Renee turned to Justin, her eyes meeting his affectionate gaze. She was stunned for a while before she smiled and asked him, “What about you? Did you mean what you said?”Justin felt his heart skip a beat, and his eyes widened slightly. ‘Why am I losing my cool like this? What is happening to me?’ He thought in bewilderment.He raised his eyebrows and said half-jokingly, “Of course, I’m serious about it. Ever since I learned you’re Phoenix, I regretted not marrying you four years ago.”“Is that so?” Renee laughed and asked him, “The Baldwins are pretty prestigious… Would they accept a divorcee like me?”“What’s wrong with being a divorcee?” Justin’s handsome face became serious, and he sounded angry as he said, "Those men are fools to give up such loving partners. It's another man's fortune to be married to a divorcee."“You might not care, but surely your family does, right?”“Don’t worry. No one would dare object. I guarantee that they'll welcome you with open arms.”He added, “My gr
‘Is there going to be a war? Are they going to kill me?’ Renee thought to herself, her heart pounding.Justin caressed her head and grinned sheepishly. "This is the Baldwins' overly lavish welcome tradition… I tried to warn you.”Renee narrowed her eyes at him. “You should've tried harder.”Finally, she exhaled deeply and grumbled, “They nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought they were trying to kill me!”“Don’t worry. You're a guest of my family. We can’t possibly murder you!” Justin grinned at her cheekily, then grabbed her hand and said, “Since we're acting, we gotta make it look real. If not, my grandfather will be able to tell we’re faking it!”Renee cooperatively held his hand and nodded. “Don’t worry, I got this!”The two walked towards the group, holding hands.Renee saw an elderly man in uniform standing amid the troops. His outfit was adorned with medals, and he emerged from a tank with a man and a woman.“Grandpa! Dad! Mom!” Tears of joy welled up in Justin’s eyes
“Gift?” Renee instantly shook her head and backed away. “Grandpa Austin, I appreciate the gesture, but you didn’t have to get me a gift. I didn’t even get anything for you! You’re all too generous.”Renee had forgotten what it felt like to be appreciated and loved like this. When the Everheart family went bankrupt and she married into the Hunt family, all she got from the Hunt family was judgment and glares.She felt touched, and also a little guilty. After all, this was all just an act.Austin frowned and said solemnly, “This is nothing. I’m not a generous man, but I mean it when I say that you’re the future mistress of the Baldwins. The gift I prepared for you isn’t just any gift. It’s more of a dowry.”“There’s no need for that…” Renee felt so guilty that she wanted to run away and hide. If she knew the Baldwin family would be so serious about it, she wouldn’t have agreed to pretend to be Justin’s girlfriend.Renee stared at Justin pointedly, but Justin ignored her and spoke to
Any person watching this scene would be weirded out, but Renee loved it. It was as if she was born for the battlefield as she screamed the war cry loudly.“Good… Very good!” Austin nodded his head proudly, tears in his eyes. “Maurice, are you watching this? Renee is truly your granddaughter. She’s a natural leader with a bright future!”Jack and Sophia held each other’s hands with tears in their eyes. “Our son finally made us proud. She’s the best daughter-in-law anyone could ask for!”On the other hand, Justin felt terribly guilty. ‘Damn, is Grandpa serious? He gave Renee an entire army! If he finds out the truth, I’ll be in big trouble.’The group got in their car and headed to a fine-dining restaurant in Sutton.Sophia had already accepted Renee as her future daughter-in-law. She had held Renee's hand for the entire journey to the restaurant, enthusiastically pointing out every landmark they passed. “Renee, do you see that shopping mall? It belongs to us. Oh, that building belo
“Who dares to make such a bold suggestion?” Austin slammed his fist on the table and scowled at the waiter. “Fine, ask them to come in. It’s been a while since a person this bold appeared in the Baldwins’ territory!”Renee glanced at the door and was instantly curious about this mysterious person. After all, the Baldwin family was the most powerful family in Sutton, but this person dared to disrespect them, so they had to be someone powerful too.The door to the banquet hall opened, and an elegant woman strolled in. She was wearing an expensive-looking silk dress and carrying a fancy Hermes handbag.“It’s been a while, Uncle Austin. I missed you so much that I came all the way from Beach City to see you. I hope you can grant me the pleasure of dining with you.” Under everyone's surprised gazes, the woman placed her ten-million-dollar Hermes bag on the table and sat down at the table casually.This elegant yet arrogant woman was none other than Renee’s ex-mother-in-law, Francine.A
Renee smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. She knew Francine was arrogant, but she didn’t know she could be so bold.Had Francine just come here to boast about her relationships?“How dare you!” Jack slammed the table, his face fierce as he shouted, “Do you think you’re in Beach City? This is the Baldwins’ territory. If you dare to continue this nonsense and upset my wife, then you can’t blame me for hurting you!”Francine rolled her eyes and remarked sarcastically, “Oh, I’m so scared. Jack, we used to be childhood sweethearts, and your wife and I were really close when we were kids. How can you threaten me like this?”“You!” Jack was so enraged that he clenched his fists, about to hit her.When Renee saw this, she immediately stood before Jack and calmed him down. “Uncle Jack, don’t be mad. Madam Francine is known for being rude and blunt. Just think of her as an underdeveloped child, okay? There's no point in arguing with a child.”She was able to endure the years in the
Hearing this, Francine raised her eyebrows, put down the glass in her hand, and said slowly, “If that’s the case, then I’ll be honest. The reason I’m here is to bring my daughter-in-law back.”Instantly, everyone became tense, and their faces darkened."Renee grew up in Beach City," Francine said confidently. “The economy there is flourishing, and everything is perfect. Sutton, on the other hand, is impoverished, inconvenient, and has terrible transportation. I can’t watch her stay here and suffer.”The Baldwin family’s expressions were thunderous, and nobody said a word, but the atmosphere was dangerously tense.Renee became even more scared, and she tugged on Francine’s arm and whispered, “Madam Francine, I advise you to stop talking. Why are you insulting this city?”Francine was a really brave woman!“I'm not insulting it, I'm just stating facts. If you look at the annual global wealth list, Beach City far outranks Sutton. The numbers are practically on opposite ends of the l
It was already late at night when they arrived at the Baldwin residence. The place was an Elizabethan-era courtyard building, and was divided into four courtyards in the south, east, north, and west. Each courtyard was elegantly decorated with pavilions, carved railings, and jade.Renee’s room was in the East courtyard, next to Justin’s.“Brat, you'd better be a good host and help Ren settle in so she'll start envisioning this place as her home,” Sophia ordered Justin solemnly before returning to her room to rest.“Don’t worry, Mum, I'll take good care of my girlfriend,” Justin sighed.“Hmm. Since she’s your girlfriend, the two of you should be staying in the same room. Why get a separate room?”“Mom, I told you that she’s shy. We’re not married yet, so how can we stay in a room together?” With that, Justin gently pushed Sophia out of the room and said, “Go to sleep. We want to spend time together.”When Sophia heard this, her eyes shone with excitement. “Yes, please enjoy your t
"I'm sorry!" Renee blurted—she realized her selfishness."I admit that I took you as a substitute. I wanted to get out of that suffering relationship, and I didn't care about your feelings. I'm so sorry."At first, she wanted to forget Stefan and start a new relationship. And then, Justin risked his life to save her. On top of that, they were compatible in various aspects. She felt that she could spend the rest of her life with him.However, Renee realized that her actions were purely self-serving. She never considered Justin's feelings or asked about his willingness. She merely took him as a convenient tool. "No, you did nothing wrong," Justin said. "You have your choices. Likewise, I have my choices too."He stared at Renee passionately, his teary eyes filled with pain, and held her hand. "I chose you. I want to stay with you while you're trying to forget about him. I want you to be happy with me.""You…" Renee looked into Justin's eyes. His generosity, firmness, and thoug
"Mmph!" Renee was sitting beside the window, watching the floating clouds up in the sky when a sudden pain gripped her heart—as if it was clenched tight. "What's wrong?" Justin asked nervously. Sitting across from her, he could feel something wrong with her. "I'm fine." Renee shook her head and tried to soothe her stuffy chest. "My heart suddenly hurt just now. I guess it's because of the sudden weightlessness when the plane took off."Justin sighed in relief. "I've heard that some people might get dizzy or feel their ears ring because of weightlessness, but I've never heard of hearts aching.""It's fine. It's something rare, I guess. I'll feel better after a while." Renee waved his concerns away, taking a deep breath. She picked up the cup in front of her and sipped some water, and felt better. Perhaps the water had cooled her heart. However, Justin felt a little uneasy. He knew her heart wasn't his though their destination was the same."If you can't forget about him, yo
Stefan got involved with Briar. At the same time, something seemed to be wrong with Renee and she insisted on meeting Justin's parents. In short, they were lying to themselves.Xavier found it ridiculous that they would break up and date someone else, when in truth they loved each other passionately and had gone through so much together. They were just cowards who refused to face their problems head-on."Well said! I agree." For the first time, Leia and Xavier shared the same thoughts on the issues related to love. Aside from Stefan and Renee, there were many similar examples. Leia was convinced Liam was doing the same thing. She couldn't understand why they had to hurt themselves like that. It would be better to make peace.Suddenly, Xavier turned around and looked at Leia passionately, and declared with utmost seriousness, "So, we can't do that!" Having his face so close to hers so suddenly, Leia's heartbeat quickened. She pursed her lips and stood up shyly. "You're nuts
Justin walked over and tapped his wristwatch. "It's almost time. Let's go.""Okay." Renee nodded, then said to Leia, "Just go home and take good care of Liam. Tell my brother and kids that I'm fine. I'll be back at Beach City soon.""Uh…" Leia wanted to stop Renee from going to Beach City, but she couldn't find a reason to make Renee refuse. Of course, Renee had to stop the program which never responded."Fine. Take care. Call me immediately if anything happens!" Leia, enlightened, decided to respect Renee's choices. She hugged Renee and sobbed, "I hope you'll pick happiness no matter who you choose to be with!""Of course. I want you to do the same." Renee hugged Leia firmly.Then, she got into the small private plane bound for North City with Justin."She left…" Xavier muttered. He watched the plane take off for North City as he sat in the lobby, feeling complicated. He felt sorry for Stefan, but at the same time, he felt that Stefan had brought it upon himself. Being on
However, Leia didn't believe that Renee would have given up on Stefan. Based on their night chats a while ago, she could tell from Renee's tone that the latter was still confused about Stefan and couldn't part with him.It wasn't long ago, but now, Renee wanted to marry someone else. It was abnormal."Yes, I did…" Renee coldly looked ahead and added, "I did just now.""What?" Leia's eyes went wide, and she didn't stop questioning Renee. "What happened just now? Nothing happened!""Let me be frank with you." Renee decided to be honest with Leia since Leia insisted on getting to the bottom of it. "Justin told me something the night he saved us. Stefan informed him and asked him to come to our rescue.""I know that. And then?"Leia had heard the same story from Justin. She and Liam kept cursing Stefan for being a dirty coward all night long. It was infuriating. Stefan didn't try to save his beloved woman, but made his rival in love do so instead. It seemed he had given up his belo
"What? You're going to meet his parents?" Leia cried in agitation when she heard that. She glared at Justin, then dragged Renee to the side to interrogate the latter."What's wrong with you, Ren? Why are you marrying someone else just after one night?" Leia pausing, finding her words odd, then corrected herself. "Oh, no! Are you going to remarry?""Justin is a good man. His grandpa was my grandpa's old comrade. Plus, his family is nice to me. And we survived this time because of the army Grandpa Baldwin gave me. I can't be ungrateful," Renee said, her tone calm and cold.Although it was ridiculous, Austin did give Renee that army as a wedding gift. She used that gift at a critical time, which meant she had accepted the Baldwin family. Naturally, she had to take her relationship with Justin to another level. "But…" Leia frowned, feeling that Renee was being impulsive. "But you were forced to use that army under that circumstance. It wasn't because you loved Justin that drove
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