The box contained a red wedding gown with exquisite embroidered dragon and phoenix patterns. The embroidery was meticulous, making the dragon and phoenix look lifelike. With such intricate details, it would take three to five months to complete."So, she was busy with this." Liam caressed the patterns, bitterness and disappointment hitting him hard. Amber was always busy these days and couldn't be found. She also didn't talk much to him. She claimed that she wanted to sew wedding clothes for herself and Mateo. Unexpectedly, she ended up giving the wedding gown to Liam instead.There was a card at the bottom of the wedding dress. Liam opened it and read Amber's note.[Liam, I only want to be your wife my whole life…but from now on, I won't marry anyone. I want to live for myself. I hope we can meet again when we're both strong and capable!]Her handwriting wasn't neat, and her grammar was wrong. Yet it showed her shyness, pureness, and firmness.Liam clenched the wedding gown t
Liam was an unruly rich heir who loved freedom, while Amber was a pure and ignorant young woman. It seemed they were a perfect match."Why did she suddenly give you a wedding gown? Obviously, she wants to marry you. Are you sure you don't want to say anything to her before leaving?" Xavier teased Liam, trying to sound the latter out.Everyone could tell that Amber liked Liam. Besides, it seemed like Liam also fancied Amber. If they parted ways, they might never see each other again. Their romance might end with a failure. What a pity! "There's nothing to say to her." Liam purposely looked aloof. "All I want is to get the hell out of here. I don't even want to waste another second here."Then, he strode into the airport lobby. Renee quickened her pace and walked alongside him. She looked at him, feeling sorry for him. "Are you sure you're going to leave like this?""I should long be gone." Liam kept his coldness, his tone impassive. "If I don't go now, I can't leave forever.""
“Let’s get a divorce, Renee.”The man’s cold voice sounded from behind while Renee Everheart was in the middle of searing steaks. After hearing those words, she became seemingly numb to the hot oil splattering on her cheeks from the lightly sizzling pan.“We’re only husband and wife on paper. Now that four years have passed, it’s time to end this,” Stefan Hunt said with a cold, distant tone. Renee bit her lip anxiously. ‘Looks like this day was inevitable after all…’Her family was declared bankrupt four years ago. Her parents, unable to endure the stress of financial hardship, took their lives together, leaving young Renee to handle the mess alone. In the past, Renee’s grandfather fought alongside Stefan’s grandfather on the battlefield, and he even saved the latter’s life once. In his dying moments, he voiced out to his old pal his concern for his granddaughter and left Renee under his care. And so, a marriage of convenience was arranged between Stefan and Renee to put the
‘No wonder Stefan wanted me out by tonight. He had another woman he wanted to play house with! Hah, to think that I let that man affect my emotions! How I wish I could slap my past self!’Briar approached Renee with a cocky smirk. “So you’re Renee Everheart, huh? What are you still doing here? Didn’t Stefan kick you out? Get a move on! Have you no shame?!”Despite the provocation, Renee continued packing her belongings at her own pace.“Hey, are you deaf? I’m talking to you here!”“Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.” Renee met her gaze calmly. “All I heard was some crazy bitch barking!”“How dare you call me a bitch?!”“I didn’t. Looks like you went ahead and got offended in the first place.” Renee replied as she got up with her luggage. She tilted her head at Briar, who was blocking her path. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. Nice little doggies should know how to stay out of the way.” “How dare you!” Briar’s face went bright red as she stomped her feet.‘Wasn’t she known to be a
The next day, Renee showed up at the courthouse at 8:30 am, even though they agreed to meet at nine.Not only did she arrive early, but she also made sure to put on heavy makeup and her favorite outfit, a rose-red halter dress. With her long hair tied up into a ponytail, the skin on her neck and back glowed under the bright sunlight.When paired with her elegant, yet cold demeanor, she looked angelic from afar.Unfortunately, she had caught a cold the night before. Her body was burning up, which made her feel quite weak.At 9 am sharp, a silver Bugatti Veyron cruised into the parking lot in front of the courthouse. Soon after, she was greeted by Stefan’s ice-cold expression as he exited the vehicle.His eyes sparkled for a split second when he saw Renee standing there, but this was quickly replaced with a contemptuous expression for some reason.“Well, aren’t you excited?” Stefan scoffed as he walked past Renee, heading straight towards the department that handled divorce cases.
‘Just look at how unabashed this man is acting! This is ridiculous!’ Renee thought. She had always viewed Stefan as someone who was morally sound and would never commit adultery.In the end… the very same man she thought so highly of, dropped a nuclear bomb on her. Not only did he intend on marrying his mistress, but they were expecting as well.This was the last push that Renee needed to move on completely. The tinge of sadness in her heart had completely vanished.“So this means you were cheating on me, right?”Before Stefan could respond, Briar hurriedly placed herself between them. Teary-eyed, she said, “Ms. Everheart, it’s all my fault! If it makes you feel better, you can punish me however you want…”‘Does this woman think this is some soap opera? She’d make a great actress, honestly.’“Really now?” Renee raised her hand up high as if she was about to deliver a slap.As soon as she realized what was going to happen, Briar squealed and darted behind Stefan.“Didn’t you say
Renee thought she was about to fall flat on her face.Just then, a man wrapped his strong arm around her waist, catching her fall. The fresh scent of peppermint filled her senses, entrancing the woman entirely. "You're burning hot… Do you have a fever?" Stefan asked her with a hint of concern in his voice.The urge to protect her sprang up in his mind, accompanied by the following thought.'She's so thin and frail, like a feather.'"This doesn't concern you!" Renee hissed through her teeth as she regained her balance. She stubbornly tried to free herself from his arms.After the procedure was done, she intended to walk away elegantly, leaving Stefan in the dust. She wanted to avoid casting the impression that she was using her illness to gain sympathy.However, no matter how tough she tried to act, her body was simply exhausted. Even after gaining her footing, she staggered backward.Seeing this, Stefan lifted her bridal style and said, "I'll take you to the hospital.""What
Liam's relaxed voice came to a sudden halt as soon as he noticed Stefan standing inside the ward.He studied the man before him as the man did the same. An odd tension settled in the room."Do you know each other?" Stefan asked Renee with a chilling tone.He wondered how an infamous playboy and a modest rich lady would ever get the chance to interact when they were from completely different worlds."Well…" Renee buried her face in her hands awkwardly. She was the one who texted Liam to meet at the hospital, but she didn't expect him to arrive so soon.'A soon-to-be ex-husband bumping into the dashing playboy… This was weirdly reminiscent of a scene from a romantic drama.’“Know her? She’s my muse!” Liam exclaimed as he approached Renee with a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. With a sarcastic smile, he turned to Stefan. “Little do you know, Master Hunt, Miss Everheart has quite the reputation back in our school! She has so many admirers that she could build an army if she want
Liam was an unruly rich heir who loved freedom, while Amber was a pure and ignorant young woman. It seemed they were a perfect match."Why did she suddenly give you a wedding gown? Obviously, she wants to marry you. Are you sure you don't want to say anything to her before leaving?" Xavier teased Liam, trying to sound the latter out.Everyone could tell that Amber liked Liam. Besides, it seemed like Liam also fancied Amber. If they parted ways, they might never see each other again. Their romance might end with a failure. What a pity! "There's nothing to say to her." Liam purposely looked aloof. "All I want is to get the hell out of here. I don't even want to waste another second here."Then, he strode into the airport lobby. Renee quickened her pace and walked alongside him. She looked at him, feeling sorry for him. "Are you sure you're going to leave like this?""I should long be gone." Liam kept his coldness, his tone impassive. "If I don't go now, I can't leave forever.""
The box contained a red wedding gown with exquisite embroidered dragon and phoenix patterns. The embroidery was meticulous, making the dragon and phoenix look lifelike. With such intricate details, it would take three to five months to complete."So, she was busy with this." Liam caressed the patterns, bitterness and disappointment hitting him hard. Amber was always busy these days and couldn't be found. She also didn't talk much to him. She claimed that she wanted to sew wedding clothes for herself and Mateo. Unexpectedly, she ended up giving the wedding gown to Liam instead.There was a card at the bottom of the wedding dress. Liam opened it and read Amber's note.[Liam, I only want to be your wife my whole life…but from now on, I won't marry anyone. I want to live for myself. I hope we can meet again when we're both strong and capable!]Her handwriting wasn't neat, and her grammar was wrong. Yet it showed her shyness, pureness, and firmness.Liam clenched the wedding gown t
"Wait, Mr. Osborne!" Hailey ran to Liam and tried her best to catch her breath. Then, she said to him, "Ms. Jenkins… Ms. Jenkins, she…""What's wrong with Amber?" Liam asked nervously. His anxious and worried expression showed that he wasn't indifferent toward her after all."Take this!" Hailey handed a plain box to Liam. "Ms. Jenkins is busy today and can't send you off. This is the gift she's been preparing for a long time. She wants you to have it.""What she's busy about? Is it troublesome?" Liam was worried about Amber. If she wanted to take over Benjamin's business, she wouldn't be able to handle it since the fort was a violent place full of fights. "It's something feminine. Please don't ask about that…" Hailey obeyed Amber's instruction and didn't explain much. She waved at Liam and added, "Take care. Don't worry too much about Ms. Jenkins. She'll be fine since she's Mr. Jenkins' only daughter.""What do you mean?" Liam held the gift with worry. "Did Benjamin find fault wi
Benjamin didn't play any tricks as he truly wanted to let them go. He had come to his senses and realized that Liam was sincere toward Amber, thus he wanted to let Liam go.Besides, someone else had instructed him to do so. It was obvious who that was.The Jenkins family would have closer cooperation with Hunt Enterprise in the coming years. Moreover, this cooperation would help them earn money easily. It would be ridiculous of him to give up those profits just to satisfy his wrath.Before leaving, Renee and the others sat in the pickup truck except for Liam. He stood at the door and kept looking around. He didn't get into the car for a long time."What's taking him so long? Why didn't he get in the car? We can't leave if Benjamin suddenly regrets it!" Leia said.She sat beside the window and lowered it, about to wave at Liam before Renee stopped her in time. "Stop urging him. It's still early. Nothing will go wrong since Benjamin agreed to let us go. You have to give Liam some
Macsen got up angrily and pointed at Renee. "You nearly got me killed by biting me! I didn't even make you pay for that, but here you are, trying to accuse me. Do you think I won't do anything to you?" "Of course you will. You nearly got us killed," Renee sneered, glancing at the glass of mulberry wine. "So, it's logical that you poisoned the wine.""No, I didn't!" Macsen raised the glass of wine and leaned backward to gulp it down. Then, he glared at Renee. "I'm not such a petty man!"Instantly, the air grew tense. Liam, sitting on Benjamin's right, tried to keep the peace. "Okay, stop bickering. Since Mr. Jenkins held this party today, he wanted us to bury the hatchet. We don't have to take to heart what happened a few days ago. The most important thing is to keep peace and come up with a win-win situation."Benjamin nodded and clapped. "Liam knows me the best. He didn't take the stab for nothing. At least I can see that he's sincere toward me, Gem, and the fort.""Oh, gosh!
Three days later, Liam got better and could get out of bed.Benjamin held a party to express his apology to Renee and the others.Before attending the party, Leia held Renee's hand, frightened. "Is he plotting something?"After all, they had witnessed Benjamin's craziness. He could even kill his only daughter! It seemed unlikely that this was just an ordinary party."Don't be scared. We can fight them if worse comes to worst," Justin said casually as he walked behind them. He found a spot and sat in front of them.The army Austin had promised Renee was already on guard outside of the party, hence Justin's confidence. Besides, the Baldwin family was informed beforehand to come assist them if anything went wrong.Since he had absolute power, he was fearless."You're right. We can still fight them. I'd like to see what tricks that crazy Benjamin is trying to pull." Leia said.She stopped taking things too seriously, and casually walked into the place and took her seat. Xavier, sit
"But…" Renee insisted."This is worth it. I was able to gain Benjamin's trust and calm his anger, which in turn helped us leave. I would've done the same thing again without hesitation."Liam looked relaxed and sounded casual, as if he didn't have a close brush with death. Rather, he treated the whole thing like a game he nearly got disqualified from and in turn rewarded for. The result was worth it. He took everything as an exciting adventure rather than a life-threatening incident. "Oh, you're always so casual. What do you mean, worth it? If that knife reached your heart or the doctor wasn't skillful enough, you would've been killed. And I… I might have to watch you die just because I left things to chance!" Renee yelled.She couldn't dwell on what had happened. The memory chilled her blood, and she hated herself for being so scheming. Renee could feel herself changing. Before, she was direct, bold, straightforward, and did everything she could for the sake of justice. Now, sh
"It was just a test from my father. He had seen through people. He wouldn't make things difficult for the people who were nice to me," Amber explained.She knew what kind of a person her father was. At this point, she didn't want to keep it from Renee and the others either. She felt that it was more important to reassure them. "So, it really was a test!" Leia was enlightened, but failed to understand Benjamin. "Is he out of his mind? He didn't have to make it seem so real! If Liam didn't block the knife for you, he would have lost you!"Leia was filled with lingering fear when she recalled the terrifying scene yesterday. Benjamin's madness surprised her. He could even be harsh on his daughter! At the same time, Leia mocked Mateo's fake passion. He said so much, but he could still attack his so-called beloved woman at that critical moment.What amazed her the most was Liam. He claimed that he didn't love Amber, but he was the one who used his chest to block the attack for her. It
Amber's emphasis made both of them awkward. It seemed like Liam had flattered himself.Renee and Leia happened to run into that scene when they opened the door. Feeling out of place, they wanted to leave and hide.Finally, Renee walked over and faked a smile despite the stiffness in the air. "Hahaha! Liam, I'm glad that you're awake!""Renee…" Liam's facade faded as he blinked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" "We did, but you guys were so absorbed in talking to each other that you didn't hear us," Leia eagerly explained.There was a screen between the bed and the door. A servant informed Liam and Amber about the visitors, but they didn't hear that since they were absorbed in their conflict.Thus, Renee and Leia were forced to watch an awkward romance. They found it stifling, just like Liam and Amber."Okay. Let's not talk about that."Liam didn't want to recall that awkward scene and changed the topic. "I was just stabbed. Stop making a big fuss over it. And don't wo