"Okay, it's a deal." Stefan's icy gaze was fixed on the 'Run' button on the screen. "Go ahead.""Awesome!" Haze clicked on the button without thinking twice.Everyone held their breath, and all eyes were focused on the monitor screen. Some of Phoenix's fans clenched their fists, their hearts pounding in excitement."Almost there! Almost got it!""The identity of the mysterious legendary hacker Phoenix is going to be exposed!"Fifteen minutes seemed to fly by. Everyone started counting down."10, 9, 8, 7…"At that moment, Renee nonchalantly returned to the scene."Aren't you done yet?" She asked mockingly as she watched Haze, who was frowning deeply. "Are you sure you can do it? I think there's some errors in your code. If it turns out that you've been chasing your own tail this whole time, aren't you worried that you'll have to call someone Daddy instead?""What does a woman like you know about coding? All you know how to do is clean up garbage."Haze was so full of disdain f
Despite suddenly becoming the target of everyone's critical gazes, Renee remained perfectly calm."Wait," she chuckled, "surely you guys aren't suspecting me of being Phoenix, are you?""I'd just gone out to the restroom for a few minutes," she said incredulously, "and in that time, I somehow turned into a famous genius hacker! What a magical turn of events! Perhaps I should celebrate it with fireworks!""I think it's all just a coincidence," Elijah chimed in quickly. "Based on my understanding of Mrs. Hunt's character, her shrewdness and practicality are more suited for a housewife. Her proficiency with computers is limited to watching movies and videos online. She doesn't even play any video games… If someone like her is a genius hacker, then I must be the president of this country!"Although his words were unflattering at Renee's expense, he had only said that to help get her out of trouble, and it worked well. Everyone thought that Elijah's words made a lot of sense."That's r
After Haze left, the atmosphere became calm again."If there's nothing else," said Renee to Stefan, "then I'm leaving now."After all, she had performed the obligatory public display of affection, and even Haze had left. There was simply no reason for her to remain at H Group."Free up your evening," Stefan ordered as he sat at his office table, burying himself in his work. Renee was extremely irritated by the authoritative air he exuded, as if he was ordering her around."What for?" She growled.Stefan did not answer her. Instead, he opened a drawer and took out a beautiful gift box. He handed it to Renee and said, "Be at the banquet hall on the first floor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel this evening, at eight o'clock sharp. Make sure to dress well.""What's this? You're giving me a present?" Renee found it so surprising that she wondered if the sun was going to rise in the west tomorrow.Unable to stifle her curiosity, she opened up the present. Inside, she found a silvery dress
Charlotte never expected that Renee, who had always been a pushover, had the guts to fight back."You shameless witch!" She cursed furiously. "Why don't you take a look in the mirror and realize how wicked and depraved you are? You're just a gold digger whose family was financially ruined! Nothing about you says you're worthy of my cousin, and yet, you have the nerve to delay the divorce?""Do you think there'd be any use of you dragging this out?" Charlotte hissed. "Don't you see how Bri's belly is getting bigger and bigger every day now? Her marriage to Stefan will undoubtedly happen! You have no right to decide whether or not you'll get a divorce!""I won't discuss whether or not I have the right to decide that right now," Renee calmly responded. "But in any case, what's certain is that you have no say in it whatsoever."And so what if her belly is getting bigger? As long as your cousin and I haven't finalized our divorce, I am still his lawful wife and she is just his mistress,
Renee and Liam walked side by side in the hallway that led up to the banquet hall. Liam, who had been a dignified and proud gentleman outside only moments ago, had now transformed completely into a docile little puppy—all smiles and adoring glances at Renee."I can't believe those people from the Hunts dared to bully you like that!" He grumbled. "The next time they do it, I definitely won't let them off so easily!"Renee smiled slightly and teased him, "Wow, Liam… I'm used to seeing you all meek and frivolous, but when you get serious, you're actually pretty intimidating! I was shocked to see you earlier.""There's nothing shocking about it," said Liam proudly. "I am Master Osborne, after all!"However, despite his words, Liam still looked like a meek little puppy. He looked at Renee's windbreaker and commented, "But, honestly, Ren, don't you think you're dressing a little too shabbily for the event?""You have to address me as Miss," Renee corrected him. "Did you forget that yo
"Whether or not your figure is worthy of being shown in public and admired is my business and mine only." Stefan stared at Renee with burning eyes as he said that, and there was a hint of possessiveness in his tone that even he did not notice himself. "You're my wife," he reminded her. "Don't forget that. It's your most basic duty to appear as dignified as possible. Dressing the way you do now is completely indecent. In fact, you're only attracting unwanted attention this way!" Stefan thought of those men just now who had been ogling Renee as if their eyes were going to fall out of the sockets, and he felt strangely furious. He even had the urge to gauge those men's eyes out! "Put this on!" he ordered, taking off his coat and roughly wrapping it around Renee's body. "You're acting like my dad!" Renee laughed, but her charming eyes were full of mockery and disdain. "I'm not sure if you noticed that it's no longer the Victorian era, Mr. Hunt. I'm the master of my body, so if I
Inside the exhibition box shone a pink peach-shaped pendant, dazzling the eyes that saw it. "As you can see," said the host, "this peach-shaped pendant was cut from a single whole piece of pink crystal, and it was given an incredibly romantic name—Everlasting Heart…" "This is far from being a normal crystal pendant," the host continued. "Legend has it that it was specially made for the adopted daughter of the king of a small kingdom in Varangia, which means that this… is a royal treasure, ladies and gentlemen. It is absolutely one of its kind in this world. Currently, it's being valued at around three million dollars!" The host's colorful descriptions endowed the already luxurious pendant with even more hype and splendor. The audience's continuous gasps in awe were enough to show how highly regarded this crystal pendant was. Numerous ladies even cast an envious look at Charlotte. "So," Micah took Charlotte's hand and asked in a groveling manner, "do you like this surprise that
The vain Charlotte was explosively enraged by Renee's words."Are you so mad with jealousy that you completely lost your mind, you gold digger?! My boyfriend spent millions of dollars for that pendant! How could it possibly be a fake?! You know, I should wreck that foul mouth of yours for spewing bullshit!"And with that, without a thought of consideration for her reputation as a rich socialite, Charlotte stomped her feet and hurled herself toward Renee.Without a change in her expression, Renee effortlessly dodged Charlotte, which caused Charlotte to lose her balance and fall straight to the ground.The audience roared in laughter at the sight of such a comical scene.Stefan's face turned severe. The gloominess of his expressions looked like the rumbling thundercloud that warned of the dangerous rage that was about to explode.Renee Everheart… What was she going to do now?! Was it not bad enough that she dressed so inappropriately, attracting all the unwanted attention? Yet now
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo