Jovan was getting more and more agitated. He had gotten what he wanted, but somehow, it felt like a loss.However, Stefan just ignored Jovan. While packing up his things, he fished his phone out and called Renee. His expression softened the moment the call was answered. "Hello, dear. How are you feeling today? What would you like to eat? I'll cook for you after I get home from work." Renee said something, making Stefan smile very sweetly. Before he hung up, he blew her a kiss, and he looked like a young boy in love.Jovan stared at Stefan in shock, watching his aloof cousin acting like a lovestruck fool. As Stefan was about to leave, Jovan blocked his way. "I heard that you've made up with Renee. Didn't you forget about her? Why are you back with her so quickly? Are you going to hurt her again?"Stefan and Renee had fallen out with each other, but in only one or two months, they had gotten back together and were more lovey-dovey than ever. Jovan found it unacceptable. He had tried
Stefan returned to Everheart Manor right after the minute the meeting was over. He used to be a workaholic who always worked overtime until midnight, but now he was a good family man who didn't want to work overtime for even a minute. Since the president behaved that way, all his staff stopped working overtime too, creating a very good working environment for the company.On his way home, Stefan bought a bouquet and a good steak because he wanted to have a candlelight dinner with Renee that night. Although he was away for only half a day, it felt like half a year to him, and he missed Renee dearly. Coincidentally, Abby and Adie were away for two days because of a school trip, so Renee was alone at home with a female caretaker called Tess Perez, who was responsible for taking care of Renee. "Mr. Hunt, you're home." Tess was only a part-timer, so once Stefan got back, she packed up to leave.Stefan looked around the living room and the manor, but there was no sight of Renee. He turne
Renee picked up the bouquet from the table and hugged it, smiling happily. "Are these roses? They smell so good. I'm sure they're very pretty." "I saw them on the way here. Roses suit you well because you're as pretty and passionate as them," Stefan said charmingly to Renee."You're so different now—everything you say is romantic! You never said anything like this in the past," Renee complained shyly. In the past, Stefan was serious and reserved, and never even spoke much to her. Things had not been easy for them all these years, so Renee cherished these moments greatly. Stefan helped Renee cut the steak up, knowing she might have a bit of difficulty with it.Renee lowered her head to eat, and pretended to ask nonchalantly, "Was it difficult for you during today's meeting?"Stefan paused and replied calmly, "Being president has never been easy. I'm used to it.""They must have made things difficult for you. After all, the internal conflicts in your company are now on the news."
Stefan's reaction frightened Renee, and she realized she had gone too far. "I'm sorry. I just... didn't want you to regret it in the future," Renee mumbled. She knew he was a privileged man who was used to power and respect. If he one day became an outcast because of family and love, she would be heartbroken. She didn't want to see him sad."It's up to me if I'll regret it or not. I'm an adult, and I can tell what's important to me." Stefan held Renee's hand and said tenderly, "Our love is like a crystal—it's beautiful and pure but very fragile. We need to take care of it together; I don't want to see the love we finally found disappear. Can you have a little confidence in me?" "Okay, I'll stop trying to persuade you. We'll face the storm together." Renee took a deep breath, wondering if she was convincing him or herself. Honestly, she was the one with the most doubts and fears. Back then, she was brave because she still had her sight, and she knew she could help Stefan face any cha
As a man, he hated saying sentimental things and crying, but he had done both countless times because of Renee. Stefan felt that he would be at her mercy for the rest of his life..."Hmph! It's good that you know it. Listen—I'm the best wife in the world, so you have to love me forever." After that, Renee held his neck and kissed him. The alcohol made her feel relaxed, and exposed her true desires. She had been wanting to kiss Stefan for ages, but was always too shy to. However, thanks to the wine, she could freely kiss him to make up for their long separation."Mm, you... you're drunk, right?" Stefan knew that this enthusiasm only appeared when she was dreaming or drunk. Stefan was flattered, but didn't dare to respond to her kisses for fear of scaring her."That's not important. I just want to kiss you today." Renee held Stefan's face and kissed him so intensely that they both tumbled off the chair."Should we... go upstairs?" Stefan asked hoarsely, breathing hard. "Sure." Grip
"Tess?" Renee asked hesitantly. It could only be Tess, but Renee became cautious when there was no answer. She asked coldly, "You're not Tess?""It's me, Ms. Everheart." Finally, Tess spoke, but she didn't sound like her usual lively self.Frowning, Renee asked, "Is something wrong?""Nothing. I... Something happened with my family." Tess tried to sound more cheerful as she asked, "What can I do for you, Ms. Everheart?""Oh, get the loose-knit sweater on the left side of the wardrobe for me.""Okay." Tess nodded and walked over to the wardrobe and got the sweater, then handed it to Renee. Renee took the sweater and put it on skillfully. Although she was blind, she could take care of herself just fine. In Tess' opinion, it was easier to work for Renee than other healthy employers. She also genuinely liked Renee, but… Tess sighed as she stared at her beautiful and kind employer. It was time to go downstairs for breakfast. She usually prepared a glass of milk, whole-wheat toast, an
However, Renee knew that something must be troubling Tess, so she didn't want to ask her anything further.In the afternoon, Margaret came home with the two children, and Tess clocked out of work. Tess carried her bag and walked on the empty street with a troubled mind. Every step she took felt heavy. When she reached the door of her house, someone blocked her way."Did you do what I asked you to?" The woman wore black clothes and a large hat that hid more than half of her scarred face."I did what you asked. When are you going to let my mother go?" Tess sobbed as she begged the woman."Keep doing it. I'll let your mother go in ten days." The woman grabbed Tess' collar and threatened her, "Don't you dare play any tricks, you hear? Your mother is doomed if you miss a day or add a lower dosage. Do you understand?" "Y-Yes." Tess swallowed and dared not disobey her. Only then did the woman let her go, and turned to leave."Wait!" Tess stopped her."What do you want?" "I want to a
After falling into the pond and being bitten by a sea snake, Leia suffered from temporary shock and was hospitalized. She was lucky that she survived, but the show had to be paused. The netizens had many discussions about her love triangle with Xavier and Santiago—some liked her, some hated her, and some kept a neutral stand. Some liked Xavier, some liked Santiago, and some liked Leia, and those three groups had endless fights on the Internet, making the three people very famous. Leia was practically a superstar. After being rescued, Leia suffered from a temporary sequela—she lost her voice and couldn't speak. During her hospitalization, both Xavier and Santiago took turns taking care of her, creating a strange battlefield in her ward. That day, Xavier went to Leia's ward early after settling his company's affairs, but Santiago was earlier than him. The generally quiet and handsome superstar behaved like a comedian, telling jokes while peeling fruits for Leia and making her laugh. "L
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