The man's eyes were fierce as he snarled, "Everyone will die with me. I don't care about the consequences!" "I know you don't care about the consequences, but what about your wife and daughter? Did you ever consider what might happen to them?" Renee asked him calmly. "Didn't you hear me?! They're dead, so I want all of you to die with them!" The man shouted at her. "Heh! You're too naive. Death is not the end..." Renee shook her head, smiling as she approached him slowly. Everyone there was shocked to see her approach him. The man's body was covered with bombs, so going closer would only mean courting death! Stefan clenched his fists so tightly they turned white. He desperately wanted to carry the fearless Renee away but feared agitating the madman in front of them. His handsome face turned frighteningly cold. However, Renee appeared very relaxed as she slowly approached the man, talking to him as if they had been friends for many years. "People go to hell after they pass a
However, Renee was much faster. She lifted her hand and forcefully hit the man's chest. The man doubled over in pain and stumbled back, and Renee managed to free herself.Everyone couldn't believe what they'd just seen."How dare you? This is your fault, girl! Now, you'll all die!" The man screamed and yanked the bomb's safety string.Everybody screamed in fear. "Watch out!" Renee was pulled aside, and was soon buried in a warm chest. Confused, she looked up and found herself in Stefan's strong arms. It was strangely comforting, like an impenetrable wall against the dangers outside. It felt like they were in an apocalypse drama… The two of them had never been so close to each other before!However, the explosion they expected never happened.A white puff of smoke appeared, signaling that the bomb had failed to explode."W-What's going on? Why didn't it explode?" The man looked at the bomb strapped to his waist in confusion. The people around him looked at each other, equally pe
The woman was none other than Jane's biological mother, Sandra. "Jane, are you alright? I think your neck is bleeding! Does it hurt? I'll take you to the hospital right away!"Sandra picked Jane up and looked her over anxiously, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had been reading a dossier when she saw the live broadcast on TV and was shocked when she realized that her precious daughter had been kidnapped. She immediately dropped whatever she was doing and drove as fast as she could to get to the mall.Fortunately, her daughter had only suffered some minor external injuries, thanks to Renee's selfless act.Initially, Sandra couldn't even be bothered to spare Renee a glance, but now, she felt nothing but gratitude toward her. "Thank you so much. I can't imagine what would've happened if it weren't for you. You saved Jane's life, and that makes you my savior too. I owe you my life!"Renee waved her off awkwardly. "It's nothing. I would've done the same for anyone. But if it gains y
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the mall became peaceful again.Renee looked at Jane's neck worriedly. "Although the wound isn't deep, it still needs to be looked at. I'll take you to the hospital."Renee looked around for Stefan, but he was nowhere to be found. She felt very upset. The man was so selfish and heartless! They had barely survived a dangerous situation, but he had just upped and left!Renee brought Jane to the shopping mall's entrance to hail a taxi. Immediately, Stefan's silver car slowly moved toward them and stopped in front of them.Renee's tense expression relaxed slightly. Looks like he still had a shred of humanity in him! She opened the door to the backseat and got in after Jane.Stefan sat in the driver's seat, wearing sunglasses. "Jane can stay. You, get out," he said to Renee coldly."Huh?!" Renee was in shock. Was the man serious?"The weather is scorching hot, and I narrowly escaped death earlier. How could you ask me to get out? Are you trying to
Soon, they arrived at a nearby hospital.After the doctor tended to Jane's wound, he turned to face Stefan and Renee. "The wound is just on the surface, so it's nothing serious. She just has to make sure the wound doesn't get wet, and she'll have to apply ointment on it once in the morning and once at night.""That's good to know." Renee finally felt relaxed. She held Jane's hand and told her regretfully, "Jane, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for not looking after you well enough. Can you ever forgive me?"Jane blinked at her and patted Renee's head like Renee was the child. "Ren, don't be silly. You're so cute and brave. You saved all of us, so of course I'll forgive you!"Jane then turned to look at Stefan. "Stef, don't you think Ren is extremely cute and brave?"Stefan harrumphed and muttered darkly, "I don't know about that, but I do know that there's something very wrong with her brain."He still hadn't fully recovered from the fear he experienced at the shopping mall. If that
Yes, that had to be it!-The next day, at Hunts & Co., Zack rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Renee had actually managed to handle Sandra, the most difficult lawyer in the firm, within three days.Not only did Sandra not cancel her contract, she'd also begun accepting cases for the law firm."Boss, you're amazing!" Zack slipped into Renee's office and gave her a thumbs-up.Renee, however, was focused on the document in her hand. She didn't even look up as she said, "Mr. Rosenwell, do you have too much free time on your hands? If you don't have any cases to work on, I can assign some to you.""No, thanks." Zack waved his hands quickly. He walked around Renee with a look of admiration in his eyes. "Boss, everyone saw how you defused the bomb...You're amazing! Who taught you that? Do you have a secret identity? Or do you work for the special forces maybe?"Renee rolled her eyes at Zack. "My grandfather was Maurice Everheart, a famous general back then. I learned how to defuse a bomb w
"Let's do it!" After listening to Sandra's plan, Renee's eyes glowed with excitement. "Ms. Lee, I've got to hand it to you… You actually found a solution for such a tricky case. I knew I needed you to join my firm! With the three of you around, I can do whatever I want. The entire Beach City… No, the entire world is mine!" Renee declared gleefully.Zack laughed. "Boss, you're exaggerating. You might not be able to get the entire Beach City, but I think you can acquire thirty to forty percent of it."Clearly, Renee wasn't satisfied with that amount. She frowned. "Why only thirty or forty percent? What about the rest?""What do you think?" Zack brought Renee crashing back to reality. "Naturally, the remaining sixty to seventy percent belongs to your ex-husband, aka our ex-boss, Stefan Hunt."The Hunt family was one of the Great Eight of Beach City, and the other seven families were also not to be underestimated. The Everheart family wanted to return to its peak position, but the chal
Christopher's question instantly killed the mood.Xavier couldn't resist letting out a sigh. "I admire you two for even wanting to talk about whether you love someone. I've never faced this kind of issue. I don't love women enough to give up my freedom. However, if I lose that damn case, I'll have no freedom to speak of!"After saying that, he downed his glass and clapped his hands. "Alright, enough. We need to stop moping around. Why don't we play something fun?""Like what?" Christopher perked up."Let's play a drinking game. Whoever loses will have to accept whatever punishment we impose. What do you think?""Boring," Stefan said indifferently. Clearly, he wasn't interested. However, something suddenly occurred to him. "How about Fingers?" Stefan asked."Sure. I can handle any drinking game." Xavier shrugged."In that case, let's do that." Stefan suddenly seemed eager to play. Truthfully, he couldn't accept that he had lost to Renee the last time they played. He wanted to
"How could you!" For a moment, Timothy was rendered speechless. After all, his anxiety was useless since Stefan was calm. "Forget it. I'm not eating. It's annoying! I'm going upstairs." Timothy did not want to argue with Stefan since Stefan was already an adult. He could not force Stefan to do anything. Instead, he chose to get away from such annoyance to not ruin the harmony of the New Year. After he got up and left, Francine braced herself to mediate the situation."Your grandpa isn't very healthy. He should rest early. Let's eat. We should enjoy our meal happily no matter how unhappy things are." Alexander soon gave his cooperation as well when he heard that. He put some food on Stefan's plate and smiled. "Yes, we can't force things in life. Let's enjoy our meal first." "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry you guys are worried about me. Happy New Year."Stefan quietly ate and raised his wine glass, toasting to his parents. He looked normal and calm, and was warmer toward them.However,
Coldness rapidly engulfed everyone. "It's said that Ms. Renee Everheart and Mr. Justin Baldwin have been best friends for many years and ended up as soulmates. They're going to hold a grand engagement ceremony three days later. They've also announced that the Baldwin family has finally made peace with the Everheart family. Many distinguished guests will attend the ceremony. It's still unknown if this event will bring any new changes to North City and Beach City. Let's wait and see!"The host was reporting the affair excitedly on the TV as if he was an eager onlooker."Tsk! What TV station is this? How lousy! I'm going to acquire it!" Francine criticized it before she told the servant to turn the TV off. She also looked at Stefan and Timothy carefully from time to time. She wondered what was on their mind since nobody spoke up.After the TV was turned off, a strange feeling overcame everyone."Let's enjoy our reunion dinner. Don't be angry." Alexander urged everyone to start eat
After a pause, a long sigh escaped Timothy. "Well, children are lacking."Both Alexander and Francine kept quiet. They knew he was going to start talking about that again.Timothy would always talk about the same thing whenever they sat down for a meal. He would make Stefan ask Renee to remarry him, and then demand he get his children home. The harmonious atmosphere would become particularly gloomy and tense every time Timothy brought that up. They knew the thing he yearned for was a prohibited topic for Stefan.It seemed Stefan had made up his mind to never have anything to do with Renee. His face would sink every time they talked about him making peace with Renee, remarrying her, or the children. He would put the fork down and leave. However, Timothy mentioned that topic straightaway during dinner. Awkwardness soon filled Alexander and Francine, and they didn't dare to speak at all. They were afraid that the reunion dinner would become a battlefield."Yes, you're right."
"Uh, well…" Suddenly, Francine found it hard to tell Stefan the truth. After all, she knew better than anyone how much he loved Renee. However, Renee was going to marry another man. It must be a big blow for Stefan."What's wrong?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and studied Francine, who was acting weird."Nothing! Let's eat. It's the New Year. Let's eat together." Alexander found it cruel to expose the news to Stefan since it was the family reunion day, so he changed the topic of the conversation. "Fine." Stefan stopped raising questions and walked straight toward the dining table.Francine watched his back and hesitated. She was about to speak up when Alexander held her wrist. "Calm down."Alexander whispered to her, "Let's eat first. Don't ruin the New Year for him.""Yes, you're right. I should calm down." After some contemplation, she felt that Alexander was considerate. She nodded and decided to wait until after the New Year.It was a grand feast.Usually, the Hunt Manor
Francine was confident in Renee. She felt that Renee and Stefan sincerely loved each other deeply, and their romance wouldn't be over that easily. Unfortunately, they cared too much about their reputation and were stubborn. Someone needed to resolve that stalemate. "You made it sound so easy. Ren is single. If she wants to marry, she can marry anyone. We're just her ex-in-laws. We can't meddle in her affairs." Alexander shook his head. He was full of remorse since he felt that the sail had shipped. He blamed his insensible son instead of Renee. Stefan didn't cherish such a good woman—served him right to lose her!"We can't do anything about it, but our son can!" Francine said confidently. "They're always caught up with each other, and they can't stop loving each other.""What do you mean?""Stef can win Ren back as long as he does something.""But they've ended up like this. If they wanted to remarry, they would have long done so. You made it sound too easy," Alexander said,
Francine's cry attracted Alexander's attention. He was reading the newspaper while sitting on the sofa. It was the New Year, and everyone was waiting for Stefan to come home for a meal. Alexander put the newspaper down and looked at Francine with confusion. "Dear, it's the New Year. Why are you making so much noise?" "Nothing." Francine found herself unable to hold the invitation card. She wanted to throw it away, never to expose it to anyone else. However, her reaction made Alexander feel that things weren't that simple. He placed the newspaper down and walked toward her. "What have you got there? Who's getting married? They sent us an invitation card."Alexander was already retired and no longer took note of the happenings around him. He also disliked handling people and affairs. Hence, he generally would not attend his relatives' or friends' events. He would just let Stefan handle them.No one ordinary could deliver an invitation card to Hunt Manor. Francine's expression c
If they fell out with each other at that time, Adie could casually make a few viruses. He couldn't fight them head-on, but he could at least make the properties under the Baldwin family plummet."Same with me," Quinton chimed in, shooting Justin a cold and threatening glare. "If you guys are lovey-dovey, I'll sincerely give you my blessings. If you let her down, I'll ruin your family."The air grew fierce because of Adie and Quinton's warning. "Uh…" Justin was clueless about how he should respond to them. Feeling awkward, he raised the food. "Let's eat something.""This is a serious moment, and I'm still waiting for your reply. I don't want to eat anything!" Quinton kept his solemn face, his tone far from joking."Yeah, say something!" Adie urged Justin and hoped to get a reply."I…" For the first time, Justin felt stressed. Both Quinton and Adie were difficult to handle. Undeniably, Renee's family was powerful."Okay, stop it! What are you doing? How could you bully the host h
Abby blinked and felt that Adie was right, so she stopped resisting it. "Adie, you're right. I think Mr. Baldwin is a pretty good guy though he's not as handsome, mature, charming, and capable as Daddy…"Abby couldn't stop talking. She compared Justin to Stefan and mentioned endless aspects where Justin was worse than Stefan.Coincidentally, Justin came with a lot of local delicacies for Adie, Abby, and Margaret when he learned that they had come. He happened to witness that scene. "Mr. Baldwin isn't as smart as Daddy. Plus, his voice isn't as pleasant as Daddy's. Sometimes he's more childish than us though he's an adult…""Ahem, ahem!" Renee noticed Justin's arrival and immediately cleared her throat to try to stop Abby from commenting on Justin. Unfortunately, Abby didn't stop. It was unknown if she did it on purpose or if she admired Stefan too much."But…" Abby finally stopped talking about Justin's weaknesses.A sigh of relief soon escaped Renee. She knew Abby was abou
Quinton couldn't understand why Renee would be so obstinate when she was generally straightforward and casual."You don't know." Renee sighed and kept her past with the Baldwin family from him. She stood Justin up back then and ran away from the Baldwin family. When Austin learned about that, he nearly made her pay a heavy price for it.At that time, she learned about how dangerous Austin was. When he was happy, he could give all kinds of rewards and make one feel superior. But if he got unhappy and was provoked, he would make one pay a heavy price."Forget it. Let's not talk about that." Renee looked ahead and said curiously, "I wonder what kind of surprise he got me. I hope it's not too much.""I know what it is." Quinton raised his chin and smiled. It looked like he was aware of what the surprise was. "What is it?""Let's go. You'll know when you reach there." Austin asked Renee to head to the West Chamber because the surprise was there. When she reached, she opened the d