"Boyfriend..." Stefan stood up. The dim light in the basement made it hard to see his expression, but his stiff figure filled Renee with coldness. He slid his hands into his pockets and asked Renee calmly, "Are you being serious?""I'm always serious because I'm not like certain people. I've always been serious and loyal in my love life—I have no intention of playing with people's hearts. I don't believe in giving people false hope," Renee said critically to Stefan's back."Hmph!" Stefan chuckled bitterly. "I didn't expect you to think so badly of me...""I wasn't talking about you, but you admitted it." Renee didn't want to argue with him, she had just been telling the truth. She felt that there was no right or wrong to how their relationship ended, and she didn't want to let it affect her. She thought it best to just regard him as a stranger who was once her most loved person; She would not let him have the luxury of her feelings. However, she was still human, and she couldn't con
Renee felt unspeakable satisfaction when she heard the envy in Stefan's voice. She lifted her head high and said, "Maybe I don't quite understand what soulmates are, but I know very well what resentment in a relationship means. I want nothing but happiness now, so I'll be with people who make me happy and avoid those who bring me pain.""So, you're saying that Justin can make you happy?" Stefan slowly approached Renee, his expression blank. "I'm curious what kind of happiness he can bring you."Renee stepped back and frowned when her back hit the wall. "That's none of your business, and I'm not obligated to tell you either.""Yes, you're not, but I have the right to ask, don't I?" Stefan caged her against the wall, gripping her wrist to pull her closer. "After all, you're the mother of my kids, so it's natural to be concerned about your life. I need to make sure you're not faking it, because my kids will only be happy if you are.""You're out of your mind! That's unreasonable!" Ren
Others might misunderstand Stefan, but he knew very well that Renee was the only woman he had been with. "What did you say?" Renee's voice was louder than his, so she hadn't heard him.Stefan took a deep breath and shook his head sadly. "Nothing... I just hope that nobody else touches your hands, lips, and body." Unfortunately, he couldn't stop himself from being possessive.Renee was speechless. She had no idea about Stefan's struggles, and found his words ridiculous. "Stefan, don't flatter yourself. You abandoned me and your kids, and now when I'm finally ready to start again, you want me to avoid all men? Do you think you're a king? You can't just send someone away and expect them to keep waiting for you! I never expected such a ridiculous statement from you!" When she was his wife back then, she didn't mind his possessiveness, but they were separated now. Saying something like that was too shameless!"I'm sorry," Stefan said miserably, "I did lose control of myself. It's my fa
Hence, they temporarily forgot about their resentment and focused on clearing the levels. They were currently in the hospital's basement, and the lighting was dim and there were many corners. A ghost or monster could rush out at any point."Did you find any clues in the lobby just now?" Stefan turned around to ask Renee."An iron hook." Renee held onto that iron hook and walked behind Stefan. "Did you find anything strange just now?" Stefan had been standing outside the hospital and had escaped being trapped under the net. Logically, he should have found a lot of clues. "No, I didn't," Stefan answered honestly. "I just went to buy drinks, and when I came back, I saw that dark figure chasing you. I didn't have the time to find any clues.""How useless!" Renee scoffed, "I thought you stayed behind to do something useful, but I got more clues than you." "Tell me what clues you got." Stefan paused and looked at her calmly. "Didn't I tell you? This iron hook is the clue. Plus, it's
Renee looked in the same direction and saw the doors. Heart pounding, she moved closer to Stefan. "What... What's in there?""What do you think?" Stefan calmly replied."We're at the hospital, and this is the basement, so I guess... it should be the morgue." Renee swallowed, getting goosebumps on her skin."Yeah, this should be the morgue." Stefan smirked at her. "Do you want to check it out?""The morgue?" Renee cleared her throat and pretended to be calm. "Well, I don't mind since I'm pretty fearless, but you're delicate. You've never experienced hardships before. What if you see a corpse and faint?" "It's just a dead body... I think I can handle it," Stefan scoffed."Maybe corpses are okay, but if this place used to be a hospital, then I'm sure there are a lot of unhappy spirits and ghosts here. If we bump into them, it'll be unlucky.""Are you scared?" Stefan raised his brows. "If you're scared, we don't have to go in. It's just a game anyway.""No, I'm not! Ghosts are not
As expected, it was a morgue. The air-conditioning was on full blast in the room full of tables and freezers, and the place was around two hundred to three hundred square feet. A dull blue light illuminated the area."Oh, it really is a morgue. Are we... going in?" Renee grabbed Stefan's clothes and asked, trying and failing to sound brave."Of course! We're already here. Maybe... Jayla is in there?" Stefan smiled and entered the room. "You seem to be enjoying yourself, Stefan. I always knew you had a twisted mind!" Renee hid in his arms and criticized him."Thank you, but my mind is perfectly fine." Stefan rolled his eyes, then explained seriously, "I think everything in this world is a medium, be it humans, animals, or spiritual beings. Their existence is natural. You're afraid of them, but maybe they're afraid of you too. So, just calm down and take things as they are. You don't have to be scared at all.""Hmm.... you're right. We're all on Earth anyway. At most, our latitude
"I'm fine." Renee was calm as she patted Stefan's arm. "But you might break my ribs if you don't get off me."At that moment, Stefan was clinging to Renee like an octopus. He had even buried his head in her neck timidly. He cleared his throat, quickly detaching from Renee as he muttered awkwardly, "I'm sorry. I forgot my manners." Putting on a poker face, he told Renee, "You're quite strong.""Yeah, I've been hitting the gym lately." Renee suppressed her smile as she observed him. "But you seem a little spooked. It's just a prop, so why were you so scared?" She'd thought he was an unaffected expert who would win this easily, but in the end, he was just a coward. In fact, he was more terrified than her! However, it felt good turning the tables and having the lady protect the man instead. "You can stay behind me if you're scared, boy. Young men like you aren't experienced, so you need strong women like us to protect you. You should be gentler, since strong women don't like fierce men…
"What do you mean?" Renee watched Stefan fiddle with the freezer, not knowing what he wanted to do."Give me the iron hook." Stefan turned around and urged Renee."Okay!" Renee handed the iron hook to Stefan.Stefan took it and groped for the spring of the lock of the freezer. With a gentle tug, he managed to pry open the freezer lock."Wow, you're even skilled in things like this?" Renee asked in admiration. "You're really an all-rounder—you can do business and even pry open locks. Even thieves would have to acknowledge you as their master!""Oh, stop it. Just tell me if you're scared, you don't have to make jokes." Stefan smiled, realizing she became chatty when she was scared. It was rather… cute. "I'm going to open the freezer now, and there might be something horrible inside. Do you want to step away?" Stefan asked carefully."No way!" Renee said defiantly, and walked over. "Don't underestimate me! I want to see what's inside." Then, before Stefan could do anything, she reac
Francine went berserk again and gripped Sophia's neck. "I'm going to count to three! Get my grandkids here! I'm going to take them home! If not, I'll break your neck!" she yelled. She couldn't stop Renee from marrying someone else, but she couldn't tolerate her two grandchildren relying on others' charity like Renee.It wasn't only about her dignity, but more about the children's growth and mental health. She couldn't be careless."You're out of your mind! Drive them out of here!"Sophia was a decent woman who couldn't allow herself to go berserk. Although she had a glib tongue, she found herself unable to handle a figure like Francine. Francine was never too harsh and would only make a scene. But now, she was out of control and was screaming nonstop. "Talk it out with them. Don't use violence. We're parents. It's humiliating to be violent," Alexander interrupted.Alexander tried to make Francine calm down and behave herself. Even so, he didn't act accordingly and pushed Ja
Francine's obvious provocation made others draw in a cold breath, let alone Justin's parents.No wonder she was one of the Four Princesses of Beach City. She was much too impulsive. Justin's parents looked very hideous. However, Sophia wasn't so soft. After taking a few deep breaths, she faced Francine with the same fake smile. "Don't worry. I'll take Adie and Abby back home. Since Ren is marrying Justin, my family will treat the kids as ours. We'll be their grandparents. In a few years, my son and Ren will have more kids to be their siblings. Then, we'll be one family!""What? Do you want to take the kids back home?" Fury instantly gripped Francine. She ignored all decency and demanded fiercely, "What do you want to do to my grandkids? They're still young! How could you target them?" "You must be mistaken. Ren is going to be a part of my family, so naturally, her kids are going to come with her. I'm sure there isn't anything wrong with that." Sophia snorted. "You're their bi
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