"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
It was a call from Elijah. The second Stefan picked up, he asked urgently, "Where are you, Mr. Hunt? It's the annual shareholder meeting today. You need to be here—all the shareholders and executives are waiting for you!""Today?" Stefan frowned and finally remembered. Hunt Enterprise would hold an annual shareholder meeting at the end of the year. It was an important event as it would decide the company's direction and division of profits, and generally, the executives would prepare for it two weeks in advance. As the president of Hunt Enterprise, Stefan would decide the future direction of the company and would also be responsible for the annual operational status of the company. However, instead of showing his commitment, he was nowhere to be seen half an hour into the meeting, and the shareholders and executives were not happy. Elijah had called Stefan several times, and had finally gotten through to him. "Did you forget about it? You moved the date to today because you said you
Renee knew that Stefan cared about her and the children, and wanted to be with them all the time so he could protect them. However, she also knew the law of the jungle well. If Stefan lost, anyone could bully and humiliate them because Renee was blind now, and she didn't want that to happen."You don't have to be with us all the time; it's enough as long as our hearts are together..." Renee said sincerely, approaching Stefan and holding his hand."Understood." Stefan was suddenly enlightened as he hugged Renee. "I feel stronger now. Wait for me—I'll give you and the kids a stable home!"Stefan then drove to Hunt Enterprise. Meanwhile, Renee went to the yard to pass the time, but the children were a little unhappy that Stefan had left."Mommy, why has Daddy left? Is he going to abandon us again?" Abby asked anxiously, her eyes watery. She liked Stefan very much, but she always expected him to leave them again."No! He's just gone to work and will be back once he's done. Just wait
Once Seraphina was sure that Stefan was gone, she carefully snuck into Renee's house. She hid nearby and watched Renee and Abby play games. However, she had a feeling that something was amiss. Renee was wearing sunglasses in broad daylight, and her movements seemed unnatural.Could it be..."Mommy, try and guess what I drew." Abby was sitting in front of Renee and drew a butterfly with a marker pen."Is it... a puppy?""Haha! You're wrong—it's a butterfly. It's my turn to tickle you now." Abby giggled then crawled into Renee's arms and tickled her. They laughed and fooled around in the grass, painting a sweet picture in the sunlight.Seraphina was moved watching them, and felt jealous of Renee's life. Stefan loved Renee loyally, Quinton would risk his life for her, and she had best friends like Leia and Liam, not to mention her son and daughter were smart and cute. On the other hand, Seraphina grew up without her mother, and although her father spoiled her, she had no good friends
Seraphina remained quiet and observed Renee to test her theory. "Seraphina?" Renee turned towards Seraphina and asked indifferently."So, you finally noticed me." Seraphina crossed her arms in front of her chest and studied Renee carefully. She was certain that there was something wrong with Renee's eyes, but Renee seemed strangely calm."Of course." Renee sat on a chair, pointed at the vacant seat beside her, and said casually, "I've been waiting for you to come to me, but I didn't expect you to take this long to do it. Rather generous of you." Seraphina's doubts grew. Although Renee was wearing a pair of sunglasses and looked like a blind person, her actions and behavior didn't add up. Taking a deep breath, Seraphina sat on the vacant chair beside Renee. "You're being generous too. It's funny that you're so enthusiastic and friendly towards your enemy."However, Renee quietly picked up a cup of coffee and sipped it before touching Abby's head. "Go and play with Margaret, Abby.
"Are you threatening me, Renee?" Seraphina snarled at Renee furiously."No, I'm not." Again, Renee calmly sipped her coffee and faked a smile. "I don't care if you don't like me, but you have no right to judge me as if you're so naive and innocent. I don't think breaking my promise is a big deal compared to what you did." She had promised Seraphina that she would leave Stefan and let them be a happy couple, but it was under the condition that Seraphina sincerely loved Stefan and wanted the best for him. Unexpectedly, her means were so extreme that she did not hesitate to ruin Stefan's health, so of course Renee was reluctant to leave Stefan in Seraphina's care. "Who knows what you'll do to Stefan if you no longer love him one day? I won't let him take such a risk," Renee said clearly. Of course, the person who loved Stefan the most was Renee. Back then, she had left for the sake of her and Stefan's happiness, but all that had done was bring them pain. After some contemplation, she f
"Didn't I tell you? I don't mind ruining Stefan in order to make him mine. He'll know how important I am to him once he's left with nothing and nobody, then he'll come back to me," Seraphina said confidently, a sinister smile on her face. "How ridiculous!" Renee snorted. "He's a human, not a toy. Do you think you can ruin him just because you want to? Plus... he'll never be alone. His parents, family, the kids, and I won't leave him no matter what position he holds.""You're just saying that because you haven't experienced it yet. If he becomes a target of scorn, and bad things happen when you both are together, will you still stay with him?"Renee shook her head. "That day will never come." "Why not? Hunt Enterprise is coming to an end, and his body can't hold on for long. By then, everyone will despise him, and he'll end up with nothing. He'll just be another worthless person saddled with debt. Don't tell me you'll still stick by him even then?" "Firstly, he'll never be worth
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"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