Renee looked ahead silently, then sighed and said firmly, "Let's go home." Previously, she'd been gloomy and depressed, and she didn't want her mood to affect the children if she went home. However, the ocean seemed to have cleansed her of all those bad emotions, and she had finally come to her senses and regained the confidence to face her family and friends."Are you feeling more like yourself now?" Justin asked with a smile. Renee was different now—she was like a warrior who had found her armor. It had been a while since Justin had seen her like this, and he was genuinely happy for her."I am." Renee nodded."I'm glad to hear that. Well, people... can get a little crazy sometimes, but it's alright as long as you know how to get your groove back. Welcome back, Phoenix!" Then, Justin stepped on the pedal and sped onto the highway. After around half a day, the car finally reached Everheart Manor. Renee got out of the car, feeling melancholic. Her house was just as she remembered
"Abby!" Renee turned around, and when she saw her daughter, her heart warmed. She carried Abby in her arms. "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry, baby… I was away for a long time. Did you miss me?" Abby looked tense when Renee picked her up, and she shook her head. "You're not Mommy. Mommy's eyes are black, and she can't see.""Umm, well..." Renee smiled in amusement, then blinked and said, "I've changed my eyes, and now I can see you, Abby. What do you think? Do you like my new eyes?" "Are you really my mommy?" Abby looked doubtful. Abby was still young and naive, so when Renee looked different from what Abby was familiar with, she became suspicious. "Yes, touch me if you don't believe me. Don't I look the same?" Renee put Abby's hand on her cheek.At first, Abby was cautious as she tentatively touched Renee's face. However, the moment she felt Renee's skin, the little girl's eyes lit up in joy. "Yes, you're Mommy! Only Mommy has such smooth and soft skin..." She held Renee's arm and sobb
Renee followed Adie to the bedroom on the second floor quickly.Adie smoothly turned on the computer and opened his email inbox, ponting at a recent email excitedly. "This is the email I just got from Daddy. He asked Abby and me to be good and listen to you, and said he'll be back after settling his things." Renee stared at the email with mixed feelings. After taking a deep breath, she leaned towards the screen and read the email. It was roughly what Adie had said—Stefan had told the children that he was safe, asked them to be good, and told them not to anger Renee. He also promised that he would be back soon. The email had been sent from Stefan's private email.Both Adie and Abby didn't know what was going on between Renee and Stefan, and were just happy at the thought of having a family reunion. They hugged Renee. "Mommy, I knew that you and Daddy must have left suddenly because of something. We can be a happy family again soon!" Renee felt uneasy, and touched their faces, sayi
"Mommy, why are you saying that? Did you argue with Daddy again? Did something happen to him? Why are you so sure that he won't be back?" Adie's gaze was sharp as he asked Renee."Umm..." Renee stalled, not knowing how to explain it. Adie squinted at Renee and said slowly, "You must have argued with Daddy. Daddy's probably scared of coming home and facing your anger, right?"Renee sighed deeply, and confessed, "I do want to argue with him… but the problem is that I never saw him again after he left. How can I argue with him?" It was weird. They used to be madly in love with each other, and Stefan was even willing to give up Hunt Enterprise and his life for her, but why did he no longer want to see her? Adie might be right—Stefan might have figured that Renee was aware of his disloyalty and was afraid of her anger, so he was too scared to meet her. "Mommy, ask yourself this—if Daddy appears before you now, will you be happy or mad? Will you welcome him with a hug, or will you slap
Meanwhile, Stefan stared at the computer screen in a manor not far from Everheart Manor. He read the email he had just clicked on and frowned, his gaze cold but also somewhat sad."Don't come back for the rest of your life if you don't want to?" Xavier sipped his coffee as he leaned over Stefan's shoulder to read the email. He chuckled when he saw who the sender was. "I'm sure Adie didn't write this. It sounds so angry… I'm sure it's Renee.""I don't need your analysis. I'm not stupid," Stefan growled icily. He had been living next door to Everheart Manor recently, watching the house secretly. He had emailed Adie to reassure the two children, and they had been keeping in touch, so he knew how his son wrote emails. He didn't need Xavier to point out the obvious. "Stefan, why do you insist on hiding from everyone?" Xavier could not bear to see Stefan this dispirited, and tried to persuade him. "You should talk it out with Renee so you can resolve this conflict. If you keep acting lik
Stefan's expression didn't change and he was quiet for a while. Finally, he asked, "Do you have a needle and string?""No?" Xavier looked confused. "Why are you asking?" "I want to sew your lips shut," Stefan said casually, then stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Actually, a knife will do too. I can cut off your tongue and solve this problem forever.""Stefan, no! I know you're upset that your masculinity is on the line, but don't implicate the innocent! The medical field is very advanced now, and I'm sure a good doctor can cure it." Xavier babbled nervously, picking up a pillow and using it like a shield.Stefan glared at him. "Why would you assume there's something wrong with me?""It was just a guess!" Xavier argued, "If there's nothing wrong with you in that aspect, why did you suddenly go missing? And you even watch them constantly. If you weren't handsome, people would call you a pervert." Recently, both Xavier and Renee had almost lost their minds searching for Stef
If Stefan lived near Renee, he could at least watch Renee secretly. It was as if they were still together but in a different way."Of course I care about someone a lot," Xavier protested, immediately bringing up Leia. "Don't I care about Leia? You know how shameless I am just to get close to her. Back then, didn't I do everything for Shirley too? Did I give up? I'm bolder than you in my love affairs. Don't you agree?" Xavier felt that Stefan could doubt his morality, capabilities, and even looks, but he couldn't doubt Xavier's feelings. "Although we didn't have dramatic pasts like you and Renee, our feelings were real, and we faced the same challenges. We're just not as crazy as the two of you!""So?" Stefan stared at Xavier icily. "Are you both a couple? Are you closer to her than before?""Umm..." Xavier seemed to shrink, and looked away awkwardly. Stefan was right in a sense—all Xavier's attempts at a relationship were failures. At first, he had loved Shirley madly, but he then g
After that, Xavier left the manor and chose to head to Everheart Manor. Even after Xavier scolded him, Stefan still behaved like a nocturnal animal that lurked in the dark. He neither went out nor prepared himself to meet Renee, and just sat there gloomily for a long time. Finally, he stood up and picked up the high-power binoculars on the table, then pointed it at Everheart Manor through the thick curtains. His bedroom was facing the backyard of Everheart Manor and Renee's bedroom. He saw Renee having fun with Adie and Abby in the yard, and his heart ached. Her new eyes looked nice, and he was happy she could see again, even if they weren't as beautiful as her old eyes. She could play with the children and take care of them well now. Jovan could be quite extreme sometimes, but he had done a good thing for Renee. Because of that, Stefan would give them his sincere blessings if Jovan did win Renee over. The backyard of Everheart Manor was large with lush grass and plenty of flowers.
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
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,