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
Stefan served Adie and Abby patiently, then smiled and said, "Whoever finishes breakfast and eats the most has the right to decide."Instantly, the two children started wolfing down their food."Just eat. I'm full, and want to go enjoy the sunlight," Renee said suddenly, looking troubled. She drank a glass of milk, wiped her mouth, and carefully made her way toward the yard for sunbathing.When Stefan noticed Renee's sadness, he asked Margaret to help take care of the children before following Renee to the yard. "What's the matter, Master?" He sat on the lounge beside Renee and asked curiously."Nothing," Renee answered indifferently."There must be something troubling you. Let me guess..." After a brief contemplation, he said, "Do you feel sorry for the kids since you can't play with them no matter where they want to go? You feel frustrated and defeated, don't you?" Renee was shocked. "How... How did you know?" She thought that she had hidden her feelings well, and didn't expec