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 relationship?" Francine was stunned, not expecting that Stefan would ask her that. After composing herself, she answered coolly, "What do you think? We're in-laws, of course.""Just in-laws?" Stefan didn't believe her—only two people who were madly in love would experience the kind of things recorded in Renee's father's diary. Francine and Renee's father were surely more than in-laws."Are you doubting me?" Francine sounded calm but dignified. "There are a lot of things I don't understand, and I'm scared...""You're scared?" Francine laughed and said meaningfully, "You don't have to be. You and Renee aren't siblings. If you were, I wouldn't have tried to pair you both up.""Does that mean that you did date Renee's father in the past?" Stefan asked directly once he realized his mother knew what he was talking about."Yes, I did. Is that important?" Francine heaved a long sigh as if she was recalling past memories, then said sadly, "He's no longer alive, and I'm not young an
Stefan was not feeling cold, but he felt that Margaret might know something. After all, she was around Francine's age, and she had been working for the Everhearts for many years. If anything had happened, surely she would know about it. "Yeah, I'm feeling a bit cold." Stefan got up and opened the door. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hunt—Ms. Ren can be stubborn sometimes. Maybe she's mad at you, so she made you sleep in the storeroom. Let me give you another blanket so you won't be cold." While talking, Margaret carefully laid out a blanket for Stefan. "Margaret, may I know how long you've been working for the Everheart family?"Margaret stopped, then smiled and asked, "Why are you asking?""No, it's just that I find you very responsible and diligent. It's rare to find someone so loyal to a family even after so many years." "Ah, you flatter me. It's because Renee's parents were very nice, and they regarded me as their child. I'm just repaying their kindness." "I heard from Renee that your
Stefan frowned and asked, "Why? I thought Ren's parents loved each other a lot, and that I should learn from them."A chuckle escaped Margaret, and she said meaningfully, "Naturally, outsiders like us wouldn't know what happened behind the scenes. Besides, every couple has a different way of getting along—you need to find the one that suits you and Ms. Ren best.""Can you tell me about Ren's father then? That year—""I'm sorry, Mr. Hunt. I'm old, and my memory is failing me, so I can't tell you much. It's getting late, and I'm going to bed. You should rest early too, Mr. Hunt," Margaret interrupted Stefan quickly, and headed for the door. Before she left, she turned to Stefan and said quietly, "If you find anything, I suggest you stop looking into it. Sometimes, it's better to not open Pandora's box, no matter how tempting it is. Everything is going well now, so why don't we keep it this way?" After Margaret had left, Stefan sat there, deep in thought. Maybe Margaret was right, an
"I came to congratulate you; I heard you can see again." Seraphina threw a gift at Jovan arrogantly."Thank you, Ms. Seraphina, how thoughtful." Jovan took the gift and sneered, "Will I be getting an invite to the wedding too?""Don't mess with me! I'm sure you've heard the rumors," Seraphina snapped and angrily kicked Jovan's sofa. "Stefan is an ungrateful jerk. I was so blind that I risked the future of my family to help him!""Why so angry? I was blind, but now I can see. It'll be the same for you—you'll be sensible again once you realize. You'll know how to move forward from now on." Jovan seemed to be hinting at something."I know I should be smart about this, but I still don't know how to move forward. Can I ask for your advice?" Seraphina pretended to be ignorant but her greedy gaze betrayed her. The reason she had come to see Jovan was to see what he could offer her.Jovan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you want and what's in it for me?" Seraphina smirked. "I w
Leia couldn't understand it. Both Renee and Stefan once loved each other passionately. They had soldiered through a lot of difficulties. But when everything became better, they stopped seeing each other. Such separation brought a fatal blow to her views on love. Suddenly, she found herself too timid to give up her heart. After all, it was nothing. People could break up with each other easily."No wonder Xavier refused to come. If he was here, I would have hated him because of Stefan. I'd beat the crap out of him!" Leia was furious, but she couldn't find someone to vent her anger on.The Stuart family was invited to the party too, but Xavier refused to come. He claimed that he would have betrayed Stefan if he had come to the party.However, Stefan was the greatest betrayal of his romance since he remained silent and indifferent. While Leia was still angry, everyone in the hall suddenly fell silent. They stretched their heads to look at the entrance of the hall."The Hunt famil
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Liam muttered guiltily, avoiding Leia's scrutinizing gaze. "You must know what I'm talking about!" Leia refused to let Liam go and went straight to the point. "Look! Because of such a bind, you probably fell in love with Amber, who isn't related to you. Why can't Ren fall in love with Justin after spending a long time with him?""So, what's your point?" Liam didn't refute Leia. He was curious about what she was trying to say. Leia reasonably explained her opinion, "I'm trying to tell you that things might not be as bad as you imagine. Even if you take Ren away and stop this ceremony, things might not be better either."She was too timid to tell Liam that she regarded Renee and Justin's marriage in a favorable light because she found them similar. Similar people could at least lead a stable life though it might not be very passionate and exciting.After leading a wandering life for such a long time, Renee needed steady happiness. It
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t