Everyone was utterly shocked. Stefan’s action was similar to a bomb, causing an explosion in everyone's heads.That was because the rest had always known Stefan as a cold, calculated, and low-profile person. They thought he would never even dream of participating in a public display of affection, let alone displaying a kiss in public."Mmh!" Renee's eyes widened as her mind went blank. She instinctively tried to push him away but remembered she was supposed to help the man out.'If I struggle my way out, I'd be humiliating him, right?'With that, she chose to accept it, despite her initial unwillingness…Stefan's focus and burning passion completely disrupted her once-placid heart. As though she had been thrown into an oven, her face burned up as she started reciprocating his advances…"Yes! Exactly! So sweet! So sexy! You two should be an example to all the couples here!" The photographer was excited, to say the least, greedily capturing the moment as rapidly as he could.The c
"Really now?" Stefan seemed conflicted, his lips curving upwards. "What should I do then? Should I crash the wedding in the name of love?"Renee's expression turned stiff for a moment, as mixed emotions welled up in her chest. 'So that means he really hasn't moved on from Cecilia.'In a way, her heart was aching for both him… and herself. She realized that their four-year marriage truly was a mistake from the start. Even without Briar driving a wedge between them, there was no way that she could've won his heart over.His first love had already taken over his entire heart, leaving nothing for her."If you really can't let her go, then have a good talk with Ms. Smith about your feelings. As long as you do that before the ceremony, it wouldn't be too late to change her mind…" Renee said, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She acted as if she wasn't affected in the slightest, even going as far as to give him advice."Oh, and, if you really do love her, don't use such childish m
Sticking to her principle of working hard for the one who paid, Renee started looking for seashells with a serious face.Stefan, on the other hand, followed behind the woman from a short distance as if he was her secret guardian angel, protecting her from afar.With the light wind breeze, the two walked around the warm golden sand, leaving their footprints behind as their shadows danced over each other. The scenery was just wonderfully romantic, as though it had come straight out of a teenage romance film…"Oh my god! I found it! I found it!" Renee cheered excitedly after digging behind a reef. Stefan seemed amused and dumbfounded at the same time. 'So it really exists?'He was someone who was solely aligned with materialism and normally viewed things in a complete logically way. Hence, he didn't believe in myths at all.Despite this, he somehow didn't intend to undermine the woman's efforts, seeing just how exhilarated she seemed. He even approached her, acting as if he was jus
A famous celebrity, Ruby Chisholm, was shooting daggers at the two with her eyes, her expression visibly filled with jealousy.She had had her eyes on Stefan even before joining the entertainment industry, promising herself that she'd work hard to get his attention and become his wife.Unexpectedly, he married someone else before she got to make a name for herself.Yet after a long while of waiting, waiting for her dream man to get a divorce, it seemed that it would be to no avail."Who knows? I just know my cousin dislikes her, so I'm guessing she was the one who's pestering him!" Charlotte said as she looked towards Renee with disdain, patting Ruby on the shoulder. "You're just too modest, Ruby. You won't even make a move on him! Now that they're divorced, you should just go for it… My cousin is literally available now! Do you know how many people want him? How can you be so relaxed?"Ruby was visibly frustrated. "It's not that I don't want to, but I am at the peak of my caree
"No." Stefan quickly replied, his voice dismissive."Impossible!" Cecilia broke down, wailing at this point. She wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her cheek against his as before, hoping to rekindle his love."You're worried about hurting Chris. You're holding back your love for me, right? You've never forgotten about me, right?! You feel the same, don't you?!""This has nothing to do with Chris." Stefan looked frostier now, pushing her away. "Even if you never ended up with Chris, there's just no hope between us. Please understand that." "Why?!" Cecilia yelled at Stefan, unable to accept the fact that the man no longer loved her. "You used to love me so deeply!" she moaned. "I remember how you confessed to me under the sakura tree, how you kissed me softly! I know you genuinely loved me!"You were willing to give up your position as an heir for me! You would follow me overseas when I was planning to further my studies! How could you give up on love as deep as that?!"
Stefan nodded while opening the door to exit with Cecilia. Suddenly, they bumped into Renee, who was holding a piece of cake."Uhm…" The two of them met eyes, yet Renee was the one feeling embarrassed, despite having nothing to hide."Ah… I didn't bother your conversation, right?" She asked awkwardly.Stefan didn't reply, merely staring down at her with an arrogant gaze. Renee, however, continued asking, ignoring the awkwardness. "Did you succeed? Did the 'Heart of the Sea' work? Are you guys planning on running away now?"Hearing this made the man colder. He merely whispered something to Cecilia before walking past Renee. Acting as if they were complete strangers, his arrogance practically seeped out of his aura."That petty bastard! I just asked for some money! What's with the attitude?!" Renee mumbled angrily to herself as she watched him leave.She actually wanted to find a place for a nap due to a wave of exhaustion from earlier events.She never would've expected to bu
In the end, Renee didn't feel like keeping this up, so she took the necklace begrudgingly.She then held her hand out to Cecilia, who was still on the ground. She sounded rather helpless as she said, "Fine, I'll take it. But you gave me the freedom to deal with it however I want, did you? So I'll just be throwing it into the trash."Cecilia didn't seem mad and still showed a bittersweet smile. "Sure, throw it away. I can't do it myself anyway, so you can help out instead… Just as I told Stef earlier, I admit defeat if you were the one I lost to."The woman's words made Renee extremely confused. 'Huh? Aren't they planning to elope? Why did they include me in this? And the whole admitting defeat thing… What does she even mean?!'However, she didn't intend to ask any further questions. With Cecilia being the bride, she should be able to have the choice of eloping or going through with the wedding. 'She can think about it on her own. Prying would only make it seem like I care about
Everyone started gossiping among themselves.The priest had never handled such a situation but cleared his throat and said, "Love may be late, but it's worth the wait. Let's welcome the bride once more!"Once again, the music echoed through the halls, but when that ended, Cecilia was still nowhere to be found.Both parents of the families were panicking at this point, ordering their employees to investigate this matter. All of the guests were making their own assumptions as well, and the entire event fell into a state of chaos.Renee couldn't help her urge to nudge Stefan with her elbow, whispering. "Hey, is this your doing? Did you hide her somewhere?"Stefan's expression darkened, his voice frosty. "Mind your tongue if you'd like it to stay intact."Renee gulped and instantly shut up. 'Well, was I wrong? Why did he have to be so mad?! Petty bastard!'Xavier was panicking the most out of everyone, rushing up the stage and calming the guests down as much as he could.“No need t
Jovan awkwardly tried to comfort Renee. However, his words sounded more hurtful and made her cry even louder. "This is all your fault!" Renee raised her head, then pointed at him while bawling loudly. "Did I ever anger you? Why did you frame me? What good did it bring you?""I…" Jovan's heart softened because of how pitiful she looked when she cried profusely. However, he was a pretentious man and would not show that he had gone easy on her. Instead, he tried to provoke her even more. "You can't change anything even if you cry loudly. Austin wants nothing but to kill you and your family now. If I were you, I wouldn't be in the mood to cry. I'll brace myself to manage a funeral for them."Renee was flabbergasted. She didn't expect him to be this inhuman. She was heartbroken, but he kept hurting her. She cried even more profusely."I'll keep on crying. Let me go if you can't take it. If you don't, I'll keep on crying until you can no longer take it!"She cried loudly as if she
A major issue happened to two famous and great families. The entertainment channel and news channel kept reporting about it, let alone the financial channel.Jovan didn't have to turn to a specific channel when he turned on the TV. The screen was showing a scene related to the engagement ceremony."They…" Only then did Renee learn that while she was waiting in the makeup room for her turn to make an entrance, the atmosphere in the hall had turned very tense. Alexander and Francine argued and fought against Justin's parents in a way unsuited to their statuses. Everyone failed to wait until she made an entrance before she went missing. She saw how the situation gradually became worse. She also noticed Justin's disappointment in her and Austin's wrath. Austin finally couldn't control himself, and kidnapped Alexander and Francine. "The Hunt family has yet to make a statement about it. We also have no clue about Mr. Alexander Hunt and his wife's current circumstances. However, we
Renee said seriously, "I would like a plate of pasta with more vegetables and is not spicy. I'm afraid this is my last meal."Jovan was rendered speechless. Although Renee was being sarcastic, he still went to the kitchen to make her a delicious plate of pasta. He added some vegetables and a nice fried egg for a balanced diet. "It's done." Jovan had sent off all the servants of the mansion, leaving Renee with him. Hence, he was the one who cooked the pasta and served it to her. "Wow, you're fast." Renee wanted to get a chance to run away since she had sent him away to cook for her, but she couldn't come up with any trick.In the end, she got hungry when she saw the pasta. It was mouth-watering. She was starving!Jovan was good at cooking pasta, even though he didn't seem reliable. The pasta he made tasted like home-cooked food."Give it a try." Jovan didn't say much. He meticulously blew on the pasta and handed her a fork and spoon. Renee accepted it, eager to start eatin
Jovan watched Renee fall into a deep thought. His gaze deepened, filled with renewed ferocity.Jovan turned his wrist and said slowly, "Okay, stop overthinking. I can tell you the truth if you want to know it." Renee abruptly looked up. Her eyes were teary as she begged him, "What's the truth?" "Listen to me and stay with me." Jovan frowned. After a short contemplation, he grinned and continued, "Stay with me for ten days or half a month. Then, I'll tell you.""That's not possible!"Renee immediately refused him, growing cold. "I have to leave right away. I can't watch the two families get into a fight."If she didn't return to North City immediately to explain things, the Baldwin and Hunt families would get into a big fight. Regardless of her circumstances, she didn't want them to fight. They were good people, and she refused to see them hurt. "Just let them fight. It's just a fight among bad people. Your family can grab this chance to get back to the top. Don't you want tha
Jovan felt that he wasn't as passionate and loving as Stefan."Stop beating around the bush. Why is he trying to hold himself back? You made a scumbag sound like he'd suffered a lot!" Renee snarled.She gnashed her teeth. If her foot was not chained, she would have long beaten Jovan up for being evasive and mysterious."I think he was forced to give up his beloved woman because of his identity. He has suffered a lot." Jovan frowned, his tone laced with sympathy."What about his identity? I've already known about that. Our grandfathers decided on our marriage. What are we, Romeo and Juliet?" Renee had wondered if their families were sworn enemies. It might be the reason why Stefan was in a dilemma.However, her grandfather made the Hunts take care of her when her family was doomed. Her grandfather always wanted the best for her. He held her hand and told her that only Stefan could make her happy, and only the Hunt family could protect her. It seemed unreasonable that Stefan was
Jovan was stunned to hear Renee's words. He was so furious, he laughed."Maybe!" He agreed with her and looked at her wickedly. "Since I can't win him over, I want his beloved woman.""You're out of your mind!" Renee was disgusted as goosebumps gripped her. "I'm not his most beloved woman. He loves Briar the most. You got the wrong person. You should kidnap Briar instead. Then, you can get to him."She was acting out of spite, but she meant what she had said.In the past, she was confident that Stefan loved her the most. After so many things had happened, she was no longer as confident. Stefan eventually broke up with her because of Briar. It was enough to prove her position in his heart."Haha! Do you really think so?" Jovan shook his head, his lips a complicated smile. He seemed to be muttering to himself or hinting at something. "Unfortunately, he can't always do a good job. His romance is a mess. His most beloved woman doesn't understand him. How pathetic!""Stop mumbling!
"You're trying to take revenge on Stefan, aren't you? What did he do? Why do you hate him so much?" Renee demanded.She was particularly clueless.At the very least, she felt that Stefan and Jovan didn't have a grudge even if they couldn't get along. Besides—back then, Stefan survived because of Jovan's blood.In a sense, they should be close to each other. Stefan was able to live on because of Jovan.Yet now, Jovan wanted to ruin the one he had once risked his life to rescue."No, I don't hate him," Jovan answered honestly. "I even admire him, and I'm jealous of him. He's my role model, the pride of my family.""Then, you're envious of him!" Renee went straight to the point. "You can't defeat him, so you tried to make him disappear. When that happens, you'll feel better. No one will block you, and you'll get a chance to shine."Jovan, speechless, slowly stopped smiling. Renee had accurately guessed his innermost thoughts. Since he couldn't defeat Stefan, he would let Stefan b
The thing Renee feared the most was that Jovan's action would infuriate the Baldwins.Quinton, Adie, Abby, and Margaret were still there. If the Baldwin family wanted to do something bad, Renee's family would be in danger. Her happiness was secondary. She just wanted to ensure that her family was safe and sound.It seemed Austin was full of schemes. Though he seemed to have brought her family to live with her, he in truth just wanted hostages to control her…Unfortunately, she couldn't go back in time even though she had seen through his tricks."What's the rush?" Jovan watched Renee with a meaningful smile. "Someone will handle it even if it's a big mess. Your family will be fine. My foolish cousin won't let them be in danger. At most, the two families will fight fiercely."Renee was shocked. She glared at him, and suddenly understood something. "So you did it on purpose! You wanted to watch them fight and get something from it.""That's not my concern. Once, I was more powerf
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