However, the woman still chose to reject his offer. "Maybe some other day. I'm getting tired, so I'll go get some rest."Despite believing the man's occupation, she still chose to lock these secrets away. There were just some things she'd rather hide than face…Stefan didn't push her any further but was still quite devastated. He wasn't sure if Renee was depressed over his 'death', but he knew for a fact that she wasn't as happy as she seemed on the outside.It was as if she was an onion, wrapping herself in layers upon layers to turn herself into someone everyone would like. "The past few years weren't kind to you, were they?" Stefan asked in a deep and solemn voice.Renee smiled bitterly, being completely honest with him. "Yeah."The only people in the room were herself, and this escort, who was merely an acquaintance. Without her loved ones and rivals around, she no longer wanted to play pretend. Pretending to be depressed might be easy, but trying to fake happiness was just…
"What are you even saying? I literally just had a good night's sleep. Nothing else." Renee said as she placed the sunflowers into a glass vase.The yellow sunflowers looked golden under the gentle sunlight, giving off a soft scent. These flowers were just right, as it wasn't too sharp, like a rose, nor was it too simple, like an orchid."You know, I didn't expect this at all. I guess this is what they mean by 'don't judge a book by its cover', but that little escort is a professional therapist!""He was able to come up with an accurate analysis with just one drawing! He's also a master hypnotist too! I just… feel really secure and comfortable with him."Just then, Aiden opened his bedroom door with a fuzzy teddy bear in his arms, walking out to the living room groggily."Mommy, you're finally back… I heard from Aunt Lei that you were very busy and had to work overtime. You must be tired…"The little one then gave Renee a big hug, patting her on the head as if she was the child no
Renee turned around and found that the person speaking was one of her ex in-laws, Stefan's cousin, Charlotte. Back then, Charlotte was the one and only beloved princess of many, and she would always view Renee as a thorn in her flesh. Hence, she naturally never treated her with respect. However, ever since Renee got a divorce, she no longer tolerated this so-called princess' behavior and taught her a few lessons as a result. Thus, Charlotte started restraining herself as well.It had been four years since the two saw each other, so bumping into each other now felt quite unfortunate."It really is you! And here I thought I was hallucinating!" Charlotte exclaimed. She was wearing extremely expensive attire, consisting of Chanel clothing, with a pink Hermes purse that likely cost thousands, and a pair of beige colored heels, which were limited-edition Givenchy. It was as if she was deliberately trying to flaunt her wealth to the world.Renee looked the woman up and down. She foun
"You'll have to check your abilities before you try to attack me. If you dare to act rudely again, you'll be sorry!" Renee warned as she loomed over the woman, her expression as frosty as ice. Charlotte instantly deflated, lying on the ground a mess silently. She thought to herself, 'How is this woman even cockier than before?! It's been four years, so hasn't she learned to tone down a little?! It's like I can't afford to offend her at all!'Could it be that her lover gave her the ability to act so recklessly?'"You wicked lady! How dare you bully my mommy? I'll bite you!" Charlotte's son, Casey, immediately lunged over crazily, opening his mouth wide open as he grabbed onto Renee's arm."Let go of my mommy, you mad dog!" Aiden was not an easy target either, as he angrily pushed Casey to the ground, then sat on top of him."How dare you bite my beloved mommy?! I'd say you don't treasure your teeth, so let me pluck them all out for you!""Wahhhh, Mommy! Mommy, save me!" Casey wa
Although Aiden was asking a question, he was clearly forcing the principal to pick a side. He just couldn't let his mother get bitten and endure such humilition for no apparent reason. He had to get justice for his mother.The principal cleared her throat, and put on a solemn expression, revealing her stance in front of everyone."Adie, I understand the situation now. You were right to protect your mother, and you were very brave. But you were too reckless and violent when trying to do so. I think you weren't being rational, and that you were technically just as wrong as Casey here. What do you think?""You're right, Miss Principal. I was wrong." Aiden nodded as he blinked innocently, then turned to Casey with an apologetic attitude. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you just now."The principal was absolutely in awe of his understanding and emotional intelligence. This had also change the minds of many surrounding parents, who were quite judgemental a while ago. They even s
"You… You…" Charlotte felt as if her pride was crushed entirely at this point. Her eyes reddened as she shouted, "Do you think I won't dare to do that?! I'll have you know that my husband loves me a lot! If he finds out that me and my son are being mistreated like this, all of you here will have to pay!"Renee huffed coldly. "If he loves you so, have him come over to stand up for you. I'd really like to see just how powerful this man is for you to act as if you won't face any consequences.""That… If you insist, then! Just wait!" Charlotte decided to go with the flow since it was quite hard to defuse this situation right then. She dialed Zachary's number, speaking in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Babe, someone's attacking me and Casey! Come over quickly. You have to stand up for us!"Back then, her husband would not prioritize her in the slightest, especially being a womanizer. He just so happened to be nearby the kindergarten due to a business meeting. Hearing that his son was
Everyone froze, especially Charlotte, who didn't know how to read the room. She grabbed Zachary's arm and mumbled, "What are you doing, babe? At least stand up for Casey and me! Why are you kneeling in front of this woman?!"She's just a lowly commoner now, and my brother kicked her out after she cheated on him! This woman is a sinful cheater! So how could you kneel for her? What happened to saving your dignity? Are you not worried you'd get bad luck for doing that?!""The fuck do you mean by bad luck?!" Zachary was so mad that he slapped Charlotte across the face. "You idiot! If it weren't for Liliana Schneider back then, our family would've been destroyed long ago…""Everything you get to enjoy now, the food we eat, the purse you're holding, the shoes Casey is wearing… we can only afford all of that because of our saviors, the Schneiders! If you dare to disrespect them one more time, I'll f*cking divorce you!"Charlotte covered her swollen cheek with one hand, and retorted, "How
Even though she had not seen it with her own eyes, Renee had heard a lot of rumors. Everyone kept saying that her grandmother was a strange woman and that she had carried the Schneider family to glory with her own strength to become the top family in North City. Back then, whether it was the Hunt family from Beach City or the Baldwin family from Sutton, all of them were subordinates of the Schneider family.But such a legendary family had been extinguished by unknown forces within a month.Since then, the Schneider family declined in North City, and eventually, the legend became an actual myth.Strangely enough, although the Schneider family fell, the Everheart family rose. Some said that the rise in the Everheart family's reputation was thanks to Liliana's manipulation behind the scenes.But decades later, the Everheart family also fell tragically, ending up with the same fate as the Schneider family!Renee had almost no recollection of her grandmother and only recalled that th
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