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
"Listen to me, Abby—just go to sleep. Mommy's eyes might have recovered when you wake up, or... it might all just be a nightmare," Adie said reassuringly. Eventually, Abby went to bed with Margaret obediently because of Adie's coaxing."Can you tell me the truth now, Mommy?" After Abby left, Adie turned to Renee. Although he was the same age as Abby, he was more mature and rational. Sometimes, he was even more mature than adults. Besides, he didn't believe that Renee was blind because of sickness; he firmly believed that it had something to do with Jovan. However, he understood Renee's reluctance to tell the truth because she didn't want to make Abby and Margaret worry. Thus, he came up with a way to send them away. "You're a smart kid, Adie. You should know that no one can take away my eyes. I'm not that weak." Renee reached out and felt around, finally managing to grab Adie's hand.Adie immediately understood what she was saying, and his eyes glossed over with unshed tears. "I
Adie helped Renee to the master bedroom upstairs and tucked her into bed. He even poured a glass of water for her and placed it on the bedside cabinet. "There's water on the bedside cabinet, Mommy. You can drink it if you're thirsty," Adie said considerately."Thank you, Adie. You and Abby are my eyes, so... I'm not afraid. In fact, I feel relaxed and happier. Although I can't see with my eyes, I can see with my heart!" Renee said and smiled sincerely. Yes, her pain for losing her sight was real, but her children's love for her was real too, and it filled her with happiness. She wouldn't know how warm her children were if something like this didn't happen. They were no longer merely kids under her care—they could be independent, and they could even take care of her when she needed it. "Rest early, Mommy. Don't worry, I won't let you be blind for long. I'll come up with ways to make you see again," Adie promised firmly, clenching his fists."Just let things run its course. Of course
After a week, Renee was getting used to being blind. She adapted quickly, and Margaret and her children took great care of her. She learned about current events through voice messages and Braille, which she picked up quickly, so she was quite up-to-date despite staying at Everheart Manor all the time. She found out from the news that the Hunt and the Murphy families had fallen out with each other, and naturally, the marriage between Stefan and Seraphina was off. Thanks to that, Hunt Enterprise was facing its biggest crisis due to financial and technical issues, and many felt that the Great Eight of Beach City might be reshuffled. Renee didn't know what to feel when she heard the news. She was neither happy nor sad, and felt like an onlooker calmly reading about people from another world. Finally, she could distance herself from that mess, and the thought of it gave her peace of mind. After driving Adie and Abby to school every morning, Margaret would lead Renee to the pagoda tree in
Suddenly, Renee found something amiss. She couldn't feel the wind, but it didn't feel like the wind had stopped. Rather, it felt like something was blocking the wind. Frowning, she asked hesitantly, "Margaret?" Only silence greeted her.Renee could hear someone's rapid breathing, and felt their gaze on her skin. "You aren't Margaret, are you?" Margaret wasn't tall enough to be able to block out the breeze entirely, and she would have answered Renee by now. Also, this person smelled like grass, ambergris, and medical disinfectant. Finally, she realized who it was. Renee clenched her fists and asked coolly, "What are you doing here, Stefan?" Stefan's heartbeat quickened, and he stared at Renee's eyes in disbelief. "Your... eyes?""You came at last." Renee wasn't surprised because Adie had warned her about Stefan's desire to meet her. People usually needed around two weeks to recover after brain surgery, but he had come here in less than a week. His wound had probably just healed; t
Mateo swallowed. "Yes, I'm aware of that. The Stuart family has been investing in a lot of entertainment properties in Southeast Aeos in the recent few years. They're controlling more than half of the TV stations. Their power and influence are incomparable.""Looks like you keep up with the current events. Are you involved in the entertainment field too?" Liam asked.He had easily gained the result he wanted with just a few words. He faked a smile and looked at Mateo, who was panicking.Mateo glanced at him and said grumpily, "All that Master ever asks us to do is indecent. If we don't have any people in the media, we're doomed."The Triangle was never governed by the law, but public opinion was a dangerous weapon. If they went over the line and got reported by the media, international law would get involved. Naturally, it would affect their business.The Stuarts did decent business like the Osbornes and might appear easy to control. However, they couldn't be offended casually—a
Because of Liam's declaration, he and Mateo failed to reach a consensus.Mateo's gaze grew colder and more sinister, and he glared fiercely at Liam. "Fine. There's nothing to talk about between us.""No, you're wrong." Liam calmly swayed the wine glass. "You can get down on your knees and say sorry. Maybe I'll let you off by then!""How dare you!" Mateo could no longer take it—he pushed all the cutleries on the table to the floor and pointed angrily at Liam. "You refused my kindness. I won't go easy on you!""Just come at me. I'll wait," Liam shot back provocatively. He knew Mateo well—the man was wicked and cautious, but also cowardly. Under these circumstances, he wouldn't act recklessly. Hence, Liam wasn't afraid to infuriate him. Renee was right. Mateo had done so many things to control Liam. As long as Liam remained calm, Mateo couldn't do anything to Renee and Leia. "You think I won't do that?" Mateo clenched his fists and snarled fiercely, "I'll break one of their fing
Liam casually twirled the wine glass in his hand and asked Mateo coldly, "So, you won't stop until you marry Gem?""Not just that." Mateo tore off a drumstick and bit into it, then cracked a cunning sneer. "Marrying Amber is always in my plans. I'll marry her even if you're not involved. Tonight, I want to talk to you about the few territories in your hands.""The territories in my hands?" Liam frowned. Initially, he was confused—then, he understood it and chuckled. "What territories? I just work for Mr. Jenkins. The territories we took in belong to him. You'd better ask them from him instead of me. That's more straightforward."When Liam and Amber decided to fake their marriage, Benjamin focused on training Liam. In the process, he gave Liam a lot of power and authority.Liam didn't fail Benjamin. He did a great job even with his limited power. In half a year, he took three territories, namely the East River, West River, and South River. The three territories came with an importan
"Just forget about it?" Luneth fell into a daze when she heard Amber's words. She glanced at Amber darkly before letting out a twisted laugh. Then, she shook her head."No, I can't let it go just like that! Grady was hurt. How can I call myself a mother if I let it go like that? I must make the two people who hurt Grady pay dearly!"Luneth's expression shocked Amber. She subconsciously swallowed and asked, "Well, how will you handle it?" "I told Mateo to lock them up. When Grady's condition stabilizes, I'll make them pay!" Luneth's eyes shone with fury and vengeance, and she gnashed her teeth. "They hurt Grady, so I'll give them a taste of their medicine! I won't break their limbs or cut off their tongues. I'll just cut their foreheads and tear off their scalps! What do you think?""You want to…tear off their scalps?" Terror gripped Amber when she heard Luneth's plan. An awkward laughter escaped her. "Isn't that too ruthless? If they didn't do it on purpose, I don't think you sh
Amber grabbed some tissues beside her and carefully covered the scratch between her brows. She kept calm in hopes that she could make Luneth let down her guard. She knew very well that Liam, Renee, and Leia would be doomed if she didn't stop Luneth from telling Benjamin and Macsen about this incident. Although her face hurt badly from the teacup, it was nothing compared to their safety. "I'm sorry, Gem… I didn't do it on purpose. I was too angry and scared!" Luneth realized how aggressive she had been, and apologized to Amber in sobs. At the same time, she complained piteously, "You know how hard it was for me to get a child. Grady is very dear to Macsen and me. We don't even speak loudly to him or beat him up. But today, someone pressed him to the ground and beat him up. There's such a large hole in his head! The doctors told me that we needed to take good care of his wound. If it gets infected or he gets tetanus, the bacteria or virus might invade his brain and turn him mentall
Luneth was staying in the southeast of the fort. Her house was a uniquely styled traditional cottage. Upon arriving, Amber could hear a woman crying from afar. Many servants, doctors, and women were standing in front of Luneth's room. Amber walked toward Luneth's servant Jayna Bowie, and asked carefully, "Hello, is Aunt Luneth around?" "Ms. Jenkins, come another day. Mrs. Klein is crying sadly now. She's furious. I'm afraid you might be harmed if you go in," Jayna advised kindly.Those standing in a row at the door were trying to comfort Luneth. However, they were quickly rebuked and became too timid to approach her."It's fine." Amber was aware of her aunt's temper. Smiling, she kept moving forward. "I heard Grady got hurt. As his cousin, I need to see him. Plus, Aunt Luneth always treats me nicely. She won't be angry at me.""Ms. Jenkins, you don't know how serious this is. There's a big hole in the boy's head. The doctor said it might affect his intelligence. Mrs. Klein beca
After that, Amber looked at Liam, who kept silent the whole time. She tried to make Liam say something nice. "See, Liam? I told you, Matt's a great guy. He was just joking with us in the orchard to scare us. I'm sure he'll take our sides and protect us. Don't worry.""Is that so?" Liam glanced at Mateo and faked a smile. "Well, I should thank him properly."The air between them grew awkward, but Liam didn't care. He wanted to make Mateo uneasy and force the latter to expose his true self.Amber was simple, but Liam was no fool. Mateo's acting was smooth, but he couldn't trick Liam.Moreover, Mateo was the one who came up with that scheme. He wouldn't let anyone expose it—he wanted to be the one to do it."Okay, aren't we going to get a drink? Let's go. I'll make the chef cook us something nice." Mateo enthusiastically held Liam's shoulders and dragged him forward. At that moment, he turned icy. "If you're a man, stop involving Gem if you want to fight against me. Stop showing of
Liam was no fool. He immediately understood the profound meaning behind Renee's words and stopped saying too much. "Fine, be good. You guys are just taking a rest. I'll handle this well. Wait for my news."He knew very well that the conclusion would be the same regardless if Renee and Leia had offended Luneth's son or the child of an ordinary villager. Mateo simply wanted to use that method to control him. The only way to solve this was to defeat Mateo. However, based on the current situation, Mateo had a lot of followers in the fort. It would be difficult for Liam to defeat him.Luckily, Liam wasn't an easy target either. He had been winning people over these days. That, and he was close with Benjamin's other foster sons. If both parties were to get into a fight, he still had a chance to win.After confirming that Renee and Leia were fine, Liam left the cell. Mateo was waiting outside, grinning triumphantly. He sneered sarcastically, "What do you think? I was telling the trut
"No, I'm not!" Liam raised his hand to swear. "Trust me. They're just best friends. They're not in that kind of messy relationship. Both of them have a guy they're madly in love with.""I see." Amber watched how Renee and Leia fooled around intimately with each other in the cell. They looked like they were about to kiss! She shook her head and said, "What a pity! They look so lovey-dovey, better than many novels I read about where the women love each other.""You're hopeless!" It was rare for Liam to see such a straightforward and cute side of Amber. Amused, he poked her forehead and sighed. "Stop reading those messy novels! It's harmful."Their actions were loud and finally attracted Renee's attention in the cell."Liam!" Renee, pressed to the chair by Leia, couldn't escape. Finally, she grabbed a chance to leap up and walk to the door.Well… It wasn't a door. Rather, they were iron bars preventing them from escaping.The decoration and facilities in the room weren't bad. Be