"It's okay, I won't force you to answer since you've just recovered!" Francine interrupted Stefan quickly. She didn't want him to say no, and besides, everything depended on whether Renee would accept him. She thought about it for a while, then suggested, "If you're worried about your incompatibility, I'll go to The Soul Rocks to ask the expert there to help you. I'll make sure to get rid of all obstacles for you." Elijah gave Francine a thumbs-up. "That's a great idea, Madam Francine." After that, he looked at Stefan. "Please rest well, Mr. Hunt. We'll try and help you settle Ms. Everheart's issue and the company affairs. For now, the most important thing is for you to rest well and get better." The harmonious atmosphere was interrupted by a bodyguard running into the room, looking distraught. "Madam, please come out for a while. We need your help to handle something."Francine glared at the bodyguard and said to Stefan, "Rest well, Stef. I'll go and see what the uproar is about.
Currently, the Hunt family was still the leading family of The Great Eight of Beach City, so the Murphys didn't dare to offend them."You ran out of options?" Francine sneered. "Aren't you just here to show off? Why pretend to be sorry? Just tell me why you're here.""It's about my dear daughter. She had her heart set on your son, and the wedding date was already decided and people were informed, but now… she can't even meet her future husband. What kind of crap is that?" Ethan gritted his teeth to keep his hatred at bay."Well, it's a delicate situation. I'm sure your daughter didn't tell you that she wanted to kill my son's surgeon to prevent the surgery. How else could I guarantee that she wouldn't do anything to my son?" Francine bluntly exposed what Seraphina did. She knew Seraphina had taken good care of Stefan for the last six months, and she couldn't really find fault with her. If nothing had happened, she would have been happy to see Seraphina marry Stefan since they were c
Francine's admiration for Adie grew when she heard what he had done. She felt that Adie had taken after his mother and grandmother, and he was much better than his reserved father. Adie was a promising candidate to run Hunt Enterprise in the future, and he might even be more capable than his father. "Your grandson nearly got my daughter killed, and you're laughing? Are you mocking her?" Ethan blustered, his face red in anger. He had wanted Francine to feel guilty, but it looked like she was more amused than anything about the whole incident.Francine snorted. "Yeah, I'm mocking her. She's an adult, but she was bested by a kid. Isn't it ridiculous?" After that, she took a step toward Ethan and said fiercely, "And for your information, I'm fully aware of my grandson's character—he'd never attack someone unless they provoked him first. The better question is why he pushed your daughter into the pond; I think you'd better ask your daughter about it before putting on a show here." "Fra
Francine smoothed down her hair and raised her head elegantly, showing everyone there why she was still the head of the Four Princesses of Beach City. "I'm fine. I've met a lot of men like him, so I've become immune to them. I knew that the Murphys had ulterior motives. They chose to invest in Hunt Enterprise because of the marriage, but once they realized that it wouldn't happen, they backed out. It's quite normal." Francine turned to Elijah, frowning as she asked, "Did Stefan ever indicate that the company's finances are tight?" For the past two years, Stefan had been expanding Hunt Enterprise and developing new areas through investments, but not many projects had brought him the profit he'd expected. Additionally, with so many competitors popping up, business was tough."Yes, many businesses of Hunt Enterprise have been narrowed down, and many competitors have snatched our deals... Currently, Mr. Hunt is focused on AI, but it's a new area, so funding for research is an issue." El
After Ethan stormed off after arguing with Francine, he went to the ward next door where Seraphina was. Seraphina was still a bit stunned from her stint in the pond, but she was awake now. She just needed to stay in the hospital for two days of observation. Seraphina stopped pacing when Ethan entered the ward, and quickly ran up to him. "How did it go, Daddy? What did Madam Francine say? Did she allow me to see Stefan?" When Seraphina had been admitted after nearly drowning, she cried and complained to Ethan, hoping that her father would help her win Stefan back."Why do you want her to say yes? I've already fought with them," Ethan said smugly. He had been waiting for this day for a long time, but his hands had been tied because of Seraphina. Now, he could bask in his victory. Seraphina's eyes bulged and she shrieked, "What?! Why would you do that? I asked you to make peace with them but you—"Annoyed, Ethan snapped, "Wake up, Seraphina! They never took us seriously. You took su
"You could tell them that I accidentally fell into the pond, or that I was hospitalized because I missed Stefan too much. You've got to move them! Why did you bring that kid up? Don't you know that they care about him a lot? I've lost my chance now for sure… Madam Francine will never forgive me, and Stefan definitely won't. I'm doomed..." Seraphina's shoulders trembled as she covered her face and cried piteously. Her crying broke Ethan's heart. Patting her shoulders, Ethan comforted her, "There, there. I've got a way for you to be with Stefan. Although it's a little extreme, I think it'll be effective. Would you like to try it?""Really?" Seraphina looked up at Ethan eagerly, her eyes puffy and watery."Of course. I've never lied to you.""Tell me then. I'm going crazy from not seeing Stefan for so long...""Well, we can't reach Stefan since he's so powerful… but doesn't that mean we'll have a chance if he falls off his pedestal?" Ethan smiled deviously, his eyes gleaming.Serap
It was late at night when Margaret returned to Everheart Manor with Adie.Renee couldn't sleep out of worry, and was sitting in the living room and sighing.Abby felt sorry for Renee, and had stayed up with her. "Are you scared because you can't see, Mommy? Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Abby poured a glass of water for Renee and stuffed snacks into Renee's hands."Thank you, Abby, but I'm not hungry or thirsty. Isn't it late? Why don't you go to bed first?" Renee reached out for her daughter and hugged her.Abby stared up at Renee, who was wearing sunglasses, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Will your eyes get better, Mommy? What will we do if you can't see me anymore?" "Don't worry, I'll get better. Plus, you and Adie can be my eyes if I can't recover, right? Isn't that great? Are you willing to be my eyes, Abby?" "Yes, I am!" Abby held Renee's hand tightly and continued firmly, "I'm willing to be your eyes, and I'll never leave you. I'll take you to wherever you wan
"No!" Adie said sharply, then urged, "Be honest with me, Mommy. What happened? Was it Jovan who hurt your eyes? He took your eyes for himself because he's blind and unhappy, didn't he?""Adie, that's not possible, you can't replace your eyes that way. Stop imagining things, I'm just suffering from an eye inflammation." Renee waved and denied it guiltily, wondering how Adie was so smart."Yes, you can't replace your eyes that way, but it's done after matching, right? You've been missing for so many days, but you were just in Jovan's manor having the surgery. Isn't that right?" Adie kept up his interrogation. He had found out that Renee was in Jovan's manor based on her GPS signal, but he didn't know why she was there. Now, he could see through Jovan's evil schemes."No, that's not true. Stop asking me questions. Why did you go out on your own? Didn't I ask you not to do that? I'm going to be angry with you..." Renee scolded Adie, "Do you know how dangerous it is out there? You're jus
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