Naturally, Jovan wanted to reciprocate, but Xavier instinctively rushed over to protect Leia. It was a mess as the three of them tussled. At that moment, Briar arrived at the lobby on the ground floor, surrounded by executives. Leia immediately turned to her and howled, "You're still alive, you troublemaker! I owe you a beating!" Leia let go of Jovan and rushed toward Briar."What-What do you want?" Briar didn't expect such a sudden attack, and couldn't dodge in time."What do I want..." Leia pulled Briar's hair and punched her. "I want to whack you up, of course! I already told you that if you ever appeared in front of me, I would beat you up!"Briar's self-defense skills and temper were less violent than Leia's, so she couldn't fight back. All she could do was scream. "Let go of me, you crazy woman! I'm going to call the cops to arrest you! Oh, you're going to ruin my hair. Let go, you harpy! Guards, do your job and get rid of her!" The security guards moved forward to help, b
In the past, Jovan manipulated Stefan's feigned death to snatch away the company, but it had been Stefan's trap. He had waited for Jovan to walk into it, and the ending had been delightful. However, this time...Xavier and Quinton had worked with the villagers living in the mountains to look for Stefan every day, but they failed to find any clues related to him. He was missing, and it broke Xavier's heart. Xavier knew that Stefan would not easily fall to death, but right now, it was the only plausible option. Stefan would not go missing and give them no news if he had not fallen to his death."I know even if you don't tell me. It must be bad... You haven't found him, right?" Jovan asked slowly. "You wouldn't look this worried if you had. I believe what the rumors say—my pitiful cousin might have fallen off a cliff and got eaten by beasts.""Shut up!" Enraged, Xavier threw another punch at Jovan.A sigh escaped Jovan. "You might not believe me, but I don't want him dead. I have yet
Then, Briar limped away. Leia watched Briar leave, looking troubled."Are you okay?" Xavier walked over and asked in concern."I'm fine." Leia shook her head absently and looked at Xavier. "Where's Stefan? Where did he go? Does he know that Ren's been waiting for him to come back? Ren needs him the most right now, so where is he hiding?""Let's go back. I need to talk to you about that in detail." Xavier glanced at Jovan pointedly. However, Leia couldn't just leave like that. She walked to Jovan. "What else do you want from me?" Jovan took a step back in fear, covering his bitten arm. "I'll make you suffer if you go crazy again." "I know now that Ren is at your place. I can't just ignore that, so make a choice—are you going to drive her home, or do you want me to barge into your house and take her?" Leia demanded aggressively.Jovan frowned and contemplated it for a while. "I can't decide for Renee, but I can guarantee one thing—if she wants to leave when you come to pick h
However, Adie was just a child. The consequences would be very serious regardless of how good he was. Margaret didn't want anything bad to happen to him, and she wouldn't know how to help him if something did."Just tell them not to worry..." Leia patted Margaret's shoulders and reassured her. "If everything goes smoothly, Ren can come back in a week.""That's great. It's alright if she travels, as long as she's okay. I'll take good care of the kids." Margaret heaved a sigh of relief. She didn't ask where Renee was—she was just happy to hear that she was safe. After a brief pause, Margaret looked at Xavier carefully. "Umm... What about Mr. Hunt?" "Stefan..." Xavier clenched his fists and told a white lie. "He's developing a sightseeing project there and can't come home yet.""Is he safe?" "Yeah, he's safe." Xavier took a deep breath, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anything. "I'm sure Stefan will be safe!""That's good. The kids can rest easy then. I'l
Renee was rather obedient that night in Jovan's manor. Not only did she have dinner, but she also stayed in the living room for a long time, waiting for Jovan's return.Jovan, who was exhausted, was filled with warmth when he returned and saw her in the living room. "Are you waiting for me?" He walked over to Renee and sat close to her on the sofa, and the dim lighting made the atmosphere look intimate."Are you that surprised?""I am." Jovan looked serious. "I'd imagined this scene countless times in my head… but I know you'd only wait for me like this if you needed something from me." Renee smiled. "Is that how you see me? As someone who's cruel and selfish?" "No, I can only blame myself for not being charming enough. I failed to make you fall in love with me even after pursuing you for such a long time." Jovan shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. He knew very well how she regarded him and dared not fancy wishful thoughts."I do have a favor to ask." Renee was wringing
"Grandpa agreed to it?" Renee's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought he always hated Briar? He knows how cunning she is, so why would he risk letting her join the board of directors? Isn't he worried that Briar might lose control and ruin Hunt Enterprise?" Doubts started to pop up in Renee's mind. Had something really happened to Stefan? There was no way he would have agreed to this if he was still the backbone of the company."Well, you'll know in a few days."-Three days later, Renee was overwhelmed by anxiety. She knew she had to face the truth. She had thought that Stefan would come to her rescue if she waited obediently, but it looked like he might need her to save him instead. Renee had been imagining that Stefan would come to save her like a knight in fairytales, but as time went by, she realized there was no point in hoping and waiting. If she continued like this, she would only be at others' mercy. Clenching her fists, she announced, "Lisa, I'm tired and want to sleep. You
Three days later, Renee woke up feeling like she was floating. "Stefan… Don't go, Stefan!" She muttered, reaching out to grab something. Her hand closed on air, and she immediately woke up."You're finally awake!" Jovan shot to his feet in excitement beside her bed. He had been guarding Renee for three days. Renee was supposed to wake up two days ago after the surgery, but she had remained unconscious. The doctor had said that the consequences would be unimaginable if she did not wake up before dawn that day. Jovan had assumed that this was one of Briar's schemes and had snapped at her, even threatening to kill her if anything happened to Renee. Fortunately, Renee had woken up in time."Where am I?" Renee was in a daze, and could feel bandages on her eyes. The area around her eyes was hurting too, but it was the odd pain that felt like… there was something there."You're in a ward in the hospital," Jovan answered honestly, then added eagerly, "You had eye surgery three days ago, and
Jovan sounded moved."Okay, I won't thank you again..." Renee nodded and asked, "How did you find these eyes for me then? I'm sure it wasn't simple. You must have sacrificed a lot for it, right?" She knew that it was very difficult to find a pair of suitable eyes. Previously, Stefan had screened people from all over the world but failed to find the right donor for her. However, Jovan had managed to accomplish it. Maybe she was meant to have her sight back, but Jovan had undoubtedly sacrificed a lot to get it."No, it wasn't much," Jovan explained calmly, "It's just a bit of money. Worldly possessions aren't as important as you getting your eyesight back." Truth be told, he had spent a lot of money on it. He nearly transferred half of his shares to Briar, and Briar was now also on the board of directors of Hunt Enterprise with a lot of shares in her name. In exchange for her new-found glory, she had introduced the candidate with a suitable pair of eyes to Jovan. "It's just a hunch b
Macsen clenched his fists, agitated. For many years, he was mainly responsible for the armed forces of the fort. On the other hand, Benjamin instructed his adopted sons to take care of his business. Previously, Hunt Enterprise promised the Jenkins family many profits under the condition that Renee and Joanne could leave the fort safely. Hence, Benjamin let them go at that critical point despite the humiliation he faced. Afterward, Stefan continued his close cooperation with the Jenkins family. While this happened, the relationship between Macsen and Benjamin grew tenser. Gradually, Macsen kept gathering power to surpass Benjamin one day and take revenge on Stefan.Renee and Leia's sudden arrival at the fort was beyond Macsen's expectations. Although he was getting stronger, he wasn't powerful enough to fight Benjamin and the Hunts. Despite this, he naturally wouldn't give up such a good chance easily. Macsen's revenge was the result of his impulsiveness. He had been reckless,
"Well, you're bold. A pity that…you fell in love with such a cruel man like Stefan!"Macsen took a deep breath and waved melancholicly. Then, he instructed someone to push Renee into the river.Renee neither resisted nor tried to stall for time. She just wanted to get it over with. Having seen through men and human nature, she suddenly became pessimistic.Macsen's subordinate grabbed Renee and dragged her to the river bank. Before he was about to push her into the river, a dazzling light ruined the darkness and oppresiveness of the jetty. "I knew it was you, Macsen!" a furious voice resonated in the air. Liam, holding a floodlight, shone it into Macsen's eyes. "You and I aren't enemies! Why did you target me? Do you know how important these two people are to me?" he growled fiercely. Mateo followed closely behind. At first, he watched everything in silence. Eventually, he said something to sow discord between them. "Macsen, why couldn't you talk it out with us? You secretly
Disgust overcame Renee. She found Macsen pathetic."You claimed that you love your girlfriend, but you married Luneth. You married her and got a kid. Now, you want to be intimate with the woman you've just met. Do men think that love is just a trivial thing?""How could you…" Macsen was stunned. He didn't expect her to say that so directly. Guilty, he retorted, "You don't know anything! Men's love is different from women's love.""What's the difference?" Renee snorted and shot him a disdainful stare. "Yeah, it's different. Women are superior human beings. Once they fall in love with someone, they'll never sleep with another man. But men are different. Men are simply animals. They can love many people and sleep with different women. Maybe men and women shouldn't exist at the same time. Then, there won't be so many heartbroken women.""I disagree!" Macsen rolled up his sleeves, turning competitive because of Renee's words. "You make it sound like only men will have a change of heart.
"What kind of condition? I'm listening," Renee said curiously."It's very simple. The best way to take revenge on a man is to humiliate his beloved in front of him, especially by making her a slut in front of him. So…"After a pause, Macsen sized Renee up and cracked a wicked smile. "Turn on your social media, go live, and show everyone how you and I fool around. Let them see how you enjoy my lovemaking. Then, I'll consider letting you guys live!""That's outrageous!" Leia snarled, unable to tolerate it any longer. "You're out of your mind! Your woman is humiliated, so you should find fault with the culprit! Why do you want to hurt another innocent woman? If you love live shows, you should go shoot that kind of video yourself and sell it worldwide. It'll satisfy your special tastes!"Her sarcasm angered Macsen, who turned to his subordinate beside him.The subordinate immediately walked forward. Without hesitation, he grabbed Leia to the large ship behind Macsen."It's finally qu
Renee interrupted Leia for fear that the latter's words might drive Macsen up the wall.Macsen's intense reaction proved that he wasn't lying. Stefan had probably done something outrageous to his girlfriend.However, there might be some hidden clues in that incident. Given Renee's understanding of Stefan, he wasn't so ruthless even though he was abominable."No, she's right." Macsen took a deep breath and sneered. "I should make myself clear. If not, you'd never know how wicked someone could be… When I found my girlfriend, she was naked and had all kinds of bruises. She cried and told me that Stefan had assaulted her for several days and nights. In the end, she jumped off a building and died in front of me because of the utter humiliation!""What?!" At that point, Leia expressed her disbelief. "That can't be! There must be some misunderstanding! Stefan's a scumbag, but he's not a skirt-chaser or a deviant. That kind of thing would never have happened. Given his identity and sta
"Oh?" Macsen looked at Renee, interested. "Is there a way to cause him pain? Well then, I'm all ears."Renee looked at herself and Leia, then said, "I can tell you, but you need to let us go first. At least, let my friend go."Macsen grew cold, and snorted, "Hmph! You can't negotiate terms with me. I think killing you both is enough to cause him pain. Men, do it!""No!"Renee found Macsen's emotions to be very unsteady—he would turn hostile at any minute. Hence, she said patiently, "Okay, I won't ask you to let us go since you don't want to. At least tell us what terrible things Stefan has done that made you hate him so much. Maybe I'll pity you once you tell me. Then, I'll help you take revenge on him.""Don't take me as a fool. You, help me take revenge on him?" Macsen glared at Renee. Macsen wasn't so foolish to believe that a woman deeply in love with Stefan would betray him and work with his enemy to target him.Then again, it would cause Stefan greater pain if his beloved
At that point, Leia leaned backward and laughed heartily. Renee listened to the conversation and shook her head helplessly. They were doomed, alright.Their enemy wanted them dead later, but here Leia was, insulting and rebuking him fiercely. He would probably kill them on the spot.Just as Renee had expected, Macsen said nothing more. Instead, he waved and instructed his subordinate, "Do it now. I can't wait any longer.""Okay, boss." Macsen's subordinate nodded respectfully and glanced at the rest of the guards. They approached Renee and Leia with two sandbags and ropes. "W-What are you doing?" Leia swallowed, terrified at the sight of the sandbags and ropes. Masen sneered and said fiercely, "Didn't you say I'm a coward? I'll show you what a coward I am."The guards bound Renee and Leia tightly and secured the heavy sandbags around their ankles.Macsen's subordinate looked at Renee and Leia, now tightly bound, and asked him carefully, "Boss, it's done. Do we just push t
The man was stunned, then laughed heartily. "No wonder you're Stefan's most beloved woman! You're smart.""Huh? He's Macsen? How can you tell?" Leia looked at the man with confusion, her eyes widening. She never took this man as the amazing figure Liam had talked about."In the whole fort, other than Benjamin, the master, no one could offend Liam and snatch the hostages away from Mateo except for you, the one with an army. Plus, I hurt your dearest son. It's not hard to guess your identity," Renee said, her logic sound. "What a logical analysis! You think fast. I admire you for that." Macsen clapped, giving Renee an admiring look. The next moment, he turned cold. "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. I took you here to settle the grudge between us." "It's fine if you want to take revenge on me, but you have to let my friend go." Renee stood in front of Leia, meeting Macsen's gaze boldly. "This incident has nothing to do with her. Don't hurt her.""No." Macsen s
"Divorced?" The man was surprised at first, but soon remained calm. He snorted, "That's not a big deal. We can't judge the love a man holds for a woman through marriage. Many men ignore their wives and are madly in love with their lovers. I'm sure Renee is the woman Stefan loves the most.""I'm telling you, he doesn't love her!" Leia insisted.She sighed. Filled with indignation, she added, "He divorced my friend for his mistress. Based on your words, his mistress should be the one he loves best. If not, he wouldn't divorce my friend and watch her date another man. Do you think a man would behave like that if he loved her?""Is that so?" The man narrowed his eyes, trying to ascertain the authenticity of Leia's words. If Stefan divorced Renee for his mistress, then from the perspective of a man, that meant he did have a change of heart. Renee was no longer the woman he loved the most.Then again, based on the information the man had found, Stefan was madly in love with Renee. He r