"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
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