Renee sounded like she was exaggerating Quinton's good sides and ignoring his flaws, but what she said was the truth. The current Quinton was not as extreme and cruel as he used to be, which might have been because of the love Renee and the kids showed him. He had become a rational, gentle, and kind person, so Renee wanted to meet Joanne because she hoped to bring them together. Even if they didn't get together, she would be happy if they resolved the grudge between them. She knew that Quinton hadn't forgotten about Joanne, and she didn't forget him either; They were just waiting for a chance, which Renee shamelessly saw herself as."He stopped... hating Mr. Hunt?" Joanne's eyes widened in disbelief. She had grown up with Quinton and had witnessed the worst sides of him. How could a vengeful person like him let go of his hatred that easily?"Why would I lie to you?" Renee sounded firm. "Not only did he let go of his hatred, they've become acquaintances. But they aren't on the best of
Defeated, Renee returned to Everheart Manor, feeling glum. At that moment, Everheart Manor was filled with a rare liveliness and warmth. Adie had recovered and left the hospital, so Quinton and Leia were holding a small family gathering. Their close friends were there too, but they hadn't mentioned anything to Renee—they were waiting for her to come back to surprise her. However, as time passed, their excitement died down, and they soon grew hungry.When Renee opened the door, everyone cheered and clapped excitedly."Great! Ren is home. Let's eat!" Leia waved at the others, gesturing for them to take their seats."This is…" Renee picked a piece of confetti from her hair, looking confused. "What day is it today? What is everyone doing here?""It's just an ordinary day, but it's a happy one!" Quinton led Renee into the house and gave her a large sunflower bouquet. "Renee, you and the kids have suffered a lot recently. I hope that you three can be happy every day from now on. Don't
Everyone's eagerness turned into disappointment.Leia frowned and glanced at Justin. "You're so stingy, Mr. Baldwin. You rarely get Renee gifts, but the one time you do, you get her a keyboard?"Xavier sighed and said mockingly, "I, for one, am relieved to see Mr. Baldwin's gift. Renee... I think you can wait a little longer if you want to get another man." He had always regarded Justin as Stefan's greatest rival in love, even more so than Jovan. Justin's family background was similar to Stefan's, and they both shared a love of programming. Their characters and tempers were alike too, and they almost seemed like soulmates. However, after seeing Justin's gift, Xavier felt that Stefan didn't have to worry."But the keyboard looks unusual… There must be a special meaning to it!" Quinton looked at the keyboard that Renee was holding approvingly.Renee unpacked the keyboard carefully, as if she was holding some kind of sacred treasure. "Ah, you all don't understand. That isn't a regul
Xavier quietly took his phone out and snapped a photo of Renee hugging Justin. "Yes... Keep it up. Just ignore me, I need to use the washroom." He snuck out of the living room.Xavier walked to a corner and looked around, then went on Facebook and found Stefan's profile. He sent him the photo he had secretly taken just now. "Stefan, don't forget that Renee is close to Justin. I don't care what you're going through, but if you don't stop this, you're going to lose her for real!" Just as he sent the picture, someone snatched his phone from his hands."Who—" He turned around and saw Leia holding his phone. He sighed and said calmly, "Give me back my phone.""No!" Leia took a few steps back and started scrolling through Xavier's chats. "Such a good friend to Stefan… Are you just spending time with us so you can spy for him?" "You make it sound like I'm doing something illegal..." Xavier tried to defend himself. "I make friends everywhere I go. Stefan is my buddy and Renee is my good f
Leia was firm in her opinion. She had not suffered because of his fickle nature, and it taught her the bitterness of romance. She was a lot more cautious now."I don't know what I can say to change your mind." A miserable sigh escaped Xavier. Everyone felt that he was cunning, shrewd, and untrustworthy. Even if he cut out his heart for her, she would not believe him. "Yeah, I'm Stefan's spy, but don't you think it's a pity that Stefan and Renee are separated despite their feelings for each other?""No, I don't!" Leia said coldly, "I just regret not separating them earlier. If I knew that Stefan was that irresponsible, I would have opposed Ren getting back together with him. But I've made up my mind—I don't want Ren to get entangled with that guy again. That's the best decision for both of them!" Previously, she supported them being together, but seeing Stefan hurt Renee so often ruined her impression of him. Right now, she just wanted Renee to stay away from him."I guess women real
Leia paused, then turned around and held her hand out to Xavier. "Let me have a look." Leia loved gossip, and she'd always been invested in Stefan and Renee's romance. Stefan had risked his life to search for herbs to save Renee, then cheated on her. It didn't make sense. Leia had always felt that Stefan had been facing some issues, so she wanted to know what was on his mind.However, for some reason, Xavier became reluctant. He scrolled through his phone with one hand and leaned against the wall absent-mindedly. "Facebook is private. I can't show it to you just because you want me to."Leia clenched her fists and suppressed the urge to kick him, then asked calmly, "Why did you ask then? Are you trying to trap me?" Xavier looked up, his smile flirty. "I'm trying to see if anyone will be tempted.""Forget it, you don't need to show me." Annoyed, Leia turned around and pretended to leave, trying to get a reaction from Xavier.However, Xavier just lowered his head and read the text,
Undeniably, it was tough to outsmart Xavier. Leia was exhausted, but Xavier was still calm and collected. He didn't even let her touch the edge of his phone. It was like tricking a pet dog. Leia bent over and put both hands on her thighs, gulping in air. Then, she waved and said, "Oh, I can't do this. I need to rest!""How are you tired so fast? You've got to train well since... I've always been a strong man." Xavier dangled his phone in front of Leia teasingly.Leia raised her head and glared at Xavier fiercely. "Do you enjoy tormenting me? Don't you think you're going overboard?""Not at all!" Xavier calmly added, "You chose this. I just asked you to get fitter since you couldn't defeat me, but you chose to insult me. Who's the one going overboard here?" Leia was speechless in anger. She felt like a pet for his amusement. "Maybe I'll let you have my phone if you use another method," Xavier purred as he leaned down, waving his phone in Leia's face annoyingly. Leia flexed he
Renee was having fun teasing them. Leia had always been focused on Renee's love affairs, so Renee was the same with Leia. Leia was close to Santiago, and hadn't spoken to Xavier in a long time. Besides, they only ever argued like friends when they met. However, Renee knew Leia hadn't forgotten about Xavier, and only pretended to be indifferent around him. After Renee saw them together on the floor, she knew for certain that they both still had feelings for each other.Leia jumped away from Xavier instantly, smoothing her hair and adjusting her clothes as if she had been caught doing something indecent. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her. "It's not what you think, Ren! I just wanted to beat him up because he was being annoying, that's all," Leia explained, blushing."I understand." Renee nodded and patted Leia's shoulders reassuringly. "We all know beating is a sign of affection. Just don't love him too much…""That's not it! I just wanted to grab—" Leia blurted
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