Cecilia's mother then turned to Christopher. "Take your bride to the hospital, Chris, and hurry up, will you? If she stays a moment longer, I fear someone might beat her to death!""Of course," Christopher replied. "But I'd like to take the opportunity to publicly announce that the wedding between Cecilia Smith and I has been canceled. Our relationship as a couple ends today as well. I deeply apologize for dragging everyone into this mess and wasting your time today, but rest assured, you will be fully compensated by my family and I."This threw the crowd into an uproar.Xavier was flustered and anxiously tried to help save Christopher's situation. "What the hell are you talking about, Chris? Are you seriously canceling the wedding and breaking up with Cecy right now? Don't you think that's a bit too cruel? Tell me it's not true. Tell me you're just joking to lighten up the atmosphere."But Christopher said nothing in reply. He picked Cecilia up in his arms and carried her away.T
Renee's lips curled up, but her expression was cold. In a moment, her heart froze into ice.She assumed that Stefan would never have to ask such a stupid question, but since he had actually blurted it out, it was clear that a vast chasm had opened up between them, forever separating them from each other, no matter if he believed it or not…"I have nothing to explain," replied Renee. "If you trust me, I don't have to say a word, and you'd still trust me. But if you don't believe me, it won't matter even if I explain everything to you till my mouth gets dry. I could dig out my heart and show it to you, and you still won't believe me."Renee forcefully yanked her hand from him. There was only calm diffidence on her flawless face. Then, as if not caring at all what Stefan thought of her, she added, "Do whatever you want. I'm leaving!"Then she turned on her heels and left without having the slightest feeling left for the man, not giving a jot of what he thought of her. So what if he th
"You're lying!"Stefan's eyes were as keen and shrewd as an eagle's. He sneered at Ruby and added, "Didn't you just tell me you've admired me for a long time? Then how is it possible that you've never heard of my ex-wife's name?""I…" Ruby was stunned, speechless. Being a veteran of the entertainment world, she was used to pulling words out of her ass, and everyone would accept whatever she said without batting an eyelid. She never expected Stefan to be so perceptive that he could immediately catch the inconsistency in her speech. For a second, she was completely at a loss for what to do.Then in a hasty bid to save face, she blurted, "What… What I meant was that I've never personally met Ms. Everheart, but of course, I've heard of her. After all, your CP 'Hunt My Everheart' is really popular online. Lots of people in the entertainment industry are fans of that site.""Because you admire me…" Stefan ruthlessly interjected, coldly staring at Ruby. "You must be jealous of her because
This whole incident had been plaguing Stefan's mind, and he knew he would not be at peace until he found out the truth.He took a deep breath and decided that the best course of action would be to ask the person directly involved in the matter—Cecilia Smith. Cecilia had been sent to the hospital to receive emergency treatment, and her life was now out of danger, but because she was drowning in the water for too long, there were concerns that she might've damaged her brain, heart, and lungs, and she had to remain hospitalized for a few more days for observation.All the guests had now left, with only Cecilia's parents, Christopher and Xavier remaining at the hospital with her. They were all standing outside the door to her private ward amid a tense and heavy atmosphere.Cecilia's mother was wringing her hands and staring cautiously at Christopher. She then fumblingly said, "Chris… There were too many people earlier, so I couldn't really speak to you frankly, but now that everyone'
Xavier balled up his fists, but in the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly let it go. If he really beat Christopher up, the three best friends would return to being distant and strained around each other after having recently overcome many obstacles to reunite."Fine, fine! The three of you have been dragging it out for so many years now that it's all a big freaking mess! I'm so tired of it and want nothing to do with it anymore. Just do whatever you like!"Xavier quickly turned and stomped away. He still had a lot on his plate. In fact, even his dad declared that this week was his last stint of freedom! If he lost that criminal case, he'd be locked up behind bars and face a harsh sentence for a long time. What mattered most to him was finding a good lawyer to help him win the case right now. But no matter where he looked, he still found that the only person suited for the job was Zack, yet Zack was Renee's employee, and he had unfortunately been in a battle royale with her
Stefan’s arrival left everybody stunned. Cecilia's mother was the first to react. Seeing that her son-in-law Christopher really was going to slip through their fingers, she quickly latched onto Stefan instead."So you've come, Stefan! Cecy here has been talking about you just now. There's been a misunderstanding between you two. I think it's high time you clear it all up!""The truth is," she continued, "Cecy was inexperienced and very naive emotionally through those years. That's why she…""Mom!" Cecilia interrupted her, feeling humiliated. "Didn't I tell you to stop talking about that?"Both of these men once loved her deeply, but right now, neither of them wanted her. This came as, without a doubt, a huge blow to a woman like her. If her mother kept on fawning over these men, trying to please them so they'd take her back, she would soon be left without a shred of dignity!Christopher, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed. He even casually patted Stefan's shoulder and half-jo
"Hahahaha!"Cecilia continued to laugh. She had to take a long time to catch her breath again, before she finally told Stefan in a mocking tone, "It's you, Stefan! I think you're really funny!""I had assumed," she added, "that the love between you and Renee was as strong and unbendable as steel! But surprisingly, you couldn't even stand this minor test! Compared to your feelings for me back then, your feelings for her are simply different… Are you sure that you love her more than you love me?"Stefan's cold and chiseled face displayed even more displeasure."I never said I loved her," he denied."I see!" Cecilia raised her brows and chirped, suddenly feeling a lot better. With a faint smile, she continued, "If you really did love her, you'd never even think about asking this question. But since you did ask, it proves that you don't really love her that much at all, or perhaps… you just don't understand her yet.""The truth is," she added, "it doesn't matter whether she pushed me
And so, Renee and Margaret came to the private maternity hospital where Renee often got her prenatal checkups. As they were waiting for Renee's turn, Margaret kept holding Renee's arm and carefully checked her pulse."Your pulse is normal, Ms. Ren. Your babies should be fine. You shouldn't allow a dream to scare you sick. Let's just knock on wood, and everything will be fine."Renee nodded but was still full of concern."I know my precious little ones are fine since I've been strong and fit all the while. But I just can't stop myself from worrying. I can't shake off the feeling that something might happen.""Shush! Don't speak of such inauspicious things, Ms. Ren! You might not believe anyone, but you must believe the traditional medical knowledge that I learned from my family. You know that I can treat any illness under the sun by prescribing a few herbs! I'm telling you, there's nothing to worry about.""You're right. With a medical genius like you by my side, I've simply got
"But if I keep you guys here and make all the films I want for sale, I can earn a lot of money in the long run. My company will also get more famous. Which do you think I'll choose?" Lucas went on.Renee nodded. "You're right, but it's boring to just conduct the punishment. Why don't we use another method as a form of punishment?""Oh, what do you have in mind?" Lucas' eyes brightened. After spending so many days and nights here, he was gradually losing his rationale. The thought of new torture methods for victims who refused to obey filled him with excitement. "You want us to act, don't you? Let's not waste time. We should start filming now." Renee smiled seductively. "I'm eager to be the first.""So, you're saying that you can't wait to start?" Lucas stood up, excited. He rubbed his hands together as he sized Renee up. "Yeah, I guess. I can't wait to earn money for you," Renee said. "Great! You're a sensible one!" Lucas clapped. "Well, let's start… How about this? Since it
"Watch me!" the guard said fiercely. He walked to the table and placed a basin filled with hot water on it. Then, he grabbed a sheet of white paper and drenched it with water. He then put it on Leia's face. "Mmph!" Leia's face was fully covered, her mouth and nose blocked. She couldn't make a sound or breathe properly. Her face flushed from the suffocation, and she was in great pain."Let go of her now!" Renee screamed, anxious and restless. Though handcuffed, she rushed toward Leia and tried her best to remove the paper from Leia's face.Suffocating for five to ten minutes could kill. If Renee didn't stop them and let them have their way with Leia, she might die!However, Renee slipped and fell. She tried to get up, but failed due to her handcuffed limbs restricting her movement. "Mm, mm!" Leia struggled violently at first, but she slowly stopped moving as though she was dying.At the critical moment, Renee finally got up and hurriedly yanked the paper off Leia's face."W
When Renee noticed Lucas' growing trust in her, she started begging for mercy for Leia.Unexpectedly, Lucas turned hostile and cunning. "So, you said that much to me just because you wanted to beg for mercy for your friend. Were you talking nonsense?" he snapped. "No, it was a sincere suggestion! I mean it! I wanted to help you make this company bigger and stronger." Renee swallowed, and added, "My friend and I are close. A normal person like me wouldn't want her to suffer so much." "Yes, any normal person wouldn't. But people in our industry can't afford to be normal. Only crazy people can do this kind of work."Lucas raised his brow, and looked at Leia before turning back to Renee. "How about this? You punish her to prove your loyalty. Then, I'll believe that you're on my side. What do you think?" "Motherfucker! Just come at me! Stop talking crap! I'm not afraid of you!" Leia suddenly shrieked.Lying on the table, her initial fear gradually turned into anger. Finally, sh
"Flying Clouds? What does that mean? What do you want?" Leia demanded. She trembled all over and subconsciously retreated.Two guards held her and pushed her on the table. They untied her shackles and tied her limbs to the four corners of the table. Then, another guard carried a basin of hot water over. It was steaming."Just start!" Lucas ordered as he sat. He took a drag of his cigarette as he watched Leia's slightly revealed figure while struggling. He looked very obscene. Renee, standing at the side, grew nervous. However, she tried her best to put on a smile and said to Lucas, "Lucas, we can talk it out. You told us we could help you earn a lot. We're your best tool for earning money. But if you do this and ruin your tool, you'll suffer." "Calm down…" Lucas turned to Renee, finding her quite obedient and sensible. He said to a guard, "Bring a chair for this pretty girl and make her learn well. When our business gets big, she can be a manager!"The guard quickly carried
There were various kinds of torture instruments hanging around the cage. There was even a saw that would function with just a pull.Upon closer inspection, Renee noticed bloodstains on the instruments. The corners were full of piles of human hair. There was also a rotten and damp scent lingering around."What… What kind of place is this?" Leia screamed.She stood at the door of the cage and swallowed in fright, now timid. She found that place very familiar. After some contemplation, she realized it was something related to what she had seen before in the deep web.The so-called deep web was more horrible than the dark web. Only ten percent of netizens could find the websites. These websites weren't under supervision, and were full of outrageous videos and business deals.For example, the sellers would buy beautiful models to make vulgar videos of for the buyers' viewing. The buyers would make outrageous requests based on their insane desires. They would spend some money for the se
Though the building looked ordinary and old, it was filled with many things.However, it was not very accurate. The place resembled thematic scenes more.The first floor was an ordinary office area. The second floor looked like a hotel, while the third floor looked like classrooms… The themes for each place were centered around obscenity.Renee wasn't dumb. She instantly understood why Lucas brought her and Leia there by force. She also finally understood why Lucas prohibited his subordinate from touching Leia's face even though she had been rude to him. If she guessed right, these bastards wanted her and Leia to shoot pornos. "Do you like these scenes, my friends?" Lucas was smoking, in a great mood to see the film and television site he had established. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Renee and Leia. "Other than wire fraud and online casinos, the thing that makes most money is the limited and short videos. You girls are so pretty. Just work with me and shoot some R-rated
The motorbikes raced the narrow streets noisily, passing through crowds and messy alleyways. After a winding journey, they got on the large roads and drove toward a growingly remote and unknown place.At last, they stopped in front of a large iron gate with guards and two large German Shepherds. There were a few large words above the iron gate that spelled Gold Investment. As Renee and Leia walked inside, they saw a large park, like a factory. Both of them exchanged a look of deep helplessness. They had bumped into something terrible. If they guessed it right, Lucas and his gang were involved in wire fraud. They had been brought to Lucas' scamming site.Men in uniforms happened to walk toward the cafeteria to get food under the supervision of guards. Their faces or bodies were full of new or old injuries. They looked numb and dispirited, as if they had lost all hope in life.Both Renee and Leia exchanged another look. They could confirm they were brought to an infamous scamming
Lucas' lackey brought out a dagger. He pulled Leia, and pushed the dagger against her neck.Lucas stared at Renee, and sneered, "I hope you and your friend can behave. We're from the same country. We can get along, can't we?" "Ren, ignore me! Just get them! I'm sure they can't kill me in front of everyone!" Leia shouted.She was fearless and tried all means to resist, but the man was rather fierce. He pinned her wrists behind her while pushing the dagger against her neck.As Leia wasn't standing still, the blade scratched her neck and caused it to bleed.Renee could only unclench her fists, and asked Lucas coldly, "What do you want?" "Don't be scared. We mean you no harm. We like you girls because we're from the same country. We'd like to invite you to my place as guests," Lucas mouthed off insufferably as he touched his chin. His face was swollen from being punched. "Let my friend go now!" Renee ordered Lucas. She could easily handle those bastards alone, but she was too tim
"I need to congratulate you, since you'll get another person who can teach you how to be a human being aside from Draco from today onward." Renee glared at Lucas angrily, her tone icy."Who? You? Just you?" Lucas held his belly and burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! How could you? You—"The next second, Renee interrupted him and punched him. His head tilted to the side, and his teeth were knocked out and fell off. Renee grabbed his hair and demanded icily, "What about now? Where are our phones?""You… You…" Lucas' cheek was swollen. He couldn't move at all, and waved for his lackeys to act.They jumped off their motorbikes and waved their steel pipes and knives, about to attack Renee."Ren, be careful!" While resisting, Leia reminded Renee to be careful. Renee remained composed as she kept her grip on Lucas' hair. She used him as a shield as she kicked and punched the other men, defeating them with ease.She suffered no injury while attacking others as Lucas had to endur