"Yeah, what do you mean 'almost in our thirties'? Ren and I are forever eighteen, okay?" Leia declared, ready to start a fight with Quinton.Seeing the two girls gang up on him, Quinton immediately gave in and put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I was wrong. Both of you will always be eighteen, at least to me... No, it's too much. At most, one of you is three and the other is five."Blinking, Leia asked, "Who is three and who is five?" Both Renee and Quinton smiled at each other, and Quinton chuckled. "Isn't it obvious?" Renee groaned, "Ah, now that I think about it… What if someone bullies you during filming?" "Bullies me?" Clenching her fists, Leia said confidently "Hah! They'll be lucky if I don't bully them!" "Good. Don't forget to practice the self-defense skills I taught you." Renee felt like a mother sending her sheltered daughter off to college. "Don't worry, bestie. I'm just going to shoot a show, I'm not going to war. I'll be fine." After chatting with Renee a w
The nurse looked at Renee and smiled. "No. Are you feeling a bit anxious, Miss Everheart?" Heaving a long sigh, Renee said glumly, "Maybe."Margaret came to the hospital with Adie and Abby in the evening. Adie held Renee's hand warmly and stroked her hair the moment he entered the ward. "Mommy, we're done with school for the day. Are you feeling better?" He asked gently."Yes, I'm much better. I'll be leaving the hospital in no time." Renee touched Adie's cheek. The sight of her children eased her pain much better than any medicine.Looking cute in pigtail braids and a pink denim jumper, Abby carefully handed a cherry tomato to Renee. "I grew a cherry tomato plant at the kindergarten, Mommy, and this is the only tomato that grew. I want you to have it; you'll get better after you eat it.""Don't you want to eat it since there's only one, Abby?" Renee stared at the cherry tomato in Abby's hand as if it was a treasure."No, Mommy, I want you to eat the best food there is. I watere
Adie would pass by this large garden every time he came to visit Renee, and he had always wanted to pick some of the colorful flowers in it for Renee. His mother loved beautiful things, and flowers were one of the most beautiful things in the world, so Adie felt that Renee would definitely be happy when she saw them.There were many types of flowers blooming brightly in the garden, including large roses, lush rhododendrons, and bright peonies. It was a beautiful and calming sight, and Adie decided to pick one of each to put into a bouquet for his mother. He walked into the flower shrubs, and the image of him surrounded by fresh flowers looked like a scene from a movie. As he plucked some flowers, he heard a woman's angry voice as she spoke on the phone. "I don't care, we have to put an end to this surgery and stop Owen from coming to the hospital! Is it that hard to make a person disappear? People die in plane crashes and car accidents all the time! Doesn't he like fishing? He can d
The person standing before him was none other than Adie's scumbag daddy.Ugh... but it seemed like he wasn't really a scumbag at all."Why aren't you answering?" Stefan studied Adie intently, then his features relaxed. "Oh, I know. You haven't learned how to talk, have you?"Rolling his eyes, Adie thought, 'Well, there's definitely something wrong with his brain. No wonder he needs surgery. I'm almost five years old, so how can he think that I still can't talk?'"You shouldn't go around alone if you can't talk, or else your parents will be worried..." Stefan reached his hand out to Adie, and ordered softly, "It isn't safe there. Come here." However, Adie glanced at Stefan briefly and ignored him as he bent down and picked up the flowers on the ground."Ah, it seems you're autistic too... You're cute though." Heaving a long sigh, Stefan glanced at Adie compassionately. Although he was usually quite aloof, he had a soft spot for children and furry animals, and would instinctively
"I betrayed her?" Stefan asked in bewilderment, wondering how that statement made sense."Adie!" A voice called out, and Adie turned around to see Justin waving at him."Coming!" Adie grinned when he saw Justin and ran towards him, leaving Stefan standing there in confusion."Didn't your mommy tell you not to talk to bad guys? Stay far away from him." Justin rested a hand on Adie's head and glared at Stefan. He had heard from Renee that Stefan had lost his memories of the twins too, so Stefan had no idea that Adie was his son. Renee had begged Justin to pretend to be Adie and Abby's father to avoid trouble, so Justin purposely tried to sound like he was Adie's father.As expected, Stefan got the wrong idea, and his gaze turned cold as he scoffed, "I would have stayed away from him if I knew that he was Renee's son. It seems like he's just as dangerous as his mother." After that, Stefan shoved his hands into his pockets and left the garden. He didn't want to admit it, but an unexpla
Seeing how Justin was slowly entering his trap, Adie smiled mysteriously but kept Justin guessing. "You should know my mommy well since you like her so much. Why don't you try to guess?""You want me to guess?" Rubbing his chin, Justin nodded contemplatively. "I guess the thing your mommy needs the most is the sincerity of an excellent man like me. It's the reason why I've appeared in her life, because I'm just the thing she needs." "Ugh!" Adie pretended to vomit and complained, "You're so cheesy, Mr. Baldwin; no wonder my mommy doesn't like you. You say you're sincere but isn't that just an empty promise? You should let your actions do the talking.""Haha! You're so young. Do you even know what empty promises are?" "Yes, I do. Empty promises are promises that are never kept while sincerity is the exact opposite." Adie narrowed his eyes at Justin. " Do you want to make empty promises or let your actions speak for you?""Okay, stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you w
"Huh?" Renee looked confused. "Benefactor, please come in." Adie beckoned Justin in with a finger and said seriously, "I've already discussed it with Mr. Baldwin, Mommy. He'll give you money instead of making you empty promises from now on. Just give him a figure, and you won't have to work so hard anymore.""What?" Renee's jaw dropped, and she stared at Adie in disbelief. What had the little troublemaker done now?However, Justin walked to Renee's bed and nodded sincerely. "Adie's right—I've never really done anything for you. Please let me do something for you now by giving you money, after all... it's pretty much the only thing I have."Renee massaged her aching temples and grumbled, "Stop being unreasonable.""No, I'm being serious. I want to give you money." Justin wanted to show Renee how deep his feelings for her were. He would have banked the money directly into her account if he could. Helpless, Renee said to Justin, "Don't take Adie's nonsense seriously. Plus, I have
Justin only said that because he had noticed bad things happening to his family ever since he started cooperating with the Everhearts. Most of them were attacks on their finances, like Justin's business partner abruptly withdrawing their funds, one of their factories catching fire, and the higher-ups finding fault with him for no reason. However, there had also been physical attacks directed at Justin and Quinton.Quinton found a man-made bomb under his car the day before, and Justin realized that his car brakes had been tampered with when he started his car. Quinton hadn't told Renee about all this because he didn't want her to worry, but Justin felt that she should be aware of just how serious the situation was."That's why I think someone might have caused your fall!" Justin said urgently.Renee clenched her fists and inhaled deeply. "Okay, I'll be careful. Quinton and I just got some time off, and there are already people getting restless." "So, what's your plan now? Do you
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
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