"Is it bad? I find it simple actually." Leia snorted and looked at Shirley, who appeared pitiful. "I want to avenge myself and vent my anger. I want to beat her up, and she gave me permission to. We don't think it's bad, but an outsider like you does, huh?" "I know that you're mad, so you're acting out of spite and can't see the consequences, but I'm rational. I won't see you go mad like this..." Xavier held Leia's hand and pulled her into his arms. "Trust me—you'll regret it if you take revenge on her today.""What's there to regret? Will I be afraid that she'll take revenge on me or are you going to take revenge on me? Do you want to help her slap me?" Leia was so close to Xavier that he could see the anger and grief in her eyes. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "I won't stop you if you want to save the damsel in distress, but please get in line. We'll settle our grudges once I'm done avenging myself." Then, Leia struggled out of Xavier's grip and quickly slapped Shir
Leia rolled her eyes when she heard that. She had to hand it to Shirley—she was quite skilled at pretending to be pitiful. All she needed was to lower her head or pout and she would look innocent… It was something Leia could never do."Oh, your legs are numb? How sad! But that doesn't mean I can't beat you up," Leia scoffed, putting her hands on her waist. She approached Shirley, looking like she wanted to teach her a lesson."Don't... Don't come near me! My legs are numb. Xavier... save me!" Shirley whimpered, still seated on the floor as Leia approached her. She couldn't admit she was lying about her legs, so she could only depend on Xavier to save her.Suddenly, Leia pointed behind Shirley and screamed in panic. "Ah! It's a rat!" "Ah! Where is it?" Shirley instantly leaped up and hid behind Xavier since rats were one of her greatest fears. However, there was no rat to be seen in the corridor."Aren't your legs numb? How did you jump so high? Well, it's certainly no surprise
God was fair—if one thing was lacking, something else would be provided. If one had too many things, God would take some away. It was the same case with Leia. She was born into a very loving family with parents and a twin brother who doted on her. The luckiest thing in her life was that she had a best friend like Renee, and they were very close. Leia had already gained a lot of precious things, so it was destined that she would suffer in her romantic affairs. Once she thought about it, she found it fair. She wouldn't be so stubborn even if she lost someone she loved."Okay, stop arguing. We should just wait for the test results." Xavier finally spoke up because he wanted to put an end to their meaningless fight. "I don't want to argue with her, but she came to a place she shouldn't be in to peek at something she shouldn't. I asked her to leave but she said no, so I couldn't be polite to her anymore," Leia said directly, implying that her grudge against Shirley was because of Renee a
"What do you think?" Stefan's gaze turned steely, his patience running thin. Although Leia did crazy things sometimes, she was acting quite strange. Besides, surgery wasn't a small thing."Okay, I'll tell you..." Leia took a deep breath and braced herself. "Yes, Ren is having surgery, but she didn't want me to tell you guys because... How should I put this? It's a little personal.""What kind of surgery is personal?" Stefan growled, "Stop messing around, I won't go easy on you if anything goes wrong!""Fine, I'll tell you..." Leia swallowed and said seriously, "She's having an appendectomy. Her belly has been hurting lately, so she asked Dr. Wagner to do it for her while they perform the test.""Appendectomy?" Stefan's frown deepened as he looked at the door dubiously. "When did she have a problem with her appendix? How come I didn't know?" "You don't know because you're not observant and considerate enough. Ren's digestive system isn't always good, and she doesn't eat much. If y
"Haha! That's ridiculous. You didn't care enough about Ren and were ignorant about her condition, but you have the nerve to say that I'm lying. Why would I lie for no reason? What good will it do me? I'm not lying, and the person who feels guilty here is the real liar." Leia didn't expect that Stefan would see through her lies so easily, and started rambling out of nervousness.After hearing Leia, even Xavier felt like she was hiding something. "Lei, did you have wine? Why are you rambling?" Xavier took a step forward and held Leia's hand, looking concerned. "Should I take you somewhere to rest? You don't seem well." "No, you can save that for yourself. If I don't seem well, it's because of your witch. I didn't slap her enough. Let me slap her, then I'll be fine." Leia tried to turn the conversation back to Shirley, and hoped the surgery would end soon because she couldn't deflect for much longer."Ms. Osborne, go ahead and slap me if you want. I won't complain this time." Shirley
As Shirley and Leia were busy arguing, they didn't realize that Stefan had slowly approached the door of the room. He didn't believe that Renee was having an appendectomy, and felt that there was more going on in the room. He tried to push open the door to take a look, but when he placed his hand on the doorknob, Leia noticed what he was doing."What are you doing? You can't go in!" Leia rushed over and stood between the door and Stefan, blocking him from looking inside. She had promised Renee to hold off the others, and she would do it even if Stefan got offended and she got into trouble."This is my wife's house, and my wife is in there. I have no idea what she's going through. Can't I go in and take a look?" Stefan's words were polite, but his tone was dangerous. Leia had anticipated that he would lash out, and she knew that if she kept this up, things would turn sour. Nonetheless, she spread her hands out to block his path and said stubbornly, "Over my dead body! I'll never bac
"That's patient confidentiality. Why do I have to tell you?" Owen sounded righteous. He tilted his head a little and instructed the nurse handling the surgery table behind him, "Don't forget to put Ms. Everheart on an IV drip later. Her body is weak after the surgery. Don't be careless." The nurse had cleaned up the surgery table. Renee was lying on it motionlessly, waiting for the anesthetic to pass. At first, Owen said that Renee could have a medical abortion because the fetus was still small. But after the check-up, he found that the fetus was adhered quite firmly, so eventually he needed to perform dilation and a curettage to clear everything. Renee was afraid of pain, so she chose regional anesthesia and let Owen handle it. Now, after everything was over, grief hit her like a wave. She couldn't even protect her baby. Lying on the surgery table, she could hear the fight outside, and tears ran down her cheeks."Confidentiality?" Stefan tried his best to control his temper an
Renee ignored Stefan's question and turned to the nurse standing nearby. "I'm tired. Can you help me back to my room?" The effects of the anesthetic had passed, and she could move, but she was still weak from the abortion and poisoning. She had no energy to handle Stefan, and all she wanted to do was sleep.Stefan wasn't blind—he could tell that Renee was very uncomfortable. Besides, it was obvious she didn't want to tell him about the surgery, so he just controlled his emotions and stopped interrogating her. Taking a deep breath, he finally said, "Let me carry you." Seeing that, the nurse immediately said, "Thank you, Mr. Hunt. Since Ms. Everheart has just had surgery, she might experience some light spotting, but it's normal.""Spotting?" Stefan stiffened. He wanted to ask what surgery could cause that, but he stopped himself. He had been trying to get to the bottom of it, but it seemed like Renee didn't want him to know. He didn't want to make her feel bad, so he decided he woul
Renee woke up early the next day. After she was done washing up, a servant arrived and asked her to head to Austin's study."Okay, I'll go now." For an unknown reason, Renee felt worried. Although the Baldwin family had let bygones be bygones and treated her as their own, she still felt inexplicably uneasy.She had witnessed Austin's wrath and knew how dangerous her current situation was. Her words or expressions might infuriate Austin. If so, she would be doomed forever. During the conversation the day before, she noticed that Austin was bothered by Quinton's background. He sounded like he wanted to eliminate that trouble. Renee understood why Austin wanted to meet her alone. He definitely wanted to criticize Quinton and make her express herself properly. While she was walking toward Austin's study, Renee wondered whether she should contact Justin. After all, she told him yesterday that they should face any issue together. However, though she was holding her phone, she c
Renee's words turned the air cold.Justin stopped walking and looked at her, his gaze ice. He demanded, "You want to end it here? What do you mean?" Renee was filled with guilt. She avoided Justin's fierce gaze and tried to make the topic less stressful. "I mean… Let's end everything here.""Hmph!" Justin snorted, unable to hide his disappointment. He found it unfair. "It's just a small thing, but you want to give up so easily. Is our relationship that fragile?""I just don't want to make things difficult for you." Renee heaved a long sigh, overwhelmed with emotions.She belonged to the dark and was fine with her gloomy side, but she didn't want to pull Justin into the darkness. She felt that ending things with him as soon as possible was the right choice.After all, she could never treat Quinton as a stranger for the sake of her happiness. If she had to choose between the two, she could only choose Quinton. She was all he had."No, I don't think so…" Justin frowned, despondent
A long sigh escaped Renee. Rather than contempt, she sympathized with Quinton deeply. "I'm his sister. I can't treat him like a stranger. All I can do is gradually help him lead a normal life and guide him to atone for his sins. I feel sad for his past."Silence filled the air. No one said anything, at a loss for words. They couldn't be callous and say as they liked. Now that Austin had learned of this, no one could be sure if his righteous and stubborn personality would make him stop Renee and Justin's marriage.After all, Austin was a very strict person. He had been honorable his whole life. He couldn't allow a wicked man's sister to be a part of his family. Justin, anxious, hurriedly echoed Renee's words. "Yes, her brother has changed a lot. Now, he's doing decent work. His pawnshop only deals with rare items instead of indecent ones. I've spent some time with him. He's a reasonable guy, not at all as wicked as the rumors make out. At most… He's just got a bad temper."Ju
When she heard such aggressive words from Justin, Sophia immediately cleared her throat to stop him from talking. However, Austin had no idea about the relationship between Renee and Water Dock. Instead of stopping, he sounded more indignant."That place is full of inhumane people, but I'm not from Beach City. If that place were here in North City, I would have gotten rid of it! It has harmed so many people…""Oh, Grandpa! Please stop talking!" Justin turned livid. He anxiously got up and tried to remedy the situation. "There are always good and bad people. You can't criticize them like they're the same." "Nonsense!" Austin had been a soldier his whole life and was deeply self-righteous. He added angrily, "I'm not joking! People related to that place better don't come to North City. If they do, I'll kill them and make them repent their sins!" Renee remained calm and indifferent. When Austin got tired from criticizing, she slowly looked up at him."Grandpa Baldwin, you're right
His words instantly made everyone upset—or at least, Renee was. Her face darkened as she recalled unpleasant memories. Sophia immediately glared at Jack and snapped, "Why did you bring that up? They're about to get married. It's a happy event for our families! Why must you talk about revenge? It's bad luck!"Everyone knew someone had deliberately targeted and framed the Everheart family back then. Even outsiders couldn't bear to recall that. As the only one who bore all the misery after her family was ruined, Renee must have been very desperate and heartbroken at that time. Ordinary people would never mention that. Unfortunately, Sophia's straightforward husband was a born comedian. He had mentioned that on purpose, infuriating her. "It's okay." Renee flexed her fingers and tried her best to appear at ease. "My heartbreaking past is gone, but I need to help my family make a comeback and avenge my parents. My brother and I have always worked hard for it, so of course I'll be glad
Since Renee and Justin had reached a consensus, their wedding date must be set. The Baldwin family sat at the dining table and kept staring at Renee, who had taken her seat. They couldn't hide their joy."You two are considered married now, so we should hold a wedding soon. It'll be bad for your reputation otherwise. It'll be a great loss for you, too," Austin said; he didn't beat around the bush as he didn't want Renee to make an excuse and turn his suggestion down.Besides, the Baldwin family assumed that she and Justin had enjoyed a great romance that afternoon. They were eager for a baby.Thus, the wedding was an urgent matter. If Renee got pregnant before she married Justin, it would shame the family. Austin didn't want to see that. "Uh…" Renee cautiously sipped some tea while everyone stared eagerly at her. She was gripped with the same anxiety she felt when interrogated. Helpless, she glanced at Justin for help.Justin immediately stood up and complained, "Grandpa, w
"You can't regret it if I go on." Justin confirmed with Renee again. He knew she was forcing herself, but he needed an answer from her. People might change their minds. For example, Renee knocked him out just now because he was rude. She even tied him up and wouldn't let him touch her at all. But it had only been a few hours. She wasn't on guard against him as she lay in bed and was letting him do whatever he wanted with her. Who knows, she might regret it later if they did sleep with each other. Then, she might hate and leave him… Justin had to get to the bottom of it and get rid of all the risks. He didn't want to be manipulative."Go on. I won't regret it!" Renee gnashed her teeth, insisting on making that breakthrough—as if she could only embrace a new life by overcoming that big obstacle.In a way, Justin was her savior, the one who helped her bid her past goodbye. "I'll keep that in mind regardless if you mean it or not. I'll assume that you're willing," Justin said.
"Have you thought it through?" Justin looked at her as she lay in bed. Though she was still wearing clothes, her curvy figure sparked endless imagination in him.Undeniably, Renee was an attractive and smart woman. Her amazing skills were merely one of her charms. Her devastatingly beautiful face and seductive figure were the reasons why so many men fell for her. People generally loved wonderful things, regardless if they were elite men or the average Joe. No one could resist Renee's charm and figure. In short, it was a physical attraction."Yes, I've thought it through." Renee looked up at Justin. He seemed like a familiar stranger to her—familiar because he had always been her soulmate and best friend who shared many interests and the same views. They dreamed of the same thing too: world peace.Justin mirrored her character. She would see herself every time she looked at him. They were a perfect match. Hence, he was a familiar stranger to her. For the first time, she realized
Renee understood Justin and frowned. She tore off the tape on his mouth and pinched his cheek. "You have five minutes to repent since you're awake. If you do a good job, I'll let you go. If not, I'll keep you tied up here."The scene just now was awkward for the two of them. Renee had to come up with a way to get rid of that. If not, she didn't know how to face him, let alone spend the rest of her life with him."Repent?" Justin took deep breaths and cleared his throat. Then, he looked into her eyes. "What do you want me to repent for?""You…"Justin's bold gaze rendered Renee helpless. She bit her lip awkwardly. "What do you think?" "Are you referring to me kissing you, or…me trying to make you mine?" Although Renee knocked him out, he remembered everything that happened before he fainted, including what he had seen."Yeah, you were rude. Shouldn't you repent?" Renee tried to make herself bolder. If not… She would seem unreasonable, especially when her dignity was violated.