"Depressed?" Leia's heart pounded when she heard that. She felt that it was impossible for her best friend to be depressed. Renee had experienced many misfortunes in the past like her family's bankruptcy, the death of her parents, and her difficult marriage with Stefan, but she had soldiered through it all. It made Leia wonder why Renee was suffering from depression when everything was taking a turn for the better."Are you sure?" Leia stole a glance at Renee and pulled the doctor to a more isolated corner. "She's the most headstrong and optimistic person I've ever met. How could she be depressed?" "You don't understand… Depression is pathological—it doesn't matter if the person is strong or optimistic. Some people might look happy, but could be suffering from severe depression. It's like an apple that looks beautiful on the outside, but has already started to rot from its core. If we don't cure her in time, the consequences will be unimaginable." A long sigh escaped the doctor as h
"I don't care who he works for. What he says makes sense, and we need to take his advice..." Leia said cautiously, scared of angering Renee. The doctor had mentioned that people suffering from depression could become sensitive and paranoid, and that seemed to be the case for Renee. Renee was not as generous and straightforward as she used to be—she'd become suspicious, aloof, and uncaring. "What did he tell you to do?" Renee demanded as she approached Leia. "You're my best friend, so you should be taking my side. Why do you trust someone who works for my enemy? Don't you remember what Briar's done? How could the doctor be a nice person if he works for her?""Calm down, Ren. The doctor didn't say much. He just said that you're now—" After a pause, Leia took a deep breath. "He said you aren't well. You're sad and agitated, and he's afraid that... you might be suffering from depression. So, he wants us to pay attention to your mental health." "Hmph! So, he thinks I'm mentally ill!" R
Leia knew the doctor was right—Renee was seriously ill. "I understand you, Ren." She walked over and held Renee's hands, then hugged her tightly. "I know that you're sad and stressed, but don't feel guilty. If you think being with us is stressful, then we won't disturb you. You can have some peace. When you're feeling better, I'll come and take you home." Leia finally believed Jovan's words. Jovan hadn't forcefully locked Renee up—it was Renee who didn't want to go home. Although Leia didn't understand Renee's reasons, she respected and supported her decision. "Do you want me to go? Will it make you feel better?" Leia whispered."I don't want you to go, but I'm in a very bad state. Your being here will just stress me out even more. I don't want you all to see my bad side, so..." Renee bit back a sob. "Give me some time. I'll go home once I'm better.""You're saying that you still want to stay in Jovan's manor? You don't want to see us?" Leia asked, sounding disappointed. "I won't s
"Thank you for understanding," Renee said emotionlessly as she stood there. She knew she was probably ill. In the past, she was an enthusiastic, straightforward, and bright sunflower, but now… she had become like moss that only grew in the dark. She was indifferent even when faced with others' love and goodwill. At last, Leia left the hospital without Renee.Xavier had been waiting at Everheart Manor, and was confused to see Leia come home alone. "What happened? Where's Renee?" He had thought that Leia would be able to bring Renee home, but things didn't look that simple now."She didn't want to come back." Leia walked into the manor listlessly. "See! I told you—she wants to be with Jovan. You can't just force her to come home." Xavier smirked and held his hand out to Leia. "You lost the bet, so tell me… How should I punish you?"Xavier and Leia had made a bet a week ago. Xavier felt that Renee didn't want to come home since she had not contacted them for a while, but Leia had i
"Symbiosis and the host," Xavier answered."Symbiosis and the host?" Stupefied, Leia questioned, "Is that some kind of sci-fi thing? I only heard such terms in crazy cartoons.""I heard that if a person's organ is transplanted to another person, the donor will infest the patient. Their actions, behaviors, characters, and preferences will merge. It's as if the patient's soul is snatched away." Xavier had read about it in books and sounded convincing. "So, you’re saying that the master of Ren's new eyes has infested her? Is that why she's changed so much?" Leia asked hesitantly."We can't rule it out!" Xavier continued, "Let's talk about Jovan. Don't you think he's more tolerable after he started using Renee's eyes? He doesn't seem so annoying. Even Stefan became smarter and more cunning after he started using Jovan's eyes. They had shown the symptoms of symbiosis and the host." "It seems true when you put it that way..." Leia touched her chin and nodded in agreement. Stefan, Jov
"We'll know once we find the owner of the eyes," Xavier muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. He felt that it was easy to find such a person, but it was odd that they hadn't found anyone at all even after a worldwide search… and Jovan had found them instead. "It looks like we have to ask Jovan." Leia decided she needed to speak to Jovan. After such an eventful day, she was tired and wanted to head upstairs for a rest. As she was halfway up the stairs, she recalled something and turned to Xavier. "Is there any news about Stefan?" "Not yet." Xavier sounded hopeful as he said, "But no news is good. I believe that Stefan has a plan." "I hope so." Leia clenched her fists and said angrily, "He'd better have a good explanation for my bestie! Ren needs him the most right now, but he's not here. I'm sure Ren won't forgive him, and neither will I. If I see him, I'll beat him up!""I hope you'll have the chance to do that..." Xavier's gaze was unreadable as he said softly, "We'll kno
After Leia left, Renee snuck past the nurses and hurried away to find Briar. She smoothly left the hospital and headed to Hunt Enterprise, then cautiously waited behind a flowerbed in a corner. Leia was right—since Briar was a shareholder and member of the board of directors of Hunt Enterprise, she would probably visit the company often. Hence, Renee figured she would be able to meet Briar if she waited at Hunt Enterprise.Renee waited for over an hour, and the night breeze grew colder. Renee was feeling cold because she had only put on a thin cotton coat. "Achoo!" She sneezed and wrapped her arms tighter around herself, feeling miserable. Time passed by, and though Hunt Enterprise had a culture of working overtime, most of its employees had already left."What's going on? Did she exit through the back door because she knew that I was waiting for her?" Renee wondered, hesitant to enter the company to search for Briar.Suddenly, a young woman came from behind and tapped Renee's shoul
"Mr. Hunt, I gave the blanket to Ms. Everheart. It looks like she needed it." "Of course. It's so cold out there, but she's waiting there like a fool. She'll easily catch a cold!" Jovan had noticed Renee hiding behind the flower bed ages ago, and could guess why she was here. He was quite happy to observe her from his office, looking adorable in her pink attire as she looked out for Briar like a spy. It warmed his heart."Go and see if Ms. Desrosiers is in her office. If she is, tell her that we don't have a habit of working overtime here. Ask her to go home." Jovan turned around and instructed Sage Avey, his secretary who had delivered the blanket to Renee. "Okay, Mr. Hunt..." Sage nodded. When she noticed Jovan staring at Renee tenderly, she suggested, "Why don't you invite Ms. Everheart upstairs? Isn't the view of the flowers nicer from up here?""No, that's unnecessary." Jovan refused firmly. "She doesn't want me to know she's here, so why should I ruin her mood? Just let her
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t
Time passed by. It was soon the day for the engagement ceremony between Justin and Renee.The Baldwin family held a grand ceremony while adhering to tradition. It was both traditional and romantic.Renee put on a red slim-fit silk gown with intricate black and gold embroidery. Her long hair was delicately pinned up, showing off her fair and slender neck. She looked elegant."How pretty!" Margaret stood in front of the vanity table and looked at Renee, whose face was dolled with exquisite makeup. She looked gratified, as though she were looking at her daughter."If your parents saw how pretty and elegant you were, they would be very happy." Margaret gently placed her hands on Renee's shoulders and commented, "You married Mr. Hunt when I wasn't around. You must have suffered a lot. But things will get better now… I'll stay with you and protect you forever. I'll be your strongest support."Back then, Renee was left alone when her family was ruined. She married Stefan without anyo
Alexander and Francine were already old. It was fine even if others criticized them or took violent revenge on them. But they were worried that the younger generation, especially Adie and Abby, would have a hard time handling it."You're right. I wasn't thinking straight…" Francine became teary and sobbed. "I just wanted to relieve my guilt and failed to consider the kids. We brought this upon ourselves. I'll probably have to suffer this pain for the rest of my life.""Stop thinking about that. It's all over. It's useless to regret or dwell on it." Alexander walked over and hugged her shoulders. He whispered some consoling words, "No one can tell who was right or wrong about that affair. We're already punished. Just act like everything is gone…"Is it? You're just trying to make yourself feel better." Francine leaned against Alexander's shoulders, full of melancholy. "Don't you think the kids are suffering the consequences of our actions? They love and understand each other bu
"No, I'm not going to snatch away the bride." Stefan put his fork down and stood up. He added calmly, "Plus, I'm going to give them a huge wedding gift."Flabbergasted and shocked, Francine's face stiffened. "I'm full. Just enjoy your meal." Stefan went past Francine and headed upstairs to his room. Francine and Alexander watched Stefan's upright but desolate back for a long time, unable to snap back to reality."Alexander, is there something wrong with him? Should we get an exorcist? He's acting weird!"Francine could not accept to see Stefan that generous all of a sudden. His woman was snatched away, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he wanted to buy the couple a big wedding gift. She couldn't come up with any other possibility except that Stefan was crazy or possessed. "I can understand him." Suddenly, Alexander became sad as if he recalled his past. He looked gloomy as he added, "Sometimes, letting go is a kind of happiness. Helping the others to be together is true l
"How could you!" For a moment, Timothy was rendered speechless. After all, his anxiety was useless since Stefan was calm. "Forget it. I'm not eating. It's annoying! I'm going upstairs." Timothy did not want to argue with Stefan since Stefan was already an adult. He could not force Stefan to do anything. Instead, he chose to get away from such annoyance to not ruin the harmony of the New Year. After he got up and left, Francine braced herself to mediate the situation."Your grandpa isn't very healthy. He should rest early. Let's eat. We should enjoy our meal happily no matter how unhappy things are." Alexander soon gave his cooperation as well when he heard that. He put some food on Stefan's plate and smiled. "Yes, we can't force things in life. Let's enjoy our meal first." "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry you guys are worried about me. Happy New Year."Stefan quietly ate and raised his wine glass, toasting to his parents. He looked normal and calm, and was warmer toward them.However,
Coldness rapidly engulfed everyone. "It's said that Ms. Renee Everheart and Mr. Justin Baldwin have been best friends for many years and ended up as soulmates. They're going to hold a grand engagement ceremony three days later. They've also announced that the Baldwin family has finally made peace with the Everheart family. Many distinguished guests will attend the ceremony. It's still unknown if this event will bring any new changes to North City and Beach City. Let's wait and see!"The host was reporting the affair excitedly on the TV as if he was an eager onlooker."Tsk! What TV station is this? How lousy! I'm going to acquire it!" Francine criticized it before she told the servant to turn the TV off. She also looked at Stefan and Timothy carefully from time to time. She wondered what was on their mind since nobody spoke up.After the TV was turned off, a strange feeling overcame everyone."Let's enjoy our reunion dinner. Don't be angry." Alexander urged everyone to start eat
After a pause, a long sigh escaped Timothy. "Well, children are lacking."Both Alexander and Francine kept quiet. They knew he was going to start talking about that again.Timothy would always talk about the same thing whenever they sat down for a meal. He would make Stefan ask Renee to remarry him, and then demand he get his children home. The harmonious atmosphere would become particularly gloomy and tense every time Timothy brought that up. They knew the thing he yearned for was a prohibited topic for Stefan.It seemed Stefan had made up his mind to never have anything to do with Renee. His face would sink every time they talked about him making peace with Renee, remarrying her, or the children. He would put the fork down and leave. However, Timothy mentioned that topic straightaway during dinner. Awkwardness soon filled Alexander and Francine, and they didn't dare to speak at all. They were afraid that the reunion dinner would become a battlefield."Yes, you're right."