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
Renee led Mr. Q to Sun Island's center, where she and her children spent most of their time.They had to stroll through the sunflower garden to get there.The garden was lovely, as each sunflower bloomed beautifully and grew to be as tall as humans.One strolled in front of the house, while the other wandered in the garden. The golden warmth of the sun shined on their head and shoulders. The sight was stunning, like something out of a movie.Abigail stood at the far end of the garden, wearing a yellow dress and a little hat. She had a tiny shovel in her hand and was digging a hole."Abby, the sun is up, and the temperature is rising. Let's get you home before you become ill!" Margaret said as she stepped to the side and fanned her. "You can go home first, Margaret. I need to cover the whole farm with sunflowers. Only then can Mommy and Adie return.""This land is enormous. It'll be night by the time you finish planting it with sunflowers. Let's go home.." Margaret was concerned
Renee was uneasy as she struggled to introduce Mr.Q to Abigail.Abigail would have driven him away with the small shovel if she had informed her he was coming to acquire Sun Island."He's a new friend I made in Beach City," she answered hopelessly since this was the only response she could come up with. "Mommy's friend?"Abigail stepped out of Renee's embrace and moved up to Mr. Q. She smiled pleasantly and glanced at him before grasping his palm in her small hand. "Greetings from Sun Island. You're my friend too, because you're Mommy's buddy!"Mr. Q's frigid expression vanished, and it was clear that Abigail's kindness warmed his chilly heart.As a result, he knelt and shook Abigail's hand, saying, "Nice to meet you, little one. Not only am I your mother's friend, but I am also your brother's buddy. I am confident that the four of us will be great friends.""Of course!"Mommy doesn't have many friends, especially male friends," Abigail said, her eyes sparkling with delight. "
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"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