Renee returned home after leaving the graveyard. Just as she entered the door, she received a phone call from an unknown number. It was Briar. However, her tome was extremely polite and gentle, unlike her usual domineering tone when facing Renee. "I am sorry to disturb you, Ms. Everheart. I've been cleaning the room recently and found some of your personal belongings. Do you have time to come and get them tonight?" 'Was Briar always so kind?' Renee thought, obviously skeptical about it. What was she up to this time? Despite that, Renee did not hesitate and replied calmly, "Sure, I'll drop by and get them later." She left in haste last time, leaving some important belongings behind. Even if Briar did not call her, she would still find time to return to the villa to pick them up. At around eight in the evening, Renee got a cab and went straight to the Hunt family’s residence. The servants were somewhat distant because the previous mistress was visiting. They did not eve
Putting on the mask of concern, Briar said, "Isn't that a bad idea? She's still your cousin's wife, after all." Charlotte took Briar's arm and persuaded her righteously, "Bri, you're just too kind-hearted. Think about how this woman trampled you at the charity banquet. Don't you want to give her some payback? Didn't you see how lustful she was acting just now? I'm so generous that I even lent her my boyfriend to help her out! She'll have to thank me later! Don't worry. I'll take care of it if anything happens! It won't be your fault!" "You're so kind to me, Charlotte!" Though Briar looked touched, she was laughing inwardly at Charlotte's stupidity. The stupid girl didn't even know she was being used, yet she was still working herself to the bone for Briar! A short while later, Stefan returned to the villa. A chilling aura exuded from his tall figure, and he asked sternly, "Where is she?" Not seeing Renee after surveying the spacious parlor, his brows knitted tightly together.
Renee struggled to push him away. "Stefan, are you crazy?! 'Stop interrupting when I am enjoying myself, okay?' "This isn't appropriate! You shouldn't watch this!" He spoke like a father worried for his daughter, as if Renee was a young, innocent girl watching something bad. Renee was speechless. "I am not a kid, okay? I've experienced a lot of things!" "Really? Tell me, what have you experienced?" The calamitous rage on his handsome face had subsided, replaced by a trace of playfulness as he calmly returned her gaze. She stayed silent as memories of the night she had sex with this man surfaced in her mind, which turned her cheeks red without her realizing it. Her shy reaction amused him, making him even more confident of his speculation that she was not pregnant. In fact, she probably never had an intimate relationship with a man! Shortly after that, Briar also left the room in embarrassment and hastily attempted to clear her name. "Are you alright, Ms. Everheart? I
Stefan pushed open the door and saw that Micah, who was under the influence of the drug, was pinning Charlotte beneath him and trying to have sex with her. "Stefan, help me!" As if seeing a lifeline, Charlotte screamed at Stefan for help. Although Micah was her boyfriend, and they had had sex a long time ago, this was a situation she just could not accept. It was too humiliating! Stefan's eyes coldly swept across the two on the floor and took away what belonged to Renee on the table. "Serves you right!" He left without looking back after saying those words. His cousin was spoiled to the point of being too lawless. It was time for her to taste some pain. When he got downstairs and saw Renee waiting at the door, he frowned. "We are not divorced yet. You are still the mistress of this villa." "No, thank you!" Renee took the things in the man's hand and left without bothering to say goodbye. It was already late at night at the moment. Renee stood outside the villa
The one who spoke was a childhood friend of Stefan's, Xavier Stuart.When Xavier saw Renee who was standing next to him, he let out an even more exaggerated yell. "Oh my god, come and see this. Not only did Stef come, but he also brought his wife with him. Will wonders never cease? What a rare occasion!"Stefan's attractive face remained unfazed as he strode into the room and said in a meaningful tone, "Since I received the invitation, I naturally had to come."Renee was still confused about the situation, so she acted like a good and dignified wife and followed the man obediently. Since she had received a fee of a hundred thousand dollars per minute, she naturally had to play her role as his puppet well.The interior of the room was extravagantly luxurious. It was spacious and lavish, with lights glimmering and glinting, as if they had entered a palace.A few couples were seated on the couch. She could tell from their appearances that they were children of the rich. The ones who
Everyone in the room froze!No one expected that Renee, who looked gentle and docile, would have this side to her."My husband is such a perfect man. Let's see who's blind enough to dump him!" When she said this, she wrapped her arms around Stefan's affectionately, expressing her desire to defend her husband.But of course, it was mere pretense. Regardless, out of curiosity, she wanted to confirm if her guess was correct.Sure enough, the elegant lady sitting on the couch lowered her head sheepishly.Christopher's expression was also somewhat stiff.Xavier seemed to care a lot about the woman and immediately retorted surly, "It doesn't matter who dumped him. Since she’s Stefan's first love, she must be a hundred times more perfect than you in every way! It is important to know one's weaknesses. You and Stefan are not even from the same world and you can't see eye to eye. Why did you still marry him, knowing that? You're doing him and yourself a disservice!"Christopher's sof
"Hah, you'll be shocked when you find out!"Xavier said proudly, "Do you know Petersville University? Cecy studied astrophysics there, their most difficult subject. When she presented her research paper, she was even awarded the first prize in the Starburst Competition!""Wow, you're really an outstanding student, Cecy!"The crowd cast adoring glances at Cecilia. It was not that their reaction was exaggerated, but in fact, it was because it was very rare for those who were born with a silver spoon to excel in academics, so an astrophysics top student was a feat to them.Cecilia smiled lightly and said softly, "It's not that I am good, it's just that I happened to pick the topic that the judges liked.""Don't be so humble. You should just admit it if you are good!"Xavier put his hands into his pockets and looked at Renee pompously, and asked, "Do you know what astrophysics is? I guess a housewife like you, who never leaves the house without her husband, must have never heard of i
"Why would I not dare to?"Although Renee did not know what trick he was pulling this time, she did not chicken out and took out her cell phone confidently.Perhaps she wanted to compete with Cecilia deep down.After all, Cecilia was Stefan's first love whom he could not get over, so she was curious about what was so memorable about this woman. "Did you download Apex Heroes on your phone?"When Xavier said this, he cast an even more adoring gaze at Cecilia and said, "Cecy is not only a top student, but she was also an advanced game player. Apex Heroes is the most popular game worldwide and she is the third-best player in Aeos!"Renee smiled and said calmly, "Is she really that good? Then let’s stop wasting time and play a match.""You even know how to play games?"Xavier was a little surprised.It seemed like this demure wife was not as boring as he had thought!Anyway, he guessed that she would only be a rookie who would never beat his Cecy.After losing the battle just no
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t
Time passed by. It was soon the day for the engagement ceremony between Justin and Renee.The Baldwin family held a grand ceremony while adhering to tradition. It was both traditional and romantic.Renee put on a red slim-fit silk gown with intricate black and gold embroidery. Her long hair was delicately pinned up, showing off her fair and slender neck. She looked elegant."How pretty!" Margaret stood in front of the vanity table and looked at Renee, whose face was dolled with exquisite makeup. She looked gratified, as though she were looking at her daughter."If your parents saw how pretty and elegant you were, they would be very happy." Margaret gently placed her hands on Renee's shoulders and commented, "You married Mr. Hunt when I wasn't around. You must have suffered a lot. But things will get better now… I'll stay with you and protect you forever. I'll be your strongest support."Back then, Renee was left alone when her family was ruined. She married Stefan without anyo
Alexander and Francine were already old. It was fine even if others criticized them or took violent revenge on them. But they were worried that the younger generation, especially Adie and Abby, would have a hard time handling it."You're right. I wasn't thinking straight…" Francine became teary and sobbed. "I just wanted to relieve my guilt and failed to consider the kids. We brought this upon ourselves. I'll probably have to suffer this pain for the rest of my life.""Stop thinking about that. It's all over. It's useless to regret or dwell on it." Alexander walked over and hugged her shoulders. He whispered some consoling words, "No one can tell who was right or wrong about that affair. We're already punished. Just act like everything is gone…"Is it? You're just trying to make yourself feel better." Francine leaned against Alexander's shoulders, full of melancholy. "Don't you think the kids are suffering the consequences of our actions? They love and understand each other bu
"No, I'm not going to snatch away the bride." Stefan put his fork down and stood up. He added calmly, "Plus, I'm going to give them a huge wedding gift."Flabbergasted and shocked, Francine's face stiffened. "I'm full. Just enjoy your meal." Stefan went past Francine and headed upstairs to his room. Francine and Alexander watched Stefan's upright but desolate back for a long time, unable to snap back to reality."Alexander, is there something wrong with him? Should we get an exorcist? He's acting weird!"Francine could not accept to see Stefan that generous all of a sudden. His woman was snatched away, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he wanted to buy the couple a big wedding gift. She couldn't come up with any other possibility except that Stefan was crazy or possessed. "I can understand him." Suddenly, Alexander became sad as if he recalled his past. He looked gloomy as he added, "Sometimes, letting go is a kind of happiness. Helping the others to be together is true l
"How could you!" For a moment, Timothy was rendered speechless. After all, his anxiety was useless since Stefan was calm. "Forget it. I'm not eating. It's annoying! I'm going upstairs." Timothy did not want to argue with Stefan since Stefan was already an adult. He could not force Stefan to do anything. Instead, he chose to get away from such annoyance to not ruin the harmony of the New Year. After he got up and left, Francine braced herself to mediate the situation."Your grandpa isn't very healthy. He should rest early. Let's eat. We should enjoy our meal happily no matter how unhappy things are." Alexander soon gave his cooperation as well when he heard that. He put some food on Stefan's plate and smiled. "Yes, we can't force things in life. Let's enjoy our meal first." "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry you guys are worried about me. Happy New Year."Stefan quietly ate and raised his wine glass, toasting to his parents. He looked normal and calm, and was warmer toward them.However,