to rely on him an
Mateo was gone, leaving Liam and Amber alone in the restaurant. Suddenly, awkwardness and silence overcame them. An amorous feeling hovered in the air.Liam finally stopped acting. He chuckled awkwardly and sat up straight, then said to Amber, "Thank you for what you did just now. I wasn't that serious. I was just acting.""I saw that." Amber grinned, teasing him. "I've got to say, you acted well. I thought Matt almost strangled and killed you.""I'm not that weak. Plus, he's not that brave either." A sudden competitiveness gripped Liam; he purposely flexed his arms and acted strong. "Did you think Mateo could fight me? With his physique, I can defeat him with one hand!" "Mm, I think so too. You must be stronger than Matt." Amber nodded, giving Liam her full support. She started to feel that Renee was right to claim that he was just a child."By the way, did you talk to Luneth? What did she say?" Liam asked; he knew that Luneth's attitude was the key to quickly resolving that iss
Amber took a deep breath, her eyes teary. She had long pondered over those words, but was too timid to say them aloud.She wanted to thank Liam for repeatedly insisting that she try to understand herself and reminding her not to take her marriage so callously. After some contemplation, Amber decided to not marry anyone."I won't marry you or Liam. I just want to marry someone I love and who loves me back. Only people who love each other can get married," she said firmly, looking dead serious. Both Mateo and Liam were stunned. Liam stopped acting weak; he held Amber's shoulders and stared at her carefully. "Is that what you truly think?""Yes!" Amber was shocked by the sudden change in Liam and subconsciously leaned backward."That's great! I didn't say those things for nothing. You're finally enlightened!" Liam nodded with gratification. "All I want is for you to understand yourself. There are many messy things and troubles in a marriage. If it isn't supported by love, you'll
Amber helped Liam to sit down before serving him water and rubbing his neck. She was full of anxiety.Mateo angrily gulped down a glass of wine, but the wine was so strong that he began coughing vigorously. It suffocated him. After helping Liam to settle down, Amber turned and glanced at Mateo, who was full of tears."Matt, why…are you crying? You strangled him, but you act like you're wronged!" "I…" Mateo pointed at his throat and the glass; he needed some water. Amber frowned and said solemnly, "You can't do that. You've repeatedly attacked Liam. You were over the line! Don't you know he thinks of you as his brother and values his friendship with you?"Mateo was flabbergasted to hear it. He knew nothing about that—it seemed Liam was even better at acting than him. While complaining about Mateo, Amber smoothed Liam's chest to make the latter feel better. "Liam always lets you have your way, but you target him. If I came late today, you might strangle and kill him."Mateo
Mateo swallowed. "Yes, I'm aware of that. The Stuart family has been investing in a lot of entertainment properties in Southeast Aeos in the recent few years. They're controlling more than half of the TV stations. Their power and influence are incomparable.""Looks like you keep up with the current events. Are you involved in the entertainment field too?" Liam asked.He had easily gained the result he wanted with just a few words. He faked a smile and looked at Mateo, who was panicking.Mateo glanced at him and said grumpily, "All that Master ever asks us to do is indecent. If we don't have any people in the media, we're doomed."The Triangle was never governed by the law, but public opinion was a dangerous weapon. If they went over the line and got reported by the media, international law would get involved. Naturally, it would affect their business.The Stuarts did decent business like the Osbornes and might appear easy to control. However, they couldn't be offended casually—a
Because of Liam's declaration, he and Mateo failed to reach a consensus.Mateo's gaze grew colder and more sinister, and he glared fiercely at Liam. "Fine. There's nothing to talk about between us.""No, you're wrong." Liam calmly swayed the wine glass. "You can get down on your knees and say sorry. Maybe I'll let you off by then!""How dare you!" Mateo could no longer take it—he pushed all the cutleries on the table to the floor and pointed angrily at Liam. "You refused my kindness. I won't go easy on you!""Just come at me. I'll wait," Liam shot back provocatively. He knew Mateo well—the man was wicked and cautious, but also cowardly. Under these circumstances, he wouldn't act recklessly. Hence, Liam wasn't afraid to infuriate him. Renee was right. Mateo had done so many things to control Liam. As long as Liam remained calm, Mateo couldn't do anything to Renee and Leia. "You think I won't do that?" Mateo clenched his fists and snarled fiercely, "I'll break one of their fing
Liam casually twirled the wine glass in his hand and asked Mateo coldly, "So, you won't stop until you marry Gem?""Not just that." Mateo tore off a drumstick and bit into it, then cracked a cunning sneer. "Marrying Amber is always in my plans. I'll marry her even if you're not involved. Tonight, I want to talk to you about the few territories in your hands.""The territories in my hands?" Liam frowned. Initially, he was confused—then, he understood it and chuckled. "What territories? I just work for Mr. Jenkins. The territories we took in belong to him. You'd better ask them from him instead of me. That's more straightforward."When Liam and Amber decided to fake their marriage, Benjamin focused on training Liam. In the process, he gave Liam a lot of power and authority.Liam didn't fail Benjamin. He did a great job even with his limited power. In half a year, he took three territories, namely the East River, West River, and South River. The three territories came with an importan