The crowd was agitated, and kept rebuking and slandering Stefan."So, it was the president of Hunt Enterprise who pulled strings here! No wonder the principal made such a bold move!""Tsk! Rumor has it that Stefan's the local tyrant. He can do whatever he wants. Well, that's not wrong…""We can't have a guy like that in Beach City! He must answer to the law!""I heard he's always cruel and heartless. He even targeted his first wife and abandoned his family just because of his mistress. What a scumbag!"Renee covered her face when she heard their rebukes. She was afraid of being burdened when others recognized her. "Excuse me!" She took a deep breath, and tried to walk forward among the agitated parents. She even became worried about Stefan. The issue seemed trivial, but it created a domino effect. One single mistake caused a lot of consequences. During the recent two years, the image of Hunt Enterprise suffered a great blow because of Stefan and Renee's divorce, the resentme
Surprised, the secretary asked, "I heard Ms. Garcia has no family. Isn't that right?""No, I'm her family. I can call her right now if you don't believe me." Renee fished her phone out to prove herself."That's unnecessary." At that time, the principal's voice came from the office. "Harmony, let her in."Harmony Cyan, the secretary, nodded and replied, "Okay, Mr. Porter." Then, she let Renee into the office.Renee smoothed her looks, and took a deep breath. She politely knocked on the door of the office before entering it carefully.Dale Porter, the principal, was working hard in the office, his head lowered. Although he was in his fifties and had gray hair, he looked energetic and was in good spirits.Renee walked to the office desk, and gently introduced herself to Dale. "Mr. Porter, hello. I'm Joanne's sister, Renee Everheart." "Renee?" Dale frowned and tried to recall who that was. Suddenly, he looked up and asked in surprise, "So you're Mrs. Hunt?""No!" Renee hurriedly w
"No, you got me wrong!" Renee immediately denied it. She looked awkward, as if she had been seen through. "I just want to minimize the negative impact. I'll still do this even if this issue has nothing to do with Stefan." "Fine." Dale nodded without getting to the bottom of it. "I wanted to take full responsibility for this. After all, I'm going to retire. But since you're willing to step forward, I won't reject your offer. My pension is very important, too. If this issue gets bigger, my family will be humiliated. Plus, I might not retire peacefully. It's horrible just thinking of it.""I'm sorry, Mr. Porter. In short, I should be held responsible for this. Thank you for giving Joanne this working opportunity too. She cherished this very much, and kept saying that being a teacher was like a second chance in life," Renee apologized to Dale sincerely, and thanked him. She knew the issue wouldn't be that serious if not for Quinton's craziness. Hence, she felt that she should step for
Dale broke out in a cold sweat, as Renee's attitude had changed all of a sudden. She was telling a different story now.Renee kept a gloomy face, and wanted to leave once she was done. However, Stefan gripped her wrist. "No rush, since you're already here.""I came to do my business, and so did you. We don't have to get our issues mixed up." Renee kept a cold attitude, and insisted on leaving. But… It seemed like she was just trying to run away."Are you that afraid of me?" Stefan watched her with an intense but complicated gaze. There was even some disdain gleaming in his eyes as the more superior one.Certainly, Renee couldn't accept to be inferior. She immediately became competitive. She gnashed her teeth and swung off his hand. "No, I'm not. Let's talk, then."She looked at Dale, and suggested, "Mr. Porter, didn't you book a private room in The Crane? Stop standing there. Let's go now. I'm hungry.""Okay, let's not waste time. We'll take a special path," Dale suggested eage
Stefan snorted. "Did I say something wrong? You should know what kind of man your brother is." Like Renee, Stefan felt guilty toward Joanne too. If Joanne hadn't told him about some flaws in Carmine Pawnshop, he wouldn't have defeated Quinton so quickly. Hunt Enterprise would not have made rapid progress, either.Unfortunately, Joanne was burdened because of that affair. She led a miserable life for many years, and was insulted by others. In short, Stefan was responsible for it too. Hence, he tried all means to compensate her and hoped that she could lead a normal and stable life.However, Joanne's stable life lasted briefly before the crazy Quinton ruined it. Naturally, Stefan was furious. But he didn't find fault with Quinton, given the relationship between Renee and Quinton."No, you got it wrong!" Renee eagerly tried to explain it for her and Quinton's sake. "I sincerely take Joanne as my friend. I feel sorry for her to see her lead a bad life. I'm also doing my best to comp
"The legendary Midnight Demon is just like a crazy dog. Of course, it's hard to pick on him. I just hope that you can control him well and not let him harm Joanne again. Is that wrong?" Stefan retorted.He was very stubborn on that affair, all because of his pity and guilt toward Joanne."Watch your tongue! He was once your brother-in-law. Have you ever considered my feelings when you said that?" Renee started taking action, and punched his shoulders. "Plus, he's changed now. If you want the best for Joanne, why don't you give Quinton a chance? But no, you're unwilling to forgive him. You're so annoying! You can always drive me mad!" At that time, Renee stopped pretending and regarded him as her family. When her ex-husband drove her mad, she instinctively wanted to beat him up.Consequently, her punch made their atmosphere between them less hostile. Stefan even grinned in a way that escaped his notice. Regardless of how they argued with each other and wanted to break up with eac
Flabbergasted, Stefan's eyes widened and leaned against the seat. He was struck dumb as he watched the woman who suddenly took the initiative to kiss him. At the same time, the parents who had surrounded the car and stared into the car window covered their eyes when they saw a lovey-dovey young couple. Then, they left.When the car drove out of from the parents' sight, Renee pulled away from Stefan. However, the kiss seemed to have raised the feelings they had for each other.Stefan quickly held Renee's waist, and said hoarsely, "You want to run away after taking advantage of me?""No, I didn't!" Renee blushed shyly. "I was worried the parents would find fault with you, so I covered you. But you're heartless. If I knew, I wouldn't have helped you. I should have let the parents scold you instead!" She had come up with that idea in a moment of desperation. If the parents found Stefan in the car, they would confirm that he did bribe the principal. It would make a bad impact on Hu
"So?" Renee looked ahead, keeping an aloof face. She even appeared unfeeling. "You know my thoughts, but you recklessly hurt me. What are you trying to say? That you're very charming, and that I'm very stupid? Is that how you satisfy your superiority? Yeah, I'd feel great and successful if I were you, since I was always loyal toward you regardless of how you harmed or humiliated me!" "I didn't mean that." Stefan realized his words might have hurt her self-esteem. A long sigh escaped him. "I just want to tell you that I'm very happy to see you care about me.""Humph! Are you still trying to pretend that you're affectionate?" Renee turned around, and shot Stefan a disdainful gaze. Suddenly, she found him a hypocritical stranger. "We've already ended up this way. You don't have to pretend anymore. So what if I have feelings for you? It won't change our relationship.""You're right." Stefan looked gloomy, as if Renee had reminded him about something. He put away his true feelings,
Livid, Mateo pulled the trigger without hesitation. However, he moved the gun less than an inch. The bullet passed by Liam's ear and hit an orange behind him.The fruit immediately blew up, its juices splashing on Liam's face."Aaaah!" Amber, terrified, trembled. Her eyes turned red, and she hurriedly tried to plead with Mateo. "Matt, cool it! Aren't you and Liam friends? You guys drank and chatted together in the past. You were so close to each other. How could you do this to him? Hurry up and put the gun away! If it goes off accidentally, it'll be over!"However, Mateo ignored her. His eyes were red as he glared at Liam. "Did you see the orange behind you? Let go of her now! If not, I'll blow up your head just like I did to that orange!""Is that all you got?" Liam taunted. He refused to let Amber go. He whispered to Amber, "Watch well. If he shoots me today, promise me not to marry such a man. I can use my life to knock some sense into you.""No!" Amber shook her head. Liam
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St
Liam walked ahead of Amber, then turned to glance at her. He faked a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Are you worried that I might take advantage of you?" "No, of course not!" Amber quickly shook her head and pushed her scarf up. It had fallen a little. "I just find it improper," she answered softly.She looked like a typical woman from Southeast Aeos, petite and with a small face. Her skin was tanned, and her facial features weren't very distinct. She was charming and reserved, exuding a girlish pureness. She had put on her country's special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting. "Hey, it's not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done that long ago. I don't have to wait until now." Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber's anxiety."Don't worry. I've always regarded you as my younger siste
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into