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
"Of course!" Renee nodded and said seriously, "I'll go to the karaoke bar and hire eight male escorts. One of them will massage my shoulders while another will massage my legs. One will sing with me while the other will listen to me vent..."Stefan smiled in amusement. "Are you sure you can handle eight guys?" "Of course I can! I've been loyal to you all these years and have never tried anything with other men. I want to experience something nice and improve my life." Renee was a feminist at heart—she couldn't understand why men could flirt with other women after they got married but women had to stay loyal to their men. If men could have affairs, then so could women; that was what fairness was. "If you genuinely want to find someone you like, I'll give you my blessings. However, if you're just acting out of spite and want to find a man to take revenge on me, that's unnecessary." Stefan gently laid her on the bed and smoothed her hair tenderly. "You've got to love yourself more th
"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