"I've decided to cancel my marriage with Liam and be his friend instead," Amber announced calmly, smiling. A heavy silence followed her statement."Uh, did you just cancel the marriage just like that?" Renee asked.She had no idea what else to say, feeling awkward. After all, this concerned Liam and Amber's relationship. They should be the ones deciding on their marriage. Renee didn't know what to do about the current situation. She wasn't sure whether she should tell them to be together or break them apart. Her identity was special and her relationship with Liam seemed ambiguous. It wasn't suitable for her to give them any advice.On the contrary, Leia was momentarily startled. After that, she started clapping. "Great! I've wanted to discuss this with you before. It's wonderful that you're canceling the marriage. Liam's more suited to live in a normal world. This place is far too barbaric. It's a disaster for a rich heir like him who has always led a wealthy life. I hope you
Amber sounded relaxed and casual. She didn't find anything meddlesome at all.As Benjamin's only daughter, it all came down to her whether she wanted the wedding or not. She didn't have to bear the consequences or risks, either.Previously, she hoped she could have a future with Liam. After getting in touch with Liam's family and friends, she learned about his world and saw the difference between them. It couldn't be overcome by having a casual wedding. She might as well eliminate the possibility of feeling regret entirely instead of feeling regret after the wedding."Did Mr. Jenkins oppose it?" Liam kept asking Amber. Previously, he wanted to leave but Benjamin refused to let him go. If he did, Benjamin would tear him a new one. Liam didn't expect the stubborn Benjamin would yield. He feared there might be a bigger trap waiting for him."Dad didn't agree at first, but Matt and I kept persuading him. Plus, we suggested a better resolution. He might be moved and stopped forcing
Flabbergasted, Liam's face fell. He became quite angry. "Nonsense! I disagree!""Huh?" Dumbfounded, Amber did not expect to see Liam show such a strong reaction. She asked softly, "Why don't you agree? Isn't it a win-win solution?" "What? No, it isn't! It's nonsense!" Liam calmed his rapid breathing. He earnestly tried to advise Amber, acting like he was her senior. "You said marriage isn't a joke. We can't get married to people we don't love, or we'll be miserable. I agree with that. I know you're mature now. But then, you said you're going to marry Mateo. Isn't that nonsense? You don't like him. Why do you want to marry him?""I don't like Matt, but he likes me. I think I'll be very happy to marry a man who loves me. But if I marry the man I love, I'll be unhappy," Amber explained seriously, her tone calm."I agree!" Leia eagerly snapped her fingers and hurriedly supported Amber. "We women are simple. We'll gradually fall in love with the men who are sincere and kind to us. But
"Matt and I have discussed. We agreed to give it a try so we could help Liam leave safely, resolve this mess, and satisfy Dad and everyone. Maybe it'll work, and we'll be in love with each other. Isn't that a happy ending?" Amber said.She was bright and enthusiastic. Finally, she looked up and saw other people other than Liam.The moment she met Liam, she seemed to have been bewitched and could no longer see other men. She was full of love, regardless if Liam was good or bad. She felt that as long as she could be with him, she could tolerate everything. Though Benjamin had long planned to let her marry Mateo, she had been firmly against it. She even threatened to kill herself. "You don't know, but Dad raised Matt as my prospective husband. Then, Liam came out of nowhere. I could think of nothing but marrying him. I told Dad that I would kill myself if he didn't let me marry Liam. It scared him and made him adjust his plan. He regarded Liam as his son-in-law and kept Liam as the
Only Renee, Liam, and Leia were left in the room.Amber was like a breeze, gently touching their faces and raising some feelings in them before leaving calmly. Liam stood where he was, silent. His poker face made it hard for others to guess his feelings."Wow, Amber's great! I was wrong about her. It wouldn't be a bad thing if she's my sister-in-law, either," Leia said. She watched the direction Amber had gone while perched on the sofa, her mind full of thoughts.At first, she went to the fort full of hostility. She assumed that those rude people had used cunning means to trap Liam there. She even imagined many ways to successfully rescue Liam out of there.After Amber's reassurance, Leia felt a strange loss."Yes, Amber is great. When I came here alone and finally met Joanne, I wanted to take her away, but Benjamin wanted her dead. Amber threatened to kill herself, which gave me a chance to leave. Now that I'm talking about it, Joanne and I… We owe Amber a huge favor!" Renee
"No, I'm not!" Liam finally looked sober. He shook his head as if he had come to his senses. Standing, he said, "I'm not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Benjamin did so many crazy things to me! If I fell in love with his daughter, I'd look down on myself. At most, I lost something to help me control Benjamin."Agitation filled Leia. She grabbed Liam and asked, "What do you mean? What did that old guy do to you? He must have done a lot of bad things! If not, you wouldn't have changed so much. You look desperate and dispirited. You weren't like this in the past!"In the past, Liam always bickered with Leia and drove her mad. But in short, he was a bright and optimistic man. He would make others happy the moment they met him. He was full of positivity unlike what he looked at that moment. He was like a man who had spent his time in darkness—his eyes were dull, and he seemed like one with a twisted mind."I don't want a gloomy brother. I want a bright brother. I want you to be as
Silence overcame everyone. After a long while, Renee lowered her gaze. "So, it was Stefan, right?" She either seemed to be asking Liam or muttering to herself.She should know. Stefan must have meddled in it since she could escape smoothly. If not, she wouldn't coincidentally run into him at such a remote place. However, a weird feeling gripped her upon learning that she had owed him a favor after such a long time."Stefan is no doubt useful even though he's unreliable. Plus, I think he cares about you. He must have sacrificed a big interest to help you escape," Liam said melancholically. In the past, Liam looked down on Stefan and felt that the latter was cruel and cared only about his interests. Renee would suffer by dating him. She should have avoided such a selfish man, or she would have been betrayed sooner or later. However, it was beyond Liam's expectation that such a selfish man would allow himself to fall under Benjamin's mercy. Liam knew Benjamin well—Benjamin woul
Stefan might be lacking in other aspects, but he was strong. It was acceptable to make him Renee's supporter who could ease her mind."Forget it. Stop bringing him up!" Leia said.She never anticipated Liam to take Stefan's side one day. Liam had always hated Stefan deeply, so this was preposterous and bizarre. Leia wondered if he had lost his soul after staying at the fort for such a long time."Ren has long fallen out with Stefan. They no longer mind each other's business and are unrelated. Stop putting them together. It disgusts me," she went on.She was one of the few who was aware of the relationship between Renee and Stefan. She also knew how deep their conflict was. Naturally, she looked down on Stefan and hated him deeply. Women could accept their men to be poor, ugly, or cruel—but they found it unacceptable when their men had a change of heart. Once the men changed their minds, all love was nothing but trash. "What happened? Weren't you guys doing fine the other day?"
It would cost around 150 fifteen dollars or less. Renee found it hard to spend so much of Jovan's money.Jovan stood behind Renee and acted like her wallet. He pocketed his hands and said straightforwardly, "Just show it to us.""Sure!" The saleslady's eyes lit up. She said something to the walkie-talkie, then asked them to wait. The headquarters were trying their best to deliver the item quickly. "May I know how much the new item costs?" Renee asked the saleslady tentatively."It depends on the individual prices of the jewelry and antiques. Its starting price is around 450 thousand dollars," the saleslady explained calmly.It was not a small figure for jewelry or an antique. If they were combined, the item would be more expensive. But people who came to the jewelry shop were powerful and rich figures. Hence, it was not an expensive price either."450 thousand dollars?!" Renee pursed her lips and tilted her head to look at Jovan. "I'll make an excuse to go to the washroom late
The car drove through the city center in a high-profile manner and reached BC Airport. Jovan had bought an afternoon flight, so they had to wait for five hours. Of course, he had done it purposely because he wanted to spend more time with Renee.After parking the car, Jovan hypocritically glanced at his watch and asked in a dilemma. "There are five hours left before our flight. Do you want to go shopping?""I'm not in the mood." Renee leaned against the shotgun seat and sounded weak. After all, she had just escaped death. Yes, she had recovered, but her body had undergone a lot of hardships. She became rather weak. She was not interested in everything and was naturally in no mood to go shopping. "If you're not in the mood, let's get you into the mood. Let's go!" Jovan opened his car door and went to the other side to open the door of the shotgun seat. He dragged Renee out of the car. Helpless, Renee got out of the car with him reluctantly. After checking in on the flight, Jov
Elijah sounded urgent and serious. "Mr. Hunt, something's wrong!"Meanwhile, Renee exited the hospital. There was a luxurious convertible at the entrance which attracted a lot of people's attention. Jovan, who kept a high profile, was sitting in the sports car.He was wearing an ostentatious black floral shirt. However, his ostentatious appearance coupled with his casual aura made him look more charming like a model from an advertisement. Renee covered her face and stealthily got into the car. "Can you stop keeping a high profile? You're very eye-catching. It's dangerous!"Jovan kept waving, shouting, and whistling at her just now. It filled her with deep embarrassment. "Well, we're all experiencing the world. If I don't keep a high profile, people won't remember me. I don't care what they think about me as long as I have a great time!"After Jovan confirmed that Renee had sat properly, he pressed hard on the gas pedal and started driving. Although Renee found that unaccept
"Are you trying to sound me out?" Renee smirked, squinting her eyes at Stefan. Although he claimed that he wanted to end things with her and kept some distance from her, his actions betrayed him. These days, he kept staying close to her. Besides, he kept acting when it was time for her to leave the hospital. He purposely dawdled while helping her pack her things. Besides, he even asked about her relationship with Justin. It showed that he was reluctant to part with her. She was baffled. She wondered why he was that aloof if he could not part with her."No, I'm not." Stefan smiled and did not hide anything. He openly admitted, "I care about you.""You finally…" Renee's eyes brightened as she looked at him eagerly. She wondered if he had come to his senses and wanted to tell her the truth. He was willing to face the difficulty with her.However, he sounded even calmer. "After all, you're Adie and Abby's mother. Grandpa is always concerned about you. I want you to be happy and sa
The Lotso bear was a villain in the movie, but it was a pitiful villain because it was abandoned by its owner. It used various means and encountered a lot of hardships to return to Daisy, its owner. In the end, it found that its owner had long gained new toys.After getting hurt, it no longer wanted to be kind. It was used to act cunningly as a form of disguise. But honestly, it was a dear baby who needed love. Of course, it was not a villain at all. Renee liked it because she saw herself as well as others in it. Everyone was gloomy in some way. People got hurt and slowly became gloomy. Instead of criticizing such a thing, Renee felt more compassion and sorry for such a situation. "But you still don't want it and want to throw it away." Stefan was gripped with complicated feelings after listening to Renee's explanation. He sounded sad."Yes, I like it. But I still want to throw it away. It's better to stop in time." Renee laughed and stopped shaking her legs. She was her usual
A week later, Renee recovered because she listened to the doctor and underwent treatment. She could be discharged from the hospital.In the meantime, Stefan stayed outside the ward and did not enter the ward.On the contrary, Jovan kept entering the ward from time to time. Renee would either scold or drive him away. Stefan entered the ward on the day Renee was leaving the hospital. He quietly helped Renee pack up her things. Generally, a caretaker could do that. However, Stefan acted like he wanted to repent and felt better when he took it upon himself. "Do you still need this?" Stefan pointed at a Lotso bear toy at the head of the bed and asked Renee calmly.During the one-week hospitalization, Renee got bored. Stefan would give her some blind boxes as entertainment. Renee found Rubik's cubes, stickers, and keychains when she opened the boxes. She would always throw them away because she was not interested in them. When she unpacked a rather large Lotso bear toy, she became
Jovan had kidnapped Renee, but he risked his life for her though he appeared like a cunning and selfish man. Renee felt that she did not deserve his love. She had wronged both Jovan and Justin, but she could not love them back. On the other hand, the one she wanted to love kept pushing her away cruelly…She slapped herself fiercely. Her action frightened the nurse. "Ms. Everheart, we can talk things out! Why did you hurt yourself? You can't…" "Don't worry. I'll get better and won't harm myself again." Renee was teary and laughed at herself. "I slapped myself because I recalled the things I'd done. I was very stupid, and I wanted to knock some sense into myself." "Okay, I'm glad to hear that." The nurse heaved a sigh of relief, but she was afraid to see Renee keep acting crazily. After she was done bandaging Renee's wound, she left hurriedly.When Stefan saw the nurse exit the ward, he walked in nervously and inquired about Renee. "How she's doing?" "She's already feeling be
Having said that, Justin turned to leave. He knew that if he stayed, he would only look more of a fool. "Tsk! What a pity!" Jovan watched him leave, shrugging and sighing. "He's sincere and loyal. Too bad he pales in comparison to the scumbag!""Get out!" Renee was overcome with sadness and pushed Jovan away fiercely. "Get out! I don't want to see anyone!" Knowing that she had harmed Justin again, she was filled with guilt. She just wanted to be left alone."Rest well. I'll be with you until you're recovered and discharged from the hospital," Stefan said calmly before exiting the ward.In a while, a nurse came to tend to the bandages that Renee had removed. She advised Renee, "Ms. Everheart, you have to be careful. You're weak now. You can't get angry, or it might be life-threatening.""I don't care. My life is so messy, I'd rather die."Thinking of the recent events and the men around her, a severe headache hit her. She wanted to keep being unconscious."Please don't say tha
"Do you still want to marry me?" Justin asked Renee."I…" Renee could talk nonsense with Jovan, but she couldn't joke with Justin. She had harmed him many times and couldn't keep hurting him. Honestly, she didn't want to marry him or anyone else. She did not want to rely on anyone. She knew she could rely on a man and lead a steady life if there was love. But without love, it would be very hard to rely on a man.However, she knew that Justin liked her and wanted to marry her. If she promised to marry him, the impulsive Jovan would get the staff of the City Hall here. If she turned Justin down at that time, she would harm him again."Fine. You don't have to feel stressed. I know the answer." Justin was no fool. Renee's hesitation told him what she wanted. "When I begged you to marry me, you forced yourself to say yes. You just wanted to repay me for saving your life.""No, you're wrong!" Seeing Justin hurt pained her more than when she was hurt. She hurriedly explained, "I reall