"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?"
The atmosphere instantly became tense and solemn."Forget it. I'll stop discussing this. After all, I've stopped getting in touch with him. We're like strangers now. His business doesn't concern me." Renee flexed her fingers, pretending to be casual."I hope you mean what you said. You regard him as a stranger now." Leia sighed helplessly. She knew Renee well. Renee didn't speak her mind—if she had truly let Stefan go, she wouldn't have been so concerned when Liam casually brought Stefan up. It was hard for Renee and Stefan to reconcile now, given the current situation. Hence, Leia decided to speak harshly about Stefan to help Renee to forget about him sooner. Liam, still shocked, found it a pity. He wasn't very sensible and kept asking questions. "Wait. So, Stefan cheated on Renee and got back together with Briar?" "Hey, stop saying that out loud. You're so insensitive!" Leia glared at Liam. She couldn't understand why he wasn't as attentive and sensible as he used to be."It
Leia crossed her arms, thinking that Liam and Renee had gotten crazy. They kept siding with a scumbag who cheated on Renee! "Don't kissing and hugging mean he's cheated on Renee? Plus, they got tangled up with each other before. He insisted on divorcing Renee because of Briar back then. Isn't it normal for them to get back together? Maybe he can control his desires but can't stop himself from going back to his ex-girlfriend."Yes, some men had a high morality. They wouldn't engage in ambiguous relationships with women so easily. Even then, they were always loyal. They couldn't forget about the women they once fell madly in love with. Stefan probably confirmed that he wanted Briar. Even if Briar's face was ruined, he could still be with her. "There's no love between him and Briar. Of course they can't get back together with each other." Liam hit the nail on the head, pointing out the mistake in Leia's logic. "Remember. Briar was the woman of Stefan's brother. Stefan divorced Rene
"No, there's nothing fishy. You can't forget about him. You're just lying to yourself!" Leia said. She had hit the nail on the head, pointing out Renee's exact issue.However, Liam didn't elaborate on that topic. He looked at Renee, feeling rather sorry for her. "You guys went through a lot just to visit me. Get some good rest. If Amber's marrying Mateo, I'm afraid I have a tough battle to fight." Liam knew Benjamin well. He had been an ordinary man who worked hard to gain his current power and status. Aside from his wisdom and his luck, he was vicious. The moment he thought that Amber had let Liam go, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Liam to prevent any trouble. Liam didn't mind if he survived it or not. However, he would never easily admit defeat if it might burden Renee and Leia."Is he that scary?" Leia asked.She was a naive simpleton from the upper elite circle, ignorant of life's hardships, with romance being the only exception. She couldn't imagine how terrible people could
"What is it, Mommy? You look so serious!" Adie touched his chin and looked at Renee seriously. He tried to make a guess. "I'm sure it's not something good because you don't look fine.""No, it's not something bad, but it might be a little change for you guys. I don't know if my idea is right or wrong." Renee frowned and hesitated. For a moment, she could not bring herself to tell them about it. "Just tell us, Mommy. Let's discuss it together. Then, we'll know if it's right or wrong." Abby blinked and sounded serious, too. Although Abby was not as smart as Adie, she was good at perceiving emotions. She could tell that Renee was unhappy. Moreover, she knew that the decision must be heartbreaking for Renee. It would be best if she and Adie could share the burden for Renee at that moment. "What a good girl you are, Abby!" Renee turned teary. She held Abby's chubby face and kissed the latter dotingly. "You're always my dear baby. And you, Adie…"Similarly, she rubbed Adie's ha
Austin left the tea room after saying that, leaving Renee there alone. She was both free and confined. She was free because no one was controlling her. She could leave at any time. However, she was also confined because the Baldwin family had controlled everyone except her. Austin would probably kill everyone if Renee did anything wrong. It would be more heartbreaking than killing her. She took a deep breath and stopped dwelling on it. She could only act accordingly. She went to The West Chamber, where she had once stayed, to see her children and others.The chamber came with a nice environment. Since it was spring, the plants were growing well in the warm weather. It was quite comfortable. Renee could hear her children talking loudly from afar."Abby, you have to stay here! I need to go away for a bit for something.""Adie, what are you trying to do? I want to go with you no matter where you go!""I'm going to run away to look for Mommy. If you go with me, I have to take
Renee could do nothing else but watch Sabre take Jovan away. "Don't worry. They can't do anything to me. I won't be worried since I'll be staying here. And I'll wait for your good news."Renee flexed her fingers and suddenly regretted everything. She knew Austin would not easily forgive them when Jovan insisted on going to the Baldwin residence with her. But at that moment, she was worried about Justin since he might be in grave danger. She could not accept it either because Jovan was too weak to soldier through any torture. She had no idea what to do if he failed to soldier through. She might never forgive herself."Grandpa Baldwin…" Renee took a deep breath and did not give up trying to beg Austin's mercy."You don't have to say too much," Austin sneered. "You'd better worry about yourself or your family. Did you forget that your brother and kids are still in my hands? Can you worry about too many people?" "Don't hurt them!" Renee almost lost her mind when she heard that.
"Mr. Hunt, please leave." Sabre kept a long face, his tone calm."I just came, but you made me leave. That's inappropriate!" Jovan looked at Sabre and refused to budge. He did not want to stay, but found Austin acting weird. He wondered if Austin wanted to use a more cruel means to torture Renee after driving him away. If he left, he would have escaped, but he could not imagine what Renee might face. Naturally, he refused to leave. "What else do you want?" Austin looked solemn and dangerous. He coldly added, "If you think you need to be punished, I'll grant your wish." He looked at Sabre, who quickly put Jovan under control."No, you got me wrong…!" Jovan did not expect Austin to turn hostile. He wanted to struggle free, but Sabre was one of Austin's rare confidantes and could fight well. He easily stopped Jovan from moving. Anxiety gripped Renee when she saw that. She immediately begged for Austin's mercy. "Grandpa Baldwin! Jovan is a crazy and childish man, like you
Renee's heart was well guarded. No one else could win her over except Stefan. Justin had tried hard and was once hopeful. But in the end, it was still futile. He ended up with endless humiliation. Hence, he learned from Renee and was on guard against others. He merely did not want to get hurt or feel disappointed."That's it. You can be the bold hero yourself."Justin swung off Jovan's hand and left."Damn! He's quite heartless too, just like Stefan!" Jovan was angry for no reason. He found it a pity since Justin had given Renee up, just like what Stefan had done. Those men claimed to love her but did not choose her firmly, and left at the most critical moment. After Justin was gone, the atmosphere in the room became more dangerous and stressful.Austin coldly stared at Renee and asked contemptuously, "My grandson is gone. Can you stop pretending?"It was hard to imagine such a scene. Austin once doted on Renee as if she were his granddaughter. But now, he regarded her as
"Oh, you're quite serious about it." Austin faked a smile, then addressed a subordinate standing beside him. "Since you insisted, I'll grant your wish." In a while, his subordinate came with a tray with dozens of needles in various shapes. Most of the needles were used for treatment. The needle would cause quite a lot of pain with only a slight jab. "Okay, let's stop joking. We're considered famous people. Stop using such a childish trick! It's embarrassing…" Jovan realized how serious the situation was. While teasing, he rebuked Austin's subordinate so the latter would remove the needles. However, the subordinate did not heed Jovan. He did not take Jovan seriously at all. Austin's subordinate politely extended his hand and coldly urged Renee, "Please go ahead, Ms. Everheart." "Okay." Renee flexed her fingers and took a deep breath. She swallowed and adjusted her mouth, ready herself to take a needle."Hey, moron! Are you going to sit there and watch?" Helpless, Jovan tried
Jovan cleared his throat and assumed his usual casual demeanor. "I lost my mind on the day of the engagement ceremony. I knocked Renee out and took her away. This incident has nothing to do with her. You guys can blame me. I should be the one to hang myself, too.""Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. "Don't take the blame for me. I won't thank you, either."Jovan turned and started arguing with Renee. "No, I'm not taking the blame for you. I was just telling the truth. I did knock you out and take you away that day. You didn't leave on your own!"He felt guilty toward Renee, especially when he saw her lying in bed and using an iron wire to cut her wrist so she could run away. It was a great shock to him.He realized he had nearly ruined her, body and soul. At that moment, he no longer wanted to compete for her. He felt that he might as well let her go and grant her wish. He just wanted her to be safe and happy, regardless of who she chose to be with.His greatest wish was to see her
Both Renee and Jovan finally arrived at the Baldwin residence under Sabre's escort.Austin was waiting in the tea room since he knew Renee was coming."I'm sorry, Grandpa Baldwin. I'm here to apologize to you." Sabre pushed them into the room.After entering the room, Renee realized that Justin was there too, sitting on Austin's left and pouring tea for Austin. Justin was no longer enthusiastic and close to Renee. Instead, he kept his head low and was busy. He did not even look at her, as if they did not know each other. "You want to apologize to me?" Austin sneered. He raised a cup of tea and sipped it. "Stop flattering me. Plus… You shouldn't be apologizing to me."Justin stopped what he was doing, but he was still unresponsive. He stared absent-mindedly ahead as if he were away from reality. He seemed like a different man. Renee had never seen this side of him, which filled her with sadness and guilt. She blamed herself for turning a carefree and bright youth into a gloo
"Cut the crap!" Sabre was a man who had undergone a lot of things and problems all year round. He abruptly gripped Jovan's chin and said coldly, "You can't keep your head for long. You'd better not waste your energy, and you should watch your tongue.""Well, there's something I should say." Jovan didn't resist as he grabbed the chance to touch Sabre's face. "What's your name, dude? Why are you doing this job at such a young age? How much did Austin pay you every month? I'll give you ten times your salary. Just betray him and work for me.""I'm going to kill you!" Sabre was always a serious man, and got furious because of Jovan's words. He was about to slap Jovan before Renee immediately stopped him."Don't do this, Sabre. Let's talk it out. He's the vice president of Hunt Enterprise, but you wanted to slap him. We should keep peace. Plus, he generally never watches his tongue, and he scolds his family more fiercely. Don't take him seriously." Renee tried her best to calm Sabre dow