Dale suffered the most in that affair. He had to hire an inexperienced person like Joanne because of pressure from Stefan. When things were exposed, he had to bear the blame alone. He was too miserable. "Stefan, how could you make an old man who's going to retire soon to toast to you? You're the one who caused him the trouble. Why did it become his fault instead?" Renee sounded displeased. At the same time, she pitied Dale. She started criticizing Stefan. She had never felt that he was that arrogant and inhumane. "It's okay. No worries." Dale immediately tried to pacify Renee. "Ms. Everheart, you're ignorant about something. Many years ago, Mr. Hunt did me a great favor before I became the principal. I couldn't have achieved this without his help. I just didn't manage this issue well. If not, it wouldn't turn out to be such a big issue. Don't blame Mr. Hunt. He's the most innocent one who's being implicated.""What did he help you with?" Renee was suspicious. "A cruel and heartles
"I'm sorry, Ms. Everheart. This is a major issue, so I have to be honest with Mr. Hunt," Dale said.Facing Stefan's extreme oppression, Dale raised the glass of wine and chose to stand against Renee. He decided to tell the truth.Firstly, he drank a glass of wine to boost his courage. Then, he told Stefan, "Ms. Everheart came to me before you did and proposed something. She wanted me to announce to the media that it was she who threatened me, which was why I made the exception to allow Ms. Garcia to teach in my school. In short, she wants to bear all the blame.""What?" Stefan frowned, surprised. He had thought that Quinton must have instructed Renee to purposely make things worse and burden Hunt Enterprise. Unexpectedly, she…"I must say something as an outsider, Mr. Hunt. Ms. Everheart is very kind, and is very much worried about you. She'd rather bear the blame than see you get burdened. She's so wonderful and saintly. She keeps her kind deeds from others…"Dale must have been
Renee's sudden wrath seemed to have arisen out of shame from being exposed. Angry, she poured herself another glass of white wine and gulped it down. Then, she turned to Dale. "I told you my resolution, Mr. Porter. I have some errands to run, so I'll leave now. Enjoy your meal." With that, she got up to leave."Oh, Ms. Everheart! You haven't eaten. Why are you leaving?" Dale immediately tried to stop her and persuade her kindly. "Relax. We need to discuss how to resolve this issue. I believe Mr. Hunt has considered it too. Perhaps he can come up with a win-win solution.""Well, I'll leave you gentlemen to it. Honestly, I can't get along with him. I get furious when I see him!" Renee's face was icy, and she finally left. "Uh…" Dale watched Renee leave before he turned to Stefan, who stayed where he was. After some consideration, he decided to remain with Stefan. "Mr. Hunt, what do you think…we should do now?" "What should we do? I've made it clear to you before." Stefan stood
Stefan walked to Renee. He felt very sorry for her, and kept his head low as he looked at her. However, he had to keep his feelings hidden…"Hey, how are you?" Stefan's low voice came from above Renee. It sounded surreal, like a dream in the vacant corridor."Who are you…?" Feeling dizzy, Renee kept her posture without raising her head. She was slurring her words. At first, she didn't feel much after gulping down glass after glass of white wine. However, it began to take effect and turned her dizzy after a while. She felt like her body and soul were separated. Honestly, she liked this kind of feeling. She rarely got so drunk after becoming a mother because she had to be a role model for her children."I'm your destiny…" Stefan replied. Since Renee was drunk, he stopped pretending to be aloof and distant. He sat down beside her, and faked a smile. "Can you share your thoughts with me?""My destiny?" Finally, Renee looked up and blinked at him. "What do you mean?""Well…" Afte
On the contrary, they behaved like they had survived a thunderstorm and were terribly injured. They had lost their previous enthusiasm and hope for the future. "Mushroom, stop moving! You won't look nice if I don't pick you properly," Renee instructed seriously as she squatted down. Then, she faced him. "Don't be scared. I'll pick you now."After that, she held Stefan's face and started twisting it to left and right."Stop!" Stefan held her wrists. "If you keep doing this, you'll break my neck!""No, I won't stop! You didn't listen to me! I'm going to slap you!" While talking, Renee slapped him twice. Although it wasn't hard, it was quite humiliating."Renee, you did it on purpose, didn't you?" Stefan's face was icy, and he pulled her into his arms. "You're actually sober, aren't you?""Yeah, I am! I'm a girl who's picking mushrooms. I must pick you and take you home, you big mushroom." Renee grinned, struggling to continue what she was doing. "I think it's better if I pick yo
Both Alexander and Francine kept their heads down when they heard Timothy's words. They went on eating, not daring to breathe. Everyone knew that Timothy's former granddaughter-in-law was his favorite. His two great-grandchildren were the source of his happiness. However, various reasons caused Renee, Adie, and Abby to grow further and further away from the Hunt family. Now, they rarely gathered together.Hence, Timothy would sigh every time dinner came. On top of that, he would be angry and rebuke anyone who tried to comfort him. Alexander, worried Timothy would feel lonely from staying in that manor alone, stayed there with Francine in the long term. However, both of them were burdened instead. Timothy would occasionally blow his top at Alexander or Francine. When Stefan was home on Sundays, the three of them would work together to admonish Alexander instead. The manor was rather chaotic. "Why are you two keeping your heads low? Are you looking for something?" Timothy slam
Francine shook off Alexander's hand grumpily, her gesture immature and childish. She kept on arguing with Timothy. "Dad, I'm sad too! We're separated from our grandkids, and we find it hard too. But what can we do? Young people nowadays care a lot about their freedom. What's important is how comfortable they feel. I don't find anything wrong with that. If all they feel when they're together is pain, they should be apart. We should also learn to be open-minded and accept it. Don't you think so?" For a long time, Timothy stared at Francine quietly. It was unknown if he was angry at her, or convinced by her words. After a long pause, he looked at Francine before glancing at Alexander. Sneering, he said, "You're advocating freedom now, yes, but you weren't so nice to talk to in the past. If I acted like you back then and let Alexander follow his heart and do what he finds comfortable, he might have long broken up with you. You know that very well. The woman he loved the most back the
Francine, Timothy, and Alexander were dumbstruck. They stared at Stefan, who was at the door, as well as the woman in his arms. They were flabbergasted. "Oh, you're all home." Stefan looked perfectly calm. To the servant beside him, he ordered, "Edith, get me some green tea and bring it upstairs for me later." Then, he kept walking calmly. His composure was such that it made others feel awkward instead. At that time, Renee had her arms around his neck and her head buried in his arms. She was drunk and unconscious. "Now, just a minute…!" Timothy said.Moments ago, he was angry with Stefan. Seeing Stefan arriving home with a woman in his arms, Timothy's fury surged. "Are you trying to drive me up the wall?" he yelled. "I can't tolerate you engaging in casual relationships with other women, and now, you bring your indecent woman home! Don't you have any respect for me?" Stefan frowned; he guessed that Timothy had not recognized Renee. However, he didn't explain much. "This
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