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
"Umm… Can you ask Daddy to go too?" Abby asked Renee carefully. "Why are you calling him Daddy? He's just a scumbag, so forget about him!" Adie said angrily, his deep hatred for Stefan obvious. He didn't know how it happened, but he'd read in the news that the man who promised to take good care of his mother was now dating another woman and was about to marry her. Also, he had purposely snuck away from Quinton's bodyguards one day to go to Stefan's office, but when he found him, Stefan had just walked past him, laughing and talking to another woman, as if he didn't know him. At that moment, he knew that his father had been snatched by someone else, and he had lost him. He was fine with it since he hadn't grown up with him, but he just couldn't bear to see his mother get hurt. "I knew he was a bad guy! He let Mommy down. I would have taken revenge on him if Mommy didn't stop me," Adie huffed sulkily. "But… But the teacher said both Daddy and Mommy have to come. What will we do?"
Renee handed her phone to Quinton."That's…" Quinton saw the familiar woman playing the piano enchantingly, and his eyes became watery."Give it time, Quinton. I believe that the both of you will surely meet one day." Renee patted Quinton's shoulder and consoled him gently."I'm just glad she's alive… That's all I want," Quinton choked out hoarsely, his voice thick with emotion. After a while of staring at the woman on the screen, he finally calmed down and returned the phone to Renee. "Renee, I know you mean well. Don't worry, I've thought a lot about it, and I'll be okay.""Great! There's no time to grieve—the fort master still has Liam, and Chase is still missing. We didn't even find our parents' murderer, and we have yet to see our family prosper… We must stay strong and hold on." Renee was forced to pressure him like this so he would be hopeful and motivated again. He did well under pressure, and needed the drive to move on.After that day, Renee could feel that Quinton had g
It was practically a given that Renee's family would win the game today because their charming costumes would definitely earn them high marks."I think so too. We'll be the champions for sure! Adie, Abby… Let's do our best!" Renee said to her children eagerly.Miss Apple then turned to look at Quinton, and was mesmerized by his good looks. Blushing, she asked shyly, "Sir, are you Adie and Abby's father? You're so handsome." She had taken over Adie and Abby's class during the previous semester, so she usually only met Margaret. She had no idea what Adie and Abby's father looked like. "Umm… he is—" Renee started awkwardly, but Quinton interrupted her."Yeah, I'm Adie and Abby's father," he said firmly."Great, because we need the kids' parents to help them complete their tasks today. The rules are that only the kids' parents can join the competition, and relatives and friends can only watch and cheer them on," Miss Apple explained."Understood, Miss Apple. We'll try our best," Qui
The competition started with ten teams and different tasks. Each task was rather difficult, and quite a lot of teams were disqualified after the first few rounds, but Renee and her family were strong. Naturally, they conquered each task successfully and soon ended up at the final task.There were only three teams remaining for the final task, which was to raise an artificial moon to the highest spot on the platform the fastest. The team that managed to raise it to the highest spot would be the champion, and there was also a climbing wall for the task that tested the parents' strength and endurance. "Okay, each team has to send a representative for the final task. Ladies and gentlemen, you can start preparing now," the judge announced excitedly.Renee looked up at the tall wall and clenched her fists eagerly. "Quinton, leave this to me. I'm good at climbing!""No, it looks dangerous. Let me do it instead. You can cheer me on with Adie and Abby," Quinton insisted though he was terri
Justin admired Renee a lot, and it was so mind-boggling to him that she was great at everything except romantic relationships.Meanwhile, Stefan was still recuperating in bed. He felt rather bored until Francine turned on the TV to watch the live broadcast of the kindergarten carnival. When he saw Renee and the children, he snorted disdainfully. "I didn't expect her to be married with kids..."Francine glanced at him helplessly. She yearned to tell him that Renee was married to him and the children were his, but she eventually decided against it because the doctor said to avoid stimulating his mind before he fully recovered. If she told him that Renee was his wife and Adie and Abby were his children, it would be a fatal blow. Things would get worse if his mind was affected, and he fell sick again. "Yes, she's a mother, so you'd better stop getting involved in her affairs." Francine tried to persuade Stefan, hoping he would give up on Renee and not have any thoughts about her before
Elijah sounded urgent and serious. "Mr. Hunt, something's wrong!"Meanwhile, Renee exited the hospital. There was a luxurious convertible at the entrance which attracted a lot of people's attention. Jovan, who kept a high profile, was sitting in the sports car.He was wearing an ostentatious black floral shirt. However, his ostentatious appearance coupled with his casual aura made him look more charming like a model from an advertisement. Renee covered her face and stealthily got into the car. "Can you stop keeping a high profile? You're very eye-catching. It's dangerous!"Jovan kept waving, shouting, and whistling at her just now. It filled her with deep embarrassment. "Well, we're all experiencing the world. If I don't keep a high profile, people won't remember me. I don't care what they think about me as long as I have a great time!"After Jovan confirmed that Renee had sat properly, he pressed hard on the gas pedal and started driving. Although Renee found that unaccept
"Are you trying to sound me out?" Renee smirked, squinting her eyes at Stefan. Although he claimed that he wanted to end things with her and kept some distance from her, his actions betrayed him. These days, he kept staying close to her. Besides, he kept acting when it was time for her to leave the hospital. He purposely dawdled while helping her pack her things. Besides, he even asked about her relationship with Justin. It showed that he was reluctant to part with her. She was baffled. She wondered why he was that aloof if he could not part with her."No, I'm not." Stefan smiled and did not hide anything. He openly admitted, "I care about you.""You finally…" Renee's eyes brightened as she looked at him eagerly. She wondered if he had come to his senses and wanted to tell her the truth. He was willing to face the difficulty with her.However, he sounded even calmer. "After all, you're Adie and Abby's mother. Grandpa is always concerned about you. I want you to be happy and sa
The Lotso bear was a villain in the movie, but it was a pitiful villain because it was abandoned by its owner. It used various means and encountered a lot of hardships to return to Daisy, its owner. In the end, it found that its owner had long gained new toys.After getting hurt, it no longer wanted to be kind. It was used to act cunningly as a form of disguise. But honestly, it was a dear baby who needed love. Of course, it was not a villain at all. Renee liked it because she saw herself as well as others in it. Everyone was gloomy in some way. People got hurt and slowly became gloomy. Instead of criticizing such a thing, Renee felt more compassion and sorry for such a situation. "But you still don't want it and want to throw it away." Stefan was gripped with complicated feelings after listening to Renee's explanation. He sounded sad."Yes, I like it. But I still want to throw it away. It's better to stop in time." Renee laughed and stopped shaking her legs. She was her usual
A week later, Renee recovered because she listened to the doctor and underwent treatment. She could be discharged from the hospital.In the meantime, Stefan stayed outside the ward and did not enter the ward.On the contrary, Jovan kept entering the ward from time to time. Renee would either scold or drive him away. Stefan entered the ward on the day Renee was leaving the hospital. He quietly helped Renee pack up her things. Generally, a caretaker could do that. However, Stefan acted like he wanted to repent and felt better when he took it upon himself. "Do you still need this?" Stefan pointed at a Lotso bear toy at the head of the bed and asked Renee calmly.During the one-week hospitalization, Renee got bored. Stefan would give her some blind boxes as entertainment. Renee found Rubik's cubes, stickers, and keychains when she opened the boxes. She would always throw them away because she was not interested in them. When she unpacked a rather large Lotso bear toy, she became
Jovan had kidnapped Renee, but he risked his life for her though he appeared like a cunning and selfish man. Renee felt that she did not deserve his love. She had wronged both Jovan and Justin, but she could not love them back. On the other hand, the one she wanted to love kept pushing her away cruelly…She slapped herself fiercely. Her action frightened the nurse. "Ms. Everheart, we can talk things out! Why did you hurt yourself? You can't…" "Don't worry. I'll get better and won't harm myself again." Renee was teary and laughed at herself. "I slapped myself because I recalled the things I'd done. I was very stupid, and I wanted to knock some sense into myself." "Okay, I'm glad to hear that." The nurse heaved a sigh of relief, but she was afraid to see Renee keep acting crazily. After she was done bandaging Renee's wound, she left hurriedly.When Stefan saw the nurse exit the ward, he walked in nervously and inquired about Renee. "How she's doing?" "She's already feeling be
Having said that, Justin turned to leave. He knew that if he stayed, he would only look more of a fool. "Tsk! What a pity!" Jovan watched him leave, shrugging and sighing. "He's sincere and loyal. Too bad he pales in comparison to the scumbag!""Get out!" Renee was overcome with sadness and pushed Jovan away fiercely. "Get out! I don't want to see anyone!" Knowing that she had harmed Justin again, she was filled with guilt. She just wanted to be left alone."Rest well. I'll be with you until you're recovered and discharged from the hospital," Stefan said calmly before exiting the ward.In a while, a nurse came to tend to the bandages that Renee had removed. She advised Renee, "Ms. Everheart, you have to be careful. You're weak now. You can't get angry, or it might be life-threatening.""I don't care. My life is so messy, I'd rather die."Thinking of the recent events and the men around her, a severe headache hit her. She wanted to keep being unconscious."Please don't say tha
"Do you still want to marry me?" Justin asked Renee."I…" Renee could talk nonsense with Jovan, but she couldn't joke with Justin. She had harmed him many times and couldn't keep hurting him. Honestly, she didn't want to marry him or anyone else. She did not want to rely on anyone. She knew she could rely on a man and lead a steady life if there was love. But without love, it would be very hard to rely on a man.However, she knew that Justin liked her and wanted to marry her. If she promised to marry him, the impulsive Jovan would get the staff of the City Hall here. If she turned Justin down at that time, she would harm him again."Fine. You don't have to feel stressed. I know the answer." Justin was no fool. Renee's hesitation told him what she wanted. "When I begged you to marry me, you forced yourself to say yes. You just wanted to repay me for saving your life.""No, you're wrong!" Seeing Justin hurt pained her more than when she was hurt. She hurriedly explained, "I reall
"What is it?" Renee looked at Justin curiously.Renee, Stefan, and Jovan were curious about what was on Justin's mind."If my family starts fighting the Hunt family, which side will you take?" Justin went straight to the point. He had been curious about that as he made wild guesses about Renee's mind. Since Renee was right before him, he wanted to get the answer from her before he could give up."Hmph! I thought it was something serious. Why did you make it sound that serious…" Jovan burst into laughter, finding Justin a loyal man. "Isn't that obvious? If she wants to take your side, you guys would be married by now. There wouldn't be so many shitty things either!""Shut up, Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. If she was stronger, she would beat him up. She said coldly, "Did you forget how you took me away?""Yes, I used some cunning means to take you away, but let's be frank. If I didn't come that day, would you marry him?"Jovan had long gotten used to Renee's fierceness. On the c
Similarly, Renee used an iron wire to cut her wrist just to meet Stefan."Am I right? You did so many things just to see him. Now you finally met him. Are you happy and satisfied now? But you look worse than before." Jovan teased Renee. He found her pitiful, but at the same time, he felt that it served her right. It seemed everybody was a joke in their romance with others. Only those who never loved could be at the top of the food chain. They would laugh at those who gave up their hearts to others and could not understand those people's bizarre actions."Stop gloating. It's none of your business! Let go of me, or I'll make you feel sorry for yourself."Renee had just escaped death and was weak. Had it not been for that, Jovan wouldn't be able to stop her or watch her make a fool of herself. Still, she would be fine with losing blood again just to torment him if he kept on talking nonsense. Then, he would watch his tongue."Tell me, Phoenix. Is he telling the truth?" Justin