"Briar?" Leia gaped at Renee in bewilderment. "Why is that wicked woman suddenly back in the picture? She just doesn't go away!" However, considering how obsessed Briar was with Stefan, Leia could picture it happening. After all, Briar had gone to extremes to meddle in Stefan and Renee's relationship, and it had made Renee and Stefan miss the chance to be with each other for many years. If Briar hadn't meddled in it, Renee and Stefan might not have gotten a divorce, and they would have been a happy family of four. "Briar said Stefan was a normal man with desires, and since I was sick and bedridden back then, I couldn't satisfy him… which was why he went to her." Renee explained calmly, reiterating to Leia what Briar had told her. Surprisingly, she no longer felt pain when she spoke about it; It just sounded ridiculous, like one of those melodramatic dramas she had watched. "Don't listen to her crap!" Leia snorted. "That scumbag wasn't the kind of man who indulged in such things—he'
Both women had things on their mind, and once they were both drunk, Leia left the room. Once Leia was gone, Renee lay in bed alone. Her head hurt and she couldn't fall asleep, so she got out of bed and made her way downstairs. At last, a voice in her heart led her to the manor next to hers. It was the manor she had looked at when they played the game today. In the past, a foreign businessman stayed there, but when the neighborhood was rumored to be haunted because of the affairs concerning Everheart Manor, a lot of people left, including the businessman. Renee remembered that the neighboring manor had been vacant when Everheart Manor was being rebuilt, however, though the manor still looked abandoned, it felt like someone was still living there. The lights in the bedroom facing hers were on, so… was Stefan upstairs right now? Renee was quite sure that Stefan was living in that manor. She could always feel an invisible gaze on her back, and Stefan's IP address that Justin had found
"You..." Renee tightened her grip on the tree, squinting at the man below. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember his name."It looks like you've forgotten about me, little girl!" The man sighed dramatically, but his eyes shone with mirth. He had sharp features, brown curly hair, and light blue eyes like Renee—he looked like a typical guy from Varangia."You're..." Renee frowned as she tried to recall who this stranger was. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Are you Jamie? Is that really you, big guy?" "Thank God you remembered—I wouldn't be able to call myself your childhood friend if you didn't!" Jamie Thatcher's smile deepened, dimpling his cheeks. He was the son of the Varangia couple who lived next door to the Everhearts, and he had grown up with Renee. Since they were of different ethnicities, he had always been taller and sturdier than Renee, leading to Renee calling him 'big guy' and him calling her 'little girl'.When they were young, Jamie doted on Renee very much. He al
The atmosphere immediately became heavy. Renee cleared her throat awkwardly and immediately leaped out of Jamie's arms. "Big guy, we're not kids anymore, so don't say things like that. It's late, and I'll get scared." She hated when men tried to blur the lines with her, especially when it was someone close to her like a childhood friend. It was more horrible than bumping into ghosts. Jamie laughed, offering her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I was just joking." Even if he was a bit flirtatious sometimes, he was always respectful. Renee tilted her body and looked at the manor behind Jamie, then smiled at him politely. "Hey, shouldn't you be inviting me into your house? I haven't been there since we were kids." She was suspicious of Jamie's sudden appearance, and didn't believe that he was the one who had been staying in the manor. She still felt that her instincts were right—Stefan had to be inside that manor. She wanted to go inside and look around, so if Stefan wasn't there, i
Renee's words made Jamie feel even more guilty, and he subtly wiped off the sweat on his forehead. "Umm..." A sigh escaped Jamie as he decided to come clean, unable to see his childhood friend heartbroken like this. "Well, it's not what you think. My manor...""Do you have wine? I want to have some wine!" Renee suddenly interrupted him, no longer interested in Jamie's answer. She wasn't an alcoholic, but she couldn't stop drinking once she started. She would lose control of her emotions and do crazy things once she had some wine. When she was drunk, she would let her thoughts and actions run wild, and she knew she would feel more at ease in that state. Since she had let herself go, she might as well have more wine and get crazier so she could forget about everything once she woke up. At least, she didn't have to worry too much about things then."Wine?" Jamie's body relaxed when Renee stopped asking about the owner of the manor. He knew himself well—if Renee kept on asking, he might
Renee had passed out drunk on the sofa."You're really..." Jamie smiled helplessly. "That was fast; I couldn't even get any gossip from you!" He tried to wake her up but failed. When he was sure she was unconscious, he took out his phone and texted someone. [She's passed out. You can come over now.]Hardly a few minutes later, Stefan rushed over. He sighed deeply when he saw Renee lying on the sofa, looking vulnerable and delicate. "I asked you to take care of her. Why did you let her drink? Don't you know she gets drunk easily?" Stefan strode towards Renee and touched her forehead, then he held her cheeks and asked nervously, "Why are her forehead and cheeks burning hot? What did she do before drinking?"Jamie massaged his forehead, letting out an exasperated groan. "Mr. Hunt, anybody's cheeks would be hot if they've been drinking. I swear I just chatted with her, I didn't do anything indecent to her…" He paused, then added thoughtfully, "Well, when I found her, she was stuck in a
Stefan instantly froze. His whole body grew tense, and his mind raced to figure out what he should say to her.Unexpectedly, Renee just turned around and muttered something before she dozed off again."She's still drunk—she doesn't know it's you," Jamie said solemnly.Stefan rolled his eyes and bent down to carry the unconscious Renee in his arms. "I'm not blind, I don't need you to tell me that." Brushing past Jamie, he snapped, "Excuse me."Jamie hurriedly stepped aside, morosely watching Stefan leave. It felt like everything he did was wrong to Stefan. He didn't think he could get close to Renee from now on.Stefan carried Renee upstairs, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck because her head was spinning. "Slow down, I'm going to fall," Renee whined as she nestled in his arms. Stefan immediately slowed his pace, carefully climbing the stairs to his room. It was the room opposite Renee's bedroom, and though the lights were not on, it was illuminated by the m
"What do I want?" Renee blinked slowly as she thought about it, then giggled. "I want to suffer. I want to face my karma and live a terrible life." Yeah, she would lead a leisurely life without Stefan—he was the reason her life was full of twists and turns. That was her karma, and she was always willing to accept it. "I... Listen. My former mother-in-law went to a fortune-teller who said that if Stefan and I got together, many bad things would happen to us. At first, I thought it was just superstition, but now it seems like the fortune-teller was right. I... I want to find that fortune-teller and see if I'll get married again."Stefan's eyes bulged and he blurted out, "No, you won't! That's just superstition, and it also depends on whether the couple can overcome the challenges given to them. Maybe it's not that you both aren't destined to be together, but… maybe he's just a piece of trash who doesn't deserve you." He hoped that it was because of him that they could not live happily
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s