It was better to communicate instead of making assumptions if there was an issue."Nothing. It's getting late. You should sleep early." Stefan didn't want to tell her because he didn't want her to worry."No, there has to be something going on. Tell me!" Renee said urgently. "I said that there can't be secrets between us. I don't want you to go to bed worrying about whatever that is."Stefan sighed deeply, knowing Renee wouldn't let it go until he told her. "Hurry up. We can sleep after you tell me!" Renee complained. "Okay, I'll tell you." After some hesitation, Stefan explained, "Grandpa talked to Jovan alone again tonight, and I talked to him too. Can you guess… what we talked about?""Control over Hunt Enterprise?" Renee asked instantly. "Isn't that why he constantly fights with you? Doesn't he find it tiring?" Although she had been staying at home recently, she did listen to financial news. She was aware of Jovan making vast changes to Hunt Enterprise that had been pretty
Renee swallowed, her face pale. After a long silence, she whispered, "Then... he must be out of his mind." For some reason, she felt guilty. It wasn't that she had feelings for Jovan, but she now realized that Jovan's feelings for her were deeper than she thought. It made sense though—he would not have risked his future and given up his blood and eyes to Stefan for her otherwise. When she heard that he was willing to give up Hunt Enterprise which he had coveted for a long time just so he could pursue her... she felt very uneasy. "Tell me the truth. I know you both left Beach City and went abroad for half a year. You guys spent days and nights in each other's company. Did you—""No!" Knowing what Stefan wanted to ask about, Renee firmly responded. She hugged him from behind and leaned her head on his large back. "Promise me you won't ever doubt my love for you. I've never loved anyone else. If I did, I wouldn't have started over with you.""I know." Stefan's voice was hoarse as tear
Hurriedly, Stefan promised Renee, "I hold no affection for Seraphina. She's just my childhood friend. Plus, I know what she's done to you and me, so I'll never be friends with her again.""Hmm? Why do you sound regretful?" Renee asked coldly, "Be frank with me. You lived under the same roof as Seraphina when I was away from Beach City. How far did you both go? Did you ever sleep with her? Do you still miss her? Is that why you sound regretful?" "No, I swear! There's nothing between us!" Stefan protested desperately. Immediately, he raised two fingers and said loyally, "The most intimate action between us was kissing. I never slept with her.""Not even once?" Renee frowned suspiciously. "You guys were pretty lovey-dovey back then, and you both had even planned out your marriage. Wasn't it natural to have slept with each other?" She patted his shoulders reassuringly, acting like she was cool with it as she smiled. "Calm down. You lost your memory, didn't you? Even if you had slept wi
After Stefan and Renee had confided in each other that night, Stefan felt a lot more relaxed, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Early the next morning, he booked the best private obstetrics hospital for Renee's pregnancy check-up. However, Renee took her sweet time to wake up, and she seemed absent-minded."What's the matter?" Stefan realized something was wrong and asked gently."Well, I've just gotten pregnant. Isn't it too soon to get a check-up?" Renee asked hesitantly."Too soon?" Stefan frowned in confusion. "Shouldn't people get a full check-up right after they learn that they're pregnant? I actually wanted to get you an appointment with a specialist last night." "No, it's too fast. Why don't we wait a little..." Renee reached out, feeling the warm sunlight on her palms. "The weather is nice today, so why don't we go sunbathe in the garden?"Stefan looked out of the window and saw that it was indeed bright and sunny outside, but he felt like Renee was purpo
Stefan finally understood Renee's thoughts and hugged her gently as he whispered, "Don't worry—you have me. I'm your biggest support. You can do whatever you want to. If you don't want to meet people, we won't. If you want to stay home forever, I'll stay here with you. It's not a big deal.""Thank you. You're the best!" Renee leaned into his arms, her eyes watery. In the past, she had achieved many things, but now she finally knew what true happiness was. It was not about status or wealth, but feeling secure with loved ones who made you happy."It's okay if you don't want to go out, but you must have the check-up. We can't ignore you and the baby in your belly." Stefan thought about it for a while, then came up with an idea. He patted her belly and said reassuringly, "Just leave it to me. I'll arrange it."Renee was lying in a lawn chair in the backyard and enjoying some sun that day when a professional obstetrics team moved into Everheart Manor with advanced equipment. Stefan spent
Since Renee was blind, her senses of touch and smell were extremely sensitive, and she knew the library had been transformed the moment she entered it. The former smell of books had been replaced by the smell of disinfectant, and even the lights felt hotter, like the lights found in hospitals. At that moment, she placed her life in Stefan's hands. She would resign to her fate even if he wanted to dissect her."What a rich imagination you have! Our kid might be a novelist in the future," Stefan said in amusement as he led her into the library."Ms. Everheart, we're going to take your blood now. We need to perform a full body check-up on you and test your blood," a nurse explained to Renee gently."Fine, go ahead. After all, I'm in your hands now." Renee held her hand out and chuckled nervously. After that, she heard some rustling and felt something sharp prick her arm."Be gentler," Stefan barked when he saw Renee wince, and watched her blood fill the tube. "Mr. Hunt, you certai
After that, Owen fished out a stethoscope. He was about to put his hand under Renee's clothes."Wait!" Stefan yelped, and pushed Owen's hand away. "What are you doing?""I'm trying to listen to her heartbeat. What do you think I'm doing?" Owen asked in bewilderment."Let me do it." Stefan took the chest piece from him and said seriously, "My wife is shy, so I should do it. All you have to do is listen to her heartbeat."Owen was speechless.Stefan asked stubbornly, "What's the matter? Can't I do it?""I mean… you can. But don't you think it's strange?" Owen asked hesitantly.Stefan replied, "No, it's not. What's strange is if you touch her that way." He wouldn't know if Owen accidentally touched other areas while performing the check-up. It was fine if he wasn't present, but since he was watching, he couldn't accept it."So… I guess all those romance novels are true. You're a textbook example of an overbearing president," Owen grumbled under his breath. Reality seemed more exag
Owen had been trying to lighten the mood, but his expression suddenly turned serious. "Wait!" He frowned deeply and ordered Stefan, "Place it two to three centimeters down and to the left."His words made Stefan nervous. He did as told, then asked hesitantly, "Is there something wrong?"However, Owen didn't reply as he listened to Renee's heartbeat. After a while, he put the stethoscope down, his expression grim. "I can't say for sure... I'll only be able to tell after getting the blood test results."Renee had been quietly cooperating all along, but her eyes widened in realization when Owen spoke. She quickly said to him, "I think we'd better stop here. I'm sure you're tired, and I'm feeling tired too since they took so much of my blood. Let's continue tomorrow!" She knew that there might be something wrong with her body, but she didn't know how serious it was, so maybe it was best that not many people knew about it so they wouldn't worry. Besides, if Tess managed to figure out who
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
Liam immediately noticed something wrong. He asked Mateo fiercely, "What do you mean?""Calm down." Mateo put away his gun and placed it back around his waist. "They broke the rules and barged into the orchard. Plus, they hurt Luneth's child. So, I locked them up for the time being."He appeared calm, as if he was discussing what he had eaten for dinner. He didn't feel that he had been over the line. "Go to hell!" Liam finally failed to hold himself back. He rushed over and grabbed Mateo's neck fiercely. "You can harm me, but how dare you harm them!"At the same time, Mateo's subordinates raised their guns and aimed them at Liam. The recently eased atmosphere immediately became tense again."Hey, don't!" Amber, all tensed up, braced herself to try and stop them. Even so, she was mentally exhausted."What? You want to strangle me?" Mateo was fearless. He grinned deviously and teased, "Cool it. I just locked them up, but they didn't suffer. They're fine. If you harm me, though, I
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