Stefan was silent as he looked at the list of herbs, then said, "Wait for me to come back!" He exited Owen's office, staring at the herbs. It was a good thing manpower and resources were not limited thanks to his position—something so trivial couldn't stop him. The first thing he wanted to find was the Southern Oceanic Stone. He felt that it was the easiest to find because it was just an older pearl. He made his preparations and bade Renee goodbye before setting off. "I might be gone for a while this time, maybe about a week. Stay here, and we'll keep in touch. When I'm back, you'll be cured," Stefan said gently as he hugged Renee.Renee's pain was numbed because she had just taken a painkiller, so she was in rather good spirits. "I heard from Dr. Wagner about the herbs you have to find. Do they really exist?" Renee was worried that Stefan was going on a pointless search—dragons only existed in legends. "I doubt Dr. Wagner would lie because he knows we're already so stressed and I'm
"Was it really Tess?" Renee asked again, finding Stefan's response a bit strange. It sounded like he was trying to hide something from her. "Why couldn't I get in touch with Tess? Did she tell you who drugged me?" Renee had been trying to contact Tess, but Tess seemed to have gone missing. Renee could not reach Tess' phone, and Tess no longer came to Everheart Manor. If Tess did get the list of ingredients of the poison, she would certainly come to remedy her mistake, but instead, she was avoiding Renee."Tess… has some family issues. Maybe she's just been too busy to get in touch. Give her some time, then ask her," Stefan said lightly, but in truth, he knew that Tess had been forced to leave Beach City. He didn't hold her responsible for what had happened, and had given her some money and asked her to leave Beach City forever. He had also prohibited her from telling Renee anything about what had happened that day. "Okay." A sigh escaped Renee, and she stopped asking about it. It lo
Elijah and the fishermen looked at Stefan in confusion.Stefan took off his coat and said to the fishermen, "Help me get a diving suit and a guide. I'll go look for the pearl myself.""No, Mr. Hunt!" Elijah blurted out, and quickly stopped the fisherman who was going to look for a diving suit. He said anxiously, "I know you're eager to save Ms. Everheart, but you can't be impulsive. Diving is very dangerous, and I don't think you have to do it yourself. We'll just wait for the news by the sea.""They said we need a good diver, and I'm a good diver." Stefan ignored Elijah's objection and again asked the villager to find him a diving suit. He started doing stretches to warm up and prepare for diving. Diving was one of his hobbies, and he loved free-diving without an oxygen tank the most. He loved laying on the soft sand at the bottom of the sea, watching the colorful underwater world and the sky. It brightened his boring life a little, and he'd always wished he could do it with Renee
There had been many stubborn and fearless people like Stefan who had wanted to enter the cave, but they had died before they could get to the end. The only person who had successfully passed through that cave was Stefan's guide, and he knew how dangerous that cave was. He swore never to go close to it anymore.Stefan gestured to show that he was going to enter the cave, then swam into it."Come back! Come back!" The guide got so anxious that he wanted to take off the mouthpiece of his oxygen tank. Unfortunately, Stefan had made up his mind, and swam deeper into the cave. As he passed the heart-shaped cave entrance, Stefan felt like he had entered another world. It was pitch black without any light, and he could feel seagrass against his legs, almost tangling them.There was a gigantic cliff section beside him. He couldn't see the top or the bottom, and people with weak hearts would surely be frightened out of their wits. Heart pounding in his chest, Stefan looked around in the dar
There was a white shell as large as a tire at the crevice of an underwater cliff, and light was emerging from it. Stefan's eyes widened in excitement. Was this the Southern Oceanic Stone he had been looking for? He quickly swam towards it, trying to ignore his throbbing head and lack of oxygen. He felt like he could barely breathe. "I found it! I got it!" Stefan endured the pain and reached out to grab the giant shell. A kaleidoscope of colours engulfed him, and memories of Renee flooded his mind. Renee's face was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.Stefan regained consciousness some time later, and he vaguely heard voices calling him. "Mr. Hunt? Mr. Hunt... Wake up!""Mr. Hunt, don't scare me. Hurry up and wake up!"Stefan groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Bright light immediately filled his vision, and he quickly put his hand up to block it. Now, he could see some people standing over him, staring at him in concern. The fishermen were there, as well as Elijah...
However, the price of peace was rather tragic. Quinton was acting arrogantly around Stefan, but secretly, he felt like he had wronged Stefan and Renee. If he hadn't been so extreme back then, Renee and Stefan wouldn't have wasted so much time apart..."Oh, there isn't any signal." Stefan's face sank. That meant he couldn't get in touch with Renee for now—he could only miss her from across the ocean. "By the way, I felt like I saw the Southern Oceanic Stone before I blacked out... I wasn't imagining it, right?" After Stefan had calmed down, he recalled what he had seen earlier. "Yeah, you did! It's a miracle!" The fishermen all tried to speak to Stefan at the same time, eager to tell him about the magical moment."It's unbelievable! We've been fishing for so many years, but we've never seen such a large pearl...""The legendary Southern Oceanic Stone isn't a legend after all! The pearl is magical—I feel healthier just looking at it. My back and leg don't hurt now!" Stefan rubbed
Stefan didn't hide anything—he told Quinton about everything that had happened to him and Renee lately.Quinton staggered back, his eyes wide in shock. "What... did you say?" He couldn't believe that his pitiful sister had faced so much in just a few months. "I'm running out of time. I have to get the four items that Owen wants in a month. I think you should go back and be with Ren since you're her brother. I won't be worried if it's you taking care of her." Stefan had been worried about Renee, but he had to find the items for the antidote. Somehow, fate had made him bump into Quinton, and it might be a sign telling him that someone needed to go back and watch over Renee. The only other person who would risk their life for Renee and protect her unconditionally was Quinton. "No!" Quinton refused instantly."You… don't want to go back?" Stefan asked slowly, looking perplexed. Was Quinton not worried about Renee? "Of course, I want to go back, but not now." Quinton frowned, looki
The process was undoubtedly dangerous, and Quinton had suffered a lot of injuries getting the items. Similarly, Chase had also suffered a lot. Once they got what they wanted, they went to a nearby hospital to treat their wounds and rushed back to Beach City as fast as they could. Quinton had tried to get in touch with Stefan, but there was no response from him. He figured that Stefan might be in a place without any signal. He cut the call and took a deep breath to calm himself, then went to Everheart Manor. He hesitated before he went in. As Renee's brother, he had failed to uphold his responsibility as head of the family. Not only did he fail to protect Renee, but he had caused her so much trouble. He felt ashamed to meet her, and stood outside the door for almost ten minutes."Mr. Everheart, why aren't you going in?" Chase asked Quinton carefully as they stood at the door of the manor. "I'm too ashamed to go in," Quinton answered honestly."Really?" Chase was shocked and touche
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