Judging from Lydia's reaction, Renee knew that she remembered very clearly that she had left the baggage with the quilt in the villa."Go on. Tell me where my baggage is," Renee said coldly.Lydia looked troubled. After making sure that there was no one around, she said, "I am not going to hide this from you… That woman has cleared your belongings, and we don't know where she sent them. That woman is such a troublemaker. Recently, she’s been making a scene to either refurbish your room or remove all the plants you planted in the yard. In short, she doesn’t allow anything which belongs to you to remain in the villa. She’s just so difficult to serve!"Right at that moment, Briar, who was proudly sticking out her belly, came and slapped Lydia in the face. "Traitor! Who asked you to be such a tattletale?"Lydia's face turned as white as a sheet, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring even to breathe.Renee found it rather ironic when she thought of how high and mighty Lydia look
Stefan instinctively wanted to hang up when he heard Briar's voice. But when he learned that Renee was also there, he immediately turned the car around and headed back to Hunt Villa.Briar covered her swollen cheeks and said triumphantly, "Just wait. Stef will be here soon. You just hit me, and the evidence is all here. I shall see what will happen to you!"Renee put down her mobile as well and said with a faint smile. "You should also wait. The police will be here soon. It's so hot today… perhaps the detention center will be cooler."The numbers she had just dialed were indeed 911.Since there was no way she could beat this scoundrel, she would leave it to the law.Stefan arrived at the scene in a very short time. His grey supercar looked cool as it rumbled under the dazzling sun.The man performed a stylish drift with his car and pulled up in front of the door. Briar couldn’t wait to go to him when he got out of the car. Sticking out her belly and pointing to her red swollen
After listening to Renee's statement, the police cast a serious look at Briar and asked, "Is what she said true?"Briar's face paled, and she vigorously waved her hands in denial. "No, I didn't. She slandered me and threw my stuff out. She’s the criminal here. You should arrest her, not me!""You know clearly if I slandered you or not." Renee's pretty face was expressionless as she spoke with logic and clarity. "As owner of this property, I have the right to handle any item in the house. Your words have just proved that you trespassed. And one more thing, the items in the baggage you stole are very valuable. Add that into the charges, and you're looking at at least three years behind bars!""What nonsense!" Briar hurriedly defended herself and said, "There’re only a few pieces of garments in the baggage, and they are not branded anyway. I bet they’re worth less than two thousand. How can it be worth so much!"She regretted it right after she said that.Renee smiled in satisfaction
Renee was stunned. She hadn't expected Stefan to be willing to turn his back on his own family. If she remembered correctly, he had been very protective of Briar before this, despite the obvious fact of her being a two-faced bitch. He treated her like a fragile flower, touching it gingerly in fear of damaging it instead of holding it tight.Had he gotten tired of Briar so quickly?'Tsk. The attention span of a man really is worse than a child's! It was the right decision to divorce him!' Renee thought as she quietly celebrated her correct choice.When the two policemen saw Stefan's stance, they stopped hesitating and slapped the handcuffs on Briar's hands."Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Briar cried emotionally as she begged, "Stefan, I'm innocent! Believe me! Tell them to release me! The baby will be terrified! You can ignore me, but don't ignore the baby!" Stefan furrowed his brows, his cold face not twitching the slightest as he said, "Take her away!" "Don't worry, Mr. Hun
Renee, overjoyed, hurriedly asked, "Well, where is it? Hurry up and bring it to me!" The young maid looked fearful and stammered, "M-madam, your suitcase was… in the basement. It's... well, it's best if you see for yourself!""What? In the basement?" Renee parroted, caught between laughter and tears at the revelation.They had exerted so much effort to search the entire villa, yet they overlooked where it would most likely be. How absurd was that?However, judging from the maid's expression, Renee didn't think things were that simple. Heading downstairs, she went to the basement.Stefan frowned, and he followed the woman silently.The Hunt villa basement was two floors below the ground floor, led by long, winding spiral stairs. Having mainly served as a refuge during the catastrophe of the Great War, the airflow could have been better, and the place was dark. Usually, no one would come down here.When he reached the basement door, he noted it was slightly open. A dark, red li
Perhaps it was because she had been running around all day that Renee was exhausted and nauseous, likely due to her pregnancy. She endured the discomfort in her abdomen and squeezed the quilt with curses written all over it tightly in her hand, and the fury was obvious on her beautiful face.Turning her burning eyes on Stefan, she asked coldly, "How are you going to deal with this? Your little mistress has done something so vicious and disgusting!"Briar had repeatedly challenged her and pushed her to the limits. Before this, Renee had been too lazy to bother about the woman. But this time, she had really crossed the line, and Renee wouldn't stand for it. If she did, there would be a second time. She wouldn't have the energy to deal with it if that happened!Stefan straightened up, the indifference on his face not changing as he asked another question instead of answering her, "What do you want me to do about it?""Hah!" Renee couldn't stop the sneer from escaping her lips. "Judg
Renee called for a cab and waited at the curb of the villa, her body swaying occasionally. At some point, Stefan had followed her out, and his hand wrapped around her thin wrist. There was concern in his eyes as he asked, "You don't look well. What's wrong?""I'm pissed at your little mistress!" Renee replied instantly.She wanted to shake the man's hand off, but she felt too weak and couldn't muster up the strength to do it."Are you okay? Do you need me to send you to the hospital?"Stefan felt uncomfortable leaving Renee alone and was fully prepared to get his car."I don't need your false sympathy!" Renee shot back. Stefan was a hypocrite. She didn't give him a second glance and sneered. "If you're really ashamed, you should advise your lover and get her to apologize to me on her knees, or the consequences will be even direr! Either way, I'll be pursuing this matter to the end. I won't let her off so easily!"The words were imposing, but because she said it weakly, it sound
When Renee saw Margaret, who was like a mother to her, tears of resignation filled her eyes."Margaret, my stomach hurts!"Like a child, she threw herself into the older woman's arms and wept uncontrollably. For four years, from the changes in her family to her grandfather's death and even her divorce from Stefan, not a single tear had been shed, and she remained as sturdy as a mountain.But it was tiring to be strong all the time. She was only a twenty-year-old woman! She didn't want to be strong anymore!Margaret was confused. She rarely saw Renee in such a fragile state, and she couldn't help but feel distressed, and tears also filled her eyes. She gently stroked Renee's back in comfort and said, "Shh, it's okay, Ms. Ren. I'm here. I'm here with you!"Renee soaked in the warmth of Margaret's arms. Having not felt this peaceful in a long while, she seemed relaxed and wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.Margaret was Renee's nanny and had a lot of experience in childbirth and pa
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
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St
Liam walked ahead of Amber, then turned to glance at her. He faked a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Are you worried that I might take advantage of you?" "No, of course not!" Amber quickly shook her head and pushed her scarf up. It had fallen a little. "I just find it improper," she answered softly.She looked like a typical woman from Southeast Aeos, petite and with a small face. Her skin was tanned, and her facial features weren't very distinct. She was charming and reserved, exuding a girlish pureness. She had put on her country's special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting. "Hey, it's not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done that long ago. I don't have to wait until now." Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber's anxiety."Don't worry. I've always regarded you as my younger siste
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into