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
"You want to know about Madam Everheart?" Margaret asked, looking at Renee and sighing. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I don't really know her either, and I've never met her properly.""Really?""Yes," Margaret replied as she took a trip down memory lane and answered honestly. "I grew up and was homeschooled in my family. My family has always served the Schneider family, so when Madam found me and told me to apply to become a nanny to care for your pregnant mother and eventually you, I listened to them unconditionally.""She was very mysterious. She never appeared publicly and always wore a veil when she met me. That's why I said I probably never met her properly..."Even after decades, Margaret could still vividly remember the day she had met Madam Everheart. The woman had been unique. There was no word to describe her, and 'beautiful' was not enough. Even the veil she wore could not cover up her exceptional charm.When I came to the Everheart family, she had already left.
Margaret looked at Renee's belly and nodded in understanding. "You're right. The most important thing right now is to nurture your baby and have a safe birth."The older woman didn't ask who the father of Renee's baby was, and the latter didn't say a word about it either. The two women had an unspoken understanding of the situation.Renee was completely assured that Margaret would keep her mouth shut. As long as Renee didn't permit it, her nanny would take this secret to her grave.Renee put off all activities in the next few days and stayed in bed, nursing her baby under Margarent's meticulous care. It was clear that Margaret had come from a great line of doctors, as Renee's previous minor illnesses were cured with just a few doses of medicine. She no longer felt fatigued, and her appetite improved. She could now stomach several meals a day without feeling nauseous.Today, Margaret went out early to do some grocery shopping, and Renee slept in bed. The sun bathed her skin with
"I was planning to settle the score with you when I felt better, but I never thought you would serve yourselves up on a silver platter..."Renee wore a calm expression as she walked down the stairs, her knuckles cracking as she clenched and unclenched her fists.She had discovered earlier that the person who tried to bury Margaret alive four years ago was Jeremy's close friend, Charles, and for that, she decided that the man would pay with his life...And that man was standing right before her right now.Charles turned to Renee, and disdain flashed on their faces. Charles mockingly said, "Haha! What a bold statement! Here I was, wondering who it was... Turns out it's the remaining Everheart maggot! Our boss has wanted to get rid you for a long time, but he let you off because of the Hunts! You're just a despicable housewife who has been demoted, and no one will protect you! I might as well take your useless life to my boss for a reward!Renee sneered. "If you want something from
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.