However, Adie was not frightened. His mother had taught him how to escape from such a hold. Using a tactic called Horseyre, he forcefully kicked Glenn's head with the tip of his foot, then flipped over and landed on his feet steadily. Glenn's eyes bulged in rage, but before he could make a move, an icy voice came from behind him, "Let go of my son!"Adie's eyes lit up, and he turned around excitedly. "Daddy, it's you!" Adie couldn't believe his eyes. The person he had been missing for so long was actually here!"Mr. Hunt?" The gathered parents were filled with disbelief. None of them expected a man who was rumored to be dead to show up.The blood drained out of Glenn's face and he immediately let go of Adie, his heart pounding. He swallowed and stammered, "Mr. Hunt, I... I didn't know this boy was your son. I'm so sorry for my rudeness." Glenn was a nouveau riche who had only become rich recently, and his property relied on the products provided by Hunt Enterprise. He must have a
"Now..." Stefan kept his head low, hesitant to answer."Adie!" Renee's anxious voice came from nearby. When she was about to reach the entrance of the cave to find the treasures on the map, she heard from some parents behind her that a family was bullying Adie. She had quickly rushed back to the fishing area with Abby.When Stefan heard Renee, he looked over. Renee looked over too, and their gazes met. There was only twenty meters between them, but it felt like they were worlds apart. Neither of them moved, and time seemed to have stood still. It felt like everything around them had disappeared as they stared at each other, neither making a move or saying anything. The surrounding parents exchanged awkward glances, not knowing what to do.Adie stood beside Stefan while Abby stood beside Renee. The siblings looked at each other and shrugged wearily. Their dramatic parents always caused a scene, so they were used to things like this. All they wanted to do was resolve this issue.Af
Finally, Stefan walked over to Renee with a complicated gaze. "Why didn't you tell me about this? It's a big deal." "A big deal?" Renee sneered. "I'm sorry for my ignorance, but I don't know what you're talking about.""The kids are going to take their graduation photos. As their father, don't you think I should have been informed?" Stefan sounded displeased. He felt that graduating from kindergarten and stepping into elementary school was an important phase in a kid's life, and as a father, he had to be present for it."You were clearly busy, and I didn't even know if you were alive. I didn't want to disturb your precious time with your new sweetheart." Renee sounded jealous. The people around them looked at them curiously. It sounded like Stefan had cheated on Renee and had gone to his mistress while he was missing. No wonder Renee wanted to kick Stefan—it seemed like he deserved it. Stefan put his hands in his pockets, frowning. "You should let me decide what will disturb me
Renee cooperated with Stefan for the sake of saving face. She leaned into Stefan's arms and spoke softly as she smiled up at him. "Since you're here, you should be a responsible father and make their graduation a happy one.""Of course!" Stefan looked down at Rene, returning her smile. "I don't have to act—I'm a good father."Both Adie and Abby shook their heads helplessly. Abby sighed deeply. "Adie, I feel like Daddy and Mommy are getting crazier." Adie muttered, "Yeah, I think so too. I think it's better they don't talk to each other than behave like this."This fake peace was just too strange."Kids, your father and I have talked. We've gathered quite a lot of ingredients, so maybe we should go find the treasures now. What do you think?" Renee asked carefully."Sure!" Abby was the first to give her approval. "Mommy and I nearly found the treasure just now… but I don't know if it's still there."Renee checked the messages in the class' group chat. None of the parents had po
The family of four set off for a cliff on the island based on the map provided by the kindergarten. Stefan carried Abby and placed her on his shoulders while Adie tried searching for the road ahead of them. Renee walked behind them, keeping her distance."Daddy, that cave is very scary. It's dark and deep. I heard that there are dragons that protect the treasures in it… My classmates didn't dare to go in, but Mommy and I did. Aren't we brave?" Abby babbled as she enjoyed the view from Stefan's shoulders, waving her arms joyfully."Oh, that's awesome..." Stefan smiled dotingly and turned around to glance at Renee. Then, he added, "It's no surprise that the children she raised are so amazing.""Daddy, are you saying that Mommy is amazing?" Abby held Stefan's head and asked curiously."Of course." Stefan whispered, "I'm sure you and Adie don't know how amazing your mother is." He was unsure if the children were aware of Renee's glorious past and awesome skills, but he remembered them
"You fought them, but you're saying you didn't do anything wrong?" It was the first time Renee had seen Adie be so rebellious, so naturally, she was furious and worried that he was getting out of her control. After all, Adie had just graduated from kindergarten. It was already difficult to handle him compared to other children, but if he always thought he was right even when he did something wrong, it would be harder to educate him once he became a teenager."Mommy, I know you would be mad if I fought someone, but I still don't think I did anything wrong. If I get into a situation like that again, I would still choose to fight!" Adie put his hands behind his back and lifted his chin stubbornly, refusing to back down."I see how it is. You think you're all grown up now since you're going to elementary school, and you can do whatever you like. Well, I think it's been a while since you've enjoyed a good beating." While talking, Renee started looking around. "Mommy, you can use this."
Adie's stubborn expression didn't change, but finally he turned around and sighed. "Fine then!""Fine, I'll wait for your explanation." Renee tried her best to calm down and put down the branch away, waiting for Adie's explanation."It was because..." Adie swallowed, his eyes watery. "It was because Tubby and his mother were disrespectful. They said..." He trailed off, reluctant to continue."What did they say?" Renee frowned and warned strictly, "If you don't give me a logical explanation, I'll hit you."Her threat just made Adie more upset, and he closed his eyes and stretched his palm out. "Go ahead then! You'll only be happy once you beat me, so there's no point in me explaining!" "What?" Renee had rarely seen Adie acting so unreasonably, and it only infuriated her further. She hit Adie's palm with the branch ruthlessly. The thinness of the branch made the hit excruciatingly painful, and Adie started to cry. Regardless of how mature he was, he was still a child at the end o
"Umm..." Renee was speechless after hearing Adie's explanation. Her anger immediately subsided and she felt guilty and sorry for Adie. She hadn't expected to see Adie face such cruelty at such a young age. She couldn't imagine how Adie must have felt when he heard those words. She thought about how she had violently hit, scolded, and criticized Adie, and felt like dying. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know you had been bullied like this. I sincerely apologize!" Renee took a deep breath, her head hung in shame as she spoke. She didn't expect him to forgive her right now since even adults would hold a grudge when wrongly accused, let alone a child.Although Adie was still tearful and his palm was red and swollen, he was not angry at Renee. He held Renee's hand and said tenderly, "Mommy, you don't have to say sorry to me; I should be saying sorry to you. I wasn't strong enough. When others mocked me, I couldn't suppress my anger. I should have ignored their words and calmed down, but I coul
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