Renee felt guilty; she knew it must be boring for Leia to take care of her.That, and she wanted to roughly familiarize herself with the fort. If she fell out with Benjamin, she could prepare beforehand and come up with possible countermeasures. As Renee and Leia exited the room, they realized how large the fort was. Most of the houses there were cottages, simple and primitive. It was an independent tribe removed from the civilized modern world. Renee noticed professional bodyguards doing their rounds in the fort every few distances. They resembled armed soldiers, with rifles and knives on them, serving Benjamin the tyrant. The rumors about The Triangle were real. Government superiors couldn't meddle in the fort's affairs. Those who held the real power were people like Benjamin, who was a local tyrant with a personal militia. Based on the current situation, it would be a piece of cake for Benjamin to kill the three of them if he so wished. No wonder Liam underwent such a vas
"Little boy, where are you taking me to?" Leia wasn't on guard with the child; she took his hand without hesitation and walked forward."Lei, don't go!" Renee cautioned. She looked around carefully, worried, and remained standing at the same spot."It's fine, Ren. He's just a child. I'm sure he finds us interesting since we're new here. He wants to take us to some fun place. I'll be right back after I check it out," Leia said casually. At that, Renee could only stand where she was and wait. That pregnant woman and the children around her kept staring at her strangely. At the same time, they also kept gesticulating and grinning, making her uneasy. After a while, Renee heard Leia's excited voice. "Ren, come here! There's something nice!"Renee, uneasy staying where she was and being stared at by the others, felt that it might be better if she checked out what Leia was doing. At the very least, it would alleviate her worries. She followed the sound and walked over. Leia wasn't
Leia grinned, optimistic.Finally, she got the yellow durian and screamed at Renee excitedly. "Ren, I got it! Get away, it might fall on you." "Uh, what are you doing?" Renee asked."I'm throwing it down, duh! I can't keep carrying it since there are so many thorns on it!""Didn't you just pick it? That's not very nice, right?" "What's wrong? We'll pay them later. This orchard should belong to the Jenkinses. I'll make my brother pay for it. Given his status among the Jenkinses, I think it's fine for us to take the durian.""Okay, be careful," Renee said, finding found Leia's words reasonable. Leia was the playful sort who wouldn't stop even if she couldn't get the durian. Renee stepped aside to let her enjoy her fun.The durian dropped from a height of more than sixty feet. Luckily, it just cracked a little when it fell on the ground and didn't get ruined. "Okay, you got the durian. Can you get down now?" Renee said, trying to coax Leia to get down from the tree the way sh
"No!" Renee's heart skipped a beat. She pounced on the boy without hesitation. The laws at The Triangle were imperfect, with various forces trying to grab power from each other. Many places were full of soldiers and armed civilians. Child soldiers were common as well. The gun in the boy's hand was most probably authentic. When Renee saw him aim the gun at Leia, who was on the top of the tree, she couldn't take the risk. The boy suddenly started crying.Renee exerted herself when she pounced on the boy, pushing him to the ground roughly. Coincidentally, there was a rock there. It injured the boy's forehead, which started bleeding. "What are you doing?! Why did you take out a gun? Do you know what'll happen if you fired that?" Renee rebuked him solemnly, ignoring his bleeding forehead. She snatched his gun."Thieves! Robbers! I'm going to shoot and kill you!" the boy cried profusely. His voice seemed to echo in the whole fort as he kicked Renee and tried to beat her up. He wa
"Thanks, I can finally get down. You're pretty reasonable. I guess you guys aren't savages after all!" Leia said as she got down. The moment she reached the ground, she had yet to say anything to Renee when Mateo immediately instructed, "Get them!"The next second, the guards raised their guns and aimed them at Renee and Leia. Both were confused."How dare you harm Luneth's child! Master won't let you off the hook!" Mateo snarled icily, acting as if he didn't know Renee and Leia.Anyway, he had no relation with them. He only had a grudge against them.Renee had assumed Mateo would have some respect for them, but she had underestimated human nature. "What's going on? Why did you tie us up?" Leia demanded. Under such circumstances, Renee and Leia couldn't resist and were easily tied up."It's fine. I guess he wants to keep us as hostages. He won't do anything to us," Renee said calmly, trying to pacify Leia. Mateo waved, then shouted cruelly, "Take them away!" Renee and L
Mateo brought Leia and Renee to a cell and locked them there."Just you wait! This isn't over. I'll get justice for Luneth, but I need to ask Master how you two should be punished," he threatened.However, he was slightly more polite before he left. "You'll be staying here for a while, but don't worry. I won't starve you. Just tell the guards if you need anything." Leia rolled her eyes. "Oh, so I need to thank you, don't I?""I'm sorry to have upset you." Mateo didn't say much. He nodded and left the cell.That cell looked better than an ordinary cell—it came with a bed, table, chair, stool, and small bathroom. It resembled a small hotel room. "What should we do, Ren? Should we figure out how to run away?" Leia sounded anxious. She looked around and tried to find a shovel to dig a hole in the ground. "I don't know, either. Just wait. Treat this as a trip. Anyway, I'll sleep first," Renee said indifferently, looking calm. She lay sideways on the bed. Leia walked to the bed
"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
"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
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