"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
Renee turned around and looked at the corpse in the freezer. She said firmly, "I guess we have to check the corpse to find out how Jayla died.""You're saying..." Stefan paused, his palms growing sweaty. "Are we going to do an autopsy on her?" "No, we don't have to do that. But we can look around and see if we can find any clues." Renee flexed her fingers and stretched her legs enthusiastically. "Let's do it. I think we can win this!""Okay!" Stefan nodded and started inspecting Jayla's body with Renee. Jayla's body was made of a silicone material that looked like skin, and there were many clues about Jayla's death on the body."Look at her neck..." Renee immediately noticed some bruises around Jayla's neck. "Do you think someone strangled her?" "Not necessarily!" Stefan added thoughtfully, "She might have struggled before she died. Someone gripped her neck and left those bruises. This place is really odd..." While talking, he solemnly pointed at the place between the corpse's l
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped."It's too crowded here. We don't need you around." Stefan glared at them, clearly wishing he could disintegrate them with his gaze.Slowly, Justin let go of Renee and looked at Stefan coolly. "You're right. It is pretty crowded here, so you should leave, Mr. Hunt. After all, escape rooms are more suitable for couples.""Couple?" Stefan scoffed disdainfully. "Can you two even call yourselves that?" Xavier had told him that Renee and Justin were just dating, trying to see how things would go. Technically, they were not a couple yet, so Stefan felt confident enough to ask."We…" For a moment, Justin was speechless. He didn't know how to argue since he didn't know what his current relationship with Renee was. He wanted to say they were a couple, but Renee hadn't confirmed it yet. However, they had gone on dates, held hands, and hugged… So could they be considered friends? At the end of the day, the decision was Renee's."Phoenix, why don't
Justin wanted Stefan to hear Renee acknowledge their relationship. Right now, it looked like Stefan wasn't threatened because he felt Renee and Justin were not deeply in love with each other."That's enough, Haze. Stop making a scene. Why do you always insist on winning like a kid?" Renee gripped Justin's ear and rebuked him helplessly. "There's no need to get affected by insignificant people, okay?" "Okay, I'll listen to you," Justin said obediently, then shot Stefan a triumphant smirk. "I'll listen to whatever my baby says.""Mm, that's good!" Renee touched his head and smiled tenderly. Although Haze could sometimes be playful, he would listen when he had to. Renee could easily control him, which she was very satisfied with.Jeffrey nodded in approval. "Renee, you behave like a kindergarten teacher."Renee looked proud of herself as she added, "Yeah, and you're my student too."The atmosphere became less tense… but Stefan's expression didn't get better."Okay, tell us what cl
"What? Did she use the iron hook to…" Renee looked horrified, and asked in disbelief, "How is that possible? Only you could come up with such a crazy idea!""Actually it's possible." Justin observed Jayla's corpse and was shocked at the sight of flesh between her legs. "I've read about such a thing in a book called Amenia Horror Stories. The heroine did it because she didn't want to give birth to the villain's child. I guess whoever came up with this theme was inspired by that scene.""How could there be such a thing?" Renee's eyes grew wide in shock. She didn't know how someone could think of something so terrible."We'll know if it's true or not once we test the composition of the bloodstain on the iron hook and the pool of flesh. If they're a match, then the theory is confirmed." While talking, Stefan walked around the room in search of something."What are you looking for?" Renee asked. "If our guess is right, there has to be equipment somewhere to test it. If it isn't here,
At that moment, the speaker sounded again. "Congratulations, players—you've won the game! Please come to the registration counter to get your mystery gift!""Yeah, we did it! We're so smart!" Leia held Xavier's hand and jumped up and down happily.Renee, however, still looked unsatisfied. "Is that all?" Although they had won the game, she found the plot too unrefined. The ending was too abrupt."You didn't enjoy yourself?" Justin smiled at Renee fondly and said, "Why don't we come again another day? They have other themes that are pretty interesting too.""Forget it, I won't come again. Maybe I'm getting old… I'm not suited for things like this." Renee chuckled."Well, what should we do next time then?" Justin started planning their next date. After some contemplation, he suggested, "Why don't we go to the forest for a paintball game?" "That's not suitable for her either," Stefan abruptly commented from behind them.Renee turned around and glanced at Stefan disdainfully, then g
"Excuse me?" Stefan frowned and looked at Justin incredulously. Justin stood there with his mouth agape like a goldfish, gaze moving from Stefan to the receptionist. Everyone was stunned into silence."Pfft! Haha!" Leia burst out laughing, bending over and holding her stomach. "Good call—I think they're a perfect match given their similarities and history.""Leia!" Stefan hissed threateningly, shooting Leia a vicious glare. If looks could kill, Leia would be dead by now."Oh, how scary. I think he's scarier than those characters earlier. He's looking at me like he wants to kill me," Leia hurriedly hid behind Xavier and said dramatically. "Xavier, the day has finally come to choose between your buddy and me—who will you side with if he wants to kill me?"Renee walked to Leia and hugged her, then patted her head dotingly. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone harm you. If anything happens to you, I'll avenge you, okay?" "I knew you always treat me well! These useless men are just tempor
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