Stefan then got into his car and sped towards the forest as fast as he could. Francine's casual chit-chat during dinner had reminded him that the cemetery indeed had complex terrains, with smog all around it. He was worried that something might've happened to Renee. Although the possibility was extremely low, he still had to personally investigate the area to ease his anxiety.The car continued racing through the night, with its headlights being the only light source. Stefan was gripping the steering wheel tightly, scanning the area with his sharp gaze, all while loudly calling out to the woman."Renee!"Night time in the forest was exceedingly quiet. Any sudden sounds would echo through it loudly, startling the birds nearby.Soon, he had reached the area where he had kicked Renee out, and he got out of the car right away."Where are you, Renee?! Answer me!" Stefan yelled louder than before, his voice turning hoarse. However, all he received in response was either crows cawi
Stefan gripped his dislocated left leg, breaking out in a cold sweat. However, he still managed to plaster an arrogant expression onto his face."That's good." Renee felt more relaxed now.'That man sure is tough—he's fine even after falling a few miles down a cliff. That's impressive, not going to lie!'"How are you feeling?" Stefan endured the pain and shifted towards Renee in the dark."Terrible! I'm pretty sure I have a concussion, and my leg is fractured! I'm tired, cold, and starving! I feel like I'm going to die soon!"Renee tried to get up a few times, but her leg didn't allow her to move at all, so she could only lay there helplessly. She thought she was about to see the light when the hunger kicked in."How could you fall from just walking? How stupid are you? Couldn't you have called someone for help?" Stefan was so worried that he wanted to beat some sense into the woman.'It's been four years and she's still the same—she can't take care of herself!'"My phone is br
"Huh?" Renee stared at the man's wide shoulders under the dim moonlight. She looked rather hesitant and replied, "That's not appropriate, is it?""Stop dawdling. If you won't get on, I'll just leave you here," Stefan said frostily. In reality, he knew that he didn't have much time with his dislocated leg, and that he wouldn't be able to help if they kept stalling."Ah, fine, fine. If you insist," Renee said and put her arms around the man's neck, putting her entire weight on him."Hold on tight." Stefan reminded the woman and tried his best to stand up. Despite his tall build, having to endure this extra weight made him sway back and forth unsteadily.Renee held her breath, not daring to move a muscle, and asked softly, "Hey, are you okay? Why do I feel like you're having a hard time carrying me? It's like you're about to faint!""I'm… fine!" Stefan said with difficulty, gritting his teeth.It was as if his left shin bone had fractured, with the pain piercing his flesh like thous
"Okay!" Renee couldn't quite remember where she saw these numbers, and didn't have the time to think about it. She quickly typed in a number into the keypad and dialed it. The call immediately went through."Liam, it's me. Do you have time to pick me up from X cemetery?"Meanwhile, Liam had been panicking over Renee's sudden disappearance, and had nearly barged into Hunt Manor to look for her. Now that he had received a call from her, he was extremely agitated.As the two continued conversing, Stefan could no longer listen and snatched the phone, yelling. "Enough! She's hurt, so get over here!"At that moment, Renee finally noticed Stefan's hands were covered in blood. This immediately sparked her anxiety, which made her rush over to him. "Stefan, you… where is the blood coming from? Are you hurt too?""I'm fine." Stefan retracted his hand swiftly."Stop lying! You've lost so much blood already! Quick, tell me where you're hurt!" Renee shouted as she used the flashlight on the ph
"Ah, it's a long story. Just send us to the hospital now!" Renee said, as she knew that they didn't have time for idle chit-chat, especially not with Stefan's critical condition."Alright!" Liam nodded, suppressing the resentment he held for the man and carrying him into his car. He then drove as quickly as possible to the nearest hospital. Once he got there, he carried Renee in his arms, yelling at the emergency unit with a panicked expression. "Doctor, please help!"Renee, however, turned to look at Stefan, who was still lying in the car. She grabbed Liam by the arm and said, "Don't mind me for now. His condition is worse than mine. He should receive treatment first!"Liam had always listened to Renee's every order, but this time was different. He was still dashing through the halls as if he was participating in a marathon. He then lowered his gaze to speak to the woman in his arms. "Renee, I love and respect you a lot, but please don't forget that I am only a man. I am not as
"That's because he carried me all the way up to the road, despite knowing that he was injured badly too. If something happens to him, or his leg, I will never be able to repay him for his kindness. I was just worried that I'd have to deal with him for the rest of my life, which is why I kept asking you about his condition. Do you understand now?" Renee truthfully explained everything to Liam."What? He… He carried you up there?" Liam turned around, disbelief written all over his face. "I don't believe it. I saw how badly injured he was! He can't have been able to walk, let alone carry you up a cliff… I won't believe it!""I didn't believe it either. He's always been such a cold, heartless, utterly selfish man… but I can't deny the truth. If it weren't for him, I would still be stuck at the bottom of that cliff! Even if I didn't die from the pain, I would've died from starvation…"Renee recalled how the man carried her up the cliff. Every step he took felt unreal as if she had dreamt
Liam couldn't bear seeing Renee like this, and said, "Don't worry, just rest first. I'll go ask the doctor about his condition. I'm sure Stefan is fine—you know how tough he is.""That's true, that guy really is a tough cookie! Waves couldn't drown him, and fire didn't bother him either! A little fall is probably nothing to him!" Renee finally felt much more relaxed, urging Liam instead. "Well, don't waste any more time on me, go look for a doctor! If you won't, I'll just have to do it myself!""Don't move, I'll go right now!" Liam said as he stood up to leave. However, he was still rather uneasy, pointing at the food he brought. "I hope you finish this before I come back, Boss. You know your body best, and think of the kids… What would they do if you starve yourself till it affects your health?"After Liam left, Renee still had no appetite due to her anxiety. She couldn't imagine Stefan losing his life or his leg just because of this incident. She had no idea how she could possib
In actuality, Stefan's condition was much worse. The tissue around his leg had been severely damaged, so much so that he'd be risking amputation and his life along with it."I'm finished! Ah, I'm so full!" Renee patted her stomach with a satisfied grin. She then turned to Liam and asked, "Did the doctor mention when I can take this cast off? And when is my estimated discharge date?""That depends on your physical condition and cooperation. It'd take at least two weeks, and at most months.""I have to rest well then. Once I'm completely healed, I have to personally thank Stefan for saving me."Upon hearing this, Liam couldn't help but feel slightly panicked. "You don't really have to, right? He did you so wrong back then! Just take this as his way of atoning for his sins. What is there to thank him for?!"He was worried that Renee wouldn't be able to handle the shock and sadness if something really were to happen to Stefan. Hence, he figured it would be best if the two stopped seei
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked
The party started officially at night. It was a small party, and only some close relatives of the Baldwin family attended.Austin took the main seat while his son and daughter-in-law sat in the secondary seats. Justin and the others sat accordingly.After dressing herself up, Renee attended the party in simple clothes. She looked like a young lady from a great family. Adie, Abby, and Quinton did not attend the party to avoid unnecessary disputes. Renee was the only one who attended the party. When she reached the hall, the people had already taken their seats. They sized her up maliciously and studied her as if they wanted to make her pay a heavy price."Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I got here late." Renee took a deep breath and naturally greeted everyone. She appeared composed, but she knew she was rather frightened. She never panicked when she faced such a scene alone in the past. She could easily handle it because Justin would always take her side no matter what happened.
Quinton was fine even if Renee wasn't that happy. But she must lead a steady life and live beyond a hundred years old. "Quinton, I know I owed the Baldwin family a lot, even if you didn't tell me. I won't be back if not for the sake of their kindness."Renee did not hide or lie even if Justin was around. She merely wanted Justin to hold no hope in her. "How could you be this straightforward?" Quinton had purposely brought Justin along because he wanted to bring Justin and Renee together. He felt that they could still be together since things weren't that hopeless. But the disappointing Renee ruined all possibilities easily. Kindness didn't exist between a romantic couple."It's fine." Justin looked indifferent before he snorted. "I'm glad she made things clear. It's better than being ambiguous.""I'm sorry." Renee looked at Justin. Although she had made herself clear, her guilt did not diminish. She immediately expressed her guilt and helplessness since Justin did not igno