Being straightforward, Francine was about to expose the truth when a cold voice came from behind them."You woke up so early today, Mother?" Stefan looked icy and dangerous, as if he were about to fly into a rage. He seemed quite frightening.Francine, despite her boldness, immediately became timid. She pursed her lips and said, "Of course. You know I'm older now. I can't sleep much. I just happened to wake up early today." She breathed in, feeling some lingering fear. Fortunately, Stefan interrupted her in time before she blabbed about the truth.If she revealed the whole truth, he would hate her! That, and everyone would suffer. Renee might even take revenge on the Hunt family, given her temper. Francine might never get to meet Adie and Abby. In comparison, the current superficial peace was better despite there being some regrets. Renee didn't stop them from taking Adie and Abby to Hunt Manor, either. Maintaining the current situation was probably the best ending for Renee
When Francine suddenly left, Stefan felt ridiculous and awkward. He looked at Renee awkwardly, and explained, "You know my mother. She always speaks nastily, and doesn't watch her tongue. It gets worse now that she's older. Don't take it to heart.""Don't worry. I've heard things worse than that from her and I was fine with it. Plus, I think she's reasonable.""Where?" Stefan curiously whispered a question."The thing between men and women." Renee nodded in agreement. "It doesn't sound nice, sure, but it's full of simple knowledge." Stefan was speechless. "You two are insane. You should stop spending time with her." Francine's madness knew no limit. If Renee spent a long time with Francine, Francine's bad habits would rub off on her. Renee couldn't stop herself from asking, "Anyway, what am I doing here?" She remembered leaving the restaurant first, but she was dizzy since she was drunk. She had no idea where she had gone to. Later, she remembered accidentally walking i
Stefan's words brought silence to the two of them.Stunned, Renee moved her lips. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she decided against it. "Mrs. Hunt was right. I should leave. If not, things will get more troublesome when Grandpa wakes up," she finally said. From Stefan's words, there was a possibility they would get tangled up again. If he was afraid of recalling their past and feelings, he must still harbor affection for her. However, Renee was exhausted by it all. She wanted to stop feeling conflicted about such things. It was fine whether he still had feelings for her or not. All she wanted was a safe and peaceful life. If she kept getting mixed up with him, it wouldn't do any good. They would just get hurt. Hence, it was unnecessary. Renee stood up straight, acting like an emotionless robot. She brushed past him and went downstairs.Stefan stood rooted to the spot, silent and poker-faced. One step, two steps, three steps… Their backs were faced against
Had Renee been the one who learned the truth that day, Stefan was sure that the situation would be even more painful. "I don't know what you're trying to hint at. If it were in the past, I would have gotten to the bottom of it. But now, I'm exhausted. I don't want to get tangled up with you again. You know what? I'm exhausted!" Renee said.She looked torn and agitated, and was trembling slightly. She was trying hard to not break down on the spot. "It's like you're fishing. When you got me by the hook, you let me go. But when I swim away, you put out some fish feed. Do you think that's fun? Does making me a fool out of me satisfy you that much?" Renee couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes turned red as she vented her true feelings in front of Stefan, as if she had been suppressing them for quite a while. She had appeared casual and straightforward the entire time. She parted with him on good terms, and was even willing to begin a new relationship. She also wished he could choose a
They spoke as if they were going to stay apart forever. It sounded melancholic. Renee, however, found it amusing. She turned around and kept going downstairs without pausing. As she almost walked out of the entrance of Hunt Manor, she happened to bump into Timothy. "Ren?" Timothy was exercising, clad in sports attire. He stretched his neck and rubbed his eyes, repeatedly trying to ensure he wasn't mistaken. "It's morning. I'm sure this isn't an illusion. What are you doing back home?" "Grandpa…" Renee had tried all means to avoid Timothy, but she still failed to do so. She simply walked over and greeted him generously. "I got drunk last night. It was Stefan who took care of me and brought me home. I was about to say hello to you when you woke up.""So you were the woman last night. I knew it! Stef wouldn't be so stupid and bring another woman home." When Timothy learned that Renee was the woman Stefan brought home last night, he wasn't very surprised. Besides, he had gue
"Stop lying to me! I know you've drawn a line and regarded my family as outsiders, haven't you?" Timothy said.Being a smart person, he could see the change in Renee's emotions. Although he was sad, he had to accept it."I don't blame you. Everyone is entitled to their choices. You chose to keep some distance between us because it might set you at ease. That's very normal," he said. "Thank you, Grandpa. I'm glad that you can understand me." Renee stopped pretending. She admitted that her feelings toward the Hunts had changed. There was now a rift between them."You don't have to worry about the kids' upbringing. I won't give them the wrong idea. I'll tell them their father, grandparents, and great-grandfather are very good people. I'll encourage them to come and visit you, too," Renee promised sincerely. She wasn't a petty woman, and would never manipulate the children to vent her dissatisfaction toward Stefan. On the contrary, she always regarded the children as individuals i
Stefan followed closely, and went downstairs. He happened to overhear Renee's reply. It made him frown. He cared about that very much, but tried his best to suppress it and not show his feelings. "Justin is pretty good…" Stefan slowly walked to Renee, looking nonchalant. "At the very least, his background matches yours. I think he suits you well as your lover." Both Timothy and Renee looked at Stefan in unison, as if they were looking at a fool.Timothy frowned and asked, "Do you know Justin well? What's your relationship with him?"Stefan pocketed his hands and replied bluntly, "No, I don't know him. I'm not close to him, either.""If that's the case, stop giving your opinions. Ren's looking for a boyfriend. It has nothing to do with you," Timothy snapped.He was full of disdain, finding Stefan an eyesore. In the past, he found Stefan reserved, aloof, and noble. Now, his opinion had changed. It was all but an illusion. After spending a few days with Stefan, people would find
"Not bad. I think we're very slow compared to you and Justin," Stefan said expressionlessly. He wanted to compete against Renee.At first, he didn't want to use such insincere words and anger Renee. However, she just had to suggest doing a double wedding. It was heartbreaking. It meant that Renee and Justin were serious. They were dating each other under the premise of getting married.When he imagined them getting married and having children in the future, Stefan grew livid. They would spend the rest of their lives together! He had no choice but to vent his feelings using such a childish method."No, you and Ms. Desrosiers are faster. Justin and I were in an ambiguous relationship for many years. We just started dating each other lately. But you and Ms. Desrosiers fell out and lost touch with each other. When you got back together, you guys were full of passion. You abandoned your wife and kids for her, and now, you're going to marry her soon. I'm sure you two are far more lo