"Good, the surgery can proceed as planned then. Where is he?" Francine asked curiously."Oh, he..." Elijah glanced at the surgery room. "He entered the room using a staff card. I think the surgery has already started.""What? It's already started?" Francine quickly put her palms together and prayed, "God, please protect him, I beg you... As long as he's safe, I'll do my best to separate him from Renee!"Elijah frowned, looking perplexed. "Madam, why do you want to break up the couple after you agreed to the surgery? Didn't you say that you wouldn't meddle in his life anymore, and you'll let him make his own decisions?" "I did say that, but a fortune teller told me that they're incompatible, and they'll be in serious trouble if they get together. So, I've got to be the villain here to keep them safe," Francine answered honestly. Of course, it was also up to them whether or not they could overcome the obstacles in their path and be with each other forever. "Madam, when did you bec
Owen was immediately surrounded by people."How did the surgery go, Dr. Wagner? Is my son okay?" Francine asked Owen agitatedly. "Don't worry. The surgery was very successful, and everything will be okay as long as he gets good rest for a few days." The long surgery had exhausted Owen, so he didn't speak much and quickly headed to the changing room to change his clothes. There had been a lot of weird things about Stefan's brain surgery, and he needed to talk to Stefan once he'd woken up."Great! He's finally out of danger." Francine breathed a sigh of relief. To her, the most important thing was her son's safety. Seraphina stood nearby with a complicated expression, feeling conflicted. She was relieved that Stefan was safe, but she was also worried about the aftermath of this surgery. "Are you okay, Ms. Murphy?" Elijah walked up to Seraphina and whispered, noticing Seraphina's odd reaction. "I... I'm fine !" Seraphina swallowed and averted her gaze in obvious guilt. Elijah
"I won't hold you responsible for that because I know you only did it out of love for Stefan, but I hope you can understand my intentions too," Francine said slowly.Seraphina looked up, her eyes teary. "What are you saying, Madam Francine? What do you want?" "Calm down..." Although Francine seemed to be reassuring Seraphina, she looked disapproving and solemn. "I won't force you to leave my son, but I'll respect his choices. It's his business if he picks you or someone else. However, I do have one request—that you stay away from Stef while he's recuperating.""What?" Seraphina was stunned, and protested, "Isn't that too much, Madam Francine? You know what I've suffered and sacrificed for Stefan, but now that he's got his memories back, you want to get rid of me. You're not even letting me see him! Don't you feel bad doing this to me?" Seraphina wasn't used to such treatment having been pampered and spoiled her whole life. She was once the only heiress of the Murphy family before h
Jovan's room was full of people the next day. His parents, Eloise, and important executives from Hunt Enterprise had all gathered there since it was a special day. Jovan would be able to see again after the stitches were removed. "It's time, Mr. Hunt. Are you ready? We're going to remove the stitches for you." The doctor asked Jovan seriously."Go ahead." Jovan nodded and sat at the edge of the bed, nervously clasping his hands together. Getting his sight back was almost like being reborn, and no one could understand how agitated he was at that moment.After gaining Jovan's approval, the doctor started removing the bandages. "Your eyes might ache and swell for a while because they haven't been in contact with light for a while, but that's normal. Your vision will be blurred initially, so we'll give you glasses to block out strong lights. It'll help you with the recovery." The last layer of bandages was finally removed, and Jovan could feel a ray of light shining on his eyes. As h
Jovan pursed his lips, not saying a word. His gentle and melancholic eyes didn't seem to match his character."Hey, I'm talking to you! Do you need new ears too?" Arthur scolded, dissatisfied with Jovan's reaction."He's just recovered; don't force him. Do you want him dead?" Sheila snapped at her husband, looking at her son tenderly. After chatting with Jovan a bit, she left with the others.Finally, the room was silent again.Eloise went to Jovan and whispered carefully, "Are you okay, Master Jovan? Can your eyes take it? If not, please close your eyes and rest for a bit." Calmly, Jovan instructed, "Give me a mirror."Eloise's heart skipped a beat. "Huh?" "I said I want a mirror," Jovan said harshly. Terrified, Eloise immediately went to him with a large mirror, and turned it towards him.Jovan's heart twisted in his chest when familiar eyes stared back at him. "These eyes..."Back then, Jovan had been bewitched by these very eyes. "Is there a problem, Master Jovan? I'
Jovan didn't think about it too much and took the medicine from Eloise. Although his eyes were swollen, aching, and uncomfortable, he kept his gaze on Eloise as she made the call. However, his vision soon started to get blurry, and he eventually dropped to the ground, unconscious. "Bring Ms. Everheart in, Lisa!" After Eloise confirmed that Jovan had dozed off, she called Lisa on her phone. The medicine she had given Jovan was actually a sedative given by the doctor to help Jovan sleep better.Since Renee had also asked to bid Jovan goodbye before she left, Lisa quickly helped Renee into Jovan's room. "How is he? Can he see now? His body didn't reject the eyes, right?" Renee's eyes still hadn't recovered, so she looked rather aloof as she walked in wearing a pair of sunglasses. She was much more assertive than before, and no one would be able to tell that she was blind. Her persistence and stubbornness made Eloise and Lisa feel very sorry for her. "The doctor said he's recovering w
Smiling, Renee confessed, "I grew up in Everheart Manor, so I'm very familiar with its layout. I can get around the place with my eyes closed, so don't worry." She didn't want to implicate Lisa and get her in trouble."Okay, just be careful," Lisa said finally."Will do. Get back safely!" Renee waved at Lisa. Once she heard the car drive off, she carefully walked towards the gate. After keying in the password, she brushed her hands against the things around her, making her way into the living room. She had strong perception and observation skills, so it wasn't difficult for her to move around her childhood home. "Adie! Abby!" Renee opened the door and yelled, grinning happily."Mommy!" Abby was drawing upstairs, but when she heard Renee's voice, she ran downstairs excitedly. "It's really you, Mommy! You're finally home!" Abby threw herself into Renee's arms and hugged her. Renee caressed Abby's head lovingly and smiled. "Were you good when I wasn't around?" "Of course! I final
"I think Adie's out. Margaret is worried about him and has gone to look for him," Abby said honestly. She wasn't surprised that Adie had successfully snuck out; her smart brother was very careful, so she wasn't worried about him at all."What? Where did he go this time?" Renee asked anxiously. Adie was unusually clever, and it always made Renee worry. However, in her current condition, she didn't know what she should do. Luckily, at that moment, Margaret returned. She entered the house anxiously, still wearing her apron because Adie had snuck out while she was cooking. "You're finally home, Ms. Ren! Please help me figure out where Adie has gone, I can't find him anywhere…""Did he say anything before he left? Has he been acting strangely recently?" Renee frowned and asked.Margaret sighed and said worriedly, "No, nothing of the sort, but he did think you'd gotten into trouble because you refused to have a video call with him. He said that he wanted to save you, but I ignored him b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s
Time passed by. Gradually, the pain knocked some sense into Justin. He no longer wanted to take advantage of Renee."Let me get you some water." Renee had no idea what she could do for Justin. After some contemplation, she got to her feet and poured him a glass of water.Finally, she studied the room closely and found that it was a wedding room as Justin had mentioned. Everything was set up according to her preferences, which she had occasionally mentioned to Justin. For example, she loved keeping some ceramic ornaments on the bedside cabinet and hanging some seashell wind chimes at the windows. The entire room was painted in beige and green, which were her favorites, too. Beige gave a sense of warmth, while green gave a sense of gloominess. All of those details became the perfect wedding room for Renee.If everything went on smoothly, she would spend most of her time there, and he would be her life companion. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in the world.Renee handed the gla
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