"Of course, it's different!" Renee said seriously, "It's different because Stefan is the only man I love. No matter who likes me, I'll only pick Stefan… but you're different. You're moved by Santiago, but you're addicted to Xavier. Seems to me like you want them both!" "Haha! You're right. You saw through me!" Leia couldn't deny it, and smiled awkwardly. She had never known why she couldn't choose, but now it just seemed like she was being fickle and greedy."So, face your heart. Don't run from it. Isn't it nice to have both of them? If I could love more than one man, I would have many lovers by now," Renee said jokingly."You're right—I should be more open-minded. Well, I'm not conflicted anymore." Enlightened, Leia started typing on her phone. "Well, men always have the advantage in relationships because it's women who have to give birth and suffer through periods. We even have to take care of our in-laws and kids, work well, and be cautious of homewreckers. Women suffer a lot, b
"Hmph! How dare they steal others' men!" Those women took photos and videos of Renee and Leia, humiliating and ridiculing them. "Mm!" Leia's face was red with anger, and she stood up. She fought the women, trying her best to protect Renee. Both of them looked very pitiful. "Get lost!" A cold voice bellowed, and Stefan appeared, pushing away the malicious women. "Renee!" When Stefan saw Renee's dirty face and helpless look, his heart ached. He pushed past Leia and pulled Renee into his arms."Stefan!" Renee felt around for Stefan's hand, and squeezed it tightly. Then, she tried to distance herself. "Don't come near me... I'm dirty.""I don't care about that." Stefan embraced Renee again, regret filling him. "I'm sorry I'm late. I shouldn't have left you at home alone... I'm so sorry." The women quickly fled, but still posted the videos on the Internet with all kinds of edits and criticisms. Many people saw the videos, and some said that Leia and Renee deserved punishment, while
"Oh, stop it. You're too much." Back then, Renee would feel shy if she heard such romantic words, but now she was getting used to it. She was slowly realising that the aloof, overbearing, and reserved Stefan was just a show for the outsiders. Around his loved ones, he was actually quite warm and romantic.After testing the water temperature, Stefan said to Renee, "I've filled the bathtub. Just enjoy it and relax a little.""Sure, but can you please give me some privacy?" Renee ducked her head and mumbled awkwardly. "No, I have to watch you. What if you fall, need a towel, or want to put on your clothes?" "I can figure it out myself, so go. How can I enjoy my bath with you here?" Renee felt embarrassed at the thought of being naked in front of Stefan. The thought of him watching her take a bath made her cheeks warm. "Okay, I'll just help you into the bathtub then. Call me when you're done, okay?" Stefan compromised and placed the phone on a table near the bathtub. "I've put the
Stefan had been silent for a while, but could no longer take it. Gripping Leia's wrists, he scolded, "You don't know anything. Outsiders like you can't understand our relationship. We're very happy now, so just leave if it bothers you that much."Leia glared at Stefan. Unable to move her hands, she kicked him instead.Even though Stefan was tall, he still got kicked by Leia. Frustrated, he just gripped her tightly, stopping her from moving."Stefan, what are you doing?" Xavier had just arrived, and his face went pale when he saw his friend hugging his beloved.At that moment, both Stefan and Leia were struck dumb."It's not what you think." Stefan cleared his throat and let go of Leia awkwardly.Angry, Leia stepped on Stefan. "How dare you! Are you done?" Stefan hissed in pain. He wanted to do the same to Leia but held himself back at the thought of Renee. It was true that birds of a feather flock together—Renee was violent, but Leia was even more so. He gazed at Xavier sympath
"That's different! I even said that you were my Prince Charming but you're just charming on the outside and rotten on the inside!" Leia typed out furiously. "You two are the same, and Ren and I should just distance ourselves from you both. You were the reason for my bad luck today!""Why me?" Xavier shrugged helplessly, wondering why he was being blamed when he wasn't even there."Do you know who threw manure on Ren and I today?""Ugh, who?" Xavier asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He wondered who would do something so vulgar to the blind Renee and mute Leia."Your fans and Shirley's fans, that's who! Shirley is only offended by me because of you, and that's the reason her fans bully me! Your fans were just as bad, so I'm guessing they all learned it from the both of you!" Leia typed out her complaint and shot Xavier a glare.Xavier read the message and looked at her incredulously. "Why are you blaming me? The fans did that to you, so what does it have to do with me? They're a
"Are you sure my fans were involved in today's accident?" Xavier didn't care about his fame and image. If not for his pursuit of Leia, he would never have exposed himself in front of the media, let alone joined such an awkward reality dating show. He was surprised he had so many fans, but he assumed they'd be laid-back and obedient like him. However, to his shock, they were reckless and rude. "You don't believe me, do you?" Leia found the video and showed it to Xavier. "Listen to what they said. They said you're handsome, rich, and nice. You're just the perfect man, and you and Shirley would make the perfect couple. You should protect Shirley forever. It was I, a wicked woman, who ruined your relationship with her. They even scolded Ren. Oh, I just can't take it!" "They scolded my wife?" Stefan had been watching their fight calmly, but he immediately straightened when Leia mentioned Renee. He snatched the phone away from Xavier and watched the video angrily. After a while, his eyes
A long sigh escaped Xavier as he read the words Leia typed out. "It's okay if you want Shirley to apologize to you, but that might just cause more cyberbullying. I think you should just hold the troublemakers responsible for it instead of the idols.""Of course you wouldn't want to involve the idols—you're one of them. Plus, your first love is involved, so you don't want to humiliate or trouble her!" Leia had never seen Xavier so concerned about anyone other than Shirley. She would never forgive such a disloyal man."If you had even a little bit of sense, you would know who I'm actually worried about." Xavier felt like he could never win with Leia. Finally, he gave up on trying to prove his innocence and said coldly, "I'll never let you involve the idols in this." As the president of Universal Entertainment, he was the capitalist of the entertainment circle, so he knew full well how things worked in that circle. Sometimes, a trend or rumor would push people to a desperate end. There
"That's different. People will change." Renee had finished her bath at some point, and put a bathroom on as she left the room. She heard Xavier and Leia criticizing Stefan from the second floor, and was determined to defend her beloved. The three of them looked up as she appeared, and when they saw Renee, their faces lit up."Ren, why did you come out alone? Wait there, I'll come help you." Stefan rushed upstairs, treating Renee like a newborn.Both Leia and Xavier also treated Renee carefully, and didn't dare say anything harsh to her."Ren, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling sick or unhappy?" Stefan guided Renee to sit in the living room, and Leia quickly went over and held Renee's arms in concern."No, I'm fine. Well, I've bumped into a lot of things. It's just a prank by some childish people. It's no big deal." Renee patted the back of Leia's hand and tried to reassure her. "You shouldn't take it to heart, or you'll be the one suffering. Remember—people like this don't ma
Francine went berserk again and gripped Sophia's neck. "I'm going to count to three! Get my grandkids here! I'm going to take them home! If not, I'll break your neck!" she yelled. She couldn't stop Renee from marrying someone else, but she couldn't tolerate her two grandchildren relying on others' charity like Renee.It wasn't only about her dignity, but more about the children's growth and mental health. She couldn't be careless."You're out of your mind! Drive them out of here!"Sophia was a decent woman who couldn't allow herself to go berserk. Although she had a glib tongue, she found herself unable to handle a figure like Francine. Francine was never too harsh and would only make a scene. But now, she was out of control and was screaming nonstop. "Talk it out with them. Don't use violence. We're parents. It's humiliating to be violent," Alexander interrupted.Alexander tried to make Francine calm down and behave herself. Even so, he didn't act accordingly and pushed Ja
Francine's obvious provocation made others draw in a cold breath, let alone Justin's parents.No wonder she was one of the Four Princesses of Beach City. She was much too impulsive. Justin's parents looked very hideous. However, Sophia wasn't so soft. After taking a few deep breaths, she faced Francine with the same fake smile. "Don't worry. I'll take Adie and Abby back home. Since Ren is marrying Justin, my family will treat the kids as ours. We'll be their grandparents. In a few years, my son and Ren will have more kids to be their siblings. Then, we'll be one family!""What? Do you want to take the kids back home?" Fury instantly gripped Francine. She ignored all decency and demanded fiercely, "What do you want to do to my grandkids? They're still young! How could you target them?" "You must be mistaken. Ren is going to be a part of my family, so naturally, her kids are going to come with her. I'm sure there isn't anything wrong with that." Sophia snorted. "You're their bi
Leia couldn't understand it. Both Renee and Stefan once loved each other passionately. They had soldiered through a lot of difficulties. But when everything became better, they stopped seeing each other. Such separation brought a fatal blow to her views on love. Suddenly, she found herself too timid to give up her heart. After all, it was nothing. People could break up with each other easily."No wonder Xavier refused to come. If he was here, I would have hated him because of Stefan. I'd beat the crap out of him!" Leia was furious, but she couldn't find someone to vent her anger on.The Stuart family was invited to the party too, but Xavier refused to come. He claimed that he would have betrayed Stefan if he had come to the party.However, Stefan was the greatest betrayal of his romance since he remained silent and indifferent. While Leia was still angry, everyone in the hall suddenly fell silent. They stretched their heads to look at the entrance of the hall."The Hunt famil
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Liam muttered guiltily, avoiding Leia's scrutinizing gaze. "You must know what I'm talking about!" Leia refused to let Liam go and went straight to the point. "Look! Because of such a bind, you probably fell in love with Amber, who isn't related to you. Why can't Ren fall in love with Justin after spending a long time with him?""So, what's your point?" Liam didn't refute Leia. He was curious about what she was trying to say. Leia reasonably explained her opinion, "I'm trying to tell you that things might not be as bad as you imagine. Even if you take Ren away and stop this ceremony, things might not be better either."She was too timid to tell Liam that she regarded Renee and Justin's marriage in a favorable light because she found them similar. Similar people could at least lead a stable life though it might not be very passionate and exciting.After leading a wandering life for such a long time, Renee needed steady happiness. It
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c