When Leia saw the moonstone, she quickly dived deeper. "Slow down!" Worried, Xavier swam after her. The coral reefs were beautiful, but they were also sharp, and some were dangerous to touch. However, Leia was behaving like an irrational child, excitedly pushing aside the corals like she had found a fun new toy. In her eagerness to find the moonstone for Renee to ensure her friend's peaceful life, she failed to see the silver creature lurking in the crevice above the moonstone. Just as Leia was about to touch the moonstone, the creature emerged from its hole and bit the back of her hand. Leia shrieked and pulled her hand away quickly."It's a snake! It's a sea krait!" Xavier's mind went blank when he saw the sea snake bite Leia and swim away. He immediately swam to her and grabbed her hand. Leia pointed at the moonstone excitedly, thinking it was just an insect that bit her. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, she waved the moonstone at Xavier proudly, showing off he
Santiago felt like Xavier was the most opinionated and arrogant man he had ever met. "Have you ever asked Lei what she wants? Who is the outsider here, you or me?" He approached Xavier angrily, wanting to take Leia from him.At that moment, Leia was feeling weak, and her lips were pale. She looked at them and groaned, "Can you two stop fighting? I'm dying here! Hurry up... and get me to the hospital!" Too weak to hold on, she blacked out and lost consciousness. When Leia woke up, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. Both Xavier and Santiago were sitting in front of her bed, and she could feel that the atmosphere between them was tense. However, the most important thing was that she was alive."Lei, you're awake! Are you thirsty? I'll get you some water." When Santiago saw Leia open her eyes, his eyes lit up."Of course she's thirsty, she's been in a coma for two days! If you didn't talk so much, she'd be drinking water by now," Xavier snapped as he handed Leia a cup of warm
"In two to three hours," Santiago replied. "The doctor said they'll put you under anesthesia to clear out the venom in your body, and you can't drink any more water after this until the surgery is done.""Well, there's still time left..." Leia looked around. "Where's my phone? I want to tell Ren I'm okay." However, Xavier gently pushed her back down onto the bed and said, "Don't worry about her, she'll be taken care of.""By whom? Don't tell me it's your scumbag buddy, Stefan!" Leia retorted rudely. "I'll be more worried about her if he's around!"Her words made Xavier snort. "Why do you hate Stefan so much? They're a match made in heaven, but they just have a lot of obstacles to face along the way. It's not fair to label Stefan as a scumbag, is it?""He obviously is!" Leia burst out furiously. "He cheated on Ren while they were still married to each other and got another woman pregnant! In the end, when he finally won Ren back, he got engaged to someone else. Isn't he a scumbag?
Santiago handed Leia her phone, effectively interrupting Xavier and Leia's argument."Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You're the best!" Leia stopped arguing with Xavier and beamed, then used her left hand to call Renee."If you really think so, stop calling me Mr. Dalton..." Santiago muttered unhappily, then said, "You can call me Santiago or even Santi.""Ah, I..." Leia could tell that Santiago was upset, and she didn't know how to respond."Mr. Dalton is how my fans address me, but you're not my fan anymore, so can you call me Santi from now on?" Although Santiago was asking Leia, his firm tone made it clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer."Okay... Santi." Leia turned beet red as she said it. Shyness overwhelmed her, and she felt like she was in a TV drama. Calling Santiago 'Mr. Dalton' was normal, but calling him 'Santi' suddenly seemed incredibly intimate.Xavier frowned and scoffed enviously, "Did you guys forget I'm here? And Santi... How disgusting! Don't tell me this is so
Renee woke up in a large bed in a strange white room. She looked around in confusion, wondering if she was in a morgue. "You're finally awake. You were in a coma for three days because the drug I used was too strong. I actually thought you'd stay that way forever..." A woman's indifferent voice came from the window, sounding as if life and death were nothing to her.Renee immediately turned towards the woman standing at the window, then frowned. "It's... you." It was the woman who had snuck into Renee's ward the other night."I'm honored you remember me," Eloise scoffed sarcastically, as she tended to a bouquet of sunflowers beside the window. She took a pair of scissors and cut the stems of the sunflowers she had just picked, carefully placing them into the vase. It looked very beautiful."The master said sunflowers are your favourite, which is why he ordered me to plant sunflowers in the garden. Now, they're all in bloom, but he can't even see them. It's just like his unrequited
"Hmm… You didn't have the time to look for my master, but you had the time to meet Stefan every night. You had the time to bicker with Mr. Baldwin and chat with Mr. Osborne. You were really busy... so much so that you forgot about my master," Eloise snarled, wrapping her fingers around Renee's pale throat and strangling her. "Did you know that my master came up with countless methods to kill himself while you were with Stefan? His wrists were full of cuts, and no matter where I hid the razor blades, he'd find them. He used to be so strong, but now he's weak and fragile. Do you even know what he's been through?"Renee's eyes widened in surprise, and she slowly stopped resisting. She stared up at Eloise solemnly as she strangled her, and her vision soon started to blur. "Hmph, I won't let you die so easily," Eloise let go of Renee and said coldly. "I brought you here to atone for your sins." Renee coughed as her lungs filled with air again. Gasping, she asked Eloise, "How... do yo
Eloise looked at Renee suspiciously, not believing that someone could be that foolish. "Are you really willing to give up your eyes for him and help cover for us?""Willing or not, I owe it to Jovan." Renee sighed and added, "I don't have to let them know if you don't trust me, but you'll just have to figure out how to deal with them when this becomes a bigger mess." Renee wasn't bluffing Eloise—she genuinely wanted to resolve this. She'd always felt guilty because of Jovan's sacrifices, and when night fell, that uneasiness would play on her mind. She always wondered if he was living in despair or had fallen into his enemies' hands… or if he was dead. Thinking of all those possibilities hurt her and gave her restless nights. She no longer wanted that kind of life; she wanted to repay Jovan."How are you going to tell them that you're safe?" Eloise asked carefully. "I'll post on Facebook..." Smiling, Renee explained, "People in danger wouldn't think of posting something on social me
"Okay, I'll post your status later. Log in to your account first." Eloise fished out her phone and let Renee log into her social account.After taking Eloise's phone, Renee logged in to her social account and gave her full cooperation. She could've easily called for help, but didn't feel like doing so.Eventually, Eloise grew to believe Renee, much to her surprise. "I didn't imagine that you would really give up your eyes. No wonder my master loves you so much… A woman like you really is worthy of the sacrifices he's made.""Is that a compliment?" Looking at Eloise, Renee smiled. "I'm not a good person—I just hate the idea of owing someone." "Maybe he wants that... but I won't let him be a fool any longer." Heaving a long sigh, Eloise continued, "It doesn't matter who owes who, he's the only one suffering here. If this surgery is successful, I hope he'll be more ruthless and force you to be with him. That was how he used to do things."Eloise had been trained by Jovan's parents s
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