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
After that, Briar boldly stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around Stefan's neck. Stefan remained silent and didn't push Briar away. His thoughts were unknown.-Renee woke up from heart-wrenching pain the next day."Stefan, Stefan..." She subconsciously shouted Stefan's name. Her pain had subsided a little ever since Stefan had found out about it, and she even considered him her painkiller, but something felt off today. Stefan always appeared whenever she called for him, but she had heard nothing from him since yesterday. She had no idea where he was. "What do you need help with, Ms. Ren?" Margaret rushed into the room when she heard Renee crying out pitifully. She felt very sorry for Renee. "Margaret, it hurts. It hurts so much..." Renee stopped acting strong when she heard Margaret's voice, and burst into tears. Margaret was the nanny who had raised Renee, and often acted like Renee's mother. People needed their mothers the most when they were in pain. "I'm here, Ms. Ren
"What should we do?" Margaret anxiously watched Renee writhe and moan in pain. At her wits' end, she put her palms together and looked up, sobbing. "Sir, Madam, please bless Ms. Ren if you feel sorry for her. Please let Mr. Hunt come back right away!"And suddenly, just like a miracle, the door to Renee's bedroom swung open, and in walked Stefan."Thank God you're home, Mr. Hunt! Ms. Ren really needs you right now!" Margaret said in relief, wiping her tears away. Renee's parents probably couldn't stand to see their daughter suffer such pain, so they sent Stefan home."I'm sorry I'm late. I'm sorry!" Stefan looked exhausted. His perfect appearance was gone—his chin was full of stubble and his puffy eyes had dark circles underneath them. He looked like he had lost his soul. "I'm here. It'll stop hurting soon..." Stefan rushed to Renee's bed and held her hand tightly like he never wanted to let it go."You're annoying. Where did you go?" When Stefan's hand touched hers, her anger surp
Stefan tried to pacify Renee patiently, sounding more gentle than when he tried to comfort Abby. "I don't want to forgive you, you'll just do it again! I want to give you up; I wouldn't be this helpless when I'm in pain then..." Renee muttered crossly. "You're my painkiller, but I'm slowly building resistance towards you. I didn't feel so bad when I didn't see you for ten days or half a month before this, but I feel so sad when I don't see you for just a day. I don't want this!" If there was drug resistance, she had to increase the dosage to numb the pain, but... Stefan wasn't a drug. What would she do if he refused to help her stop the pain one day?"That'll never happen, I promise. I'll give you all my time as long as you need me..." After a pause, Stefan added seriously, "Plus, I'm not a painkiller—I'm the drug that can bring you back to life. I'll cure you. Owen told me that he could make the antidote in three days at most. You won't be in pain again." "Really?" Renee asked in
Once Owen had gotten the poison components from Stefan, he immediately rushed to the laboratory to make the antidote. The more he researched the poison, the more scary he found it. He quickly called Stefan over. "It's terrifying! I can't believe someone so malicious exists in this world. It's madness!" Stefan worriedly approached him, and Owen showed him the list of heavy metals in the poison. "Look! There's thallium, lead, and uranium... One is already toxic on its own, but this poison practically has all the elements in the periodic table! The person who made this is a demon!""She's crazy." Stefan clenched his fists anxiously. He couldn't imagine how someone as slim and weak as Renee could bear such pain. If Owen hadn't broken his promise and shown Stefan Renee's medical report, she might still have hidden it from Stefan, pretending to be happy while enduring excruciating pain. "I guess you know who the culprit is since you got the prescription. I won't say much, but… you have to
Owen warned Stefan because he knew how hard it was to get those herbs. "I don't care—I'll get them!" Stefan said firmly."Okay, I can rest easy then." Owen nodded and stopped worrying about the herbs. It seemed like Stefan, the all-powerful president of Hunt Enterprise, might be the only one who could save Renee.Owen handed a list to Stefan. "These are the herbs I need and their quantities. Get them for me within a week."Stefan studied the list intently and frowned. There were four herbs on it, and their names were so strange Stefan doubted their existence. "Are you sure... these are real?" Stefan stared at the names, perplexed."Yes, they're real, but they're extremely hard to obtain. If not, I wouldn't be so worried." Owen sounded serious. He wouldn't lie about something like this. The herbs were hard to get because of their excellent healing properties. "Southern Oceanic Stone? Western Hills Fruit? Northern Lake Anaconda? Eastern Dragon Saliva?" Stefan's face sank. He stop
Jovan cleared his throat and assumed his usual casual demeanor. "I lost my mind on the day of the engagement ceremony. I knocked Renee out and took her away. This incident has nothing to do with her. You guys can blame me. I should be the one to hang myself, too.""Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. "Don't take the blame for me. I won't thank you, either."Jovan turned and started arguing with Renee. "No, I'm not taking the blame for you. I was just telling the truth. I did knock you out and take you away that day. You didn't leave on your own!"He felt guilty toward Renee, especially when he saw her lying in bed and using an iron wire to cut her wrist so she could run away. It was a great shock to him.He realized he had nearly ruined her, body and soul. At that moment, he no longer wanted to compete for her. He felt that he might as well let her go and grant her wish. He just wanted her to be safe and happy, regardless of who she chose to be with.His greatest wish was to see her
Both Renee and Jovan finally arrived at the Baldwin residence under Sabre's escort.Austin was waiting in the tea room since he knew Renee was coming."I'm sorry, Grandpa Baldwin. I'm here to apologize to you." Sabre pushed them into the room.After entering the room, Renee realized that Justin was there too, sitting on Austin's left and pouring tea for Austin. Justin was no longer enthusiastic and close to Renee. Instead, he kept his head low and was busy. He did not even look at her, as if they did not know each other. "You want to apologize to me?" Austin sneered. He raised a cup of tea and sipped it. "Stop flattering me. Plus… You shouldn't be apologizing to me."Justin stopped what he was doing, but he was still unresponsive. He stared absent-mindedly ahead as if he were away from reality. He seemed like a different man. Renee had never seen this side of him, which filled her with sadness and guilt. She blamed herself for turning a carefree and bright youth into a gloo
"Cut the crap!" Sabre was a man who had undergone a lot of things and problems all year round. He abruptly gripped Jovan's chin and said coldly, "You can't keep your head for long. You'd better not waste your energy, and you should watch your tongue.""Well, there's something I should say." Jovan didn't resist as he grabbed the chance to touch Sabre's face. "What's your name, dude? Why are you doing this job at such a young age? How much did Austin pay you every month? I'll give you ten times your salary. Just betray him and work for me.""I'm going to kill you!" Sabre was always a serious man, and got furious because of Jovan's words. He was about to slap Jovan before Renee immediately stopped him."Don't do this, Sabre. Let's talk it out. He's the vice president of Hunt Enterprise, but you wanted to slap him. We should keep peace. Plus, he generally never watches his tongue, and he scolds his family more fiercely. Don't take him seriously." Renee tried her best to calm Sabre dow
"I'll come even if you don't welcome me. Bye." Renee hung up. She knew that Justin resented her and feared that Austin might punish her. Regardless, he could not stop her from going to North City. She understood that no one could be at ease if the issue was unresolved. She was the cause of the conflict—the key factor. Thus, she must go there.Finally, the plane took off. Renee fell into thoughts while watching the dense clouds. Jovan sat beside her and noticed her worry. He wanted to hold her hand to comfort her and give her strength. However, his hand stopped in midair. He decided against holding her hand. He knew that she did not need his consolation or reassurance. Instead, she would only resent him."Don't worry. It's going to be okay." Jovan sounded casual. "I'm the culprit and will be blamed. You don't have to be scared."Renee turned and frowned at him. "I don't want to see you in danger, either."Jovan looked serious before he beamed. "Well, I'll risk my life for
Hence, Renee did not beat around the bush or refuse to answer Jovan's question on purpose. She had no idea what her heart wanted and could only see how things went."What?" Jovan narrowed his eyes, wearing a complex expression. The current situation gave him a great sense of danger. He teased, "It looks like I've underestimated that guy. He can end up your man though he's your fallback guy.""Can't you watch your tongue?" Renee became angry as she stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth. "Eat something and stop talking."At that time, her phone rang. Justin did call her back—just like what Jovan had said. Renee quickly picked it up, sounding anxious. "Justin, why didn't you answer my calls? I called you several times!""What's the matter?" Justin sounded extremely icy. Renee had never seen him act that way—it felt unreal. She said carefully, "I want to ask where you are now.""What's the matter?" Justin kept his cold demeanor and repeated the same question without saying anythi
A minute passed by. Renee was holding the phone but had yet to get a call back from Justin. She was not that very confident."Why isn't he calling me back? Should I call him again?" Although she did not want to be embarrassed, she already did after making six calls. She was fine with it already."Calm down. Let's wait a little longer." Jovan sipped some coffee and sounded at ease."Will he call me back?" Renee held her chin, uncertain. For the first time, she knew how aggrieved a kiss-ass felt. In a way, she was considered one as she tried to please Jovan.Jovan placed the cup of coffee down and looked at Renee with leisure and surprise. "Are you that eager to get in touch with him?"After all, based on his observation as an outsider, he knew Renee did not love Justin. Renee only cared about Stefan and regarded Justin as merely a friend. Logically, she shouldn't be that upset."Of course." Renee was open about her feelings and added honestly, "I did want to spend the rest of
Jovan was not mad. Instead, he smirked with satisfaction. "Yeah, that's right. Never let me get that. We need to keep owing something to each other and always get tangled up with each other!"Renee could not take it, and acted like she was about to vomit. "I can't keep on eating. It's disgusting." Although she had made such a claim, she sat down and was engrossed in enjoying the food. She was not as tense as before and started to relax.Similarly, Jovan started eating with satisfaction. The current situation was what he wanted the most. She hated him, but it was her true self.When they were full, it was almost time for them to board the plane. Before boarding, Renee hesitated for a long time before calling Justin. She gave him three calls, but he picked up neither of them.On the other hand, Jovan was sitting in the exclusive lounge for the passengers of first-class cabins. He was flipping through magazines to kill his boredom when he noticed Renee's phone. Jovan smiled and
At that time, Jovan was peeling prawns for Renee. They were hot but fresh. When he was peeling them, their hotness burned his fingers, but he was fine with it."Yes, I had…" While blowing the prawns to cool them down, Jovan smiled and said, "I didn't find one at the moment, so I can't forget about you."Renee frowned and said grumpily, "Don't blame it on me. You just can't settle down. I don't want to be accused wrongly."She never felt that Jovan loved her deeply. He merely acted like an overbearing child who tried to snatch away his cousin's beloved woman because he always regarded his cousin as a role model. It was not that different from trying to snatch away one's toy. Of course, that wasn't true love."Just introduce a woman to me then." Jovan finally peeled the prawns and poured some sauce on them before he placed them on a plate before her. He added, "Have them while they're hot. They taste the best now. You need more protein since you're weak."Renee found it difficul
Vermillion was neither eye-catching nor dark. It suited the scarf around her neck well, making her look brighter and more sophisticated. She was not as pale and weak as she looked just now. "I like this color. I didn't expect you to know women this well. You picked the right lipstick color." Renee pursed her lips and sincerely praised Jovan.Usually, insensible men would pick pink lipstick, which was awful. When Jovan picked that lipstick, Renee's heart skipped a beat. She was even wondering where she should go to remove the lipstick. However, it was not pink. It happened to be vermillion, which she had always favored. It would be hard to gain such knowledge if Jovan had not had experience with it. It could be seen that he had dated quite a lot of women."I'm glad you like it." Jovan looked at her rosy lips which were wonderful and charming. He inevitably swallowed.Renee noticed that he was charmed—but he was not simply attracted by her. Instead, he admired her religiously, whi