"Alright, alright, let her in!" Francine said reluctantly.In reality, she wasn't very pleased with Briar. If that woman hadn't gotten pregnant with a child of the Hunt family, then ended up in such a sorry state, she would have abandoned her long ago.After a while, a servant guided a plainly dressed, frail Ms. Desrosier into the garden."Look at her, outsiders would think she was here to mourn the dead! She's going to bring us bad luck! " Francine frowned as she looked on with scorn, ranting to Edith."Madam Francine!" Briar slowly approached and started sobbing as soon as she was in front of her, "Madam Francine, I think I've ruined everything! You have to help me this time! If you don't, Stefan might never forgive me, and he'll ignore me forever…""Really?" Francine's first thought was, 'Could this really be true? My angel of a son is finally going to get rid of you?'Regardless, she kept up a regal facade out of courtesy, and feigned concern. "Stop crying first. Tell me what
Thus, Francine took her phone out and dialed Stefan's personal number. "I'd like to ask Stef about the entire situation. I really don't believe that the girl would be so insolent!"However, it turned out that she couldn't reach Stefan as well. Not even Elijah knew about his whereabouts."That's weird, why can't I reach him? That kid's usually at work at this hour, and Hunt Enterprise is facing quite a lot of challenging matters that require his attention. Where has he run off to?" Francine's face was painted with concern as she realized the severity of the situation.After that, she contacted everyone she could, trying her best to find Stefan, only to find that they were looking for the man as well."Why can't I contact that child? Did something happen to him?" Francine seemed uneasy.Lately, Hunt Enterprise was gaining quite a lot of traction as they were about to mass produce their new smartphone model, the ME2350. Once they successfully signed a contract with KCL Group, the ent
Francine and Briar soon arrived at the hospital Renee was at. Liam had to handle some matters regarding Azure Group, so Renee was the only one present in the ward at the time. She was currently on a video call with her daughter. "Abby, is your brother still busy with his research? Is that why he won't see Mommy?""Yes, Mommy. Adie is very focused on his research, so he can't have any distractions. You might not see him for a while…""Not even for a second?" Renee poked Abigail's adorable cheek on her screen, pouting. "Abby, please… Just secretly point the camera at Adie, okay? Let Mommy see your brother for a bit!""No, no!" Abigail shook her head profusely, seemingly determined. "Abby pinky-promised Adie that I won't let anyone see him before his research is successful! I want to keep my promises, or else my nose will grow long like Pinocchio's!""Ah, okay then…" Renee sighed, as she had failed once again. Her heart always naturally melted in front of her two babies, no matter h
"Yeah, exactly!" Renee agreed quickly. "My friends are all weirdos—we even call each other Mommy in private!""What in the world… your friends are just as weird as you are!" Francine exclaimed. Although she did find it odd, she didn't press her. After all, this wasn't the reason she was here.She placed the beautiful bouquet of lilies on Renee's desk, then pulled a chair over to sit down next to the bed. Her natural movements made it seem like she was a close loved one to the injured woman."Tell me. Where have you been hiding after making such a big mistake? Did you get married? Any kids?" Francine behaved like an elegant rich lady, and every question sounded like an interrogation. She knew her idiot of a son wouldn't ask such questions, especially with his temper and ego, which was why she had to do it in his stead.Renee smiled coldly. "Madam Francine, why do I need to answer your questions? Do you think we're close?"It had been four years, and yet her ex mother-in-law was sti
Francine collected herself, preparing to go on yet another rant.Just then, Briar interrupted her with a darkened expression, turning towards Renee. "Ms. Everheart, we actually came to ask if you know of Stef's whereabouts. It's been an entire day, and we've tried everything we could to contact him. For some reason, we just couldn't reach him, and he wouldn't pick up the phone! We're worried something might've happened to him…""You can't reach him?" Renee frowned, visibly confused. "That's not right. He already went through surgery, so he should've called you guys the moment he woke up.""What? Surgery?!" Francine jumped abruptly, her expression panicked as she continued, "What kind of surgery? Where is he now? What happened to him?""Uhm…" Renee read Francine's reactions and realized she might not know anything about the accident. After a brief pause, she decided to tell the truth. "I fell down a cliff and injured my leg. He hurt himself while trying to save me, and I heard he
Renee felt as if she was about to explode after hearing Briar's words. She glared at her and thought to herself, 'Ha, good one, woman. You were clearly implying that I have something to hide, so don't act like you're helping me! Now I'm really going to be blamed for whatever this is!'"Briar, so you're saying I'm threatening the nurse on purpose, so she won't reveal Stefan's condition to you?""I didn't mean that, Ms. Everheart. Please don't assume things. Unless… you really are hiding something.""What do I have to hide? I myself want to know of his condition too! I feel very bad that he injured himself while saving me, alright?""How would I know what you're thinking, Ms. Everheart? There's a possibility that you want to avoid taking responsibility if Stef's condition is worsening, so…"The two then started fighting with one another, each providing quite valid arguments."Enough!" Francine yelled furiously, causing the entire room to fall silent. Her face was frosty as she poin
"Calm down, Madam Francine!" Renee was having a hard time moving around with a cast and an IV drip connected to her arm.Francine was quite a bad-tempered person. On the verge of a meltdown, she would've choked Renee to death if it weren't for the little bit of rationality she had in her."I'm giving you one last chance to tell me where Stef is! As long as you're willing to tell me, I can look past everything! I just want to know if my son is safe! Please, I'm begging you!" Francine was still holding onto Renee's shoulders, her insanity replaced with despair as tears welled up in her eyes.As a mother, she was willing to risk her life for her child."I already told you—I don't know either! I didn't even expect him to come save me! I have no reason to harm him, nor do I have any reason to hide him from you, alright?" As a mother herself, Renee understood how Francine felt, so she didn't blame her for her actions. If the roles had been switched, she wouldn't have been as level-head
"Come at you, right? No problem. Just don't beg for mercy later." Liam was the "Supreme Overlord" who even The Great Eight of Beach City shied away from. He was the best at dealing with such pretentious sluts like Briar.Cracking his knuckles, he sneered and said, "It's been a long time since I boxed, and my hands can't wait. In the past, when I boxed, one of my favorite things was using a bad women's face as a sandbag. It was so much fun to give them each a punch and bruise their face. Now that you are the one who asked for it yourself, nobody would have more pleasure than me to do the honors…""D-Don't come near me. I am a member of the Hunts. If your dare to hurt me, the Hunts will not let you go easily!"Briar had long heard of Liam's "terrifying" deeds.This young man was fearless on account of being favored in the Osborne family, and his means were particularly ruthless, so much so that anyone who had seen it would stay as far as possible away from him. Literally no one had
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.