"Does Liam act like a child?" Amber bandaged Renee's wound with a beautiful ribbon, indicating her girlish nature. She yearned to see the kind of man Renee had described."He's a mature older guy, and he's been with me for such a long time. I've never seen him act immature. Though, I'd like to see that!" She shook her head self-deprecatingly. "But I don't think I'll get the chance to see that. I heard that men would only show their childish side in front of the women they truly loved. He probably likes you so much, he behaved like a child around you.""No, you've misunderstood again," Renee said quickly.She intended to get rid of Amber's misunderstanding, but only succeeded in complicating her relationship with Liam even further. She hurriedly explained, "He just sees me as his friend! I don't feel anything for him. There's nothing indecent about us. Really, we're just close friends.""Nah, that's not true," Leia intervened. She ignored her future sister-in-law's feelings
The car ride was bumpy. At last, they arrived at Benjamin's fort. Liam quickly got out of the car and eagerly opened the door where Renee was. "Don't move. I'll carry you inside."Without hesitation, he carried Renee in his arms and instructed his subordinate, "Get Dr. Holmes. Hurry!""Liam, put me down! I can walk," Renee protested.She patted Liam's shoulders, awkward. She didn't care if she could walk or not, for she found it very inappropriate for him to carry her that way. She felt she should keep some distance from him, regardless if it was for her or Amber's sake."No, I'm sure you can't walk unless you want to give your legs up," Liam said, ignoring Renee's words. He carried her and walked straight ahead, leaving Amber and Leia behind.Speechlessness overcame Renee. Amber watched Liam's hurried figure from afar and quietly clenched her fists. She looked downcast. Although she was generous, seeing it still saddened her.Leia didn't care about Amber, and even hated the
Liam was unstable and couldn't be considered a good man. He was unsuited to be one's husband. "I know he dislikes being bound. That's what I like about him, so I never intended to control him," Amber said. She kept looking at Liam ahead of her. However, her smile grew fainter. "Liam and I have different lives. I grew up in this fort. I spent all my life here, and I rarely went out. Sometimes I found myself a pet kept by my dad. I don't have my own life."After I got to know Liam, I learned for the first time that people could lead their lives freely. At that time, Dad occasionally saved him. He was recuperating here. I sometimes helped take care of him and he would tell me stories about himself. He told me about the things he learned while traveling the world. He even told me that he liked a beautiful woman very much."I wondered what kind of woman she was to make such a carefree man like him fall for her. Then, I got to meet her. She was brave and smart. She stood against ever
"That's none of your business." Liam's gaze turned icy as he stared at Mateo's outstretched hand. He added fiercely, "Let me repeat—get out of the way!""Then, I'll repeat too—you can go in, but you can't carry her!" Mateo barked. He had no intention to withdraw his hand, and refused to yield.The two fell into a stalemate. Although they were a few feet apart, Renee could sense their intense wrath. She felt like she was roasted above a fire, like she had been when she was with the cannibals. In fact, this was even more torturous. She hurriedly moved and tried her best to jump out of Liam's arms. "It's fine. I can go into the room on my own. One of my feet is clamped, but the other is fine. I can walk."Then, she bent her clamped feet in front of them and hopped into the room."Boss!" Liam blurted out, wanting to support her. He felt very sorry for her."Stop!" Mateo grabbed Liam's arm and watched Leia and Amber, who were slowly walking over. He gnashed his teeth and hissed, "S
"What's wrong, Matt?" Amber was confused. She looked at the room where Renee was. "I want to see Ms. Everheart. She's a guest. Plus, she got hurt because she wanted to attend my wedding with Liam. I have to take care of her.""Oh, please!" Mateo felt sorry for Amber. At the same time, he was angry because of how uncompetitive she was. "Do you know how much Liam cares about her? How could you agree to let her come to your house? You're inviting your enemy. Don't you know that?""No, you're wrong." Amber shook her head. "Ms. Everheart and Liam know each other. Plus, he liked her long ago. My dad just forced him to marry me. It's normal if he doesn't like me and is still in love with Ms. Everheart. I'm the one to be blamed because I'm selfish. I know that he doesn't like me, but I manipulated my father to get together with Liam.""What are you talking about, silly girl?" Mateo clutched his chest, furious. "He was the one who suggested the marriage to Master! It proves that he wants to
Liam stood rooted to the spot, and didn't even move his head away. The teacup hit him squarely on the head, and the wound started to bleed. Despite that, he said calmly and expressionlessly, "It's your call, Mr. Jenkins. I'll support you unconditionally.""Humph! Unconditionally?" Benjamin glared at him, furious. He said icily, "Mr. Waddell wants us to help him eliminate the ruffians at Southsand. Can you do that?""If you need me to do it, I won't say no," Liam replied, his composure unruffled. No one could tell what he was feeling.Grayson Waddell looked at Liam, and nodded with satisfaction. "Ben, you've got a lot of foster sons, but I prefer Liam best. No wonder you picked him as your future son-in-law. I'm sure he won't have any problems inheriting your work.""Quit praising him. Out of everyone, I despise him the most." Benjamin glared disdainfully at Liam. "He won my heart in the past, but he's getting more rebellious lately. He gets hostile easily, as if someone's forcing
Liam wasn't surprised that the incident had reached Benjamin so quickly. "You know that woman. She's a very good friend of mine in Beach City," he said calmly."Of course I know her!" Benjamin snorted. "She was the first who could escape from me. Plus, she took away that rebel Joanne. I haven't settled this with her yet, but I didn't expect her to be bold enough to come to my territory again.""She came to attend my wedding with Gem. If you're offended, I'll make her leave right away." Liam finally looked agitated, worried Benjamin might do anything to Renee.He had experienced many outrageous things while staying at the fort, and had developed a different mindset. Before, he might have been a straightforward and bright person. He believed that the world was a wonderful place. Lately, all he saw was crimes, indifference, and cruelty. If it was possible, he wanted to see the world end. No one expected that he wished the world would be a peaceful place.He had become one with t
As Liam was dying, someone suddenly pushed open the door of the lounge. Amber rushed inside, panic-stricken."Dad! What are you doing?" Amber threw herself at Liam, who was pressed against the tea table. Crying, she begged Benjamin, "Just talk it out! Don't hurt Liam… Let him go now!"Only then did Benjamin put away his whip. He glared condescendingly at Liam. "Remember. You get to live because of Gem.""Ack… Ugh!" Liam rubbed his neck, which was almost broken, and took deep breaths. He held the edge of the tea table to support himself. "Thank you for showing me mercy and letting me live, Mr. Jenkins." "Humph! Stop thanking me. You should thank your future wife instead," Benjamin said, his tone overbearing and disdainful. On the surface, he did that to punish Liam for being rude to him. In truth, he wanted to put Liam down and make the latter recognize his identity. Then, Liam would be nice to Amber."Dad, I told you, this is between Liam and me. We'll handle it well. Don't med
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo
Both Stefan and Justin arrived at Grace Hospital quickly. However, Stefan suddenly stopped before he entered the hospital. He looked at Justin curiously."Let's go! It's urgent. Stop standing here!"Justin hurriedly ran. When he turned around, he found that Stefan had not caught up with him. Confused, he asked Stefan, "Something is puzzling me. Don't you want me to stop seeing her? Why did you let me come with you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and interrogated Justin suspiciously, "Did you lie to me? Or are you plotting something?" "That's nonsense! Don't take me as you. I'm not full of schemes like you!" Justin sounded disdainful. In comparison to Stefan, Justin was not full of schemes. He also looked down upon Stefan since the latter was always vigilant.Justin answered honestly, "Yeah, I don't want you to meet her ever, but I'm sure she wants to see you if she's in danger. Yes, I hate you—but I want her to be happy." He guessed that Renee must be in a serious state since Jov
"Uh…" After some contemplation, Elijah nodded. "I know what to do, Mr. Hunt. It looks like you can see far beyond the current situation. Just leave this to me.""Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."Stefan remained calm; he didn't feel like he had stepped over the line. He merely wanted Justin to learn about the cruelty of the world since Justin was always being protected so well. Whenever he did something wrong, he had to pay a price for it.Besides, Stefan merely did it for his aunt, who had taken the gunshot for nothing. When they reached a consensus, Justin came to meet Stefan. "Hey…" After a pause, he said with dissatisfaction and helplessness, "Would you like to go with me?"Stefan raised his brows in confusion."I mean, do you want to visit Phoenix with me?" Justin sighed. He looked naive, like a college student, as he confessed, "I found Jovan. I don't know why he's so good at countersurveillance. After exiting the emergency room, he transferred her to
"So, what do you want to do?" Stefan asked emotionlessly. He kept watching Nora, who was lying unconscious in the ward."At the very least, we have to teach the Baldwin family a lesson and make the public aware of your family's power as the head of The Great Eight of Beach City. It's not just about venting anger, but more about which side the various great families will take. It concerns the future of your family, too. We can't take it lightly!"Elijah could not hide his indignation. As Stefan's assistant, he was no longer merely an ordinary employee. He was loyal to Stefan and the Hunt family. He couldn't bear to see Stefan suffer any injustice or watch the Hunt family get humiliated. If Stefan hadn't stopped him, he would have gathered all the manpower to fight the Baldwins. Although he had fought Cadmus and Tiger, he had yet to defeat them. He tried to figure out a way to make a counterattack, his face shadowed in gloom.Stefan turned and calmly looked at Elijah. "How shoul
When Justin was willing to send them on an errand again, Cadmus was eager to express his loyalty."No, you don't have to risk your lives for me. That's bloody and horrible. All you need to do is find someone for me." After a pause, Justin added, "Jovan Hunt, Stefan's younger cousin." Cadmus clenched his fists and said fiercely, "It's another Hunt! Old Master Baldwin is right. The Hunt family is full of bad people. If we knew, we shouldn't have dismantled the bombs in Hunt Enterprise. The Hunt family has strengthened their security system now. It's hard to set up bombs there if we want to." Justin felt a headache when he heard Cadmus babbling. He rubbed his temples, and said tiredly, "Stop. We don't have to blow up Hunt Enterprise. I just want to find him. Do you get me? Find him. That's enough!"He stressed his intention of locating Jovan as if he were giving a simple and clear order to robots. Most of the time, Cadmus and Tiger were like AI. Real robots were probably more obedie