Sparks flew in the room while Adie and Abby waited in the dining room downstairs, but after a while of their parents not appearing, they soon became anxious. Abby frowned and asked, "What's going on, Adie? Why aren't they coming downstairs? The food's getting cold."Baffled, Adie held his chin and racked his brain. "They're not that far from the dining room, so Mommy should be out by now. Is Daddy bullying Mommy?" "No way! We've just forgiven him, but he's bullying Mommy. We have to go and stop him now!"The children were just about to rush upstairs when Margaret exited the kitchen, carrying a soup that smelled delicious. She hurriedly stopped the children when she saw them. "Adie, Abby, you should eat first. I'm sure your parents are just sleeping, so why don't you let them rest?""Sleeping?" Adie found it illogical. "Didn't Mommy nap in the afternoon? Why would she want to sleep again? She hasn't had dinner yet, and I'm afraid she'll be hungry." "Umm, well... She was sleepin
Renee stretched as if she had just woken up, and she said innocently, "Stefan? Why are you in my room? Who let you in, you rogue? What are you talking about? I don't understand at all!"Stefan knew Renee was pretending, and smiled helplessly. He ran his hand through his hair and said in amusement, "Fine, I'm a shameless rogue that snuck into a decent woman's bedroom to be her plaything. But, master, you're awake now, aren't you? Let me take you downstairs for dinner then, okay?" "Fine, I've rested enough anyway. I'll give you the honor of helping me put on my clothes." Renee reached out, waiting for Stefan to help her put on clothes. Stefan got to his feet and turned on the light in the room, then carefully helped her into a pair of comfortable pajamas. As he helped her with her clothes, Stefan was so close to her he could feel her warm breath on his skin, and his heart pounded in his chest. Once Renee was dressed, he held Renee's waist and murmured in her ear, "You're wicked, mas
After such a lovely dinner, Renee suddenly felt like calling Quinton. Usually, she'd come up with an excuse to end calls with Quinton because of her condition, but after tonight, she felt much more relaxed. She had calmly accepted her condition, and bravely called Quinton.After a while, Quinton picked up her call. "Renee, why are you calling? Are you in trouble?" At that moment, Quinton was south of the sea, gathering manpower and materials to go diving for the treasure that had suddenly capsized. He'd been feeling rather defeated because he hadn't gotten anything, and he'd also been worrying that Renee might bump into crooks at Beach City. Unfortunately, he couldn't go home just yet, so he was happy to see that Renee called. However, he couldn't help but feel worried as well because Renee wouldn't call without a reason."You're so pessimistic, Quinton. Can't I call because I want to share something happy with you?" Renee asked teasingly as she sat on the bean bag on the top floor a
"What's the matter, master?" Stefan asked teasingly."Stop messing around. It's serious," Renee grumbled, "I was on the phone with my brother, and I told him that I found a good helper, but he thinks you have ulterior motives and wants to interrogate you. So, you've got to talk to him nicely when you call him later. Don't expose yourself, okay?"Stefan frowned. "Why do you want to keep me a secret?""It's just better to avoid trouble. I told him long ago that I would cut myself off from you, and I've already broken my promise. Forget about my brother being disappointed in me, I'm disappointed in myself!" Renee complained. She thought that she was someone who always kept her word and stuck to her principles, but it seemed like she broke all her rules when it came to Stefan."I'm sure he can recognize my voice. How can I not expose myself?" "Well, you can try to talk in a feminine voice, I'm sure he won't be able to tell... It's perfect since you're a helper too," Renee suggested m
Before Stefan could answer, Renee snatched her phone back and said quickly, "It's getting late, Quinton. You'd better go to bed!" A sigh escaped Quinton. "You're protecting him again. It looks like you still haven't learned from your mistakes.""I know what I'm doing. He and I have soldiered through a lot of hardships, and all I want to do now is lead a peaceful life and take things one step at a time..." Renee was still devastated over the loss of her sight, and she felt that if she couldn't follow her heart and spend the rest of her life with her beloved, her life would be as dark as her world. She did not want to spend the rest of her life in misery."But you both can't live peacefully together, your identities have always prevented that from happening. I've found some clues about the families who conspired to attack our family back then, and I feel like the enemies we're going to face will be stronger than anyone we've ever encountered." Quinton's voice grew more solemn. Genera
"It's getting late; go to bed early. As for that guy... Keep him if he can help you, but don't rely on him too much. It might not end well." Quinton knew that he couldn't change Renee's mind, so he just let her be."So you're okay with us being together? You won't object anymore?" Renee was overjoyed. She thought that she would never get Quinton's approval since he and Stefan had been enemies in the past, but unexpectedly, her brother had allowed it. "What's the use of me objecting to it? You have the final say, and I've thought it through. He nearly killed me that year, and I nearly killed him after that. In the end, he saved me, so I think we should just let bygones be bygones." Quinton's grudge had faded after his successful face recovery surgery, and after two near-death experiences, he realized that he was just lucky to be alive. Besides, he didn't want to stand in the way of his sister's happiness. "Thank you, Quinton. I feel better with your support," Renee said gratefully,
Renee instantly knew what Stefan wanted, and said bluntly, "No way!"Defeated, Stefan went to rest in the storeroom in the backyard alone, yearning for Renee. The minute he entered the room, his mind went back to the strange sketch of his mother that he saw, and he decided to search the room to find clues. After all, if something had happened between Renee's father and Stefan's mother... Renee and Stefan might actually be siblings. After locking the door of the workroom, he checked the books on the bookshelf until he found something that looked like a diary. He picked it up and found that it was locked. It seemed inappropriate to take a peek at his father-in-law's diary, but at last, his curiosity won out. Generally, people used the birthdays of their loved ones as passwords, so Stefan tried Renee's father, mother, and her birthday, but the lock did not open. "Could it be my mother's birthday?" At the thought of it, anxiety overwhelmed him. If the password was his mother's birth
The subsequent content of the diary was normal, and there was nothing more about Stefan's mother. Most of it was about Renee's family, and from those entries, Stefan could picture Renee's childhood. Renee lived in a very loving family. Her parents were gentle, and they spent a lot more time with her compared to other parents in rich families.[X month, X Day. It's sunny, and I'm feeling good. Today, Ren turns three, and she's getting cuter every day. Compared to the other kids, she loves playing with Legos, and she even assembled over five hundred Lego blocks in two hours! I feel like she's going to be an expert in programming.][X month, X Day. It's sunny, and I'm excited. Ren is turning twelve today, and my wife said that she's now a young woman. No wonder she kept hiding in the washroom today. As her father, I don't know what to feel. It just seems like girls are bound to suffer more in this world. I'm worried sick at the thought of her graduation, wedding, and childbirth. I just
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always 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