Stefan found himself bewitched by her charms, and couldn't control his heart. He wasn't laughing at her. Rather, he was sincerely happy because he admired and liked her."Of course!" Renee raised her chin. "I feel that I'll get good feedback if I make others happy. It's a good way to recharge myself. I don't think it's bad. But you don't know how to be nice to your grandpa, even when he's at such an old age. All you do is drive him up the wall. If I were him, I would've long beaten you up." Renee purposely criticized him as she wanted to tease him."I…" Stefan was at a loss for words. These days, he did nothing else except drive Timothy up the wall. "You're right, Ren. You spoke my mind." Timothy felt quite happy, as if he had found someone who understood him. He glared disdainfully at Stefan. "Honestly, he's spoiled and annoying. He drives me mad! You're right. He'll only come to his senses with some beating."Stefan frowned, but he couldn't retaliate them as they ganged up
Timothy loomed over Stefan, his tone solemn. "Don't just sit there! Give me your hand. I'll teach you a lesson!"Stefan was silent as he put the cutlery down. He extended his hand, not a trace of resistance in him. "It's all my fault. Punish me as you see fit, Grandpa."Renee was flabbergasted. She wondered why Stefan was so submissive, even more so than Adie when the boy was punished. Stefan could easily defend himself; in fact, he could simply leave. Timothy wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him. Yet, the unexpected happened. Stefan obediently extended his hand, waiting for Timothy's punishment. Renee was puzzled, uncertain as to what she should do. Should she beg for Stefan's mercy, or just watch everything unfold silently? Regardless of her choice, whatever she decided on would be too sudden. She felt so awkward, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. All she wished was to hide."Humph! You know very well this is all your fault. A pity you never amen
In a way, Stefan wasn't being unyielding. Rather, he felt that he was a scumbag who deserved his punishment. He had repeatedly harmed Renee and his children. Everything was his fault. Though his conscience tormented him, he was incapable of self-harm. Timothy's punishment was just what he wanted. It helped ease his guilt.Renee watched from nearby, the heavy sound of Timothy's beatings ringing in her ears. At first, she wanted to feign ignorance and refused to meddle. However, the severity of the punishment was such that a terrible accident would happen if it continued.Unable to sit still, she tried to stop Timothy. "Grandpa, please, stop! If you keep doing this, I'll get angry!"Seeing Renee's solemn expression, Timothy suppressed his anger and stopped. He asked confusedly, "Ren, I'm doing this for you. Why are you speaking up for him? Don't tell me… You still can't forget about him? Do you still love him?" "No, that's not the reason," Renee replied, shaking her head. She
"Ahhhh!" Edith screamed, terrified by the painful blow.Timothy immediately stopped, feeling pained for Renee. "Ren, why… Why did you do this?! You took the blow for this bastard!"Stefan was so stunned, he couldn't feel any pain. He stared at Renee, his emotions in turmoil. "Are you okay?""I'm fine." Renee shook her head, pretending that it was nothing. In truth, she had a feeling her left shoulder was broken. The pain was excruciating. "Why did you do that?" Stefan grabbed her shoulders, intent on inspecting her wound. He knew personally how painful Timothy's blow was. Renee must have been terribly hurt!"I have nothing better to do, that's why. Happy?" Renee glared at Stefan grumpily, pulling away from him. She didn't want him touching her."You'd better go now," Stefan said, flexing his fingers. He didn't want to be a burden to her, and he had no idea how long he could hold himself back.The longer he was with her, the more he could see how wonderful and precious she was.
The man's voice was hard and dangerous. "I'll tell them my way!"There was a bang in the next second—a human-sized celadon vase at the door was shot. Glass pieces lay everywhere on the ground."Ah, a gun! It's a gun! Master, hurry up and hide!" When Edith saw the man at the entrance holding a gun and walking toward them, she subconsciously opened her arms wide and stood in front of Timothy. Renee grew cautious. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the dark-clothed man slowly approaching them. When she saw him, she nearly fainted from anger. "Quinton?! What… What are you doing here?" Quinton pressed the gun on the security guard's head, as if he wanted to exterminate the entire Hunt family. "What am I doing here? Well, what are you doing here then…? If I was a bit late, what would they do to you? How could I not come?" he said coldly.Quinton had lost contact with Renee for a day, and it filled him with anxiety. He looked all over for her and went to the principal of Lone Pi
"Stop!" Quinton looked at Timothy suspiciously, and abruptly aimed the gun toward Timothy's head.Angry, Renee tried to stop him. "Quinton, put the gun down! You can't be rude to Grandpa!" Stefan rushed over angrily and warned Quinton coldly, "You can't make a scene here! Put the gun down, or you'll be sorry!""Humph! It's been a long time, my ex-brother-in-law." Quinton didn't want to move his gun away from Timothy. He grinned wickedly at Stefan. "Looks like this old man is very important to you. I can't let him go easily. If not, I can't control you.""Quinton!" Renee frowned, livid. "You can joke about anyone except Grandpa. He's a very dear friend our late grandfather trusted the most. We should respect him. It's your business that you can't get along with Stefan. Don't pull Grandpa into this mess!"Renee knew Quinton was crazy, but he wasn't one to run out of control. He aimed the gun at Timothy not because he wanted to harm the latter, but to make himself seem more powerful
"Shut up!" Stefan roared.He was standing nearby and he couldn't bear Quinton's perception about his grandfather, whom he respected the most. "You're mentally ill!" he roared. "Just because you're insane, doesn't mean everyone else is. You're petty-minded enough to misunderstand an innocent gentleman." "Who's the gentleman? Who's petty?" Quinton snarled. He was furious, but he put back his gun in the holster around his waist. Then, he boldly confronted Stefan. "Do you see yourself as a gentleman? If you were, why did you cheat on your wife and abandon your family? If you were, why did you persuade an ignorant girl to betray the man she relied on to defeat me?"Stefan, you're the mighty Master Hunt and the president of Hunt Enterprise. You're glorious and oh-so amazing. You look down on everyone. And yet, you've done a lot of nasty and vulgar things. You have no right to criticize me for being petty!"Despite Quinton's words, Stefan remained calm."Yes, you're right," he sai
"That's enough, Stefan!" Renee pushed Stefan away. She could no longer tolerate him. He had grown harsher and colder than when Renee first knew him. He even used such words to harm her closest family. He was inconsiderate toward her feelings, and it broke her heart.Speechless, Quinton stood where he was in a trance. He wasn't as fierce as he had been before. Instead, he seemed sullen and thoughtful."Let's go, Quinton." Renee felt she could no longer stay there, and grabbed Quinton's hand to leave with him."Okay," Quinton answered softly. He acted like a mental patient who had suddenly regained his wits. His obedience gave rise to sympathy from others."Grandpa, we're leaving. Quinton was rude today because he was worried about me. I hope you won't take it to heart. We'll visit you another day," Renee said, bowing deeply to Timothy to express her apology.Nevertheless, Quinton was her family. She would never distance him or cut him off. Hence, she would bear the consequences a