Timothy was lying on a lounge chair near the balcony, watching the rain outside the window. His bedroom was facing the garden, where a few Musa basjoo trees had been planted below his window. Those trees were almost as old as him, and they were tall and dense. Raindrops dripped from their branches and leaves, giving off a gloomy atmosphere. "Old Mr. Hunt, look who's here," Asher happily informed Timothy.Timothy did not turn around, and just said indifferently, "It must be Ren, right? The one I've been wanting to meet…""Grandpa..." Renee walked over and kneeled beside the chair, holding his arm gently. "How did you know it's me?""It's because I've been looking forward to seeing you every day!" Timothy looked at her and patted her head. "Silly girl, it's been such a long time. You should have come and met me sooner!""I-I..." "What's the matter? Do you hate me?""No, I always thought about you, but so many things happened lately and I… I was too ashamed to meet you." "Ah, y
Renee could tell that she wouldn't get any answers from Timothy, and disappointment filled her. Timothy sighed when he saw Renee's crestfallen expression. "Ren, stop overthinking. There's always a way around things. Look at my family and the Baldwins—we've been fighting each other for so many years, but it's slowly been resolved. I believe that the thing between you and Stef isn't irresolvable; Just wait, and time will give you an answer."Renee smiled bitterly and asked Timothy, "Since you brought it up, Grandpa… Did you make peace with the Baldwin family?""I guess you can put it that way." Timothy looked ahead. "I already have one foot in the grave, and it made me realize that grudges are nothing compared to death. Austin and I used to be best friends, but we fell out with each other because of some silly misunderstandings. I'm going to die soon, so I don't want to keep on fighting him. If we make peace, it'll be beneficial for our descendants too.""Is that it?" Renee was doub
Justin felt that though Stefan was arrogant, he was also cautious and insightful. As Stefan's enemy, he had to be on guard if Stefan was managing Hunt Enterprise, but now that Jovan was running it… it was too easy and wasn't fun anymore. He tilted his head and offered Jovan a lazy smirk. "If it wasn't for my grandpa telling us not to fight, your family would be done for.""Shut up!" Enraged, Jovan grabbed Justin's collar. "Are you testing my patience or my family's power? Do you think I wouldn't dare to do anything to you since you're in Hunt Manor?"Justin shrugged casually. "Go ahead and do what you want. If you beat me up to vent your anger now, your grandpa will just make you apologize to me later. How humiliating would that be, hmm?" "Apologize?" Jovan scoffed. "You must be dreaming!" He raised his hand to punch Justin. Renee had finished her chess game with Timothy, and was coming down the stairs when she saw Jovan and Justin. Her eyes widened and she shouted, "Jovan, stop!
Renee's teasing remark made Jovan and Justin break out in a cold sweat."What? You want me to be his friend? I'd rather kill myself!" Jovan pretended to vomit. "I wouldn't go to that extent, but it's worse than killing myself if I have to befriend such a childish man," Justin scoffed in disgust.Renee found their argument amusing and shook her head. "Okay, it's getting late. I need to go home." Renee had gained no new information and was mentally exhausted. She wanted to go home and rest, leaving her worries aside for the moment."Are you going home? The weather is terrible. Why don't you spend the night here?" Naturally, Jovan didn't want Renee to leave. "This is also your home, and the maids keep your room clean and well-maintained under Grandpa's orders. If you spend the night here, he'll be very happy.""That's unnecessary. It's more comfortable staying at one's own home. What Phoenix needs the most is a relaxing rest at home..." Justin extended his arm and said to Renee char
"I don't know, but I'm sure that I drive faster than you!" While talking, Jovan started the car and sped into the heavy rain."Do you have to argue about this too?" Justin smacked his forehead, speechless. "Fine, you're faster. You're always faster than me."Meanwhile, Renee had taken Justin's car and left on her own. At first, she felt that it was dangerous, but she gave in when she saw Jovan and Justin bickering endlessly. Besides, she had purposely driven in the opposite direction so they wouldn't be able to catch up to her. Now, she could get rid of them and have some peace.The situation on the road was bad since it was raining. Raindrops splattered on the windshield loudly, and though the wipers were on the highest speed, it was still insufficient. Besides, Renee had yet to get used to her new pair of eyes. She had used them too much in the morning, and they were aching. Her vision was blurry, and it felt like she was driving with her eyes closed. Luckily, since the weather wa
"If you're Renee, you're the one I'm looking for. Come with me!" The man said coldly.Renee turned around and saw a large man with a ferocious scar on his face. He looked like a powerful gangster with influence, and she didn't know what he wanted with her. "Why should I listen to you? Do I look that obedient?" Renee held an umbrella and stood there stubbornly, looking like a young woman who was difficult to handle.The man got closer, fished out a flick knife, and held it out. "Will you be obedient if I use this?""A weapon? What a fierce person... Unfortunately, you bumped into someone like me, who's good at punishing fierce people!" After that, Renee tossed her umbrella aside and faced the man confidently. "I can go with you, but first, you need to tell me who you are, where you're taking me, and why you're doing this." "You'll know once we get there..." The man became impatient, and waved the sharp knife at Renee. "If you don't cooperate, I'm going to hurt you.""You're going
When Renee was still a part of the underworld, she would sometimes get jobs kidnapping big shots or rescuing hostages, so she had studied ways to tie people up… which meant she also knew how to untie them."Okay, please excuse me for this then." The man carefully went over and tied Renee's hands up behind her. "Please come with us!""Do I have to go with you? Can't you do it here?" Renee became impatient. She had cooperated so she could lure his boss out, but he still hadn't appeared. "I can't help it. We have to finish the act to make it look real!" He scratched his head helplessly. If his boss hadn't offered him a high reward, and if his buddies didn't owe their boss, he wouldn't be doing such childish things."There are many ways to do it without troubling ourselves. For example..." While talking, Renee went forward and snatched away the man's knife though her hands were tied, then ordered him to put the knife to her neck. The gangster was dumbstruck. "What… What are you doin
Renee's unusual behavior had ruined Xavier's plan. Helpless, Xavier chose to be frank with her. "At first, I wanted to use a trick to make him appear, but it seems like it's hard to fool you. It might not be that easy to fool him either, so... let's just forget it!" He shook his head and watched the rain slow down, then stop. Sighing, he turned to Renee. "It's late, let's go home. Lei is worried sick about you, and is hoping you'll come back soon." Renee frowned hesitantly. "I don't want to go back just yet… My messed up mental state will only trouble you all.""Where will you go then? Do you plan on running from reality for the rest of your life?" Xavier had heard from Leia that Renee was depressed and wanted to be alone, and as her friend, it worried him."There are some things you don't understand..." Renee didn't know how to explain her thoughts to Xavier. Carefully, she said, "Wounded animals will run away to heal on their own when they're hurt… It's the same with me. Don't wo
"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
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St