"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
"Oh, that's what you're worried about. There's no need to worry—just look up my name, and you'll see that I've never made any mistakes. You can just look forward to your fiance regaining his memories." Owen patted his chest proudly. He was confident in his surgical skills and fishing because he never failed in them.Of course, Seraphina had heard of him. When she conspired with Jovan, they had considered bribing Owen, who could do a better job at it. However, after asking around, they learned that Owen was a weirdo who didn't care about money or fame. He treated patients based on his mood, so it would be difficult to bribe him. Hence, they chose the second best neurosurgeon, someone who was not as skilled as Owen but could be easily controlled.Owen's confident assurance filled Seraphina with anxiety."You might be right, but Stefan's condition has finally become stable. He shouldn't be going through surgery again. I just want to see him healthy, and it's not important for him to re
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t
Time passed by. It was soon the day for the engagement ceremony between Justin and Renee.The Baldwin family held a grand ceremony while adhering to tradition. It was both traditional and romantic.Renee put on a red slim-fit silk gown with intricate black and gold embroidery. Her long hair was delicately pinned up, showing off her fair and slender neck. She looked elegant."How pretty!" Margaret stood in front of the vanity table and looked at Renee, whose face was dolled with exquisite makeup. She looked gratified, as though she were looking at her daughter."If your parents saw how pretty and elegant you were, they would be very happy." Margaret gently placed her hands on Renee's shoulders and commented, "You married Mr. Hunt when I wasn't around. You must have suffered a lot. But things will get better now… I'll stay with you and protect you forever. I'll be your strongest support."Back then, Renee was left alone when her family was ruined. She married Stefan without anyo
Alexander and Francine were already old. It was fine even if others criticized them or took violent revenge on them. But they were worried that the younger generation, especially Adie and Abby, would have a hard time handling it."You're right. I wasn't thinking straight…" Francine became teary and sobbed. "I just wanted to relieve my guilt and failed to consider the kids. We brought this upon ourselves. I'll probably have to suffer this pain for the rest of my life.""Stop thinking about that. It's all over. It's useless to regret or dwell on it." Alexander walked over and hugged her shoulders. He whispered some consoling words, "No one can tell who was right or wrong about that affair. We're already punished. Just act like everything is gone…"Is it? You're just trying to make yourself feel better." Francine leaned against Alexander's shoulders, full of melancholy. "Don't you think the kids are suffering the consequences of our actions? They love and understand each other bu
"No, I'm not going to snatch away the bride." Stefan put his fork down and stood up. He added calmly, "Plus, I'm going to give them a huge wedding gift."Flabbergasted and shocked, Francine's face stiffened. "I'm full. Just enjoy your meal." Stefan went past Francine and headed upstairs to his room. Francine and Alexander watched Stefan's upright but desolate back for a long time, unable to snap back to reality."Alexander, is there something wrong with him? Should we get an exorcist? He's acting weird!"Francine could not accept to see Stefan that generous all of a sudden. His woman was snatched away, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he wanted to buy the couple a big wedding gift. She couldn't come up with any other possibility except that Stefan was crazy or possessed. "I can understand him." Suddenly, Alexander became sad as if he recalled his past. He looked gloomy as he added, "Sometimes, letting go is a kind of happiness. Helping the others to be together is true l
"How could you!" For a moment, Timothy was rendered speechless. After all, his anxiety was useless since Stefan was calm. "Forget it. I'm not eating. It's annoying! I'm going upstairs." Timothy did not want to argue with Stefan since Stefan was already an adult. He could not force Stefan to do anything. Instead, he chose to get away from such annoyance to not ruin the harmony of the New Year. After he got up and left, Francine braced herself to mediate the situation."Your grandpa isn't very healthy. He should rest early. Let's eat. We should enjoy our meal happily no matter how unhappy things are." Alexander soon gave his cooperation as well when he heard that. He put some food on Stefan's plate and smiled. "Yes, we can't force things in life. Let's enjoy our meal first." "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry you guys are worried about me. Happy New Year."Stefan quietly ate and raised his wine glass, toasting to his parents. He looked normal and calm, and was warmer toward them.However,