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
Sadness engulfed Eloise at the sight of Jovan, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks. "You've changed so much because of that woman, Mr. Hunt. You weren't this pessimistic in the past...""No, I didn't change because of her. This is how I am, and I just became more like myself after I met her." Jovan's blank gaze seemed to soften at the mention of Renee. "You're wrong!" Eloise argued frustratedly, "You once said that love was the most meaningless thing in the world, that it would only tie you down and weaken you! You had actually defeated Stefan back then, and if you had just been more ruthless, you would have been heading Hunt Enterprise, but… you became a fool for that woman, and gave up your blood and eyes to Stefan. He's out and about now, but we have to cower in a corner and lick our wounds. Even something simple like looking at the moon is unobtainable, and it just makes me so mad!" Jovan slowly clenched his fists, unable to deny it. Eloise was right—in the past, he was
"Maybe fate feels that you've suffered enough," Eloise said vaguely."Can you tell me more about the donor? Is it a man or a woman? Is the donor a Hunt too?" Although Jovan was elated, he was still cautious. Nothing in life was free, after all."Well... that..." Eloise trailed off, not expecting Jovan to be concerned with who the donor was. She thought about it for a while, then casually lied, "It's a poor female student. When she saw our advertisement, she submitted her check-up report, and we found her suitable." If Jovan learned that the donor was Renee, the very person he risked his life to protect, there was no way he'd agree to the surgery. "Oh, a poor female student..." Jovan didn't doubt it—there were many people who were forced to give up their bodies or organs just to survive. "Pay her well if she really agrees to do it. In fact, I'm willing to be responsible for her and her family for the rest of their lives," Jovan declared righteously. Although he wasn't generous by na
Jovan immediately picked up on Eloise's hesitation and asked, "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" "No, it's just that… Is it really necessary that you meet her?" Eloise initially wanted to come up with an excuse to reject his request, but he would surely get suspicious if she kept saying no. "Of course," Jovan said earnestly. "She's going to bear the suffering I've been going through for the rest of her life if she gives her eyes to me. She'll practically be giving me a new life, so of course I have to meet my benefactor." "Okay, I'll arrange a meeting for the both of you then..." Eloise felt it was best that she let Jovan meet Renee for a while before the surgery to erase any suspicions. "I'll ask her to come to the manor at ten o'clock tomorrow morning so the both of you can talk.""You've done well, Elly." It was the first time Jovan praised Eloise openly. He turned his face towards the sky and took in a deep breath, feeling like freedom was already in his grasp. "I'll be abl