"I would have come to you ages ago if I was, Mr. Hunt. I don't think your friend would hide her identity," Renee lied, her heart pounding in her chest."No, she might. That's why I dare to hope that... maybe you're her.""You're overthinking—I'm not her. Plus, I'm willing to give up my eyes for money. What would your old friend want if she gave up her eyes for you?" "She..." Jovan trailed off, not knowing how to respond. Renee had children, a successful business, as well as countless possibilities with Stefan. There was no way she would give up her wonderful life to save a villain like Jovan. His expression turned cold again, and he muttered, "Go then; we'll meet again the day after tomorrow. After the surgery, you can tell me how much you want. I'll be responsible for you and your family.""Thank you, Mr. Hunt. I won't have to worry anymore thanks to you." Renee casually patted Jovan's chest and left the balcony.Meanwhile, Eloise was wringing her hands and pacing worriedly down
Renee felt her heart skip a beat, and then her phone suddenly started to ring. It was Stefan calling, and after hesitating briefly, she answered the phone. "Finally! I thought you were dead!" Stefan bellowed through the phone, seething with anger.Renee winced and put her phone away from her ear. "Why did you call me? Are we that close?""No, we're not close..." Stefan chuckled, then said smugly, "We're just friends who slept with each other once. You're right, I shouldn't be acting like a busybody." "Clearly, you have nothing else better to do." Blushing, Renee snapped, "Tell me why you called, or I'm going to hang up.""Wait!" Stefan blurted out, then quickly asked, "Where are you now? Who are you with? Are you safe?" "How is that any of your business? All you need to know is that I'm safe. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have the time to speak to you on the phone, would I?" Renee tried to speak calmly to eliminate Stefan's doubts. "Really?" Stefan was naturally cautious, so he di
Renee wondered why she had poked her nose into Stefan's business. Stefan and Seraphina were childhood sweethearts who loved each other and were going to get married soon, and if they started fighting because of Renee's call, Renee would be a certified homewrecker. She didn't want to ruin someone else's marriage.Meanwhile, Stefan was staring at his phone with a complicated expression. Sitting beside him in the CEO's office of Hunt Enterprise was an expert hacker Elijah had spent a fortune to hire, and Elijah himself."Did you find her?" Stefan asked the young man who was typing vigorously on his laptop."Yes!" The young man adjusted his glasses, his face alight with excitement. "Ms. Everheart's current location is in a forest eighty kilometers away from Beach City based on the signal transmitted by her phone." He quickly gave Stefan the specific coordinates, including the latitude and longitude of her location.Elijah looked up the coordinates online, but when the search results
Seraphina skipped to Stefan cheerfully, carrying a thermos. She unscrewed the thermos, filling the office with the rich smell of the soup, and said, "I made you chicken soup. It'll be good for your stomach, since you have gastritis. You should hurry up and drink it.""Wow, it smells so nice, Ms. Murphy! I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking," Elijah praised Seraphina from where he was.Stefan flipped through a contract aloofly as he sat at his desk. Without lifting his head, he said to Elijah coolly, "Drink it yourself if you think it smells so good." Seraphina gritted her teeth at Stefan's cold tone as she poured the soup for him. However, Elijah was no fool. He immediately waved his hand and refused, "No, I wouldn't dare to. This is what Ms. Murphy made for you, Mr. Hunt, so who am I to drink it? I'll just have some water." Seraphina inhaled deeply to calm herself, then turned to Elijah with a fake smile. "It's alright; I can pour you a bowl if you want, Mr. Young.""
Stefan raised his brows but didn't persist. "Forget it—I'm sure I'll find out whatever you all are hiding from me eventually. I believe in Owen's skills." Clang! The thermos suddenly fell from Seraphina's hand, and she screamed as the hot soup splashed onto her hand. "Ah, it hurts!""Are you okay?" Stefan immediately put down the document in his hands and went to Seraphina."It's okay, it's just a slight burn." Seraphina tried to brush it off, but she looked like she was in pain. "Let me have a look." Stefan took Seraphina's hand and leaned down to study it. When he saw that the back of her hand was red and burned, he frowned deeply. "Take her to the medical room and tend to this, Elijah.""No, it's fine. I'm really okay..." Seraphina trailed off as she looked at the soup that had spilled all over the floor. "But it's a pity… I spent the whole afternoon making this soup for you, and now the carpet's dirty too." "The soup can be made again and the carpet can be cleaned, but I'd
Instantly, Seraphina's features twisted into a hideous snarl. She glared at Elijah and sneered icily, "What exactly are you trying to say, Mr. Young? Do you doubt my feelings for Stefan?" "I'm not doubting your sincerity towards him, but I just want to know how deep it runs… How much would you be willing to sacrifice for Mr. Hunt?" Elijah asked bluntly. He didn't care if Seraphina thought him selfish or overbearing; he just wanted to be sure of Seraphina before he tried to help her get closer to Stefan. After all, Renee had almost killed Stefan, so he had to make sure Seraphina didn't have any ulterior motives."I'm willing to do anything for Stefan, including giving up my life..." Seraphina bit her lip as she recalled what happened in the past, her eyes watery. "I'm sure you don't know this, but… When that woman's brother went mad and kidnapped Stefan, I suffered a lot so Stefan could come back safely." Elijah frowned, staring at her curiously. "What happened?" "I'm sure you kn
The fact that Seraphina, a rich young lady from a noble family, had been sullied by a group of criminals was something she should have kept a secret, but she revealed it to Elijah to win his support. If Elijah saw her sincerity and helped get her and Stefan closer, things would be much simpler."Yeah, I didn't imagine you loved Mr. Hunt that much..." Elijah stared at Seraphina, feeling conflicted. If Renee's love for Stefan glowed steadily and brightly like the Moon, then Seraphina's love for Stefan burned fervently and madly like the Sun. It was really hard to choose which love was more suitable for Stefan. "Your relationship with Mr. Hunt has been good lately. Although he's busy with work and doesn't spend much time with you, I guarantee that he still cares about you. Don't worry, you both will have more time together once he settles his work." Elijah tried to reassure Seraphina, who was glaring daggers at him."Do you think I'm a kid? I don't need to be coaxed!" Seraphina scof
Two days later, Renee changed into a surgical gown and walked into the sterile surgery room of the manor with Jovan."Please lie down on the operating table." The eye surgeon instructed the nurses to help them onto the table after a brief check-up and anesthesia testing. Renee gave her full cooperation throughout the process, staying quiet the whole time. The image of her in the large surgical gown with her long hair wrapped up in a cap made her look like a little lamb off to the slaughter. She laid down on the operating table, the surgical light above her so bright that she couldn't open her eyes. Halos of light swam in her vision, and she felt as if she was stuck in a nightmare. "Do you regret it?" She heard Jovan's indifferent voice nearby. "It's not too late if you do.""No, I don't." Renee smiled pathetically. "I'll never regret since I'll be getting so much money." "Okay, then. I promise I'll reward you generously," Jovan promised firmly. After the anesthesiologist fini