"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
"Of course you can't do that." Rebee smiled. Despite the latter's anxiety, she looked mischievously at Quinton. "So, I came up with a win-win solution. She's made up her mind to stay.""What do you mean?" Quinton found it incredulous. "She's stubborn, even more than you sometimes. What method did you use to persuade her?" "Do you know her biggest regret?" Renee asked Quinton calmly. Quinton hung his head low and looked at his feet. After a long silence, he replied somberly, "I guess it's the fact that she can never be a mother." He couldn't forget about that incident, let alone Joanne.In the past, he and Joanne sought warmth from each other. They regarded each other as their most important person, and were willing to fight the entire world to keep each other from getting hurt.But at the moment, they were the ones who had harmed each other the most. They cherished and valued each other so much that they knew each other's sore spots. Naturally, they could inflict the greatest
The scar on Quinton's face had been recovering so well that it was almost negligible. Yet, it didn't mean that his inner woes had gone away.His hatred was still there, but he kept suppressing for Renee's sake. He wanted to be a decent man."It's no longer important whether she likes him or not. Stop fixating on it," Renee snapped. She had no idea how to comfort Quinton, because she couldn't comfort herself either. The only thing they could do was to stop dwelling on it. They had to force themselves to get out of that dilemma. Rennee had a full understanding of human nature. It would be hard to make things clear if they dwelled on it.As a woman, she couldn't believe that Joanne felt nothing for Stefan. However, after some consideration, Joanne knew Stefan only regarded her as someone he happened to help. It didn't mean that she was conniving and scheming.If one took a fancy to a flower, they could stand afar and enjoy its charms quietly. There was no need to pluck it out.
Renee suggested Joanne apply for a college because she wanted to stall for time. She hoped to see Joanne focus on something else, so Joanne wouldn't dwell on her sad past. Doing so would only lead to a dead end. Renee also hoped Joanne could stay in Everheart Manor with peace of mind. Then, they could take good care of her and help her recuperate to full health. Unexpectedly, Joanne accepted Renee's suggestion. She studied very seriously every day and completed the test questions. She took the college entrance exam seriously as if it were her sole ambition and the pivot of her life.She would start reading and reciting before seven o'clock in the morning. She read aloud the vocabulary and was as enthusiastic as high school students.Renee kept her promise. She left her company in the charge of a manager and Leia. Then, she set up an exclusive timetable to tutor Joanne every day.Quinton kept his promise too. He sat in a corner of the room, turning into a weak and helpless study
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