"I know." Justin looked at Stefan. He saw through Stefan's inner thoughts easily. "What do you know?" Stefan calmly asked. "You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Justin subconsciously flexed his fingers, furious. "If you wanted to stop your crazy cousin, you would have done so—but you didn't. Instead, you let him do as he pleased. You used him to help get what you wanted. Your crazy cousin was just your tool!""You're overthinking." Stefan kept his calmness, not at all guilty even though Justin had exposed his thoughts. He looked gloomy as he said, "Jovan merely did what he wanted to do. I just followed my heart and acted as an outsider.""You, an outsider?" Justin grabbed Stefan's collar and glared at him. "Then, I'm sure you know where he took her to. We've got to find her together. When we find her, you must leave her forever and never appear in front of her. Can you do that?" Similarly, Stefan confronted Justin fiercely and answered honestly, "I don't know where he is. He a
Justin didn't expect Stefan to cooperate. He had no idea what to do."Really?" He tried to confirm with Stefan, as he didn't believe Stefan could be persuaded that easily. "I don't have to lie to you." Stefan looked calm and heartbroken. "I'm already very lucky to have spent some time with her. Plus, I'm satisfied that we've loved each other deeply. I can't wish for other things." Justin pursed his lips, almost moved by Stefan's deep passion. "Tell me what you want. I'll satisfy you if I can."Stefan promised Justin too easily. If Justin did not provide anything in return, he would feel insecure. Yet, he knew that it was simply because Stefan had lost his mind and wanted to break up with Renee."My actions have nothing to do with you." Stefan looked cold and contemptuous, not even taking Justin seriously. However, he had some conditions. "I think I have to talk to you about something." "I'm listening." Justin let down his guard and anger. At the same time, he let go of Stefan'
"What happened?" Stefan frowned, noticing how serious it was. He was about to go downstairs to check it out when Elijah stopped him."Don't go out!" Elijah immediately rushed into the office, anxious. "Mr. Hunt, it's a mess downstairs! Two men with guns barged into the company and claimed they had placed bombs in the core foundation of the building. They want us to let somebody go. If not, they're going to blow up the building!""Bombs?" Stefan had considered that things might get serious, but this exceeded his anticipation. Surprisingly, they boldly challenged Hunt Enterprise in broad daylight in front of everyone. It was an open challenge against the Hunt family, and they wanted to start a war. "Who is that bold? And who do they want?" Elijah couldn't figure it out. Recently, they were cautious, so he had no idea who they had offended. "Uh…" Justin raised his hand and tried to say something.Stefan was no longer in the mood to entertain him. He said icily, "I don't care who
Justin didn't expect Elijah to be so good at fighting despite appearing to be a mere assistant. Elijah defeated and caught him with ease.If Justin knew, he would have learned martial arts properly when his grandfather taught him back then instead of being absorbed in coding. "I don't want to do this either, but there are thousands of employees here. I don't want to see them sacrificed just because we're rivals in love," Stefan said.Stefan believed that Justin was telling the truth, but he needed a safety measure. If anything went wrong, he wouldn't be on the losing end."Fine. Take me downstairs. Let them have me. They'll dismantle the bombs," Justin said.After struggling a bit and failing to break free, Justin accepted his fate. He could understand why Stefan did that. Cadmus and Tiger were reckless and rough. They were the reason why he was in this state. At the same time, the reporters outside were agitated. They had no idea about the result of the negotiation between Ste
Jovan's face was frosty. He smashed the box containing the pearl on the bed and glared at Renee. "Do you have to make both of us uneasy?" "It's not the first day we're uneasy. If you don't want me to lose my remaining affection for you, you'd better let me go now." Renee looked at him, refusing to give up. She hoped he would change his mind and let her go."What can you do if I let you go?" Jovan snorted. "It's already too late. You'll only make things worse if you go out.""What do you mean?" Renee was isolated in the room and had no idea what had happened. But she knew something must have happened, or Jovan would not have said that."Well…" Jovan checked his watch. "The Hunt family started fighting the Baldwin family an hour ago. It's just like a war film."Anxiety overcame Renee when she heard that. She flexed her fingers and hurriedly asked, "What happened? Why did you say it's just like a war film? Did they make a big scene?"Although she was mentally prepared for the Ba
"I'm sorry!" Renee cried quietly since she knew that she had done something wrong. "I broke my promise, but I tried my best to make it up to you. If you still find it insufficient, my life is yours.""What do I need that for?" Jovan caressed her slender and smooth neck. "If I could make up my mind to kill you, I would have long done so. I didn't have to get tangled up with you here. Rather than your life, I want your heart instead!" Then, he bent down and gently kissed her. If it were in the past, Renee would have resisted him. Now, she calmly accepted it and responded to his kiss. She hooked her hands around his neck and kissed him back passionately. After getting a response, Jovan grew excited. He closed his eyes, absorbed in the atmosphere that Renee created. After an unknown period, Jovan realized something and pushed her away. "What do you mean? Do you pity me? Or are you trying to bribe me?" He touched his lips and felt humiliated for no reason.To him, kissing wa
"Is that so?" Renee looked coldly at Jovan's eyes as if she had seen another version of herself. Then, she sounded dispirited. "But you'll soon lose me.""What?" Jovan sized Renee up, feeling that she was purposely threatening him. He said indifferently, "As long as you're still with me, I won't lose you. Just stay here and stop overthinking. You can't run away!"He was an obstinate person. He wanted her heart but knew that he could not get it. Hence, he would bind her to him. Both refused to give in. Jovan inexplicably felt gloomy and let her go. He said coldly, "Think it through." Then, he left the room.When he recalled this incident many years later, he felt it might be the most foolish and regretful thing he had done.After leaving that day, he purposely returned to the room again after a few hours. Jovan smoked outside and tried to calm down. He persuaded himself to stop taking things seriously. After all, Renee never liked him. It was perfectly reasonable for her t
Jovan couldn't imagine the kind of pain Renee had gone through. She used an iron wire to cut the pulse on her wrist. He also couldn't imagine how badly she yearned to die."Renee, I've underestimated you!"After calming himself down, Jovan staggered and searched for the key to unlock the chain around Renee's ankle. He couldn't stop himself from trembling. Renee said that he would regret it, and he did. He regretted what he had done very much. If he knew she would be this desperate, he would never use this method to lock her up. If the price of getting her was to see her die, he would never have wanted her.Endless thoughts messed with Jovan's mind. He couldn't think straight and just wanted her to be safe. He spent quite a long time to finally find the key. He trembled as he unlocked the chain around her ankles. Renee finally regained freedom, but had lost consciousness… He carried her in his arms and quickly got into the car. He stepped hard on the gas pedal and arrived at th
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo