Meanwhile, at a child-friendly hotel in Beach City, Aiden sat cross-legged on a couch in one of the suites, eyes glued to Happy Sheep and the Big Gray Wolf on television.Briar brought some washed fruits to Aiden with a big smile on her face. "Adie, have some fruits. You need the vitamins."Adie smiled in an adorable manner. "Thank you, Aunt Briar. You're a beautiful and kind person. No wonder you're Mommy's good friend.""You are such a sweet-talker.""Of course. I get to eat super sweet fruits that you personally washed. My mouth naturally becomes super sweet too!" Briar couldn't stop smiling throughout her conversation with Aiden.Although she kept reminding herself that Aiden was Renee and Stefan's child and that the child would severely delay her marriage into the Hunt family, meaning he couldn't be spared, she couldn't resist his angelic smile. He was so sweet with the things he said that she couldn't help but want to be close to him. She yearned to give him good food and
Good men were scarce, and women needed to have thick skin to win them over and keep them. The more ruthless one was, the more stable one's position in the household would be. Weak women would only be discarded—even their children would end up suffering.Therefore, Briar had no other talent than competing for men.She fought hard to have Tristan and had him wrapped around her fingers.Tristan thought she was pregnant with his child but in reality… The child didn't even belong to the Hunt family.In other words, even if her baby was healthy, she wouldn't keep it.Renee happened to be the perfect scapegoat.Stefan was the man Briar had set her sights on. She was willing to pay any price to get married to him."Adie, you have to believe that I'm a good person. I would never hurt you. You should be grateful that your mother has a good friend like me," Briar said with a smile while she gently ruffled Aiden's head.She made up her mind right there and then.The kid could only blame h
Briar stood up and went to the door. Outside stood William, her biggest admirer."I'm here for my reward!" William barged in and pressed Briar against the wall. He began kissing her passionately.Briar lifted her arms and let him do what he wanted without any expression on her face. She even seemed annoyed.After a few kisses, William found it pointless and harshly let her go."If you don't like me at all, why did you promise you would give yourself to me as a reward for completing the mission?" William asked.He pinched her cheeks with his long fingers. "You're like a log. There's no warmth and no response from you. Are you rewarding me or humiliating me?" he asked through clenched jaws.Briar sneered. "What's the rush? I've always kept my promises. If I promised you something, I'd give it to you, but not now…""What's your excuse this time?" William was losing his patience."I've considered you my one and only love interest for many years. I've never let myself forget that. B
William saw Aiden, who was fast asleep, and his expression changed instantly."Briar, are you mad? How could you do this to a child? He's still so young. He shouldn't be taken to Carmine Pawnshop… You should know when to stop! Aren't you afraid that karma will come back to bite you?"A while ago, he received an order from Briar to deliver something 'unique' to Water Dock's Carmine Pawnshop.On the surface, Carmine Pawnshop sounded like a proper pawnshop where various precious treasures from around the world were gathered, but in reality, it was a breeding ground for evil.The pawnshop's owner was mysterious and had a powerful background. He once claimed that if a pawnbroker could give him something precious, he would fulfill any of their wishes.Some traded invaluable treasures for the love they so desired, while others traded their organs for immeasurable wealth.All in all… As long as the owner was willing to accept the item one offered, one's deepest desires could be turned in
"I could say the same about you!" Briar looked at William. Just as she was about to start mocking him, she caught sight of Aiden. Her heart ached a little.She took a deep breath and clenched her fists tightly. She couldn't go easy on him!"This is the last time I'll do anything for you. I hope you can keep your promise. Delete those videos and voice recordings on your phone. We owe each other nothing after this. We'll pretend we don't even know each other!" William exclaimed before leaving the hotel with Aiden.Briar stood where she was and watched them leave. She didn't move for a very long time, and there wasn't any expression on her face, not unlike a soulless corpse.After remaining silent for a while, she squatted and began laughing like a lunatic. She even started rolling on the floor while she laughed…"Hahaha! Briar, you're such a sad case. Even that fool who loved you the most decided to leave you for good. You deserve to have nothing!"Briar clambered onto her feet and
"Leia, if you find out one day that I'm not as simple as you imagined, and I turn out to be a bad person, would you… Would you forgive me?" William asked."Why are you asking that? I knew you were up to no good… But it depends on how you define being bad. If you hurt me, I'll decide if I should forgive you based on how serious it is. However, if you hurt my friend, I will never forgive you. In my heart, Ren will always come first. She's more important to me than anyone else. If you cross this line, you and I are over for good. Do you understand?" Leia asked.To her and her brother, Renee wasn't only a good friend. She was the person who gave them a second chance at life. They treated her like their idol, and they were determined to protect her to the ends of the earth.William's facial expression froze after hearing this. He remained silent for a long while before replying. "Alright. I understand. I know what to do."Leia was confused. "What do you mean? Why are you beating around
Aiden hung up right after divulging the key information. He also switched off his phone's GPS system so that the police wouldn't find him too soon.On top of that, he intentionally left his belongings behind at the hotel when he left earlier. If the police caught Briar now, there'd be solid evidence of her crime. 'Hehe!'After William finished smoking, he returned to the car. Aiden was still sleeping. William couldn't resist sighing. "Poor kid."He filled up the petrol tank and started driving faster than before.Water Dock was even brighter at night than during the day. All types of people were out and about.Ordinary people wouldn't even dare enter this lawless place.Men would have their organs harvested, while women would be forced into prostitution. As for fair, good-looking boys like Aiden, one could only imagine the horrors that would befall him if he was caught on the streets!William's legs were shivering when he drove into this area.Unfortunately, their car stopped
"Ahh!" Aiden's voice sent William, who was already tense and nervous, screaming. "Kiddo, y-you're awake?" William stammered.Aiden rolled his eyes and started giving orders. "Idiot. I've been awake for a long time. Look ahead. Press the accelerator down all the way. Turn the car as much to the left as possible, and force your way through. Otherwise, we're both doomed!"Aiden initially wanted to pretend to be asleep, but this man didn't seem the least reliable. Although it was obvious the other party was driving their way, he still hesitated and didn't go full speed ahead. Aiden was terribly anxious."Huh? What?" William's jaw dropped. He looked ahead and realized that he ought to follow Aiden's instructions.Without thinking too much, William held onto the steering wheel tightly. "I'm going to make a rapid turn. Sit tight!"Vroom, vroom, vroom! The roar of the car's engine echoed throughout the dock. The vehicle headed toward a gap on the left, and just when it seemed they would
"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