The children played while their parents made dinner. Both Stefan and Renee were not good at cooking, so they agreed to do a simple seafood barbecue. It only involved coating the seafood in a sauce and roasting them on the fire, so it seemed simple enough… until they actually started cooking. The first challenge was making the fire. There were no charcoal or burners on the island, so they could only use wood to make a fire. Stefan and Renee spent a lot of time picking branches and palm leaves around the island, and forgot all about the two children while doing so. Renee was not too worried about the children since they had grown up on Sun Island—they were good at swimming, and had more survival skills than the other children from growing up on an island."Have you ever considered giving the children to me or having one parent raise one child? That seems fairer." Stefan asked suddenly as he collected palm leaves."What did you say?" Renee thought she had misheard him and looked at
Meanwhile, Abby had found a pretty conch on the beach just now, and wanted to show it to Adie, but turned around to find him missing. Worry filled her as she called out for Adie.At that moment, Stefan and Renee were sulkily walking back to the campsite, carrying firewood. Coincidentally, they bumped into Abby, who was anxiously looking for Adie."What's wrong, Abby?" Renee tossed the firewood aside and hurried over to Abby. "Why are you here alone? Where's Adie?" Adie and Abby were always together, so Renee knew that something was wrong. "Mommy, Adie is missing..." Abby's face was pale in fear. She hugged Renee and wailed, "I saw Adie sharing an apple with Tiffany just now, so I didn't disturb them. I came to the beach to look for conches, but when I went back… they were gone. I couldn't find them. Adie will be alright, won't he?" "Don't worry, Abby. Adie is clever and resourceful, so I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he's just playing somewhere with Tiffany!" Renee said reassuringly, t
Consequently, Stefan and Renee went their separate ways. Stefan went out to look for Adie while Renee was convinced Adie was just out playing and would come back soon. Renee decided not to worry about it, and went to cook dinner with Abby. Meanwhile, Adie was safe and sound. He held Tiffany's hand as they climbed up the steep path, eventually arriving at the cave where Adie and his family had found the treasures earlier. "What do you think? Isn't this place fun? We're alone here, so no one can find us," Adie announced proudly. He got his adventurous streak from Renee and his courage from Stefan. Having grown up on Sun Island which had many types of complicated terrains and caves, Adie had developed a love of exploring caves from a young age. When Stefan and Renee had stopped him from going into the cave earlier, it had made him long to explore it even more, which was why he had eagerly returned to it. "Is this cave safe? It looks so dark and deep…" Tiffany asked hesitantly as she
"I'm also curious to know your secrets," Tiffany mimicked with a wide grin. Soon, they started playing the game. In the first round, Adie went for 'rock' while Tiffany went for 'paper', which meant Adie lost the round and had to tell Tiffany a secret."A secret..." Adie scratched his head and frowned. "I don't think I have any." It wasn't that he was reluctant to share, but he had grown up with an open-minded family where it was easy to express himself. "Everyone has secrets, and I'm sure you do too. Think about it—is there anything your daddy, mommy, me, and the other kids don't know about?" Tiffany insisted, putting her hands on her waist. Adie thought about it for a long time, then finally sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you one." He looked at Tiffany and said coyly, "Well, the truth is… I've been lying to you.""What do you mean?" "I always said you were a crybaby who looked ugly when you cried, but… that's not true. You looked very beautiful," Adie mumbled, covering his face in
"What?" Adie stared at her helplessly, not knowing how to console her. Although he mostly only had one parent around growing up, he had been raised with plenty of love, so he couldn't put himself in Tiffany's shoes. "Don't be sad. If your mommy doesn't love you, you don't have to love her either." Adie couldn't understand Tiffany's sadness, but he tried his best to comfort her. "My mommy told me that we should only love people who love us, and we should only cry for people who love us too. She also said we shouldn't be affected by those who don't love us." "My mommy loved me very much back then…" Tiffany wiped away her tears, her lips quivering. "But now she's having a baby, so she loves her own child more. Why do people change? Why can't she love me forever?" "Love won't change. If it changes, it means that she never truly loved you in the first place," Adie said bluntly. He and Tiffany both treasured their relationships with others, but the difference between them was that Adie r
Stefan had been searching the island for a while, but still couldn't find Adie. Meanwhile, Renee was at the campsite. Initially, she didn't worry too much about Adie because she was busy barbecuing seafood with the other parents and playing Duck Duck Goose with the children. However, after a while, she started to feel uneasy. She glanced in the direction where Stefan had left, her worry growing. She figured he would have found Adie by now. Abby was worried too, and was too distracted to play games with the other children. She grabbed Renee's hand and asked anxiously, "Mommy, where's Adie? Why hasn't Daddy found him yet? Did something happen to Adie?""No, that won't happen." Although Renee said that, her heart was pounding in her chest. "Abby, be good and stay with the teacher. I'll go look for Stefan and Adie." "Mommy, I want to come too." Abby was worried about Adie and didn't want Renee to go out on her own at night. "No, it's dark now. It's safer if you stay here. If you go
Although Renee couldn't see who it was, she had to do something. "Hold on, I'll save you!" She put the torch in her mouth, planning to tear away the vines to see what was going on. "Don't move!" Stefan's voice came from behind her suddenly. He held her shoulders, stopping her from moving forward. Shocked, Renee turned around. She sighed in relief when she saw Stefan. "Where did you come from?""I was tricked when I used this path just now." Even in the dark, Stefan looked pale and weak. "What... What's wrong with you?" Renee asked hesitantly. "I got curious and tore off those vines, then I got bitten." Stefan sounded weaker as he spoke, and his body swayed for a while until he leaned against a boulder beside him."You got bitten?" Renee looked at the vines in confusion. "Wasn't someone calling for help? How did you get bitten?""It wasn't a human but an animal." Stefan coughed as his breathing grew shallow. "That animal… is quite rare. It's a human-shaped snake that lives in
"I'm not important!" Stefan protested hoarsely. "Go look for Adie first. I can still hold on.""You look like you're about to pass out. How can you hold on?" Renee ignored Stefan and insisted on helping him downhill. "Let's go back to the campsite. I've got to get you off the island and into a hospital." If Stefan really had been bitten by a narserial, it was very serious. Renee had read about an animal like that in ancient books like Legends of the Mountains and Seas. Although its existence was still questioned, it was indeed poisonous. If one was bitten by it, they had to be treated immediately or it could be fatal. Adie's safety was important, but Stefan's condition was more urgent. After some deliberation, Renee decided to send Stefan to the hospital first."I… I'm fine!" Stefan pushed Renee away, urging her to look for Adie. "I've searched the entire mountain except this path, so he has to be here. If you don't look for him now, he might go missing again when you want to come ba
Leia couldn't understand it. Both Renee and Stefan once loved each other passionately. They had soldiered through a lot of difficulties. But when everything became better, they stopped seeing each other. Such separation brought a fatal blow to her views on love. Suddenly, she found herself too timid to give up her heart. After all, it was nothing. People could break up with each other easily."No wonder Xavier refused to come. If he was here, I would have hated him because of Stefan. I'd beat the crap out of him!" Leia was furious, but she couldn't find someone to vent her anger on.The Stuart family was invited to the party too, but Xavier refused to come. He claimed that he would have betrayed Stefan if he had come to the party.However, Stefan was the greatest betrayal of his romance since he remained silent and indifferent. While Leia was still angry, everyone in the hall suddenly fell silent. They stretched their heads to look at the entrance of the hall."The Hunt famil
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Liam muttered guiltily, avoiding Leia's scrutinizing gaze. "You must know what I'm talking about!" Leia refused to let Liam go and went straight to the point. "Look! Because of such a bind, you probably fell in love with Amber, who isn't related to you. Why can't Ren fall in love with Justin after spending a long time with him?""So, what's your point?" Liam didn't refute Leia. He was curious about what she was trying to say. Leia reasonably explained her opinion, "I'm trying to tell you that things might not be as bad as you imagine. Even if you take Ren away and stop this ceremony, things might not be better either."She was too timid to tell Liam that she regarded Renee and Justin's marriage in a favorable light because she found them similar. Similar people could at least lead a stable life though it might not be very passionate and exciting.After leading a wandering life for such a long time, Renee needed steady happiness. It
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
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