The guests gasped in shock as they looked toward the person who was speaking. It was Ruby, the woman who had managed to win the best actress award last year.At the time, Ruby was sitting right next to Charlotte, which meant that she was sitting in the same row as Stefan and Renee.She kept a low profile the whole time, silently sitting next to them without causing a ruckus. Hence, she was able to watch as the two interacted with each other.From an outsider's perspective, Stefan and Renee acted as if they were sworn enemies. However, Ruby's sharp observation skills allowed to notice the special relationship between them, which made their banter seem rather flirtatious.She was consumed by jealousy, which strengthened her determination to take Renee down.Xavier quickly dashed towards Ruby, asking hurriedly, "What the hell are you saying? Do you know where the bride is?""I don't exactly, but I can make a wild guess as to who is responsible for her disappearance…."She then used
Charlotte's instigation immediately made the people who were on Renee's side immediately switch stances. With that, Renee turned into a criminal in their eyes. Everyone began calling her a cruel witch, apart from… Stefan and Christopher."Silence!" Christopher put up a serious face and approached Renee.He then brought out the ring he had prepared for Cecilia, handing it to Stefan. "Stef, put this ring on Ms. Everheart."The intelligent Stefan instantly understood what Christopher was trying to do, and he nodded gently.He grabbed Renee's hand without saying anything, attempting to put the ring on the woman's finger.Renee started backing away out of anxiousness. "What are you doing? You can't just put a ring on anybody! Get it off me!""Wear it!" Stefan demanded.Hence, the two started struggling to achieve their individual wishes, looking as if they were in a fight.Ding ding ding…The bells started chiming again, as it was the perfect time to watch the sunset. As the gold
Everyone immediately looked toward the employee. The male employee's forehead was covered in sweat, as he tried his best to catch his breath. "The… winding bank… We found Ms. Smith's shoe around the cliffside of the winding bank! She must've fallen into the ocean!"The winding bank was quite a famous sightseeing spot within the area, as it was formed by a short mountain range in the shape of the letter 'C.' Moreover, it was known for its treacherous terrains as well."She fell into the sea?!" Xavier howled. "But Cecy doesn't know how to swim! We need to save her right now!"He was the first to rush out, with Christopher and Stefan following behind.Renee, on the other hand, froze slightly. She then followed a group of curious guests to the site.The tides around the bank were actually rather calm. However, with the sun already set, there wasn't enough light for them to locate Cecilia well.Renee observed the heels placed neatly at the edge of the cliff and tried analyzing the s
"We were married for four whole years! How could she possibly have nothing to do with me?" Stefan sounded determined, making it seem like his absurd statement was reasonable.Renee stood behind him with mixed feelings stirring up in her chest.She had never expected Stefan to defend her in front of this many people, nor had she expected him to say all those things. 'Isn't he supposed to be the coldest and harshest person regarding our past marriage? Shouldn't he be expressing his disdain more than anything? What is he doing acting as if he cared?'Christopher spoke up too. "Stef is right. We have no proof pointing to Ms. Everheart pushing Cecilia off the cliff, so please do not make any hasty assumptions or use violence against her."Instead, we should split up into groups and look around the area… find Cecilia as soon as we can!"Everyone found his words quite understandable, and they started calling out to Cecilia, covering more ground as they tried to look for her. Stefan a
No matter how much she screamed and called, Stefan soldiered on, seeming as if he had no intention of turning back."Fine! If you're so tired of living, then just die! If you die, I won't even cry a single tear for you!" Renee clenched her fists, her chest tightening while she grew more and more furious at his recklessness. 'God damn it, Stefan Hunt! Do you have no one else you care about in this world?! Are you really willing to give up on everything for your first love?! Is she really that important to you?!'It was also then that she finally realized that the cold man she once knew was actually quite loving. However, his love wasn't hers to dream of, and she had no right to expect that from him.Stefan was quite a skilled swimmer and was able to reach Cecilia within minutes. Using one arm, he carried her back to shore.Just as they were about to reach the safe zone, a large wave came crashing down, dragging the two backward.Their figures were unable to be seen after that, wh
As the two headed to a safer area, Christopher sat her down gently and whispered, "Sorry if I overstepped. I was acting out of panic as well. I hope you understand.""It's alright. I should be thanking you, actually. I was being too rash," Renee replied, calming down and realizing she had momentarily lost it.She put some thought into this and asked herself, 'What does my ex-husband's life have to do with me? We're already divorced.'However, despite regaining her rationality, Renee still continued staring out into the ocean, crossing her arms before her chest. She started calling out to the man in her head, 'Come back, Stefan Hunt. For the sake of your two children, I'm begging you to come back!'After that, as if the man himself had heard her pleas, she witnessed a miracle happening right before her eyes. Stefan, who had disappeared into the waves earlier, was able to swim against the current, returning to the shore with his extraordinary swimming skills."They're back! They'r
Apparently, the person giving him CPR wasn't Renee, who he initially expected. Instead, it was one of the members of the rescue team, a tanned burly man."Damn it!" Stefan immediately leaped from the ground, pushing the burly man harshly and forcing him ten feet away.Seeing this, Renee was overwhelmed with glee. "Oh my god, you're alive, Stefan! Thank the stars!""Did you do that on purpose, Renee?!" Stefan looked exceedingly disgusted as he wiped his mouth over and over using the back of his hand.He thought to himself, 'That was so humiliating! I can't believe that I, Stefan Hunt, was tricked! I cannot accept this. I won't let this damn brat off so easily!'However, Renee was clueless about Stefan's intentions from the start. She truly believed that the man needed CPR and went out of her way to find the best professional around them.Seeing how energetic the man seemed, Renee was genuinely happy that he was no longer in critical condition. She instinctively gave him a big hug,
Cecilia's mother was still crying, holding onto her hand as she asked, "My dear, are you okay? What are you looking for? Just look at me…."Stef… Where is he?" Cecilia's voice was hoarse and weak.After experiencing such a deadly situation, she decided that she had to stop hiding her true feelings. She loved Stefan Hunt, and she couldn't possibly move on from him.The only person she wanted to see now… was Stefan Hunt."M… Mr. Hunt?" The atmosphere felt tense and awkward, as everyone had the same thought in their heads.'The first thing this bride did, despite having just survived drowning, was to look for another man… Poor Mr. Jacobs…'Christopher's handsome face turned stiff, then he spoke softly to the woman in his embrace. "Stef risked his life to save you, you know? You have to give him a proper thanks later.""He did?" Cecilia's pale face finally livened up, bursting into tears. "I knew it… He does care about me! Oh, Stef… Where is he? I have to see him!"At that moment
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