“Let’s get a divorce, Renee.”The man’s cold voice sounded from behind while Renee Everheart was in the middle of searing steaks. After hearing those words, she became seemingly numb to the hot oil splattering on her cheeks from the lightly sizzling pan.“We’re only husband and wife on paper. Now that four years have passed, it’s time to end this,” Stefan Hunt said with a cold, distant tone. Renee bit her lip anxiously. ‘Looks like this day was inevitable after all…’Her family was declared bankrupt four years ago. Her parents, unable to endure the stress of financial hardship, took their lives together, leaving young Renee to handle the mess alone. In the past, Renee’s grandfather fought alongside Stefan’s grandfather on the battlefield, and he even saved the latter’s life once. In his dying moments, he voiced out to his old pal his concern for his granddaughter and left Renee under his care. And so, a marriage of convenience was arranged between Stefan and Renee to put the
‘No wonder Stefan wanted me out by tonight. He had another woman he wanted to play house with! Hah, to think that I let that man affect my emotions! How I wish I could slap my past self!’Briar approached Renee with a cocky smirk. “So you’re Renee Everheart, huh? What are you still doing here? Didn’t Stefan kick you out? Get a move on! Have you no shame?!”Despite the provocation, Renee continued packing her belongings at her own pace.“Hey, are you deaf? I’m talking to you here!”“Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.” Renee met her gaze calmly. “All I heard was some crazy bitch barking!”“How dare you call me a bitch?!”“I didn’t. Looks like you went ahead and got offended in the first place.” Renee replied as she got up with her luggage. She tilted her head at Briar, who was blocking her path. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. Nice little doggies should know how to stay out of the way.” “How dare you!” Briar’s face went bright red as she stomped her feet.‘Wasn’t she known to be a
The next day, Renee showed up at the courthouse at 8:30 am, even though they agreed to meet at nine.Not only did she arrive early, but she also made sure to put on heavy makeup and her favorite outfit, a rose-red halter dress. With her long hair tied up into a ponytail, the skin on her neck and back glowed under the bright sunlight.When paired with her elegant, yet cold demeanor, she looked angelic from afar.Unfortunately, she had caught a cold the night before. Her body was burning up, which made her feel quite weak.At 9 am sharp, a silver Bugatti Veyron cruised into the parking lot in front of the courthouse. Soon after, she was greeted by Stefan’s ice-cold expression as he exited the vehicle.His eyes sparkled for a split second when he saw Renee standing there, but this was quickly replaced with a contemptuous expression for some reason.“Well, aren’t you excited?” Stefan scoffed as he walked past Renee, heading straight towards the department that handled divorce cases.
‘Just look at how unabashed this man is acting! This is ridiculous!’ Renee thought. She had always viewed Stefan as someone who was morally sound and would never commit adultery.In the end… the very same man she thought so highly of, dropped a nuclear bomb on her. Not only did he intend on marrying his mistress, but they were expecting as well.This was the last push that Renee needed to move on completely. The tinge of sadness in her heart had completely vanished.“So this means you were cheating on me, right?”Before Stefan could respond, Briar hurriedly placed herself between them. Teary-eyed, she said, “Ms. Everheart, it’s all my fault! If it makes you feel better, you can punish me however you want…”‘Does this woman think this is some soap opera? She’d make a great actress, honestly.’“Really now?” Renee raised her hand up high as if she was about to deliver a slap.As soon as she realized what was going to happen, Briar squealed and darted behind Stefan.“Didn’t you say
Renee thought she was about to fall flat on her face.Just then, a man wrapped his strong arm around her waist, catching her fall. The fresh scent of peppermint filled her senses, entrancing the woman entirely. "You're burning hot… Do you have a fever?" Stefan asked her with a hint of concern in his voice.The urge to protect her sprang up in his mind, accompanied by the following thought.'She's so thin and frail, like a feather.'"This doesn't concern you!" Renee hissed through her teeth as she regained her balance. She stubbornly tried to free herself from his arms.After the procedure was done, she intended to walk away elegantly, leaving Stefan in the dust. She wanted to avoid casting the impression that she was using her illness to gain sympathy.However, no matter how tough she tried to act, her body was simply exhausted. Even after gaining her footing, she staggered backward.Seeing this, Stefan lifted her bridal style and said, "I'll take you to the hospital.""What
Liam's relaxed voice came to a sudden halt as soon as he noticed Stefan standing inside the ward.He studied the man before him as the man did the same. An odd tension settled in the room."Do you know each other?" Stefan asked Renee with a chilling tone.He wondered how an infamous playboy and a modest rich lady would ever get the chance to interact when they were from completely different worlds."Well…" Renee buried her face in her hands awkwardly. She was the one who texted Liam to meet at the hospital, but she didn't expect him to arrive so soon.'A soon-to-be ex-husband bumping into the dashing playboy… This was weirdly reminiscent of a scene from a romantic drama.’“Know her? She’s my muse!” Liam exclaimed as he approached Renee with a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. With a sarcastic smile, he turned to Stefan. “Little do you know, Master Hunt, Miss Everheart has quite the reputation back in our school! She has so many admirers that she could build an army if she want
“I’ve got it right here. How would I dare slack off when you’re my boss?” Liam stopped his cheeky act and handed the woman a thick stack of documents.Renee couldn’t care less about her sick state and skim through the pages quickly.After a few moments, a pleased grin formed on her lips. “Good. I knew these lawyers weren’t as ordinary as they seemed. They’re worth way more than what he offered as compensation!”“Tsk, but they’re Stefan Hunt’s employees. How great can they be?” Liam questioned, crossing his legs while leaning against the side rails of her bed. “I know lots of lawyers who are better than them. If you need any, I can give you some recommendations.” “No, I want them,” Renee said with a determined expression. She seemed in a great mood, absolutely unbothered by her divorce.“Boss, are you planning something? I feel like I can smell a scheme coming our way.” Liam expressed sheer excitement.‘Four years! It’s been four whole years! I’m so thrilled the goddess herself h
Stefan stood tall and proud, an indifferent look on his face as he pondered over his father's words.His eyes landed on Briar’s stomach, and he said dismissively, “As you can see, Briar is already three months pregnant. This child is part of the family bloodline, so she will need a proper title before the child is born. I’ve already proceeded with the divorce with Renee. Once we're legally separated, I will register my marriage with Briar.”Francine and Briar let out a sigh of relief at the same time after hearing this.However, this statement only made Alexander even more furious. He was on the verge of slapping his son. “You bastard! So, you’re serious about this?! You… You’re so foolish that you kicked your wife out to make space for your mistress! Are you insane?!“If Ren’s grandfather found out about this, how should he rest in peace? You should know that he used to be quite the soldier and was even appointed as an esteemed general! Aren't you worried that he’d haunt you in yo
"But if I keep you guys here and make all the films I want for sale, I can earn a lot of money in the long run. My company will also get more famous. Which do you think I'll choose?" Lucas went on.Renee nodded. "You're right, but it's boring to just conduct the punishment. Why don't we use another method as a form of punishment?""Oh, what do you have in mind?" Lucas' eyes brightened. After spending so many days and nights here, he was gradually losing his rationale. The thought of new torture methods for victims who refused to obey filled him with excitement. "You want us to act, don't you? Let's not waste time. We should start filming now." Renee smiled seductively. "I'm eager to be the first.""So, you're saying that you can't wait to start?" Lucas stood up, excited. He rubbed his hands together as he sized Renee up. "Yeah, I guess. I can't wait to earn money for you," Renee said. "Great! You're a sensible one!" Lucas clapped. "Well, let's start… How about this? Since it
"Watch me!" the guard said fiercely. He walked to the table and placed a basin filled with hot water on it. Then, he grabbed a sheet of white paper and drenched it with water. He then put it on Leia's face. "Mmph!" Leia's face was fully covered, her mouth and nose blocked. She couldn't make a sound or breathe properly. Her face flushed from the suffocation, and she was in great pain."Let go of her now!" Renee screamed, anxious and restless. Though handcuffed, she rushed toward Leia and tried her best to remove the paper from Leia's face.Suffocating for five to ten minutes could kill. If Renee didn't stop them and let them have their way with Leia, she might die!However, Renee slipped and fell. She tried to get up, but failed due to her handcuffed limbs restricting her movement. "Mm, mm!" Leia struggled violently at first, but she slowly stopped moving as though she was dying.At the critical moment, Renee finally got up and hurriedly yanked the paper off Leia's face."W
When Renee noticed Lucas' growing trust in her, she started begging for mercy for Leia.Unexpectedly, Lucas turned hostile and cunning. "So, you said that much to me just because you wanted to beg for mercy for your friend. Were you talking nonsense?" he snapped. "No, it was a sincere suggestion! I mean it! I wanted to help you make this company bigger and stronger." Renee swallowed, and added, "My friend and I are close. A normal person like me wouldn't want her to suffer so much." "Yes, any normal person wouldn't. But people in our industry can't afford to be normal. Only crazy people can do this kind of work."Lucas raised his brow, and looked at Leia before turning back to Renee. "How about this? You punish her to prove your loyalty. Then, I'll believe that you're on my side. What do you think?" "Motherfucker! Just come at me! Stop talking crap! I'm not afraid of you!" Leia suddenly shrieked.Lying on the table, her initial fear gradually turned into anger. Finally, sh
"Flying Clouds? What does that mean? What do you want?" Leia demanded. She trembled all over and subconsciously retreated.Two guards held her and pushed her on the table. They untied her shackles and tied her limbs to the four corners of the table. Then, another guard carried a basin of hot water over. It was steaming."Just start!" Lucas ordered as he sat. He took a drag of his cigarette as he watched Leia's slightly revealed figure while struggling. He looked very obscene. Renee, standing at the side, grew nervous. However, she tried her best to put on a smile and said to Lucas, "Lucas, we can talk it out. You told us we could help you earn a lot. We're your best tool for earning money. But if you do this and ruin your tool, you'll suffer." "Calm down…" Lucas turned to Renee, finding her quite obedient and sensible. He said to a guard, "Bring a chair for this pretty girl and make her learn well. When our business gets big, she can be a manager!"The guard quickly carried
There were various kinds of torture instruments hanging around the cage. There was even a saw that would function with just a pull.Upon closer inspection, Renee noticed bloodstains on the instruments. The corners were full of piles of human hair. There was also a rotten and damp scent lingering around."What… What kind of place is this?" Leia screamed.She stood at the door of the cage and swallowed in fright, now timid. She found that place very familiar. After some contemplation, she realized it was something related to what she had seen before in the deep web.The so-called deep web was more horrible than the dark web. Only ten percent of netizens could find the websites. These websites weren't under supervision, and were full of outrageous videos and business deals.For example, the sellers would buy beautiful models to make vulgar videos of for the buyers' viewing. The buyers would make outrageous requests based on their insane desires. They would spend some money for the se
Though the building looked ordinary and old, it was filled with many things.However, it was not very accurate. The place resembled thematic scenes more.The first floor was an ordinary office area. The second floor looked like a hotel, while the third floor looked like classrooms… The themes for each place were centered around obscenity.Renee wasn't dumb. She instantly understood why Lucas brought her and Leia there by force. She also finally understood why Lucas prohibited his subordinate from touching Leia's face even though she had been rude to him. If she guessed right, these bastards wanted her and Leia to shoot pornos. "Do you like these scenes, my friends?" Lucas was smoking, in a great mood to see the film and television site he had established. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Renee and Leia. "Other than wire fraud and online casinos, the thing that makes most money is the limited and short videos. You girls are so pretty. Just work with me and shoot some R-rated
The motorbikes raced the narrow streets noisily, passing through crowds and messy alleyways. After a winding journey, they got on the large roads and drove toward a growingly remote and unknown place.At last, they stopped in front of a large iron gate with guards and two large German Shepherds. There were a few large words above the iron gate that spelled Gold Investment. As Renee and Leia walked inside, they saw a large park, like a factory. Both of them exchanged a look of deep helplessness. They had bumped into something terrible. If they guessed it right, Lucas and his gang were involved in wire fraud. They had been brought to Lucas' scamming site.Men in uniforms happened to walk toward the cafeteria to get food under the supervision of guards. Their faces or bodies were full of new or old injuries. They looked numb and dispirited, as if they had lost all hope in life.Both Renee and Leia exchanged another look. They could confirm they were brought to an infamous scamming
Lucas' lackey brought out a dagger. He pulled Leia, and pushed the dagger against her neck.Lucas stared at Renee, and sneered, "I hope you and your friend can behave. We're from the same country. We can get along, can't we?" "Ren, ignore me! Just get them! I'm sure they can't kill me in front of everyone!" Leia shouted.She was fearless and tried all means to resist, but the man was rather fierce. He pinned her wrists behind her while pushing the dagger against her neck.As Leia wasn't standing still, the blade scratched her neck and caused it to bleed.Renee could only unclench her fists, and asked Lucas coldly, "What do you want?" "Don't be scared. We mean you no harm. We like you girls because we're from the same country. We'd like to invite you to my place as guests," Lucas mouthed off insufferably as he touched his chin. His face was swollen from being punched. "Let my friend go now!" Renee ordered Lucas. She could easily handle those bastards alone, but she was too tim
"I need to congratulate you, since you'll get another person who can teach you how to be a human being aside from Draco from today onward." Renee glared at Lucas angrily, her tone icy."Who? You? Just you?" Lucas held his belly and burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! How could you? You—"The next second, Renee interrupted him and punched him. His head tilted to the side, and his teeth were knocked out and fell off. Renee grabbed his hair and demanded icily, "What about now? Where are our phones?""You… You…" Lucas' cheek was swollen. He couldn't move at all, and waved for his lackeys to act.They jumped off their motorbikes and waved their steel pipes and knives, about to attack Renee."Ren, be careful!" While resisting, Leia reminded Renee to be careful. Renee remained composed as she kept her grip on Lucas' hair. She used him as a shield as she kicked and punched the other men, defeating them with ease.She suffered no injury while attacking others as Lucas had to endur