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
Renee had climbed pretty high when she heard them announce that they were about to select the champion, and she suddenly felt the safety buckle behind her shake. It made her feel unsteady, like she was about to fall."Ten, nine, eight, seven..." The judge began to countdown, and everyone held their breath as they waited for the final result.Unwilling to give up, Renee gritted her teeth and kept on climbing speedily."Three, two, one. Okay, let's congratulate Adie and Abby's family for winning this carnival!" The judge boomed, and everyone cheered.However, before Renee could turn to wave to Adie and Abby who cheered below, she found herself plummeting downwards."Ah!" There were horrified screams and shouts from the crowd as they watched Renee fall."Renee!""Mommy!"Quinton, Adie, and Abby frantically ran to where Renee had fallen, but a security guard stopped them. "Calm down and don't move. We have safety precautions installed, so she'll be fine." The security guard announc
After her fight with Stefan, Seraphina had always been cautious around him in case he would ask to cancel their marriage again. However, Stefan seemed to have gotten over it—he treated her nicely and didn't ask to break off their marriage."No, I have a friend who's coming to see me later," Stefan answered aloofly.Seraphina immediately felt guilty, and almost got burned by the hot water she was pouring for him. "Which friend? Xavier or Chris?"Her questions made him frown with displeasure. "Do I have to report to you whenever I meet my friends now?" "No, I'm just curious. I'll be glad if you're meeting Xavier because it's been a while since I last met him. I don't know why he's been so busy lately." Seraphina tried her best to sound casual as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "No, I'm not meeting them. You'll know later if you're so curious," Stefan said calmly. Right after he said that, he heard laughter outside the ward."Haha! Stefan, why do we always meet at the hospital
Renee could do nothing else but watch Sabre take Jovan away. "Don't worry. They can't do anything to me. I won't be worried since I'll be staying here. And I'll wait for your good news."Renee flexed her fingers and suddenly regretted everything. She knew Austin would not easily forgive them when Jovan insisted on going to the Baldwin residence with her. But at that moment, she was worried about Justin since he might be in grave danger. She could not accept it either because Jovan was too weak to soldier through any torture. She had no idea what to do if he failed to soldier through. She might never forgive herself."Grandpa Baldwin…" Renee took a deep breath and did not give up trying to beg Austin's mercy."You don't have to say too much," Austin sneered. "You'd better worry about yourself or your family. Did you forget that your brother and kids are still in my hands? Can you worry about too many people?" "Don't hurt them!" Renee almost lost her mind when she heard that.
"Mr. Hunt, please leave." Sabre kept a long face, his tone calm."I just came, but you made me leave. That's inappropriate!" Jovan looked at Sabre and refused to budge. He did not want to stay, but found Austin acting weird. He wondered if Austin wanted to use a more cruel means to torture Renee after driving him away. If he left, he would have escaped, but he could not imagine what Renee might face. Naturally, he refused to leave. "What else do you want?" Austin looked solemn and dangerous. He coldly added, "If you think you need to be punished, I'll grant your wish." He looked at Sabre, who quickly put Jovan under control."No, you got me wrong…!" Jovan did not expect Austin to turn hostile. He wanted to struggle free, but Sabre was one of Austin's rare confidantes and could fight well. He easily stopped Jovan from moving. Anxiety gripped Renee when she saw that. She immediately begged for Austin's mercy. "Grandpa Baldwin! Jovan is a crazy and childish man, like you
Renee's heart was well guarded. No one else could win her over except Stefan. Justin had tried hard and was once hopeful. But in the end, it was still futile. He ended up with endless humiliation. Hence, he learned from Renee and was on guard against others. He merely did not want to get hurt or feel disappointed."That's it. You can be the bold hero yourself."Justin swung off Jovan's hand and left."Damn! He's quite heartless too, just like Stefan!" Jovan was angry for no reason. He found it a pity since Justin had given Renee up, just like what Stefan had done. Those men claimed to love her but did not choose her firmly, and left at the most critical moment. After Justin was gone, the atmosphere in the room became more dangerous and stressful.Austin coldly stared at Renee and asked contemptuously, "My grandson is gone. Can you stop pretending?"It was hard to imagine such a scene. Austin once doted on Renee as if she were his granddaughter. But now, he regarded her as
"Oh, you're quite serious about it." Austin faked a smile, then addressed a subordinate standing beside him. "Since you insisted, I'll grant your wish." In a while, his subordinate came with a tray with dozens of needles in various shapes. Most of the needles were used for treatment. The needle would cause quite a lot of pain with only a slight jab. "Okay, let's stop joking. We're considered famous people. Stop using such a childish trick! It's embarrassing…" Jovan realized how serious the situation was. While teasing, he rebuked Austin's subordinate so the latter would remove the needles. However, the subordinate did not heed Jovan. He did not take Jovan seriously at all. Austin's subordinate politely extended his hand and coldly urged Renee, "Please go ahead, Ms. Everheart." "Okay." Renee flexed her fingers and took a deep breath. She swallowed and adjusted her mouth, ready herself to take a needle."Hey, moron! Are you going to sit there and watch?" Helpless, Jovan tried
Jovan cleared his throat and assumed his usual casual demeanor. "I lost my mind on the day of the engagement ceremony. I knocked Renee out and took her away. This incident has nothing to do with her. You guys can blame me. I should be the one to hang myself, too.""Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. "Don't take the blame for me. I won't thank you, either."Jovan turned and started arguing with Renee. "No, I'm not taking the blame for you. I was just telling the truth. I did knock you out and take you away that day. You didn't leave on your own!"He felt guilty toward Renee, especially when he saw her lying in bed and using an iron wire to cut her wrist so she could run away. It was a great shock to him.He realized he had nearly ruined her, body and soul. At that moment, he no longer wanted to compete for her. He felt that he might as well let her go and grant her wish. He just wanted her to be safe and happy, regardless of who she chose to be with.His greatest wish was to see her
Both Renee and Jovan finally arrived at the Baldwin residence under Sabre's escort.Austin was waiting in the tea room since he knew Renee was coming."I'm sorry, Grandpa Baldwin. I'm here to apologize to you." Sabre pushed them into the room.After entering the room, Renee realized that Justin was there too, sitting on Austin's left and pouring tea for Austin. Justin was no longer enthusiastic and close to Renee. Instead, he kept his head low and was busy. He did not even look at her, as if they did not know each other. "You want to apologize to me?" Austin sneered. He raised a cup of tea and sipped it. "Stop flattering me. Plus… You shouldn't be apologizing to me."Justin stopped what he was doing, but he was still unresponsive. He stared absent-mindedly ahead as if he were away from reality. He seemed like a different man. Renee had never seen this side of him, which filled her with sadness and guilt. She blamed herself for turning a carefree and bright youth into a gloo
"Cut the crap!" Sabre was a man who had undergone a lot of things and problems all year round. He abruptly gripped Jovan's chin and said coldly, "You can't keep your head for long. You'd better not waste your energy, and you should watch your tongue.""Well, there's something I should say." Jovan didn't resist as he grabbed the chance to touch Sabre's face. "What's your name, dude? Why are you doing this job at such a young age? How much did Austin pay you every month? I'll give you ten times your salary. Just betray him and work for me.""I'm going to kill you!" Sabre was always a serious man, and got furious because of Jovan's words. He was about to slap Jovan before Renee immediately stopped him."Don't do this, Sabre. Let's talk it out. He's the vice president of Hunt Enterprise, but you wanted to slap him. We should keep peace. Plus, he generally never watches his tongue, and he scolds his family more fiercely. Don't take him seriously." Renee tried her best to calm Sabre dow
"I'll come even if you don't welcome me. Bye." Renee hung up. She knew that Justin resented her and feared that Austin might punish her. Regardless, he could not stop her from going to North City. She understood that no one could be at ease if the issue was unresolved. She was the cause of the conflict—the key factor. Thus, she must go there.Finally, the plane took off. Renee fell into thoughts while watching the dense clouds. Jovan sat beside her and noticed her worry. He wanted to hold her hand to comfort her and give her strength. However, his hand stopped in midair. He decided against holding her hand. He knew that she did not need his consolation or reassurance. Instead, she would only resent him."Don't worry. It's going to be okay." Jovan sounded casual. "I'm the culprit and will be blamed. You don't have to be scared."Renee turned and frowned at him. "I don't want to see you in danger, either."Jovan looked serious before he beamed. "Well, I'll risk my life for
Hence, Renee did not beat around the bush or refuse to answer Jovan's question on purpose. She had no idea what her heart wanted and could only see how things went."What?" Jovan narrowed his eyes, wearing a complex expression. The current situation gave him a great sense of danger. He teased, "It looks like I've underestimated that guy. He can end up your man though he's your fallback guy.""Can't you watch your tongue?" Renee became angry as she stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth. "Eat something and stop talking."At that time, her phone rang. Justin did call her back—just like what Jovan had said. Renee quickly picked it up, sounding anxious. "Justin, why didn't you answer my calls? I called you several times!""What's the matter?" Justin sounded extremely icy. Renee had never seen him act that way—it felt unreal. She said carefully, "I want to ask where you are now.""What's the matter?" Justin kept his cold demeanor and repeated the same question without saying anythi