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
The girl had a pretty face, with big, soulful eyes. She looked like a college student who was new to the scene.Under the three men's watchful gazes, the girl walked to the bar counter and sat down.Xavier patted Stefan on the shoulder. "Stefan, you sure are lucky—that girl's really pretty. Meanwhile, my luck is so bad that I only ever encounter large men or women in their fifties. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go dance with her."Christopher nodded. "She is. She reminds me a little of Ms. Everheart, actually, but with less bite. Ask her to dance with you… I doubt she'll say no."Stefan pursed his lips and didn't say anything as he stared at the girl in the white dress.She sat at the bar alone, seemingly waiting for someone. Her anxious demeanor suggested it was her first time in a place like this.Her innocence certainly reminded Stefan of Renee… the Renee of the past.Stefan stood up and walked towards the girl.Due to his imposing aura, the girl noticed him from th
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