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
Leia gripped Renee's shoulders, staring intently at her. "Unless you forcibly slept with him, what you're worried about couldn't possibly have happened… So tell me, did you sleep with the escort? If you did, I'll probably have to pay him more than seventy thousand!"Renee's cheeks turned red. "I-I don't think so." To be honest, Renee wasn't sure if they slept together or not, but the kiss definitely happened. She knew it because she felt the same way when Stefan kissed her!Despite being in her twenties, Renee had only ever kissed and had sex with one man - Stefan. That's why she wasn't sure… Was that how all kisses felt?"What do you mean?" Leia instantly felt something was amiss. "Did you really sleep with him after getting drunk? If you did, I'll believe you've truly moved on from that scumbag!"Renee had no choice but to come clean. "To tell you the truth, I think we kissed while I was drunk. It felt like I was kissing Stefan—it was so familiar…"Renee stared at her best frien
The moment Renee saw the man's face, she felt a great sense of loss.He was definitely attractive. He had soulful eyes, a pointy nose, sexy lips, and a defined jawline… Everything about him was perfect. Although he looked like Stefan in almost every aspect, he wasn't Stefan. She really had hallucinated him! Renee wanted to laugh.She should be glad that Stefan died because it saved her a lot of trouble. On top of that, she no longer had to worry about her children being taken from her. She probably only hoped he was alive because she was drunk!"Thanks for making me feel better last night. It really helped." Renee smiled politely at Isaac, then turned to Leia. "Let's go.""Huh? Are we leaving already?" Leia asked in surprise. Her friend was so unpredictable sometimes! A second ago, Renee had insisted that the man felt familiar and gave her a sense of security. However, when she was in front of him, she tried to run away. He was almost as handsome as Stefan, so what was the issue
Renee felt warmth bloom in her chest when she saw her son waiting for her. She bent over to hug Aiden, but he took a step back and put his hands on his hips sternly. "Mommy, you didn't come home last night. You misbehaved. Tell me the truth! Where did you go?""Umm, about that…" Renee felt a little awkward and didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell Aiden that she got drunk at a bar and spent money on a man, could she? Aiden would definitely lose all respect for her!"I finished work late, so I spent the night in the office. Sorry for making you worry, Adie." Renee picked up Adie and muttered an excuse, feeling a little guilty. After all, Aiden wasn't exactly gullible. As expected, Aiden took a deep breath before taking a few sniffs. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Mommy, you're lying. You reek of alcohol! You went drinking last night, didn't you?"When Leia heard this, she immediately came clean about what had happened. "That's right! I asked your mother out for a drink las
Aiden pouted and said firmly, "From now on, I'll do my best to find Mommy a husband. He'll share Mommy's workload, love her, and protect her!"Renee felt her heart warm when she heard this, and she couldn't resist kissing Aiden's cheek. "Adie, you're the best, but work isn't that tough, and I have you to love and protect me. That's more than enough, so you don't have to find someone for me.""It's different!" Aiden clenched his fists, trying to get his point across. "I'm your son, not your husband. What you need now is a husband, and that's why I need to find you one."Renee stared at Aiden, at a loss for words.Leia burst into laughter, and grinned at Renee. "In my opinion, you should just let Adie find you a man. If he does find you a knight in shining armor, he'd also be finding a father for himself. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone? I'm sure Adie's judgment is better than yours; whoever he chooses can't possibly be any worse than a certain someone, don't you th
Leia wholeheartedly believed that life should be lived to the fullest, without stress or misery. That was all she wanted for her best friend. At the very least, she didn't want Renee to give up on romance at the young age of thirty all because of a selfish scumbag!"Isaac has another performance in a few days, so why don't we go back then and have a good time? Also, I heard that The Blue Inn hires handsome new performers every few days or so. They always fight for the top spot, so if you get bored of Isaac, we can always find you someone else. You know, I think we should try to view relationships the way men do. We should only care about their appearance, and never get emotionally invested. That way, we'll never get hurt, right?"Renee chuckled, her eyes gleaming with mirth. "Leia, what happened to you? In the past, all you talked about was undying love; you'd even pray for a man who loved you with all his heart. How did you come to this sudden realization?""Well, I guess it was wh
The person on the other end of the line was none other than Jovan, the madman who had been making headlines in the business realm as of late.In the past, Renee used to think that he was an idiot who relied on his status in the Hunt family to live a lavish lifestyle. However, after that incident, her impression of the man changed.Anybody who came from a rich family and managed to carve his own path in the cutthroat field of business couldn't possibly be an idiot. In fact, people like him who pretended to be fools were the hardest to deal with!Renee didn't want to waste her time on him, and ended the call without saying a word.As usual, she browsed financial websites to check the latest financial news.To her surprise, Stefan, who used to be the business circle's favorite subject, was now the person everyone hated. Comments like 'Hunt Enterprise's CEO, Stefan Hunt, is suspected to be dead. What lies ahead for Hunt Enterprise?', 'Mr. Hunt is having a good time out there while Hun
However, Jovan wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, he laughed in amusement. "Let's meet up. I can solve Azure Group's lack of capital."Renee scowled at the sight of the rumors on her computer screen. "Sure. Clearly, we need to talk!"They agreed to meet at an elegant little cafe.Jovan arrived ahead of time. He was dressed casually in a beige sweater and apricot trousers. He seemed relaxed and approachable, unlike his usual mad and sinister self.He smiled pleasantly when he saw Renee. "I ordered a Matcha Frappuccino for you. If I'm not mistaken, that's your favorite drink."Renee was a little surprised that he knew this. She reached for a chair and sat down. There was even a bouquet of sunflowers next to the coffee that seemed to be a gift for her.Jovan… He'd done a lot of research on her, hadn't he? How else would he know her favorite things?"What are you up to? Why do you know all these things about me?" Renee asked, warily staring at the man in front of her.Jovan was
Liam hit the nail on the head. "If you informed Xavier to join the rescue, you must be lying. It's illogical! But it's weirder if it's the other way around. He should have informed his buddy to come to the rescue instead of the guy's rival in love. Am I right?"Justin leaned against the seat and said calmly, "How strange. Why is it illogical if I informed Xavier to come here?""If you learn that your beloved woman is in danger, you'll come to her rescue immediately instead of wasting time with your rival's buddy. Telling your rival is risky, too. He might even snatch the chance to save the damsel in distress. Am I right?" Liam analyzed logically, his logic irrefutable. Justin spread his hands helplessly. "No wonder you've been Phoenix's lackey for so many years. You're meticulous. Yes, I found out from Xavier. He hoped I could come with my men to fight the fort. He knows that among many families, only mine could acquire such a powerful rescue team."In the past, among the thre
Previously, Liam felt that Benjamin was very kind to his daughter Amber despite his aloofness. Amber should be his weakness. Gradually, Liam learned that Benjamin was a naturally aloof man who always weighed the pros and cons. No one would ever be his weakness unless it affected his interests. If Amber were truly his weakness, he would first consider her lifetime happiness. Instead, he cared about his interests and reputation. He had quickly agreed to let Amber marry an unsuitable match. "He has no weakness…" Justin touched his chin and frowned contemplatively, then sighed. "It'll be very hard to handle him if he has no weakness. He's crazy and desperate. If we fight him, I'm afraid things will be out of control.""No, we won't fight him," Renee said calmly. "Plus, he has a weakness. It isn't a human, but his interest and power."Liam spent a long time to find that out, but Renee saw through Benjamin the first time she confronted him. At that time, Amber challenged Benjamin to
"It's because Phoenix and I share a telepathic connection!" Justin remained carefree and sounded ambiguous."Telepathic? Why didn't you say it was a tarot reading?" Liam glared at Justin grumpily."Do you take me as a kid? Stop using such a bizarre excuse! If you share that with her, you would be the one who had kids with her."Justin's expression grew hideous because of Liam's nasty words. He complained to Renee, who was sitting beside him. "Phoenix, your lackey is fierce as if I'm indebted to him. He and I don't hold grudges against each other. Plus, I saved him. Why does he find me an eyesore?""Don't take him too seriously." Renee remained indifferent. "He's just worried about me and that you might hold some bad ideas about me.""Well, his worries aren't wrong." Justin didn't hide his feelings for Renee. "Yeah, I do have feelings for you. I wouldn't waste so much time and make such a huge effort to come here to rescue you if I don't want anything to happen between us… Now th
"What do you mean?" Renee was confused. She looked toward the soldiers, and found them familiar. "They're… They're…"Justin didn't reply to her, and instead said to the high-spirited team, "Don't just stand there! Salute!"The soldiers saluted Renee in unison and shouted, "General!""General? Me?" Renee asked in disbelief, her eyes widening even more. "Of course!" Justin smirked and added, "Did you forget? This is the wedding gift my grandpa got for you. He's been training them recently. Now, it's finally the time to make great use of them. They performed well this time and didn't embarrass the Baldwin army.""Oh, I remember that…" Renee instantly remembered how that army came about.Back then, she occasionally went to North City with Justin. The entire Baldwin family liked her, especially Austin. He insisted on her getting married to Justin and gave her the most elite army team as a wedding gift without any hesitation. At that time, Renee loved that team very much. She also s
Renee shook her head and frowned. She asked Xavier solemnly, "You weren't the one who spoke just now. So… Who else came with you?" They were tied up just now, so Renee could not see who threatened their enemies behind them. However, she was sure that Xavier didn't come alone for the rescue."Who else do you hope came with me?" Xavier smiled and asked Renee curiously."I don't hold such hope. All I know is that no matter who came to save us, they wanted some value in us in exchange," Renee said, her tone calm but her words cruel.Of course, one person would appear in her mind. Yet, she was too timid to hold such hope. Besides, that wasn't his voice either. Someone else must have come with Xavier. "Who else could it be? It must be someone powerful to outflank Macsen's men. I'm sure you know who that is," Leia said meaningfully. "He finally did something good.""Stop saying nonsense since you don't know." Xavier tried to stop Leia because of the complicated situation. It couldn't
"It's you?" Leia's eyes went wide. She looked at the man before her in surprise. Everything happened so suddenly, making her seriously doubt if it was her illusion before she got killed.It was none other than Xavier, her only regret before she died. "Yes, it's me!" Xavier hugged Leia, feeling sorry for her. He kissed her lips, which had gone pale because of her fear. He kept kissing her as if he had finally found the treasure that he had lost. Surprise and sadness overcame him. "Luckily, I came in time. You're still alive… I'm sorry to have made you suffer. I'm a useless boyfriend!"When his passion grew, he ignored the rest and kissed Leia passionately."Mm…" The kissing made Leia dizzy. She frowned in embarrassment and turned away. "What's going on? What are you doing here?""I got news that you're in trouble." Guilt gleamed in Xavier's eyes. "I should have paid more attention to you. I wasn't worried when you told me that you went on a trip with Renee. After all, she's
While Macsen was talking, his subordinate reached Leia and grabbed her neck with one hand. A light was reflected on the shiny machete; it seemed he was about to slash Leia.Frightened, Leia hunched and screamed in terror. "Ah, no! Save me, Liam! Ren, save me!" "Stop!" Reia yelled at Macsen, anxious. "What do you want to let us go? Tell me, I'll do it!"At first, she was carefree. She was fine even if she got killed and couldn't be bothered to resist. However, she grew restless since her friend was about to be harmed. She would rather take Leia's place. "Stop stalling for time. You've used this trick too many times tonight. Do you think I'll be fooled again?" Macsen sneered. "You're too vicious and nearly bit off my neck. I'm just avenging myself!""Then, you're asking for trouble!" Renee's gaze grew sharp. "Listen. If you harm her, you'll die very miserably right away!""Hahaha! Stop bluffing!" Macsen laughed. "People who can save you now can't even protect themselves. Plus, th
"What?" When Leia heard that, she swallowed and her hair stood on end. Although she didn't know what it meant, using human skin was terrifying. "You guys look confused. I'm sure you don't know what that is…" Macsen was calmer since his neck was bandaged. He said generously to his subordinate, "Come and explain it to them. Prepare them for fear that the lamp might not be bright enough because they're too nervous.""Okay, boss!" Macsen's subordinate nodded. He walked to them and said arrogantly, "Well, we'll use a machete to skin people from head to toe to make lamps. The light from these lamps is blurry and beautiful. It's a top and valuable item.""That's crazy!" After listening to that explanation, a chill ran down Leia's spine. She gnashed her teeth and said to Macsen, "Are you out of your mind? That's a crazy habit! Aren't you worried the victims might come demanding your life in the middle of the night?"The people here were used to a human lamp, so it became common among th
The three of them rolled their eyes in unison and looked speechless."Look, Liam. She's the top love-struck idiot. She'll never learn though she'd suffered much." Leia shook her head and sighed. She felt sorry for Renee's bad luck and disappointing actions.Although Leia was a love-struck fool herself, she was better than Renee. She would quickly retreat if she found anything wrong unless the guy shamelessly pestered her. Also, he had to show his sincerity. Only then would she forgive him. Renee was way worse. She suffered countless times because of one single man, but she didn't even hate him. She even wanted to ask him if they could start over.No one could be as "humble" as her.Renee used to be a bright and awesome figure, and it seemed like there was nothing she could not resolve. Yet, she lost herself several times because of a man. It infuriated Leia. Leia was not alone in feeling that way. Liam shared her sentiments and gnashed his teeth furiously. "Seriously, I wonde