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
"No, they won't!" Renee cried. Renee hurriedly interrupted Joanne's self-denial. She held Joanne's shoulders and began to encourage the latter. "You have no idea how great you were! You were the most popular Cienna teacher in Lone Pine Elementary. You even helped your student to win an essay competition. You had talent in teaching. But you've had a bumpy life, and you didn't get the chance to refine your resume."But don't worry! There are many ways to improve yourself. For example, you can take up college self-study classes and sign up for a foreign language course. You can try getting some technical qualifications. I'm sure it won't be hard for you, given your talent."Previously, Quinton had occasionally mentioned that Joanne was good at her studies. She was always at the top of her class in elementary school, middle school, and high school. She was the candidate that could go to a good college.Unfortunately, her fate was full of thorns. She had a terrible family; a violent
Renee's words moved Joanne.At first, Joanne hesitated to stay at Everheart Manor. Although Margaret was nice and made nutritious herbal soup for her every day, she couldn't stay there in peace. She wanted to grab a chance to leave.Now, she decided to shamelessly stay there for a long time so she could get into college.At least, she would stay there until she successfully got into college. Then, it would be more convenient for Renee to teach her."Are you…willing to teach me?" Joanne tried to confirm with Renee, uncertain."Of course!" Renee nodded. "I have no reason to not teach you. Try and think about it this way. My brother has done you wrong and ruined your career. As his sister, I should try and make it up to you on his behalf. Plus… I sincerely take you as my best friend, whether you believe me or are willing about it. I'm always sincere with my best friends.""I know." Joanne was moved to tears, and couldn't hide how touched she was. "I once felt I was very unlucky
Renee took a deep breath and could smell the osmanthus; it was calming and refreshing. It also eased the headache from her hangover."If I'm guessing correctly, Joanne tried to sneak away more than once during this period. But you forcefully brought her back. Am I right?" Renee said. She stopped in front of an osmanthus tree and tried to pick the flowers like a child as she spoke casually to Quinton.Quinton frowned and pursed his lips in reluctance. He replied coldly, "I was doing that for her sake." Renee didn't go home last night, but Quinton didn't rush to Hunt Manor immediately. He couldn't be certain that she was there, and he couldn't leave because of what happened with Joanne. When Joanne woke up, she kept looking for chances to leave the manor. Margaret was able to dissuade her, albeit temporarily. That fearless woman bypassed the door before dawn and tried to escape by climbing over the windows to avoid attracting Quinton's attention.Although the second floor wasn
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s