A handsome man in a black suit walked down from the second floor."Haze!" Renee’s eyes widened in surprise.He had disappeared after letting her go when he didn't reveal her identity as Phoenix in front of Stefan the last time.She thought he'd returned to Aplen.His appearance made her assume he must harbor a hidden motive for suddenly appearing in her house and helping her clean."Judging from the disappointed look on your face, I guess I'm unwelcome?"He walked to the middle of the stairs and looked down at Renee. His smile had a sense of wickedness to it. "I’ve been busy since the afternoon. I’m so tired that I feel like my back will break. If anything happens to me, you're the one responsible.""Ahem!" Renee shuddered from embarrassment. She never thought that the intelligent hacker would be this flirtatious. "Stop your gloating and get down here!"Liam glared at Haze and stated sternly. "There’s no way you’ll do all these without a price. If my sister didn’t want you he
The three of them looked confused as they opened their phones.Then, Leia began to scream."Oh my god! I can’t believe this. Are Ren and Stefan trending on Twitter now?"At the same time, both Renee and Liam stared at their phones as they were shocked by the news.Most of the topics trending were about Stefan and Renee.[Oh my! It’s a video of Mr. Hunt begging his ex-wife, trying to win her back!][How did he become a simp!][If a CEO can become a simp, why can't ordinary guys become one?][This is Mr. Hunt's first step in his attempt to win back his wife.]Every item she clicked on had a video of Stefan tightly clutching Renee and refusing to let her go. It was sweet but humorous, and it was really an interesting video!Netizens began a heated discussion and even made funny edits to the video. As a result, the video remained at the top of the trending searches."Hahahahahaha!" After a long silence, Liam and Leia eventually burst out laughing."Boss, is this video real or
That night, Liam and the rest left Everheart Manor reluctantly under Renee’s request.Before leaving, Leia held on to Renee’s hand and asked worriedly, “Are you sure you’re okay living alone in the huge manor? I heard that there are ghosts at night. Aren’t you scared?”“Of course, I’m not. This is my house. Even if there are ghosts around, they’re my family, so they won’t hurt me,” Renee said with a smile.They only left after getting her affirmation.After all, ghosts were not as terrifying as the terrible people Renee had previously encountered!After the three of them left, the temporarily vibrant home became silent, with the property's moist odor permeating the surroundings as though confirming nobody had been here for years. However, Renee was unbothered by it.She started cleaning the dishes while humming a tune to herself. She then filled the vase with water and placed the sunflowers inside before setting them next to her bed.Although the manor looked decayed from the
“Ms. Ren, is that you?’As it got closer to Renee, the gruff voice became a little more excited.Renee was scared to death. She waved her hands around and shouted, “Go away! Don’t make me summon a priest to exorcise you!”“Don’t be scared. Ms. Ren, it’s me. Your favorite nanny, Margaret.”The skinny ‘ghost’ pulled Renee’s wrist with one hand and pushed away the hair with the other to reveal her pale face.“Margaret?”Renee instantly quieted down and carefully opened her eyes.After taking a good look at the ‘ghost’, she couldn’t believe her own eyes.“Margaret, how? Didn’t you…”Margaret was Everheart Manor’s housekeeper and Renee's nanny.Renee was closer to Margaret than she was to her mother on some levels.Since the Everheart family went bankrupt and Renee’s parents ended their life, Margaret had been guarding the house. In the end, Margaret was rumored to be beaten to death and buried.That was what Renee heard after marrying into the Hunt family.By the time she got
“Back then, Mr. and Mrs. Everheart passed away. Even Master Everheart left the world soon after. Meanwhile, you married into the Hunt family. Everheart Manor became empty, and many people had their eyes on it. They made away with everything they could. They'd even move the floor if they could.”“I fought and guarded this place for you but got hurt. Oftentimes, before my wound could heal, new ones would appear. The last time I met a couple of vicious ones who beat me till I passed out. They dragged me to the graveyard and buried me.”Margaret’s words shocked Renee. She clenched her fists tightly in anger. “Margaret, you’ve suffered so much. Don’t worry. I will avenge you. I will find every single person who hurt you!”“Ms. Ren, don’t be angry. All my suffering is worth it, now that I see you.”The two women couldn’t help but hug each other and cry. Through the shower of tears, they released all the suffering they had endured over the past four years.“How did you escape?” Renee wip
Margaret then went to the basement to fetch the letter she had been keeping with utmost care for four whole years in the old box. "Ms. Ren, this letter was given to me by Mrs. Everheart just before she died. But it’s very strange, she said that I should never show you if your marriage is happy, but if you get divorced, then I should pass it to you…"Margaret solemnly handed the letter sealed in the envelope to Renee. She looked rather sad when she did so. Mrs. Everheart's anguish and desperation before she committed suicide were still fresh in her mind.The only person Mrs. Everheart was reluctant to let go of was Renee. She must have hoped that she could have a happy marriage with Master Hunt, but who would have expected that it would last only four years before it fell apart…Renee looked down at "My Dear Ren" written on the envelope. It was her mother’s handwriting which no one could imitate. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.Four years ago, she was in the labo
Margaret’s random guessing threw Renee into deep thoughts.She frowned. She examined the letter repeatedly and remained silent for a long time.Margaret realized that she must have said too much. She quickly covered her mouth and said hurriedly, "What I have said... Don’t take it to heart. Why would the Hunts do that? If they were really the ones who harmed the Everhearts, why would they let you marry Mr. Hunt?""You’re right. But Dad and Mom wanted me to read this letter only if I got a divorce and emphasized that I must not blame the Hunts. So, there must be some secrets about this matter, and it must be related to the Hunts."Renee narrowed her eyes and roughly understood the entire picture. She said, "Although the Hunts might not necessarily be the ones who harmed the Everhearts, they must know something. Moreover, the people behind the fall of the Everhearts should be very influential. Otherwise, Grandpa, Dad, and Mom would not repeatedly tell me not to take revenge or force m
Renee hurried over upon hearing Margaret and saw a green carved jade lying in the deep hole. She picked up the jade and brushed away the dirt to examine it more carefully.The jade was bright green and translucent. There was no trace of impurities, and it was cool to touch. Judging from the exquisite carvings on the gemstone, she knew immediately it was a priceless antique.Margaret stared at the ornament in confusion. "This is strange. Since when was such valuable jade buried in the backyard? Hasn’t anyone discovered this before? Could it be that someone sneaked in and buried this here after the fall of the Everheart family?"Renee frowned as she tried to figure out an answer, and that was when her eyes were drawn to the pattern carved on the jade.She had a feeling that she had seen this pattern before."I don’t think so."Margaret carefully recalled the past. "I’ve been guarding this house diligently since the incident. It’s impossible that anyone got in. Even if someone took
Livid, Mateo pulled the trigger without hesitation. However, he moved the gun less than an inch. The bullet passed by Liam's ear and hit an orange behind him.The fruit immediately blew up, its juices splashing on Liam's face."Aaaah!" Amber, terrified, trembled. Her eyes turned red, and she hurriedly tried to plead with Mateo. "Matt, cool it! Aren't you and Liam friends? You guys drank and chatted together in the past. You were so close to each other. How could you do this to him? Hurry up and put the gun away! If it goes off accidentally, it'll be over!"However, Mateo ignored her. His eyes were red as he glared at Liam. "Did you see the orange behind you? Let go of her now! If not, I'll blow up your head just like I did to that orange!""Is that all you got?" Liam taunted. He refused to let Amber go. He whispered to Amber, "Watch well. If he shoots me today, promise me not to marry such a man. I can use my life to knock some sense into you.""No!" Amber shook her head. Liam
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St
Liam walked ahead of Amber, then turned to glance at her. He faked a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Are you worried that I might take advantage of you?" "No, of course not!" Amber quickly shook her head and pushed her scarf up. It had fallen a little. "I just find it improper," she answered softly.She looked like a typical woman from Southeast Aeos, petite and with a small face. Her skin was tanned, and her facial features weren't very distinct. She was charming and reserved, exuding a girlish pureness. She had put on her country's special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting. "Hey, it's not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done that long ago. I don't have to wait until now." Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber's anxiety."Don't worry. I've always regarded you as my younger siste
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into