Renee was worried that there might be a misunderstanding or that Briar had used some tricks to get her way, so she was desperate to find Stefan for clarification. She spoke to a lot of people and searched many places, but it always ended with disappointment. She was exhausted physically and mentally. "I'm so tired, and my whole body is aching from going around looking for him. I don't care if he doesn't want to be with me anymore, I just want to see him and know that he's okay… but he never appears. I don't know if he's hiding somewhere and watching me make a fool of myself and get hurt over and over again, but even your lousy ploy couldn't force him to come out. So yes, of course I'm upset. Is this what you call sacrifice and love?" Renee demanded hysterically, helpless and agitated. She looked like she was losing her mind."Umm..." Xavier looked hesitant as he tried to comfort Renee. "Renee, calm down. I really don't think it's that simple. If Stefan is alive, he's probably going th
Xavier paused, frowning thoughtfully. "You know, it does seem possible. Is Stefan hiding because he's no longer a true man? After all, he jumped off such a high mountain. What if a branch or something hurt his private parts? That might be the only reason a man would give up his beloved woman."Renee rolled her eyes in exasperation. "If I were Stefan, I would poison you so you wouldn't be able to speak anymore.""I'm being serious! Sometimes the truth can be crazy!" Xavier rubbed his chin and said seriously, "I have to look into this.""And just how do you plan to do that?" "I'll get my men to look into all the fertility clinics in Beach City, especially the ones near that village. I might find some clues then." Xavier took out his phone to contact his men. Renee sighed deeply. "What a crazy man!" Based on Renee's understanding of Stefan, the most he would do is break up with her if he couldn't have kids, he wouldn't pretend to be dead and keep hiding like this. Xavier firmly bel
"Is that... Jeffrey?" Renee looked up at the bright and handsome youth in surprise, then sighed. "I guess the kid who always wore shorts and played with dirt finally grew up.""Hi, Renee!" Jeffrey Joyner smiled shyly, his eyes sparkling. "I thought I would never see you again!""Jeffrey!" Ava glared at Jeffrey. "Ren is happy and healthy, so why wouldn't you see her? Ignore him, Ren, he hasn't seen much of the world past this fishing village, so he's not that good with words. He's always admired you since he was a kid, and still has that group photo with you at home. He's always wanted to see you, but is too nervous to.""Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Jeffrey mumbled, covering his red face."What's there to be shy about? Ren is practically family, so why are you acting like a stranger?" Ava looked like she was about to whack Jeffrey, but Renee quickly stopped her. "It's okay, I understand. Jeffrey is all grown up now, so it's normal for him to feel shy." Jeffrey was a young man wh
Renee took the coconut from Jeffrey and sipped the coconut water, and the refreshing, sweet taste was like rain in the desert. She looked up and saw the sunrise lighting up the vast sea, and felt a happiness she hadn't in a long time. It was little things like this that brought color to people's lives, and at that moment, Renee finally felt her stress melt away.Jeffrey brought Renee to his house, which was a typical two-storey house. It was built near the sea and had been renovated two years ago. There were various kinds of flowers growing in the yard. "Renee, we managed to renovate the house last year because of your support. Dad and Mom made a room for you to thank you... I'll take you there," Jeffrey enthusiastically explained.Feeling touched, Renee went upstairs with him. There was a large room facing the sea on the second floor with many shells and beads hanging on the door, and it looked like an urban style from the 1980s or 1990s. Ava and her family had painstakingly decorat
Renee sat in the egg hammock in front of the window and watched the world gradually brighten. Surprisingly, she felt sleepy, which was a feeling that had evaded her for a long time. Soon, her eyelids slowly closed and she fell into a deep sleep."Renee! Renee!" After some time, Renee heard Jeffrey's voice. She opened her eyes and saw him standing before her, holding a tray with a grand seafood feast on it.Renee woke up and stretched, feeling relaxed. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. "Wow, it smells so good. Did you make this?" Renee looked at the delicious spread. "Yeah, they're not too hard to make. I don't know whether you'll like it or not…" Jeffrey pointed at a bowl of steaming porridge. "Eat this seafood porridge while it's hot. I added in a lot of nutritious ingredients which are good for your health." He had noticed Renee's pale and sallow face, so he had made her their village's secret seafood porridge to help her get back her energy,"Okay, thank you." Renee too
"What's the matter, Renee?" Jeffrey had never heard Renee curse before.However, Renee ignored him as she peered at her phone screen closely. She was pretty sure that she had seen Stefan like her post just now, maybe out of accident or for some other reason. However, it had only lasted for a second before he canceled it. Hope burned in her, and she suddenly felt alive again. That meant that Stefan was still alive, and he'd been watching her. After calming herself down, she texted Stefan.[Where are you? I saw you liked my post. Can't you say it to my face? Stop hiding like a tortoise!]A few minutes went by, but there was no response. [I'm very grateful to you for everything you've done for me. I know the disgusting things you did behind my back too, but it isn't important. I just want you to come back and explain everything to me, okay? We love each other. Are you trying to drive me mad? I can date someone else too as long as you make it clear to me. I'll leave and won't trouble
"Well, there's no point in trying to force him out to give you an answer. You should use some tricks to lure him out instead." Jeffrey racked his brain to come up with ways for Renee because he did not want to see her sad. "What kind of tricks?" Renee looked up at him. She always felt that she was an amateur in romance. She didn't know how to flirt or seduce someone—she was usually just straightforward and honest… which was probably why she always ended up hurt and disappointed. After so many years, Stefan was the only man she had loved. All her other experiences were failures. "In relationships, exclusivity is always a must. Everyone wants to be the one and only for their partner, and if there's a third person in the relationship, things will get messy. Anyone who gets cheated on will surely go mad and do irrational things," Jeffrey said slowly. It was the kind of romance he understood at his age. "So?" Renee asked, still baffled. She had to admit that she was a fool in romance.
Without any warning, Renee kissed Jeffrey, then raised her phone and snapped a photo of them. Speechless, Jeffrey blushed a bright red.After taking the photo, Renee patted his cheek. "I'm sorry, dude. It was a rather impulsive decision. I didn't scare you, right? I'll buy some candies for you later.""What... are you guys doing?" A trembling voice came from the door. Renee turned around and saw a young woman with a round face staring at them in disbelief. "Daisy, when did you come? Why didn't you knock?" Jeffrey looked at the young woman in displeasure. This was such a special moment for him, and all he wanted was to be alone with Renee. Having another person around ruined the atmosphere. Daisy Lewis was gaping in shock, and she glared at Renee viciously. "Who are you, you wicked woman? What are you doing at Jeffrey's house? You... You even did such a perverted thing with Jeff! You'll get pregnant. I'm going to tell Mrs. Joyner!" "Pregnant?" Renee was amused by Daisy's words
"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