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
"We're even..." Stefan stared at Renee, and his voice shook as he said, "Does that mean we can start over?"Renee's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she was thrown off guard. "Stop messing around. It's not funny." She never felt that they could start over. After all, many things had happened, and they were already heartbroken. If they started over, they would go down the same path and get hurt again."Yeah, I was just joking. If you don't think it's funny, I'll stop." Taking a deep breath, Stefan moved closer to Renee and suggested calmly, "It doesn't mean that we have to be lovers or married if we start over… but I think we can restart our relationship. As for our future, we can wait and see what destiny holds for us. Maybe we'll be good competitors or friends, but if nothing else... you're the mother of my children. We can be good partners. What do you think?" Stefan's words calmed Renee's tension for some reason. She swallowed and asked, "Do you really think so? Or… do yo
It seemed rather cost-effective to hire a capable live-in helper like Stefan, but Renee found it weird. He was always cold and distant, so why had he become so shameless after his brain recovery surgery?"Just say yes. You can always kick me out if it doesn't work out, right?" Stefan urged Renee. Since Renee couldn't find a reason to reject him, she said grumpily, "Whatever. I can't see, so it doesn't matter to me.""So, you said yes..." Stefan's deep-set eyes brightened immediately. The first step had gone much more smoothly than he thought. Being persistent was quite effective when dealing with Renee. Margaret's voice came from the manor at that moment. "Ms. Ren, whose luggage is at the door..." Margaret entered the front yard, looking confused when she saw Stefan. "What are you doing here, Master Hunt? What are you trying to do to Ms. Ren?" Margaret immediately ran over to stand in front of Renee and glared at Stefan, saying firmly, "You're not welcome here. Please leave!" R
Margaret was baffled to see Stefan run happily to the backyard in search of his room. "Why is Mr. Hunt so happy to stay in the doghouse? Did they remove a part of his brain during the surgery?" Margaret asked seriously. Speechless, Renee shook her head in confusion. "I don't know why he's suddenly become so shameless. I couldn't get rid of him.""Do you want me to be the bad guy and drive him out?" Margaret asked, raising a brow. Her opinion of Stefan was based on Renee's—if Renee liked him, she would welcome him; if she didn't, Margaret would dislike him too."Just let him be. I want to see what tricks he has up his sleeve..." Renee had done this out of consideration for her two children. "The kids are still so young, but I'm blind now, and you're getting old. Plus, Quinton isn't back yet. If our enemies come, we're powerless against them. I think we might as well keep Stefan around.""Yes, you're right, Ms. Ren." Margaret nodded approvingly, but still asked, "Do you want him to
Besides, Margaret found it a little pitiful if Stefan was forced to stay in the doghouse right before his big battle. "Haha! I certainly won't ask him to stay in the doghouse. Go and clean up the storeroom in the backyard, the room that used to be my father's workroom. My father loved to make things there for my mother and I there whenever he was free. When the fire burned down this manor, that storeroom was the only room left. Stefan might get lucky if he stays there." In the past, Renee loved to play in that storeroom because it was a comfortable room with nice weather all year round. Unfortunately, she couldn't see it anymore. "Okay, I'll go and clean it up for him now," Margaret agreed. She could tell that Renee still cared about Stefan very much. Both Renee and Stefan still valued each other whether they were a couple or not, and their concern for each other was already more than enough. Margaret went to the backyard and found Stefan standing in front of the doghouse, which
Stefan stared at the drawing in shock, instantly recognizing the woman in the sketch. It was none other than Francine, his mother. It was a younger version of Francine, just like how he remembered her when he was three or four years old. But why was his mother's sketch in Renee's father's workroom?"I'm done making the bed for you, Mr. Hunt." After cleaning up the room, Margaret went to Stefan. She saw the sketch just as Stefan wanted to put it away, and asked curiously, "Do you know the woman in the drawing, Mr. Hunt?""I..." Stefan swallowed, then asked carefully, "Was there any kind of relationship between this woman and Renee's father?""I'm not sure about that, but I know that the late Mr. Everheart cherished this sketch very much. It might be a person he had imagined. Whenever I came to clean this room, I often saw him staring at the sketch in a trance..." Margaret said softly, "The late Mr. and Mrs. Everheart had a very deep relationship and were a match made in heaven. T
After a brief silence, Renee said coldly, "Okay." She wasn't an unreasonable person, and she knew Stefan. He might keep quiet, but he would never lie.Seeing how good the weather was, Stefan suggested to Renee, "What would you like to eat today? We can go to the nearby market to get some fresh ingredients, and I'll cook for you.""You want to cook for me?" Renee asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you won't burn down my kitchen?""Trust me, I've been studying recipes lately, so I'm good at cooking now," Stefan said confidently. While recuperating at the hospital, he had put his work aside to figure out what he could do for Renee after meeting her. He wanted to sit with her in the sun and enjoy the breeze. He also wanted to cook a lot of nice food for her, which was why he had ordered Elijah to buy him a lot of cookbooks. He had studied many delicious dishes to cook for Renee after getting back together with her because he didn't want to see her so slim. "You're too thin; it might be rel
Both Renee and Stefan arrived at the nearby mall. After Stefan had parked the car, he opened the door for Renee and helped her out of the car. They had changed into casual clothes with caps, making them look like a normal couple who went there to buy ingredients after work. They gave off the same elegant aura, making them look like a perfect match. Renee unconsciously depended on Stefan to get around because the place was unfamiliar to her, and held his arm tightly, not daring to let go."What would you like to eat?" Stefan kept his head low and whispered in Renee's ear tenderly."Adie loves eating fish, and Abby loves eating beef. And I'm not a picky eater," Renee said after a while. She was willing to go out with him because she wanted to tell him about the children's preferences. If anything happened to her one day, at least she knew he would take good care of the children. "But we're going to buy the kids' favorites as well as yours," Stefan insisted, again asking Renee what sh
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