Two men grabbed Amber and tied her up. They hung her on the pillar at the entrance of the fort."Stop!" Liam yelled, anxious. He rushed to Benjamin and roared, "Are you out of your mind? She's your daughter! Why do you have to torture her like this?!""I can't see her be this ungrateful because she's my daughter." Benjamin was frosty, his disappointment in Amber apparent.Then he instructed the two men who were responsible for hanging Amber. "Pull her higher! Tighten the rope!""Ah!" Amber was lifted in the air. The pull almost tore her apart, making her cry out in pain."Put her down now! We can talk it out!" Liam yelled, nervous. He kept rebuking Benjamin as he ran to the entrance, and tried to carry Amber to reduce her pain.However, she was raised too high. Though he was standing on tiptoe, he could only hold her ankles. He couldn't relieve her pain at all. Both Renee and Justin were shocked by what they had seen."You guys said he had no weakness, but I didn't believe you
"What?! Master, how could you?" Mateo looked at Benjamin in disbelief. He didn't expect Benjamin to say that."What? Are you going to say no?" Benjamin looked at Mateo condescendingly with a hollow smile. "I know you want my position. At first, I tried to choose between you and Liam. I wanted to see which of you could win my daughter's heart."Then, I figured something out. Women are always too passionate. They'd cause delays and might fall for the wrong guy. The business I worked so hard for my whole life would end up in the traitor's hand. I might as well get rid of her to stop wasting my time and effort."It sounded like Amber had broken Benjamin's heart, so he decided to get rid of that annoying daughter of his.That kind of idea might sound illogical to other fathers, but it was reasonable for Benjamin since he was already a crazy demon who had killed many people.Mateo swallowed and said shakily, "Master, Gem's your most beloved daughter. It's okay if you punish her if you'r
"Is it…not serious?" Justin looked at Benjamin, who had gone berserk. He said helplessly, "Don't you think he's as crazy as Macsen? These people can do anything if they're crazy! He doesn't even want his daughter. I think he might kill all of us!""I don't think so." Renee was quite calm. "He isn't a fool even though he's crazy. It won't do him any good if he kills us.""Fine. You're calm."Justin sighed and said carefully, "You turned down my suggestion to ask for assistance. It's not because you're confident that we can escape. You just don't want to meet Stefan, do you?" He felt that he knew Renee—she acted tough and indifferent, but she cared about that very much. She would rather fight Benjamin with a slim chance to win instead of owning Stefan a favor. It meant that she had yet to forget about him. "Yes, I don't want to meet him, especially in such a way," Renee confessed, flexing her fingers. She smiled helplessly and added, "I owe him a great deal. It's best if we don'
"None of you did anything wrong," Benjamin said icily, "but I want to know your stand. If you kill her, you don't have any worry. I'll know you're someone who can do something big."If you can't do it, it means that you aren't suited to take over my position because your sentiments will get in the way sooner or later. They'll make you an indecisive coward!""But I…" Mateo held the shiny knife and bent forward. He looked at Benjamin and Amber, then hung his head in defeat. "I can't do that.""What can't you do?" Benjamin narrowed his eyes and looked at the collapsed Mateo coldly."I can't kill Gem…" Mateo staggered and sobbed. "I grew up with her. She's kind and delicate. I'd long sworn to protect her my whole life. I can't watch her get hurt! But now, you're asking me to kill her. I can't do it… I'd rather kill myself!""Hmph! You can't even do that. If someone catches her and threatens you to betray me one day, you'll do that without hesitation. So, my worry is logical," Benjamin
"No!"Unexpectedly, the seemingly desperate Mateo who insisted that he couldn't do it actually tried to stab Amber.At that critical moment, Liam roared and subconsciously stood in front of Amber. The sharp knife pierced his heart. For a moment, blood gushed out. "Liam!" Amber's eyes widened as her mind went blank. She watched him fall in front of her though he was initially hugging her."Liam!" Both Leia and Xavier's car arrived later than the others. When Leia got out of the car, she witnessed that scene and almost blacked out."Be careful!" Xavier held her in a hurry, anxious for her. He couldn't believe what he had seen."Liam!" Renee rushed over immediately. She inspected Liam's chest and tried to stop the bleeding for him."I'm going to kill you!" Leia went berserk. She staggered toward Mateo and pounced on him, trying to strangle him."I… I didn't mean it…" When Mateo saw the knife in Liam's chest, he instantly regained his wits. He kept shaking his head and retreating.
Leia was leaning into Xavier's arms and trembling nervously.Renee paced back and forth at the door, looking guilty. "It's all my fault!" She flexed her fingers and bit the back of her fist, filled with reproach."It has nothing to do with you. Stop blaming yourself." Justin patted her shoulder, hoping to help her relax a bit. "You aren't a superwoman. You can't do everything well. Plus, it's hard for us to do anything under this circumstance. It's hard to control.""No, I knew that Benjamin didn't want to kill Amber. He just wanted to test Mateo and Liam…"Renee was teary as she reflected on what had happened. She felt that she could have stopped that if she was more sensitive and active."I guessed that Mateo would attack Amber and that Liam might resist, but I didn't expect him to use his body to block the knife. Is this some kind of melodramatic movie? I taught him so many self-defense techniques. Why was he so dumb? If I stopped it earlier, this would never have happened!"R
Forsty silence overcame everyone. Everyone was full of complicated emotions."I need some fresh air," Leia said coldly, rising. She silently walked past Renee and went to a deserted corner.She knew she was being impudent, and that she should never blame Renee or get jealous for no reason.However, she was exhausted after so much torture these days. She almost had a mental breakdown, and she couldn't think straight. She just wanted to see Liam safe. She couldn't care about anything else."Lei…" Renee wanted to run after Leia, but Xavier stopped her."I'll be with her. You guys should get some rest." Xavier sighed. He gave Renee and Justin a profound look before he quickly caught up with Leia.Renee flexed her fingers as she watched their backs. She trembled slightly, growing teary. "I knew it! Lei's mad at me. Even I think I'm a scumbag, let alone her… It would be better if I stopped Liam. I was selfish!""It wasn't your fault!" Justin wanted to hug Renee, but he thought it migh
Leia quickly wiped away her tears and acted tough. "I'm crazy now. You shouldn't talk to me.""So?" Xavier calmly walked to Leia and spoiled her as if she were a disobedient child. He doted on her. "It's not the first day you act crazily. Plus, it's not the first time I've found you like this. It's not bad, either. You look pretty cute."Leia turned around and glared at him in confusion. Goosebumps spread across her skin. "Xavier, act normal. When did I act crazily?" "You're not always normal when you're with me. Whenever I said something wrong, you went mad. You'd go mad whenever I talked to any woman, too. Isn't that crazy enough?" Xavier spread his hands, sounding helpless. Previously, he had no idea that the seemingly noisy and careless young lady of the Osborne family would be so sensitive. She cared about details very much, especially ones about him with other women.Their arguments weren't about serious issues. Rather, it was all because of her jealousy. She would go mad
After all, Jovan was a human being. Such direct physical pain made him shake and groan. Normally, he should get angry and try all means to make her stop biting him.However, he was not an ordinary man. Although he trembled in pain, he maintained his posture and let her bite him as if he wanted to see who would give up first.Renee kept biting him fiercely, as if her teeth would gnaw through his palm. Blood oozed out of the wound. She was full of hatred, wishing to vent her anger. "Just bite me hard as long as you're happy. I'm enjoying myself too!"Jovan looked at her, whose head was lowered as she kept biting his palm fiercely. It was a bloody scene, but his words made everything sound ambiguous. Renee noticed his underlying meaning and was disgusted. She immediately let go of his palm. "Bah! Disgusting! You're sick!"Her lips were still stained with blood. From afar, it looked like a blooming rose from afar. It looked attractive on her. Aroused, Jovan held the back of her
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the
Meanwhile, Liam and Leia became vigilant when they saw that scene."What are they doing?" Liam walked past the guests enjoying the fun and stood between Alexander and the two guards. He faked a smile and said, "We're the guests you invited sincerely. Is this how the Baldwin family treats their guests?""Guests?" Austin got off the stage and strode toward them. Although he was smiling, coldness gleamed in his eyes. "Have you ever seen any guest steal the hostess?""You can't say that, Sir Baldwin..." Liam smiled and added, "How could you be sure that it must be the Hunt family?""Who else could it be?" "This is just your guess. They've always been here. Even if they wanted to do that, they couldn't. So… You should act fair and square, given your noble identity. Shouldn't you find fault with the culprit instead? Isn't that more reasonable?" Liam looked at Austin. Although he was younger and came from a family weaker than the Baldwin family, he was still domineering.Besides, his
Alexander took a deep breath and analyzed logically, "This wasn't Stef's style. If he wanted to snatch her away, he would have done it openly in front of everyone. But this trick was cunning and dishonest!""Yes, you're right, but this is a special case. If he didn't use a trick, his woman would marry someone else. It's normal for him to be restless." Although Francine agreed with Alexander's analysis, she felt that Stefan could do anything if it concerned Renee. Naturally, he would stoop this far. "Regardless, we have to leave," Alexander whispered to Francine, sensing danger. "Austin has always been decisive and cruel. Since Stef humiliated him, I'm sure he wouldn't let Stef off easily. We're in danger too.""Is it that serious?" Francine looked at Austin, who was standing on the stage. He coldly ordered his assistant about something. It seemed like he wasn't that crazy. "I don't care what he'll do. We have to get out of North City right away because this city is controlled b
"What?! She's gone?" Justin's face fell immediately. He grabbed the collar of the person who came to inform them and demanded coldly, "What do you mean?! Why is she gone for no reason?""We… We don't know!" That person looked at Justin while trembling and reported everything. "When we got there, we found no one else in the makeup room except the makeup artist lying on the ground. We didn't see Ms. Everheart, either. We don't know what happened!""Something must have gone wrong with her!" Justin pushed that person away without hesitation and rushed toward the makeup room."Hey, Justin! What are you doing?" Sophia watched Justin disappear in front of everyone. She wanted to pursue him but failed.Everyone below the stage fell into an uproar and discussed among themselves endlessly. "The bride went missing all of a sudden! Did her ex-husband come for her?""It's possible. They were once madly in love with each other. Plus, the Hunt and Baldwin families were in conflict for many yea
On the surface, everyone felt that Justin was passionate and respected the bride well. However, only he knew that he was just terrified. He was afraid that the reality might exceed his anticipation. He was terrified to find that he was betrayed in the end when he had trusted Renee that much and treated her so sincerely."Justin, what's going on with you? How could you talk about that at such a time like this? The most important thing now is to make her come out and have this engagement ceremony. We should do the guests justice. If not, everyone will laugh at us after we've kept our dignity well for so many years!"Sophia couldn't understand his hesitation. They were just going to urge Renee to appear. It had nothing to do with their patience or ability to take good care of Renee.Both Alexander and Francine looked at each other in confusion."Dear, did you do anything?" Alexander asked Francine softly.If Renee suddenly failed to attend the ceremony, it might have been Francin
Renee was furious—he was ridiculous!"You won't allow that?" She snorted and looked at him as if he were crazy. "Who do you think you are? You can't meddle in my life!""I'm nobody, but I know that I don't want you to marry another guy." The man approached Renee, wanting to catch her."Stay away from me, or I'll get somebody! You should know how powerful the Baldwin family is in North City…" Renee spat coldly. She did not want to make things too ghastly, so she wouldn't alert the Baldwin family if she could help it. The man sneered wickedly. "Yes, the Baldwin family is strong. So? Even if they're strong, they can't fight against my cunning means!""What do you mean?" A bad feeling gripped Renee. She wanted to ask more questions, but found herself dizzy. Her surroundings became blurry. "I'm so dizzy! What…did you do?" The next second, she staggered and fainted.He firmly caught her and whispered, "You've suffered a lot, so I'll let you rest a bit.""Ah! You… You…" The make
"You flatter me." Renee smiled, sadness in her eyes. She recalled the day she was about to marry Stefan many years ago. The young female designer responsible for her makeup had praised her the same way. At that time, she had recently lost all her family members and was gripped with excruciating pain. Her waist had been much slimmer. She looked pitiful but bewitching. "Don't worry! Master Hunt is a great man. He'll be nice to you and protect you. You guys are a perfect match."Renee remembered that the makeup artist used a makeup blender to soak her tears and firmly told her that. The artist at that time also felt that Stefan would be her protector for the rest of her life. Renee had a crush on Stefan for many years. He was the ray of light that had saved her from her despair. Although she was strong, she couldn't help but regard him as her savior. At that time, she never imagined spending the rest of her life with someone else other than him. Many years passed since then. Sh