"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
"Yes!" Seraphina gritted her teeth, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He went right after he was discharged from the hospital like a spineless coward. I never got to see him, and their son pushed me into the lake. They made me look like a fool, so I have to be cruel!""What happened after that? How did... Renee react?" Jovan asked, clenching his fists. He usually tried to keep his feelings hidden from others, but he couldn't hide how much he cared about Renee."How else? She must be overjoyed that they're a happy family again!" Seraphina rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Somehow, they'll always go back to each other. Even after everything we did, they just became more inseparable in the end. It looks like we're just insignificant tools to bring them together." Seraphina was trying to make Jovan jealous and angry so he would thoroughly ruin Stefan and Renee."Is that so?" Jovan's eyes glowed with malice. "They'll see how tools win in the end.""What's your plan?" "It's just as
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
Liam tensed up when he heard that voice. He quickened his pace and rushed through the corridor, toward the cell where Renee and Leia were locked up. Suddenly, he became flabbergasted and his face stiffened. For a long time, he couldn't regain his wits."Hey… What are you guys doing?"On a table lay barbecue, jerky, beer, and fruit platters. Meanwhile, both Renee and Leia were playing cards. Leia ran after Renee, then pressed her on the chair and said seriously, "Hey, gorgeous. You can't run away! You got the card for kissing me, so you have to let me kiss you. If not, you're trying to disobey the rules of the game!""Help! Help me…!" Renee kept resisting, amused and befuddled. "Get away from me! I'm a desperate woman who likes men! I can't kiss you! If I kiss you, I'm going to have nightmares… Oh, just kill me! Is there anyone who can save me?" Liam wasn't the only one standing at the door. Amber was also with him since she was following him. Watching Renee and Leia's antics,
"Hurry up and explain to her, then!" Amber said hurriedly. "Matt, you're close to her. You know Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne would never do that on purpose. Try to persuade her to let this go, and then you can immediately set them free.""I don't have a say in this." Mateo shook his head, pretending to be helpless. "You know how much Luneth dotes on her son. Ms. Everheart pinned him to the ground and beat him up. His head got injured and started bleeding. I heard it's a large cut with a lot of stitches. We can't let it go just like that.""But you can't—" Amber wanted to say more, but Liam interrupted her. He looked at Mateo, his eyes cold and fierce. "I know you set them up. Just be frank. Why did you do that?" "See?" Mateo sighed. He pretended to be aggrieved as he looked at Amber. "The guy you like is sinister. I kindly helped him, but he didn't thank me. He even accused me of setting this up… He always sees the worst in people. He criticized me in front of you and sowed di