Truthfully, Stefan knew all too well that Renee couldn't possibly be living in Hunt Villa.Even so, he still had the faintest hope that a miracle might happen.It's a little funny. In the past, he used to be decisive and never hesitated about anything. Why had he become so indecisive and illogical?Stefan walked into the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully ran his fingers across the duvet. It was as if he was caressing her hair, her face, and her soft, fair skin…All he could think about was Renee.He thought of the times she smiled at him, when she was angry, when she yelled at him, when she was embarrassed, and finally, when she turned around and left without looking back.There was an emptiness inside him. It was like an endless spiral that devastated his soul!"Damn it!" Stefan took a deep breath. He couldn't go on like this.His life shouldn't be affected so drastically just because a woman left him. He shouldn't be suffering like this.Besides, that woma
"I never thought 'love at first sight' actually existed in this world. We met in the most beautiful way possible, but we spent our time together in the worst way imaginable… I knew he didn't love me, but he had no choice but to marry me. That's why I can understand why he treated me so coldly the way he did…"I guess he must have had a lot on his mind—dreams, poems, songs, ambitions, the girl he loved… everything but me. Even so, I still cried tears of joy when we exchanged vows in front of the priest and put the ring on each other's fingers. I fantasized about the day I'd finally find a place in his heart… even if just a tiny part!"I cried my lungs out. He was petrified when he saw me in that state. Although he was disgusted, he still wiped my tears away and put the ring on my finger. He was cold yet gentle… At that moment… I started falling."Chapter Three, The Long Wait."I've imagined us doing things together after getting married…watching variety shows on the couch, building
"Are you serious?" Stefan looked at Xavier with a cold gaze. His eyes instantly lit up."My men just sent me a message. They said they saw her at an antique market in Water Dock. Here are the photos they sent me," Xavier gushed.He quickly switched on his phone and zoomed in on a photo for Stefan.This was a photo taken from the side. The woman's tall nasal bridge and collar bones looked perfectly identical to Renee's.That wasn't all. She even had on the same white dress Renee once wore.This unclear photo of her face from the side was enough to ignite Stefan's passion and hope!He didn't even hesitate for a split second before standing to his feet. "Let's have a look."The two drove to Water Dock. Meanwhile, Christopher stayed at Hunt Villa in case of an emergency.Xavier saw Stefan clinging tightly to a notebook. He couldn't help but feel curious. "Stef, is your notebook a confidential document? Why won't you put it down?""It isn't," Stefan replied coldly. He looked out th
The emotions Xavier felt were equally intense as those of Stefan!"Huh. Is that all?" Xavier flipped through the notebook and began complaining loudly while thumping his chest. "It's getting to the fun part. Why did it stop here? Who is the author? We should have that person whipped in public!"Stefan subconsciously moved a little further away for fear that Xavier might accidentally hit him.Xavier read the novel multiple times before he realized something. "Stefan, are the male and female leads actually you and your wife?"Stefan rolled his eyes at Xavier. "Who else could they be?""Did she write this? Are the things she wrote all true?""Half of it!" Stefan replied."Although not all details were accurate, her description of how they treated each other in the novel was nearly identical to how their marriage went in real life.Xavier seemed shocked. He held the notebook as if he was holding a precious treasure. "I never knew your wife was this good at writing! I was close to t
Amidst the tension, they arrived at Water Dock.Xavier smiled ambiguously at Stefan. "Stef, why don't we have a friendly competition? If you find her first, I'll accept the fact that she's yours and will forever consider her out of my reach. However, if I find her first… I'll make my move!""Whatever," Stefan replied nonchalantly."You're the most generous man in Beach City!" Xavier exclaimed before opening the door and hastily getting out of the car. He immediately started searching for Renee.Stefan, on the other hand, slowly got out of the car and smoothed out the wrinkles on his high-end suit. Like an emperor on tour, he scanned the surroundings arrogantly.Water Dock's antique market was the largest antique market in Beach City.Since it was located at a strategic intersection between several countries, many valuable treasures were smuggled and sold there. As a result, many local traders became wealthy. Likewise, with increased wealth came an increased crime rate. The area a
Xavier instantly deflated.Renee was indeed not like ordinary women. She was way too smart. She could easily see through him. It wasn't as easy as he thought.Never mind the other stuff—Xavier had spent the entire evening running around the dock, and he couldn't even find Renee. Defeated, that was when he finally went to Stefan to gather some intel.Feeling a little awkward, Xavier tried to change the topic. "Stef, what are you doing? You're holding a bamboo tube. Are you performing a magic trick?"Stefan ignored Xavier and started to focus on shaking the bamboo tube.After five or six shakes, a bamboo stick fell to the ground.The old man picked it up and read the text on the stick, and a complicated expression emerged on his face."What are you looking for, young man?" he asked."I want to know if she and I still have a chance," Stefan said coldly.Needless to say, by 'she,' he was referring to Renee.The old man let out a long sigh. "The breeze comes and goes; the beginnin
After finishing his sentence, Xavier ran off the same way he did before."How childish!" Stefan rubbed his temples and shook his head speechlessly.However, he was a little worried that something bad might happen to Renee. He stood up and prepared to leave.The old man stopped him. "Young man, that is your friend's fate. You don't have to get involved. Why don't you stay here and browse through these treasures? Perhaps, something you buy might one day become the thing that brings you and the love of your life together."It was strange. Whereas others would've thought this old man was making nonsense up, Stefan trusted him and stayed. He scanned the things on display, and that was when a silk object caught his eye.To be more precise, the art on the silk object caught his attention."How much is this?" Stefan asked."Since you and I met by fate, I'll sell it to you for a dollar. Consider it as a payment for drawing the bamboo stick." The old man then put the silk object in a box
Stefan murmured to himself, "Renee, oh, Renee. You're such a pain in the ass. You're going to be in deep trouble once I get my hands on you!"The casino was huge. People gathered in large groups in each area, but there was one particular area with the greatest number of people. Eager gamblers surrounded a round casino table as they made excited cat-calls.Stefan instantly knew something fishy was going on, and he quickly strode over.Unsurprisingly, there was a young woman all tied up on the table.The woman barely had any clothes on—the white silk dress that concealed little of her skin was extremely thin, while a feathered mask covered the upper half of her face. Curled up into a ball in the corner, she was evidently trembling.Stefan felt a tightness in his chest. He clenched his fists and prepared to charge forward.That's because he could tell the woman's facial features were nearly identical to Renee's despite the feathered mask she was wearing.She had the same pointy nos
The Baldwin family was so excited that they couldn't sleep. They waited at the exit of the airport eagerly for a long time."Dad, you can't be this fierce. The past is the past. What's important now is Justin has brought Ms. Ren home. He didn't let us down. And don't scare her off again. Just smile!" Sophia boldly reminded Austin, who looked stiff, for the sake of the bigger picture."Why should I smile? I'm born like this. I hate smiling!" Austin retorted stubbornly. His face grew stiffer and he looked more solemn. "Why can't you take my advice? Ms. Ren came to a strange city all alone. I'm sure she's scared, but you're going to be so fierce to her. If you scare her off, you'll make a scene again. It'll be too late if you regret it by then!" Sophia nagged, insistent on explaining the interests at stake."Okay, stop. Dad's always like that. He's a general. No general loves to smile. When did he ever smile? Stop forcing him. We'll do the smiling." Jack dragged Sophia to the side, f
In the past, Renee recalled hurting Justin once. If she chose to get off the plane, she couldn't regret it. For a moment, she was unsure. She wondered if she was ready to make such a huge decision."It's fine. I told you, it's not too late if you don't get off the plane," Justin whispered. Although he looked hurt, he remained gentle and kind. "You have one minute to reconsider.""No, that's unnecessary." After taking a deep breath, Renee finally made up her mind. "I'll go with you."She had made such a decision after much contemplation. Since she was bold enough to board the plane, then she could get off it."Alright!" Justin's eyes brightened. He walked over and interlocked his fingers with hers. "You don't have to be scared. I'll be with you every step of the way. Let's face everything together."They walked side-by-side as they got off the plane.They took an individual pathway to exit the airport since they rode the exclusive plane of the Baldwin family. The Baldwin family ha
"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.""