Stefan didn't complain as he kept his head low and climbed up the rugged and winding cliff. He would not hesitate to climb the cliff as long as he could find the answer. He'd even kneel with every step up the cliff if he was asked to. The climb wasn't an easy one, and it would usually take more than an hour, but since Stefan was only given half an hour, he ran to the top. There was a small flat area on the top of the cliff, and the only thing that could be seen was the blue sea ahead. The woman was standing at the edge of the cliff, and dug her nails into her palms when she saw Stefan. "Mr. Hunt, I'm sorry. I've ruined your peaceful life with Ms. Everheart. I… I actually came here to end things. I want to atone for my sins." Tess' face was full of tears, and she looked very pale. In just a few days, she'd become haggard and thin as if she was being poisoned too, but it was just her guilt and stress weighing on her. Stefan calmed his rapid breathing and asked Tess calmly, "Don't ste
After that, Tess closed her eyes and spread her arms, falling backwards off the cliff."No!" Stefan lunged forward and grabbed her arm.Tess opened her eyes and looked at him in shock. She sobbed as she shook her head. "Mr. Hunt, I'm a sinner. Why did you save me? I should die. Let go!""I believe that you didn't harm her on purpose, so you can't resolve this by ending your life..." Stefan frowned and forcefully tried to pull Tess up. Sweat rolled down his face as he hissed, "Come back and make up for it!""No, I can't... I really can't. If I don't die, she won't let go of my family. My family will become worthless to her if I'm dead, and only then will they be safe!" Tess had decided to die before she climbed up the cliff. She wanted to fix her mistake, so she had called that woman over so Stefan could confront her. Then Tess would die, and everything would be okay again. "Cut the crap! I can't hold you any longer… Come up!" Stefan had no energy to talk as he struggled to pull
"Of course I know who you are." Stefan's gaze was cold, his tone vague. "I thought you were dead." Previously, Seraphina had threatened Renee with a video of Renee accidentally pushing Briar off a cliff. Thanks to that, Renee and Stefan had lost so much time with each other. Stefan had thought that Briar was dead given the surging waves below the cliff, but he was ultimately relieved to see her.Briar cried under the mask. She looked at Stefan and asked, "How did you feel when you saw that I'm alive?""I was thankful." Stefan didn't hesitate. "I'm thankful that you're alive and that I can still talk to you." "Do you mean it?" Briar was surprised. "I thought you hated me and wanted me dead." "Yes, I do hate you. Ren and I wouldn't have wasted so many years if not for you, but... I'm thankful that you're still alive. It means that Ren doesn't have to carry all that guilt. She doesn't have to turn herself in," Stefan said honestly.Briar staggered back, feeling like she had just be
"So, you're not that stupid after all—you know that my brother was the best man you've ever met. Unfortunately, you were never sincere towards him. You're unworthy of his love!" Stefan snarled, his fingers digging into Briar's neck. He took a deep breath, trying his best to hold himself back. If his deceased brother knew that his beloved woman turned out to be such a wicked and hypocritical witch, he might not rest in peace. "I admit that I've wronged your brother, but who do we blame? You, of course!" Briar didn't flinch even though Stefan almost broke her neck. She held his arms, tears in her eyes from the pain as she stared at him. "If it weren't for you, your brother wouldn't have died. I would still be with him, and I might have even fallen in love with him as time went by. What right do you have to criticize me?"Stefan's heart skipped a beat. That was Stefan's sore point, and something he had hidden from others. Yes, Briar was not a nice person—she had never loved Tristan and
Stefan's grip on Briar's neck tightened. Time was life; the more they delayed the more at risk Renee was. Stefan had to get the answer now."Yes, I did," Briar said instantly."Do you have a death wish? How can you be so wicked?" Stefan growled, unable to control his anger. He didn't expect Briar to be so cruel; she clearly felt no guilt or remorse even though she had harmed another person. Stefan was in disbelief. "Am I wicked?" Briar sneered. "I just let her have a taste of her own medicine. She put me in a living hell, so I did the same to her. What have I done wrong?""I watched that video. She didn't push you down the cliff on purpose, she was just trying to protect herself. It was you who tried to kill her!" "I'm not talking about her pushing me down the cliff..." Briar watched Stefan calmly, then said nonchalantly, "She put me in a living hell by snatching you away. You and I were a couple, and everything was going smoothly. Even though it was fake, I believed that we wo
Stefan sneered, feeling like Briar was crazy and without any self-awareness. "The most pathetic thing someone can do is overestimate themselves. I know what kind of woman I want, and she's already mine. Even if Renee never existed, I would never be with you. Not in this life, my next life, or any other life!" Since young, Stefan had always attracted women because of his good looks and personality, so he was good at turning women down, but this was the first time he had done it so cruelly. Briar had no morals, so he felt he didn't need to be polite to her."Stefan, aren't you afraid your claim will get shot down in flames?" Briar grinned at him as if she expected such an answer from him. She had always known that Stefan felt nothing for her, that his heart was locked without a key. She could never make him open up to her no matter how hard she tried, and it had nothing to do with Renee. Stefan was right—it was impossible between Stefan and Briar even if Renee was not around.But love
"Cut the crap, Briar!" Stefan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes bloodshot. "Do you think I can't do anything about you? The medical field is very advanced now, and I have ways to cure her even if I don't know what you poisoned her with. And you... have lost your only chance to run away."Briar didn't even blink as he threatened her, and became even more arrogant. "Really? Do it then! You can do what Renee did and push me down the cliff. After all, my life doesn't matter, so it's worth it if I die in your hands. But… I just feel bad for Renee. She has to suffer so much, and she'll lose her only chance of survival because of your ridiculous chauvinism.""How dare you!" Infuriated, Stefan raised his fist, but he didn't punch her. He hissed out a breath and snapped, "So, what is it you want?" At the moment, he couldn't be irrational—Briar could determine Renee's life or death. Briar had probably planned all this, so there was no way she would let Stefan get what he wanted without some
"Let's not hurry. It's a long night, and there's so much we can do..." Despite Stefan's anger, Briar was calm."Forget it if you don't want to say it. I don't have time to waste on you." Stefan glared at Briar coldly and turned to leave. He wasn't intending to leave, he just wanted to make Briar think he was."Wait!" Briar became anxious as expected, and stopped him immediately. "Shouldn't you give me something in exchange for the information?"Speechless, Stefan turned back to Briar."I know that we can't be a couple. I don't care about forever as long as I have it once... You have to stay with me from now until tomorrow morning. If you make me happy, I'll give you the components of the poison," Briar said finally. She hadn't been teasing Stefan earlier—she really did want his body. "Enough is enough, Briar!" Stefan's disgust for her grew. He thought that Briar was merely joking, and didn't know a woman could be this shameless. "That's the only thing I want. Stay if you're wi