The silence was deafening, and Renee inwardly counted the seconds as despair gripped her. She had lowered her pride just to get an answer, but he refused to even give her that… How cruel! Humiliated, Renee let go of Stefan's waist and smoothed her messy hair. She cleared her throat and asked coldly, "So, it's because of Briar, right?" She hadn't wanted to think of it, but that seemed like the only possible reason. He wouldn't be acting like this otherwise."Briar?" Stefan flinched in surprise, then fell silent. Finally, he asked, "She went to you?""Yes, she did!" Renee took a deep breath and wiped her face, deciding to be frank with him. "She came to me with intimate photos of you both, acting like she had won a prize as she showed them off. I don't hate her because I know everything happens for a reason, but I'm just curious. Why... would you do that?" Renee stared at Stefan's back, tears running down her cheeks."There's no reason." Stefan did not want to explain too much. If Ren
Renee thought that Stefan would stay, but he just paused briefly before leaving. It was almost like he had never been there at all. Feeling drunk and dizzy, Renee just laid back on the bed, eventually falling asleep. She hoped that it had all just been a dream, but after avoiding this for so long, she knew it was time for her to face the cruel reality.The next morning brought good weather. Having slept well, Renee stretched, enjoying the morning sun on her face."Little girl, do you want breakfast? I made my best sandwiches." Jamie knocked on the door and called from outside the room. He had been rudely awakened by Stefan at five in the morning, who ordered him to take good care of Renee and make a delicious breakfast for her. Jamie had led a pampered life, but there he was in the kitchen at the break of dawn, doing his best so Renee could have a good meal. After some research, he finally decided to make vegetable sandwiches as they were convenient, fast, and nutritious. Renee got
After breakfast, Renee bade Jamie goodbye and returned to Everheart Manor. All the people in the manor were anxiously waiting for her, and when she walked in, they all breathed a sigh of relief."Oh, thank goodness! Ren, where did you go last night?" Leia asked worriedly, looking Renee up and down. "I got drunk last night and went home, and when I came back today, they told me that you were missing. I nearly called the cops!" Renee slowly entered the manor and laid on the sofa, then said calmly, "I was fine. I just slept in my neighbor's house.""You slept in your neighbor's house?" The atmosphere immediately grew tense.Xavier walked over and asked tentatively, "Which neighbor? Is it the house... across from this?""Mm." Renee nodded and rubbed her aching head. "Ugh, hangovers are torture. I won't get drunk at night again." Her calmness was confusing everyone there."In that case, did you see... any special person?" Leia asked carefully. She figured that the scumbag, Stefan, wa
Renee woke up early the next day. She put on light makeup, then drove Adie and Abby to kindergarten. The children would be taking graduation photos soon since it was almost their graduation.Adie and Abby's teacher was waiting there, and enthusiastically went to greet Renee. "Ms. Everheart, as you know, the kids will be graduating soon, so the kindergarten wants to give them a nice parting gift. We decided on taking family photos as graduation photos to strengthen the bond between the kids and their parents.""Sure, I support the idea." Renee nodded in agreement. The teacher nudged her glasses awkwardly. "Well, it's a family photo, so both parents have to be present for it. Adie and Abby are the only students who don't have both parents around, and I know it caused some issues during their registration here. We know Adie and Abby's situation is a bit special, but…" Renee frowned, feeling uneasy when she heard that. "Miss, my kids are just like every other kid out there. The only
When Renee got back from the kindergarten, she started making preparations for Jeffrey's debut. She took Jeffrey to Xavier's company, and after the receptionist took down their information, they went to the reception room to wait for Xavier. It was the first time Jeffrey had been to the city, and he was curious about everything he saw. Though he was awed by a lot of it, it also made him feel insecure. "Renee, can I really do this?" Jeffrey stood in front of the large French window in the reception room, staring at his tanned skin, messy hair, and unsophisticated look dejectedly. "Yeah, it'll be fine." Renee stood up and patted Jeffrey's shoulders, looking at him dotingly as if he were her son. "Your look is very rare in the current entertainment circle, and I'm sure it'll win you lots of fans." There were many handsome celebrities on the market, but they were all too delicate. They were nice to look at, but there was nothing unique or magnetic about them. Jeffrey, however, looked l
"You… want to work with Jeffrey?" Renee was taken aback. In her mind, Shirley had once been the top actress in the country, and she would never lower herself to work with an ordinary person unless there was something in it for her. Nonetheless, it would greatly benefit Jeffrey if he could work with Shirley—her fame would definitely get him attention. However, Renee was worried that Shirley wouldn't do her part to help him."Are you surprised?" Shirley sat opposite Renee and chuckled. "Aren't you confident in this novice you want to promote? Do you think he's not on my level?" When Jeffrey heard that, he ducked his head in shame, clenching his fists. Jeffrey had been a spirited and confident youth who had fearlessly roamed the seas, but here in this big city, he felt like a fish out of water. It was hard to adapt, and he often felt overwhelmed. "Of course not." Renee leaned against the chair and stared at Shirley intently. Shirley shifted uneasily. "Is there something on my face?
Shirley flinched, her face going pale. She was in her twenties and had done all kinds of things, but she had a clear conscience and no regrets… except sleeping with Xavier's father. Technically, it hadn't been her intention. Xavier's father had been scheming to get her for ages, and had drugged her drink. However, she didn't call the police or complain about it to Xavier after she had slept with Xavier's father, and instead tried to use that incident to make Xavier's father promote her. In the end, things had gotten out of hand. When the affair was exposed, Xavier cut off all ties from Shirley though he had once doted on her. He no longer gave her any resources, and that was when Shirley learned the truth—it was the seemingly frivolous Xavier that was running Universal Entertainment and the Stuart family, even though it looked like his father was the one in charge. Shirley hadn't gotten any benefits from her affair, and she had lost a man who loved her because of her choice."Yeah,
Renee flinched as if struck, and her heart twisted painfully. "Why... are you asking me that?" Renee glared at Shirley, immediately cautious. She had only told Leia about Stefan cheating on her with Briar. She didn't want others to learn about such a humiliating affair that could ruin her dignity."Ms. Everheart, why are you so nervous? I know that Mr. Hunt is one of those rare good men. He's rich and handsome, and also very loyal to you," Shirley said meaningfully, and it made Renee wonder if Shirley knew anything. When Renee didn't reply, Shirley continued, "But even the perfect partner can make mistakes. I'm just curious to know if you'd forgive him if you were in this situation. If you would, then you can't say that Xavier wouldn't forgive me. There's nothing wrong in seeking forgiveness. Am I so despicable that all of you will always think the worst of me?" Renee averted her gaze guiltily. "I... I'm not sure.""What are you not sure about?" Shirley urged. "I'm not sure if I
There were various kinds of torture instruments hanging around the cage. There was even a saw that would function with just a pull.Upon closer inspection, Renee noticed bloodstains on the instruments. The corners were full of piles of human hair. There was also a rotten and damp scent lingering around."What… What kind of place is this?" Leia screamed.She stood at the door of the cage and swallowed in fright, now timid. She found that place very familiar. After some contemplation, she realized it was something related to what she had seen before in the deep web.The so-called deep web was more horrible than the dark web. Only ten percent of netizens could find the websites. These websites weren't under supervision, and were full of outrageous videos and business deals.For example, the sellers would buy beautiful models to make vulgar videos of for the buyers' viewing. The buyers would make outrageous requests based on their insane desires. They would spend some money for the se
Though the building looked ordinary and old, it was filled with many things.However, it was not very accurate. The place resembled thematic scenes more.The first floor was an ordinary office area. The second floor looked like a hotel, while the third floor looked like classrooms… The themes for each place were centered around obscenity.Renee wasn't dumb. She instantly understood why Lucas brought her and Leia there by force. She also finally understood why Lucas prohibited his subordinate from touching Leia's face even though she had been rude to him. If she guessed right, these bastards wanted her and Leia to shoot pornos. "Do you like these scenes, my friends?" Lucas was smoking, in a great mood to see the film and television site he had established. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Renee and Leia. "Other than wire fraud and online casinos, the thing that makes most money is the limited and short videos. You girls are so pretty. Just work with me and shoot some R-rated
The motorbikes raced the narrow streets noisily, passing through crowds and messy alleyways. After a winding journey, they got on the large roads and drove toward a growingly remote and unknown place.At last, they stopped in front of a large iron gate with guards and two large German Shepherds. There were a few large words above the iron gate that spelled Gold Investment. As Renee and Leia walked inside, they saw a large park, like a factory. Both of them exchanged a look of deep helplessness. They had bumped into something terrible. If they guessed it right, Lucas and his gang were involved in wire fraud. They had been brought to Lucas' scamming site.Men in uniforms happened to walk toward the cafeteria to get food under the supervision of guards. Their faces or bodies were full of new or old injuries. They looked numb and dispirited, as if they had lost all hope in life.Both Renee and Leia exchanged another look. They could confirm they were brought to an infamous scamming
Lucas' lackey brought out a dagger. He pulled Leia, and pushed the dagger against her neck.Lucas stared at Renee, and sneered, "I hope you and your friend can behave. We're from the same country. We can get along, can't we?" "Ren, ignore me! Just get them! I'm sure they can't kill me in front of everyone!" Leia shouted.She was fearless and tried all means to resist, but the man was rather fierce. He pinned her wrists behind her while pushing the dagger against her neck.As Leia wasn't standing still, the blade scratched her neck and caused it to bleed.Renee could only unclench her fists, and asked Lucas coldly, "What do you want?" "Don't be scared. We mean you no harm. We like you girls because we're from the same country. We'd like to invite you to my place as guests," Lucas mouthed off insufferably as he touched his chin. His face was swollen from being punched. "Let my friend go now!" Renee ordered Lucas. She could easily handle those bastards alone, but she was too tim
"I need to congratulate you, since you'll get another person who can teach you how to be a human being aside from Draco from today onward." Renee glared at Lucas angrily, her tone icy."Who? You? Just you?" Lucas held his belly and burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! How could you? You—"The next second, Renee interrupted him and punched him. His head tilted to the side, and his teeth were knocked out and fell off. Renee grabbed his hair and demanded icily, "What about now? Where are our phones?""You… You…" Lucas' cheek was swollen. He couldn't move at all, and waved for his lackeys to act.They jumped off their motorbikes and waved their steel pipes and knives, about to attack Renee."Ren, be careful!" While resisting, Leia reminded Renee to be careful. Renee remained composed as she kept her grip on Lucas' hair. She used him as a shield as she kicked and punched the other men, defeating them with ease.She suffered no injury while attacking others as Lucas had to endur
Renee and Leia crossed the sidewalk and walked toward the bus stop some distance away from them. Before they could enter the bus stop, however, the tanned man who approached them at the airport just now stopped in front of them on a motorbike.Behind him were six or seven men, also on a motorbike, looking fierce and dangerous. "Hey, gorgeous. Didn't you say your friend was coming to get you? Why are you catching a ride here? Listen, I own the buses here. Just tell me where you're going. I'll give you a free ride!"When Leia saw him, she could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward and grabbed his collar. "You have the nerve to stop us! Give us back our cell phones, or you'll be sorry!" "Cell phones? What do you mean? I don't understand what you're talking about." The man smiled slyly as he held Leia's hand. "What's wrong? Did you lose your phone, gorgeous? Tell me what it looks like. I've got quite a lot of connections. I'll get it back for you quick.""You're asking
Under such circumstances, the best solution was to quickly get away from that man.Both Renee and Leia took the escalator and walked a long way before they finally exited the airport. Only then did Renee breathe a sigh of relief. She said to Leia, "Okay, call Liam. Ask him to get someone to pick us up."They kept their trip to Goldshire a secret from Liam, as he didn't want Leia to attend the wedding with the excuse that the city came with a complicated environment. It would be easy for her to run into bad guys. Giving him her blessings was enough. At first, Leia hesitated to come, but after planning it out with Renee, she became bolder. She felt that it was fine since she was just there to attend a wedding.Unfortunately, they ran into an annoying sleazebag at the airport. It was a real bummer."Okay." Leia nodded. "I know this place would be chaotic, but I didn't expect it to be this serious! What the hell was that? I have to ask Liam to get someone here quickly. If not, thos
A week later, Renee and Leia flew to Goldshire without anyone's knowledge.Goldshire was a primitive, old, remote city full of speeding motorbikes and leering men. Beautiful Aeos women like Renee and Leia were very eye-catching there. It was easy to predict the kind of obstacles they would face. A slim, tanned man in an old-fashioned T-shirt blocked them casually while smoking. "Hey gorgeous, are you here for a trip or business? I'm a local. I can accompany you!" At that time, both Renee and Leia had just gotten off the plane. They were waiting for their luggage at the baggage carousel. The other passengers who rode in the same plane were either men, families, or foreigners. Renee and Leia were the best candidates to accost. "No, thank you. I've been here before, and I'm quite familiar with this place." Renee waved, not wanting to have much to do with the man. Although she was good at fighting, it was hard to fight a local tyrant. She wouldn't make a big scene if she could hel
"Don't worry, I'm not unhappy. Maybe I wasn't sensible or prudent enough, but my feelings for Liam are honorable. I see him as my younger brother. Since my brother is going to get married, of course I'll happily give him my blessings." Renee was feeling quite helpless because she had no idea how she should explain herself."I see…" Leia looked disappointed. "If Liam hears this, I guess he'll be disappointed and unhappy.""Then he shouldn't get married," Renee said, hitting the nail on the head."He'll still feel that way. You can't be easily replaced. Maybe no one will ever replace you for him. As his sister, I'm sure of it," Leia said. She didn't blame Renee, but she found it unacceptable for her loyal brother.On second thought, nothing could be done. The relationships in the world were closely linked together. It was hard to find two people who were mutually in love with each other. There was no fairness. Besides, no one could change that just by working hard. It depended