Eloise's tone was filled with trepidation. "She fell..." Jovan's heart pounded in his chest, and he didn't dare think about it. He took a deep breath and ordered, "Go to her hospital now and ask around. I want accurate information on this.""I can do that, but I'm the only one taking care of you now. Is it alright if I leave you alone?" Worried, Eloise watched his desolate form. She regretted telling him about it, seeing how troubled he was."Don't bother. I won't be okay if she's not. Go now," Jovan urged her anxiously."Alright." Eloise was about to leave but Jovan quickly added, "Wait, the sunflowers seem to have bloomed in the backyard. Do pick a bouquet for her; I'm sure it'll smell nice.""Okay, I will." Seeing the tenderness in his eyes made tears roll down Eloise's cheeks. She felt that people shouldn't fall in love so easily. In the past, Jovan was a very rational person, but now, he was merely a lovestruck fool who had sacrificed everything for his unrequited love. He h
Renee couldn't move at all, so Stefan bringing food to her relieved her boredom. She obediently opened her mouth and waited for him to feed her. Although their actions were rather intimate, she felt that it was worth it when she bit into the cake."This cake is amazing!" The smooth taste of the cake lingered in her mouth, taking away all her exhaustion and sadness. "Eat slowly. I'll buy it for you again tomorrow," Stefan spoke tenderly to her as if he was coaxing a child as she gobbled the cake up. However, Renee ignored him and eagerly munched on the cake he fed her. Suddenly, she accidentally bit his finger, and Stefan felt electricity surge through his body. Heat prickled his skin, and he stared at her in shock. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to bite you, I just…" Renee's face turned red and she immediately backed away, apologizing to him."Do you want more?" Stefan's eyes had darkened, and his intense gaze was glued to her mouth."No, thanks." Awkward and breathless, Renee couldn
Quinton had realized something was amiss, and had given Renee an emergency alarm. If Renee pressed that button, the whole hospital would be alerted. Renee had initially laughed about it, not wanting to wake everyone up because of her selfish desire to eat cake, but that seemed to have given Stefan the confidence to behave recklessly. "I just wanted to help you wipe your lips… but I won't come tomorrow night if you think it's inappropriate. I'll also fire the pastry chef I poached from a top pastry shop." Raising his brows, Stefan continued, "He was planning to bake a hazelnut cake tomorrow...""No, please don't!" Renee's eyes lit up because she loved hazelnut cake the most. She quickly explained, "Don't fire him. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him to get the job, so let him work tomorrow but... you don't have to wipe my lips for me. I can do it on my own.""Sure, I'll think it over seeing how concerned and sincere you are," Stefan said lightly, smiling like a cunning fox."Ah!" Renee
A week later, there was finally news from the hospital. Although Renee's injury was serious, it had healed fast because of the good treatment, and the risk of paralysis was gone. Everyone was happy and relieved to hear it. "Great! It must be your good fortune because you helped so many people. I knew that you would be okay!" Leia said excitedly as she hugged Renee. She'd been so worried about Renee that she hadn't been sleeping well and had lost a lot of weight. One might have thought she was the one who had gotten injured instead."You're not allowed to take part in any climbing activities from now on, be it rock climbing, mountain climbing, or even going up the stairs. If you do, someone has to be around to watch you!" Quinton said sternly. He would never let Renee take any risks like that again. "Don't worry, Quinton. Phoenix won't get in any trouble under my watch." Justin was unusually serious as he gazed at Renee."I heard from the doctor that you'll be discharged from the
Melancholy washed over Renee as she glanced at the flowers and sighed. "I got them from an old friend." "Who's the person who knows your favorite flower? Do I know them?" Leia picked out a sunflower and sniffed it. "Yes, you know him." Downcast, Renee nodded.Justin narrowed his eyes at the bouquet and growled, "Do I know him?""Maybe," Renee answered honestly. "Oh…" Nodding, Justin relaxed. "So it's not Stefan. It doesn't matter then." "Why not?" Renee looked puzzled."It's because I have nothing to fear if it wasn't from Stefan, even if it's flowers, gold, or cash," Justin said confidently.Renee was speechless. Justin seemed to be quite dumb even though he looked smart. He would've gone mad if he knew that Stefan brought food to Renee every night and stayed in her ward for more than an hour. "Regardless, I think he's a kind man since his gift is just what Ren likes," Leia declared brightly, happy if the number of Renee's pursuers grew. "Stop that. What's going on wit
"Don't say that, we're not that close." Disappointment overwhelmed Leia when she recalled the things that had happened in the mountains, and she immediately felt irritated with Xavier. "How cruel! We slept together, didn't we? Of course that makes us close," Xavier said teasingly, finding Leia's behaviour cute. He slowly got closer to her and stared deeply into her eyes. "I don't mind reminding you if you forgot how close we were.""How… are you going to do that?" Shaken by his nearness, Leia subconsciously leaned backward. "I remember that my ex likes it when I kiss her against the wall. I don't mind helping you remember if you've forgotten…" Xavier murmured seductively as he backed her into a corner, leaning over her. "Idiot!" Blushing, Leia tried to slap him but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, whispering softly into her ear, "Aren't we close?""I…" Leia's heartbeat quickened and she bit her lip, looking away. "I don't know.""Don't make assumptions then. W
"What's the rush? There's nothing urgent we have to do. Isn't it nice to relax, have some coffee, and get to know each other better?" Xavier crossed his legs, rested his chin on his hand and watched her, smirking lazily."Don't you have anything better to do, Xavier?" Leia said through gritted teeth. Her patience was running out, and she wasn't as shameless as the mean seated opposite her."Nope, the most important thing for me to do is to be with you," Xavier said flirtatiously as he sipped his coffee."You're crazy!" Leia pretended to vomit at his cheesy line.After a brief silence, Xavier asked casually, "I heard you're going to join a love reality show that's scripted to have you dating Santiago?""It's a rumor!" Leia declared. Xavier's joy lasted less than a second as Leia added proudly, "I'm going to date Mr. Dalton; it's not scripted at all!""Leia Osborne!" Xavier called her by her full name for the first time, his tone threatening."What's the matter, Mr. Stuart?" Lei
"Mr. Dalton!" Leia looked at Santiago with sparkling eyes and eagerly trotted over to him. Standing under the shade of a tree, Santiago was much more handsome and charming than any idol. Leia was completely focused on him, and failed to see the motorbike speeding towards her."Be careful!" Santiago called out anxiously as he grabbed her and they both tumbled away from the bike. They dropped to the ground, locked in each other's arms intimately. Time seemed to have stopped as Leia and Santiago gazed at each other for a few seconds, immersed in their own world. After a while, they pulled away from each other and stood up awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dalton. I wasn't being careful and made you fall." Leia blushed and smoothed her messy hair, not daring to look at him."No, it was my fault for not going to you immediately," Santiago said tenderly. His attire was simple, with a blue jeans shirt and a pair of khaki pants, but his mysterious and charming aura put him in the spotlight wherev
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked