At his age, Timothy was a man held in high esteem. No one had ever been that rude toward him.If it were someone else, Timothy would have long gotten angry. Knowing that Quinton was the grandson of his old comrade, however, he grew to like Quinton. He couldn't be angry at Quinton at all. On the contrary, he tried to reflect on himself humbly. "Yes, it was our fault," he admitted. "I'm already very guilty. I don't care what their surname is, but half of their bloodline belongs to the Hunt family. You can't say they're not related to us. Of course, I know that the relation isn't much." "Well, aren't you rather friendly?" Quinton said. He now had a different impression of Timothy. In the past, he had heard of Timothy's character. The man was said to be very powerful; after retiring from the army, he became a businessman and established the powerful Hunt Enterprise. He was a very capable person.At first, Quinton assumed Timothy would be arrogant and condescending. Now, it seemed
"It isn't your fault," Quinton said. He shook his head and glanced at Renee, who was following him. A long sigh escaped him. "Stefan is annoying, but after some thought, I think some of his words made sense."Renee frowned, and stopped herself from complaining. Instead, she asked, "Which part?" If she remembered correctly, Stefan spouted a lot of messy nonsense. To her, none of them were logical. She wondered why Quinton would come to think that way, given that he always regarded Stefan as his enemy. "He said I'm crazy, and that I'll only bring you trouble. I should stay away from you for your sake." Quinton frowned, looking forlorn. He said gloomily, "Maybe I should. Do you think I should go away to work, and you and the kids return to Sun Island?""Quinton! What rubbish is that?" Renee retorted. Seeing Quinton so disappointed and blaming himself, she felt very sorry for him. "Even if I want to go back to Sun Island, I'm taking you with me. If not, I would've long gone t
It was especially useful when one's thoughts or directions were muddled, or when the stress was too much. That logic was a clear lamp that could help one see their future.In short, it would be better to pinpoint problems in others instead of stressing oneself out.For a very long time, Renee was engulfed by her failed relationship with Stefan. She acted like Quinton and kept reflecting on herself. She wondered what she could have done better, or if she wasn't good enough. She thought she was the reason Stefan didn't love her.But before long, she saw things through.Stefan rejected her because there was something wrong with him. Their relationship wasn't blessed, thus she couldn't be with him.She could be charming and unique if she wanted to. Even if she lost Stefan, she could simply find another man. And even if she stayed single, she still could lead a happy life.Hence, she happily went to Sun Island though she was pregnant. There, she lived several free and happy years.As
Renee and Quinton were soon back at Everheart Manor."Ms. Ren, where did you go last night? We were worried sick! We thought something happened to you!" Margaret said.She was pacing to and fro at the door. When she noticed Quinton's car, she immediately went over. Her worry, which had lasted for one night, was eased the moment she saw Renee get out of the car."I'm sorry, Margaret. I had a little alcohol last night and passed out. I slept for a night at my friend's house." Renee looked into the manor, concerned about the two children. "Where are Adie and Abby? Were they worried sick last night?" "I told them you went on a business trip and would come home today. They're already in school." Margaret smoothed her chest as if she had just exited a stimulating roller-coaster. Her legs were a little weak. "Luckily, you came back. They won't pester me and demand an answer tonight. It's hard to fool them since they're so smart.""Thank you so much, Margaret. Alcohol is awful! I promise
For the time being, Margaret believed Renee's explanation. At the same time, she raised a key problem. "Yes, I want to know that too. Did he touch you?" Quinton joined in.At first, he was walking briskly into the manor. When he heard Margaret's direct question, he stopped. He was all ears. "No!" Renee denied firmly. "He wasn't that bold. Plus, I have my limits. But…""But what?" Both Quinton and Margaret asked at the same time. "I slept in his bed last night. I seemed to have vomited on his bed and made him clean up my mess late at night." At that point, Renee smiled happily as if she had gotten away with her prank. Although she was drunk last night, she remembered some things. If she wasn't mistaken, she vomited on Stefan. It was a serious punishment for him, since he attached great importance to cleanliness. She had taken revenge on him for having an affair. "Yes, that's good! We shouldn't respect him since he's a scumbag!" Margaret sounded excited. "You can torture hi
Renee was relieved to hear that nothing went wrong at home."I'm going to see Joanne." Renee went upstairs without any hesitation and rushed toward Joanne's room. After resting for a few days, Joanne looked so much better."You're home…" Joanne said. At first, she was standing beside the window and watched Renee come out of the car. When Renee knocked on her door, she eagerly went over and asked, "How did everything go?" "Don't worry. I found a solution." Renee smiled, avoiding the topic. Even after an exhausting day, she had yet to find a solution.At first, she wanted to take all the blame since she felt that she was the shameless one. Besides, Azure Group's business was focused abroad. Local opinions weren't that important.However, Dale didn't dare to act rashly after Stefan's threat. Renee didn't know if her idea would be used or not. "Great! I knew you're reliable!" Joanne was in a great mood. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she looked at Renee. "No wonder Mr.
"If you live well, you won't let him down. He always put his interests first. If you live well, he'll think it's a profitable bargain for him. Given that he's a businessman, it concerns his reputation and abilities. You can't make him lose face. Don't you think so?" Renee went on."You're right! I got it." After listening to Renee's persuasive long speech, Joanne nodded thoughtfully. At the same time, she became more determined to live well. "I don't feel like surviving, but I'm willing to do that for Mr. Hunt's sake. I'll try my best to live well!"Renee walked around Joanne's room, and found new s'mores pops and other kinds of desserts and fruits. There were even some plush toys. It was undeniably Quinton's doing. It was lousy, as if he was trying to coax a child, but it suited the kind of person he was.Renee felt that Quinton merely had a vicious tongue. If he spoke less and did more, it would be beneficial for his relationship with Joanne. For example, he could do basic t
"Sure, go on and ask," Joanne said. She looked at Renee calmly. It seemed like she knew what Renee was about to ask."I can tell you and Quinton can't make peace. I want to know if it's because of the bad experiences, or some other reason..." Renee said, trying to sound Joanne out. "For example, was it because of Stefan?" "No!" Joanne immediately shook her head. "It had nothing to do with Mr. Hunt. Stop overthinking. We're just friends. Maybe we're not even friends. At most, I owe him a big favor. I can't make peace with your brother because of my problems.""Uhm, can I ask about the reason?" Renee pressed. Although Renee was long aware of Joanne's answer, she was full of regrets. She shamelessly got to the bottom of it."Is it because…of the child…?" Hearing that, Joanne couldn't stop tears from filling her eyes. "I can't make peace with the man who killed my child. It'd be betraying my child." Her watery eyes were full of endless restraint and bitterness. Then, she ra
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