Renee spread out her arms and in a helpless tone replied, "I'm sorry. What I'm pawning is too hard to show. All I can do is make a guarantee that your boss will definitely take a liking to it. You should take a plunge and give me a chance. If he really likes it, he might even give you a generous bonus."Chase raised his eyebrows. He was beginning to find this woman more and more fascinating. Based on her outlandish courage alone, he knew that she wasn't one to be underestimated. Perhaps she really did have something interesting to pawn?"Okay. I'll take a gamble based on your spunk and confidence. People like us in this line of work need the courage to make a bet every once in a while. I'd gladly introduce you to our boss, but…"His gaze shifted from Renee and fell on the woman cowering behind her. He smiled and continued, "I must insist on letting us handle this woman ourselves. Please don't meddle with our business and hand her over."Renee turned around and glanced at the woman
"You said you have a son, and that he will become an orphan once you die. Is that true?""That wasn't a lie," the woman's smile became even more bitter now. "I do indeed have a son who's seriously ill. He needs a lot of money for the treatment. That's the reason I stole from Carmine Pawnshop, that's why I broke their rules. But I guess without me, my son wouldn't really be orphaned since he still has his father…""That's fine, then."The heavy burden weighing on Renee's heart lifted a little. If anything really happened to this woman, at least her child still had his father, so he would not be totally alone and abandoned in this world."Still, his father is now married to his former mistress, and they have another son who's turning a month in a few days, so I fear that he would have no time to take care of my son…""Then…"Renee suddenly became distraught again. Just as she was about to say something, Chase coldly urged the man, "Stop wasting time! Take her away!"The man in the
Renee found it weird, but because she still had an important business to attend to, she had to leave the matter there.With Chase leading her, she passed through the whole of Water Dock unimpeded and finally arrived at the center of the downstream zone, where Carmine Pawnshop proudly stood."So this is the legendary Carmine Pawnshop?" asked Renee as she stood at the door. She looked up at the gilt letters proclaiming its name on the door plaque and very bluntly commented, "It looks so… ordinary!"From the outside, the pawnshop looked like any other mansion. It just looked too "normal" and not at all befitting the "lawless land of heinous crimes" reputation that Water Dock had garnered over time. In fact, it looked too simple and clean if anything.Renee found it hard to believe that such a mundane building had been hiding priceless treasures from all over the world that inspired great fear and trepidation in the hearts of many!"What did you expect?" Chase turned around and smiled
Just then, a beautiful woman meekly interrupted them and announced, "The boss has returned tonight, Mr. Cheever, but he is extremely busy, so he said not to disturb him if there's nothing urgent.""Really?" Chase's eyes lit up. "That's great! Where is he right now? What could make him so busy? Did he find something precious?""Um… Boss is in the kitchen. I think he's… busy cooking."The woman smiled awkwardly."Cooking?!" Renee felt like cursing them all. She turned to Chase and asked, "Is this what you mean when you told me your boss is always so busy with a million things to do every day?!""Well…" Chase could hardly believe it himself. But to mend the situation, he shamelessly suggested, "I guess our boss must've found some rare precious pots to try!""..."Before she came here, she assumed that Carmine Pawnshop was a hellish place where fearsome demons gathered, but she realized that it was more of a house full of comedians! Even their boss—the infamous Midnight Demon—seemed
Renee sat in the living room, staring up at the artwork on the wall.The artist who painted the masterpiece, Dost Wurst, happened to be her father's favorite painter.Her father's favorite artwork, Evening Song of the Shepherd Boy, was destroyed in the fire.The artwork in front of her was titled Snow Before the Shepherd Boy, and it resembled the Evening Song of the Shepherd Boy in several ways. It was also the artwork that her father had been looking for while he was alive but had not found it.Nonetheless, she was still able to locate it. This made her question whether this was destiny."Do you understand drawings as well?" Behind her, a stern and chilly voice spoke out.Renee was taken aback by the familiar voice and immediately looked around.The guy was towering and imposing. Dressed in all black from head to toe, his black feather face mask seemed delicate, surrounding him with an air of mystery. The chilly grin on his face instilled terror in everyone around him. It was e
"My condition is unique?""Yes, but please don't get mad at me for saying this."Renee took the risk of offending him by pointing to the mask on his face. "I heard your face was badly damaged in the fight with Mr. Hunt, and you've been wearing a mask ever since. You've even sworn to kill anybody who has seen your face. I know it may be difficult since you are afraid of frightening people and being repulsive. But when you're on that island, all those worries will be things of the past because you can take off your mask whenever you want. Nobody will be afraid of you, nor will they dislike you. Doesn't the island suit you completely?"Mr. Q was at a loss for words when he heard this.When Renee saw his confused feelings, she said, "You're enemies with Stefan, and so am I." Because we are fighting the same adversary, I believe you should back me up. I need the money to fight Hunt Enterprise.""Who are you to do that?"Mr. Q had clearly not taken her remarks seriously."We'll just h
"Wrap it up for me?"Renee was taken aback and perplexed."You don't like it?" Mr. Q questioned, turning to face her.“No. I really do!"She returned her gaze to the picture and said, "Isn't it a little inappropriate that you give me such an expensive painting?"Although she had been hinting at him to give it to her, she never expected him to be so casual about it!"I don't see what the problem is if you like it. It's just a piece of art. There are a lot of paintings in the pawn shop," he said casually."Thank you!"She quickly bowed and thanked him. At this moment, she thought even his face mask was charming.Money was, indeed, the most powerful force in the world.She was suddenly reminded of the elderly man's forecast that said, 'As lofty as the mountain, as boundless as the sea. An unrivaled pair, their union shall stand through eternity.''Is it possible that Mr. Q is the one I'll marry? If he were, it would be absurd, considering he is Stefan's arch-adversary. If Stefa
“You…”Mr. Q took a moment to process all Renee said before responding emotionlessly, "You have a wild imagination.""Is that not the case?"Renee took a step closer to him before placing her palm on his chest.When he saw this, he grimaced and grabbed her hand. "What exactly are you doing?" "Don'tworry. I simply want to know whether your pulse quickened for me."She raised her glance to his and smiled sweetly.He was first uneasy until a grin came over his face. He put his long arm around her waist, drew her into his arms, and murmured hoarsely, "If you want to feel it, come closer."Renee's cheeks reddened instantly, and she slipped from his grasp."What's the matter with you? I'm not going to eat you."It was his time to take the lead, and he grinned as he inched closer to Renee. "You said that I am your ex-husband's adversary. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' as the adage goes. I believe we can give it a go and be together.""No!"She quickly crossed her arms.'I
Liam was an unruly rich heir who loved freedom, while Amber was a pure and ignorant young woman. It seemed they were a perfect match."Why did she suddenly give you a wedding gown? Obviously, she wants to marry you. Are you sure you don't want to say anything to her before leaving?" Xavier teased Liam, trying to sound the latter out.Everyone could tell that Amber liked Liam. Besides, it seemed like Liam also fancied Amber. If they parted ways, they might never see each other again. Their romance might end with a failure. What a pity! "There's nothing to say to her." Liam purposely looked aloof. "All I want is to get the hell out of here. I don't even want to waste another second here."Then, he strode into the airport lobby. Renee quickened her pace and walked alongside him. She looked at him, feeling sorry for him. "Are you sure you're going to leave like this?""I should long be gone." Liam kept his coldness, his tone impassive. "If I don't go now, I can't leave forever.""
The box contained a red wedding gown with exquisite embroidered dragon and phoenix patterns. The embroidery was meticulous, making the dragon and phoenix look lifelike. With such intricate details, it would take three to five months to complete."So, she was busy with this." Liam caressed the patterns, bitterness and disappointment hitting him hard. Amber was always busy these days and couldn't be found. She also didn't talk much to him. She claimed that she wanted to sew wedding clothes for herself and Mateo. Unexpectedly, she ended up giving the wedding gown to Liam instead.There was a card at the bottom of the wedding dress. Liam opened it and read Amber's note.[Liam, I only want to be your wife my whole life…but from now on, I won't marry anyone. I want to live for myself. I hope we can meet again when we're both strong and capable!]Her handwriting wasn't neat, and her grammar was wrong. Yet it showed her shyness, pureness, and firmness.Liam clenched the wedding gown t
"Wait, Mr. Osborne!" Hailey ran to Liam and tried her best to catch her breath. Then, she said to him, "Ms. Jenkins… Ms. Jenkins, she…""What's wrong with Amber?" Liam asked nervously. His anxious and worried expression showed that he wasn't indifferent toward her after all."Take this!" Hailey handed a plain box to Liam. "Ms. Jenkins is busy today and can't send you off. This is the gift she's been preparing for a long time. She wants you to have it.""What she's busy about? Is it troublesome?" Liam was worried about Amber. If she wanted to take over Benjamin's business, she wouldn't be able to handle it since the fort was a violent place full of fights. "It's something feminine. Please don't ask about that…" Hailey obeyed Amber's instruction and didn't explain much. She waved at Liam and added, "Take care. Don't worry too much about Ms. Jenkins. She'll be fine since she's Mr. Jenkins' only daughter.""What do you mean?" Liam held the gift with worry. "Did Benjamin find fault wi
Benjamin didn't play any tricks as he truly wanted to let them go. He had come to his senses and realized that Liam was sincere toward Amber, thus he wanted to let Liam go.Besides, someone else had instructed him to do so. It was obvious who that was.The Jenkins family would have closer cooperation with Hunt Enterprise in the coming years. Moreover, this cooperation would help them earn money easily. It would be ridiculous of him to give up those profits just to satisfy his wrath.Before leaving, Renee and the others sat in the pickup truck except for Liam. He stood at the door and kept looking around. He didn't get into the car for a long time."What's taking him so long? Why didn't he get in the car? We can't leave if Benjamin suddenly regrets it!" Leia said.She sat beside the window and lowered it, about to wave at Liam before Renee stopped her in time. "Stop urging him. It's still early. Nothing will go wrong since Benjamin agreed to let us go. You have to give Liam some
Macsen got up angrily and pointed at Renee. "You nearly got me killed by biting me! I didn't even make you pay for that, but here you are, trying to accuse me. Do you think I won't do anything to you?" "Of course you will. You nearly got us killed," Renee sneered, glancing at the glass of mulberry wine. "So, it's logical that you poisoned the wine.""No, I didn't!" Macsen raised the glass of wine and leaned backward to gulp it down. Then, he glared at Renee. "I'm not such a petty man!"Instantly, the air grew tense. Liam, sitting on Benjamin's right, tried to keep the peace. "Okay, stop bickering. Since Mr. Jenkins held this party today, he wanted us to bury the hatchet. We don't have to take to heart what happened a few days ago. The most important thing is to keep peace and come up with a win-win situation."Benjamin nodded and clapped. "Liam knows me the best. He didn't take the stab for nothing. At least I can see that he's sincere toward me, Gem, and the fort.""Oh, gosh!
Three days later, Liam got better and could get out of bed.Benjamin held a party to express his apology to Renee and the others.Before attending the party, Leia held Renee's hand, frightened. "Is he plotting something?"After all, they had witnessed Benjamin's craziness. He could even kill his only daughter! It seemed unlikely that this was just an ordinary party."Don't be scared. We can fight them if worse comes to worst," Justin said casually as he walked behind them. He found a spot and sat in front of them.The army Austin had promised Renee was already on guard outside of the party, hence Justin's confidence. Besides, the Baldwin family was informed beforehand to come assist them if anything went wrong.Since he had absolute power, he was fearless."You're right. We can still fight them. I'd like to see what tricks that crazy Benjamin is trying to pull." Leia said.She stopped taking things too seriously, and casually walked into the place and took her seat. Xavier, sit
"But…" Renee insisted."This is worth it. I was able to gain Benjamin's trust and calm his anger, which in turn helped us leave. I would've done the same thing again without hesitation."Liam looked relaxed and sounded casual, as if he didn't have a close brush with death. Rather, he treated the whole thing like a game he nearly got disqualified from and in turn rewarded for. The result was worth it. He took everything as an exciting adventure rather than a life-threatening incident. "Oh, you're always so casual. What do you mean, worth it? If that knife reached your heart or the doctor wasn't skillful enough, you would've been killed. And I… I might have to watch you die just because I left things to chance!" Renee yelled.She couldn't dwell on what had happened. The memory chilled her blood, and she hated herself for being so scheming. Renee could feel herself changing. Before, she was direct, bold, straightforward, and did everything she could for the sake of justice. Now, sh
"It was just a test from my father. He had seen through people. He wouldn't make things difficult for the people who were nice to me," Amber explained.She knew what kind of a person her father was. At this point, she didn't want to keep it from Renee and the others either. She felt that it was more important to reassure them. "So, it really was a test!" Leia was enlightened, but failed to understand Benjamin. "Is he out of his mind? He didn't have to make it seem so real! If Liam didn't block the knife for you, he would have lost you!"Leia was filled with lingering fear when she recalled the terrifying scene yesterday. Benjamin's madness surprised her. He could even be harsh on his daughter! At the same time, Leia mocked Mateo's fake passion. He said so much, but he could still attack his so-called beloved woman at that critical moment.What amazed her the most was Liam. He claimed that he didn't love Amber, but he was the one who used his chest to block the attack for her. It
Amber's emphasis made both of them awkward. It seemed like Liam had flattered himself.Renee and Leia happened to run into that scene when they opened the door. Feeling out of place, they wanted to leave and hide.Finally, Renee walked over and faked a smile despite the stiffness in the air. "Hahaha! Liam, I'm glad that you're awake!""Renee…" Liam's facade faded as he blinked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" "We did, but you guys were so absorbed in talking to each other that you didn't hear us," Leia eagerly explained.There was a screen between the bed and the door. A servant informed Liam and Amber about the visitors, but they didn't hear that since they were absorbed in their conflict.Thus, Renee and Leia were forced to watch an awkward romance. They found it stifling, just like Liam and Amber."Okay. Let's not talk about that."Liam didn't want to recall that awkward scene and changed the topic. "I was just stabbed. Stop making a big fuss over it. And don't wo