However, the more Renee behaved this way, the more worrying it was.Liam thought venting negative emotions was necessary. How Renee constantly repressed her emotions might make matters worse in the long run. Therefore, Liam and Leia discussed the need to find a way for Renee to vent.After the discussion, Leia patted her chest and reassured Liam confidently, "Fine. I understand. I'm good at that. Just leave it to me!"Leia finally broke up with William after he was rescued. She had been suffocating anyway and could not wait to vent!At the moment, Renee was sitting in a conference room at Azure Group headquarters. It was an important meeting with the company's executives.Renee was not nominated to hold any position in Azure Group over the past few years. Liam had made all the major decisions as the company president. Even so, the executives knew Renee was the soul of the company.Azure Group was just a small technology company in the industry. Without Renee's effort behind the s
Renee seemed unruffled by Laura's questions. She responded calmly, "The only way for a technology company to last in the long run and avoid being a middleman dealer is to establish major centers for production as well as research and development. Meanwhile, a normal enterprise generally needs three to five years from inception to profitability…""Azure Group has been established for four years. Soon, we'll reach the fifth year. I promise you that this year will be a good year. Everyone here will make a big fortune!"The management unceremoniously disagreed with Renee's ambitious words."You're talking big again… Ms. Everheart, you've been talking big for the past four years. When will we get something real?""The industry is declining now. Our competitors are cutting back costs with layoffs and plant closures. Keeping costs low is the most important right now, while you… How could you increase spending to build more production and R&D centres? That's such a waste of money!""I hea
"We're going to The Blue Inn. I booked the best seats and the strongest alcohol. We won't be going home sober tonight!" Leia sounded like she was already tipsy and excited.The Blue Inn!This bar was very popular as of late. Renee had heard about it a long time ago.The Blue Inn was the place women frequented when they wanted to be entertained.In the current era, women in the city were under a lot of stress. Those who worked, those who had failed relationships, those with children, and those taking exams… Like men, they all needed a way to relax.When this bar was launched, it became very popular right away. That's why Renee hadn't been able to make a reservation there all this time. She had long wanted to go there to experience what it felt like.Without wasting any time, Renee walked out of the office and hailed a taxi to get to The Blue Inn.Although it wasn't even nighttime yet, The Blue Inn was already crowded.All the men who worked there, including the waiters, the bart
The music being played in the bar was excellent, and the lighting was also splendid. Renee and Leia, two women who weren't faring well in their love lives, each held a bottle of alcohol in their hands. They danced fervently to the upbeat music and ignored everything and everyone else."Ren, you're not an emotionless person. I'm sure you feel something about Stefan being gone. I'm certain you're feeling sad right now. You want to cry and let it all out, don't you?" Leia asked."Don't think too much. Just cry to your heart's content. All the women here cry over love, and I'm one of them. Stop pretending to be strong. It's not wrong for women to cry!" Leia shouted amidst the loud chatter around them."Hahaha! I'm not sad. I'm happy. Can't you see?" Renee was smiling from ear to ear. She took a few more large gulps of alcohol. "That guy is like a ticking time bomb. I couldn't even sleep in peace with him around. Now that he's detonated on his own, I'm no longer in danger. If anything, I
The women were very protective of Isaac.In the beginning, Renee didn't take them seriously. However, after watching this male escort dance, she realized he really was gifted for this industry.His full hips, thin lips, and those long fingers… Who could resist?"Isaac, you're so handsome! Isaac! Isaac!"Under the influence of alcohol, Renee was behaving completely unlike her usual self. Like the women around her, she began screaming excitedly at the men on stage.Perhaps, this was when women could truly relax.Leia was a little surprised by how Renee completely let herself go. It turned out this was what Renee liked… If she'd known earlier, she'd have made arrangements sooner!After the show ended, Isaac went off the stage. Everyone was still shouting for an encore.Renee jumped and screamed so hard that she was sweating and out of breath.After she and Leia returned to their seats, Renee immediately quenched her thirst by drinking alcohol. She soon finished drinking another b
Renee felt gravity pulling away from her. She wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck. "Hey, you sure are a professional male escort. You picked me up like a princess right away. Such a good boy!"Renee touched his face.His chin was extremely attractive, and the stubble on it was also a little prickly. His male hormones went through the roof!Isaac carried Renee into a high-class, private room under all the women's gazes.The room had dim lights that created a romantic ambiance. A large, round water bed was in the center of the room. Clearly, it was specifically designed for rich folks. It was hard not to think of inappropriate thoughts when one was inside."Why did you bring me here? You're not offering your body for money, are you? I didn't bring any money with me today. I can't afford you. Put me down!" Renee struggled to set herself free. She was at least sober enough to protect her own reputation. "I have boundaries. Although you are my type, I don't sleep with gigolos. Besides
His eyes lit up beneath the mask. Although he was intentionally making these seductive remarks, it didn't seem like he was fooling around. On the contrary, he seemed to mean every word he said.In that instant, Renee was nearly convinced. When their gazes locked, Renee felt a jolt of electricity coursing through her body. She instantly came to her senses and sighed while she shook her head. "Tsk, tsk. Look at you. You're very professional, and you know the right things to say, but… At the end of the day, it's all fake. My ex-husband died. Even if you looked like him, you'd only look like a dead person."The man's stiff lips curved upward. He was smiling playfully. "You seem very sad. You must have loved your ex-husband a lot. Were you devastated by his death?""Not quite!" Renee burped. She then lay down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I just feel… That it happened too suddenly. It's like finding out the author had stopped writing just as you arrived at the most interest
The next day, Renee woke up with a terrible headache. 'Damn, being hungover is awful… I'm too old for this! I shouldn't drink so much next time.'Renee stretched a little, threw her blanket off her, and got out of bed. A flash of yellow caught her eye, and she turned to see a bouquet of sunflowers, her favorite flower, next to her pillow. There was a card beneath it, and she picked it up curiously."Good morning, sunshine. I hope you felt better after last night. You're always welcome to come see me again… XOXO, your confidant."Confidant?!Renee could only remember bits and pieces of last night, but even those few memories made her blush.She knew she had a lot of alcohol, and had a fantastic time with Leia. In the end, Leia paid for a male escort for her, and she happily accepted her friend's gift. They'd kissed, and…Renee's cheeks turned red, and she shook her head vigorously. She didn't dare think about it anymore.She quickly looked down, and upon realizing her clothes wer
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
Both Stefan and Justin arrived at Grace Hospital quickly. However, Stefan suddenly stopped before he entered the hospital. He looked at Justin curiously."Let's go! It's urgent. Stop standing here!"Justin hurriedly ran. When he turned around, he found that Stefan had not caught up with him. Confused, he asked Stefan, "Something is puzzling me. Don't you want me to stop seeing her? Why did you let me come with you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and interrogated Justin suspiciously, "Did you lie to me? Or are you plotting something?" "That's nonsense! Don't take me as you. I'm not full of schemes like you!" Justin sounded disdainful. In comparison to Stefan, Justin was not full of schemes. He also looked down upon Stefan since the latter was always vigilant.Justin answered honestly, "Yeah, I don't want you to meet her ever, but I'm sure she wants to see you if she's in danger. Yes, I hate you—but I want her to be happy." He guessed that Renee must be in a serious state since Jov
"Uh…" After some contemplation, Elijah nodded. "I know what to do, Mr. Hunt. It looks like you can see far beyond the current situation. Just leave this to me.""Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."Stefan remained calm; he didn't feel like he had stepped over the line. He merely wanted Justin to learn about the cruelty of the world since Justin was always being protected so well. Whenever he did something wrong, he had to pay a price for it.Besides, Stefan merely did it for his aunt, who had taken the gunshot for nothing. When they reached a consensus, Justin came to meet Stefan. "Hey…" After a pause, he said with dissatisfaction and helplessness, "Would you like to go with me?"Stefan raised his brows in confusion."I mean, do you want to visit Phoenix with me?" Justin sighed. He looked naive, like a college student, as he confessed, "I found Jovan. I don't know why he's so good at countersurveillance. After exiting the emergency room, he transferred her to
"So, what do you want to do?" Stefan asked emotionlessly. He kept watching Nora, who was lying unconscious in the ward."At the very least, we have to teach the Baldwin family a lesson and make the public aware of your family's power as the head of The Great Eight of Beach City. It's not just about venting anger, but more about which side the various great families will take. It concerns the future of your family, too. We can't take it lightly!"Elijah could not hide his indignation. As Stefan's assistant, he was no longer merely an ordinary employee. He was loyal to Stefan and the Hunt family. He couldn't bear to see Stefan suffer any injustice or watch the Hunt family get humiliated. If Stefan hadn't stopped him, he would have gathered all the manpower to fight the Baldwins. Although he had fought Cadmus and Tiger, he had yet to defeat them. He tried to figure out a way to make a counterattack, his face shadowed in gloom.Stefan turned and calmly looked at Elijah. "How shoul
When Justin was willing to send them on an errand again, Cadmus was eager to express his loyalty."No, you don't have to risk your lives for me. That's bloody and horrible. All you need to do is find someone for me." After a pause, Justin added, "Jovan Hunt, Stefan's younger cousin." Cadmus clenched his fists and said fiercely, "It's another Hunt! Old Master Baldwin is right. The Hunt family is full of bad people. If we knew, we shouldn't have dismantled the bombs in Hunt Enterprise. The Hunt family has strengthened their security system now. It's hard to set up bombs there if we want to." Justin felt a headache when he heard Cadmus babbling. He rubbed his temples, and said tiredly, "Stop. We don't have to blow up Hunt Enterprise. I just want to find him. Do you get me? Find him. That's enough!"He stressed his intention of locating Jovan as if he were giving a simple and clear order to robots. Most of the time, Cadmus and Tiger were like AI. Real robots were probably more obedie