"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
Seeing the simple, absolutely brutal, and cool style, Renee instantly knew the most oppressive man in Beach City, the crazy young master Stefan, was here.But she didn't understand. Why would this aristocrat come to this dilapidated haunted house?Charles had just been dropped on his ass by Renee, and now someone else had kicked him so hard he felt it to the bones. He could barely restrain his anger, and he was about to start cursing when he turned to meet Stefan's burning eyes. He immediately went pale and almost wet himself again."M-Mr. Hunt! W-why are you here?!"Stefan stared down at Charles, who was prostrating on the ground. His brows were furrowed, and he asked in an obviously upset tone, "Are you one of Jeremy's people?"He could vaguely recall the man beside Jeremy from a business deal before this, where they had met. Ah, he was Jeremy's top bodyguard, wasn't he? Jeremy was very close to him too."Yes, that's right, Sir! My name is Charles. I've been working with Mr. Su
Stefan didn't reply to Renee's question but proceeded to survey the manor. "The layout doesn't work. The hall is too cramped, the dome looks awful, and the staircase is too steep. It needs a complete renovation. The decorations are so ancient they look like leftovers from the Republican era. The carvings on the pillars at the entrance aren't exquisite enough, either. It's best you knock it down and start from scratch."Stefan continued to nitpick on everything about the manor in an arrogant tone, and Renee was thoroughly confused. ‘What’s wrong with this man? He still thinks of himself as my husband, doesn’t he?!’"Do you have that much free time on your hands, Stefan? Did you get a degree in interior design when I wasn't looking? You don't need to point out anything about my house!"Stefan was currently standing in the middle of the living room, staring hard at the landscape painting hanging on the wall and ignoring Renee's moody words. "This is a nice painting. It's the famo
Renee realized she was the only one who felt awkward. Stefan seemed comfortable and acted as free as he was at home. It profoundly interpreted the quote, "It's only embarrassing if you care what people think."Earlier, Charles smashed the stuff in the entire living room and made a terrible mess. Only the sofa area seemed to be untouched.Stefan sat gracefully on the couch and crossed his legs. He asked Renee, "How are you? Have you gotten used to your new place?""What do you think? This is my home. Why can't I get comfortable here?"Renee looked around and flashed a meek smile. "I'm finally home after four years of wandering. I have to say, home sweet home!"Stefan's eyes turned slightly gloomy. He said quietly, "As you said, you have half of the property rights to Hunt Villa. If you want to go back, you can move anytime. It's your home."Renee almost thought she had misheard Stefan. The kind look on her face vanished, replaced by disdain."Stefan, aren't you being a hypocrit
Renee found Stefan's sudden change in attitude ridiculous. It must have been hard for an arrogant guy like Stefan to put up such a gentle facade for his lover. Renee lifted her chin and said with a fake smile, "Haven't I made it clear enough? All you have to do is let your lover kneel and apologize to me in front of all the media.""Don't go overboard." Stefan's eyes turned cold. Somehow, Renee seemed like a complete stranger to him. The old Renee was not so aggressive."I told you. Briar is still in the hospital with an unstable pregnancy. How can you have her kneel and apologize to you?""Is that so?!"Renee silently clenched her firsts. Despite the heartache, she maintained her arrogance and mocked Stefan. "She can't kneel, but you can kneel on her behalf. Well, Mr. Hunt, aren't you a man who would bend over for true love? How touching!"Nothing mattered to Renee anymore. Just let Stefan think of her as a mean and cold-blooded woman. Despite being kind and meek for the past
"We have feelings for each other?"Renee stopped eating and smiled helplessly. "Margaret, you're always good at reading people, but not today. Unfortunately, you've misread the situation. Do you know the reason behind Stefan's sudden visit and all that courting?""That's because… he can't let go of you and wants to reconcile?"Renee shook her head. "He came to plead for his lover. He's a prideful man but stripped his pride for such an awful woman. That's unacceptable. I'll never forgive him for that!""What…" Margaret looked at Renee, appalled. She did not expect Renee's former husband, who seemed so upright and noble, to be so dishonorable. That was a great disappointment."I don't think he's that kind of man. He should be able to distinguish between right and wrong. He probably won't condone his lover and her bad character. Is there some misunderstanding?""Misunderstanding?"Renee sneered, "Margaret, you lack experience in relationships. Do you know? There's no right and wron
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked