Hunt Villa was empty. The garden was deserted. The living room was not lit. The inside of the villa was pitch black. The air had a stale odor.The only light that was turned on was the one in Stefan's room on the second floor. A tall figure could be seen at the window.Renee walked into the living room and climbed the rotating staircase to the second floor.Stefan's door was slightly ajar, and through the crack in the door, she could see a man standing by the window.However, she could only see his back.The back figure was tall, straight, and cold. It must be Stefan!At that moment, Renee felt a passion that she had not felt for a long time.She rushed forward and pushed the door open. "Stefan! I knew you were still alive!”The man by the window slowly turned around. His thin lips curled into a smile as he stared at Renee with mischievous eyes. He shrugged and said, "My dear cousin-in-law, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not that man you're thinking about day and night.”
She did not want to cripple him and be pestered by him her whole life!“I knew it. You still care for me and can't bear to hurt me...”While swinging around his arm that almost got dislocated, Jovan continued to make fun of Renee, challenging the limit of Renee's patience without any fear of the consequences.Renee tried her best to calm herself down. "You're not actually trying to replace Stefan and take away everything that belonged to him, are you?”“Stefan is history now. Hunt Enterprise cannot remain leaderless forever. I'm doing Hunt Enterprise a huge favor by taking over the company right now. How can you call that taking away?”“Hmph, your plan won't go that smoothly. Even if Stefan is no longer here, Grandpa Timothy and Uncle Alexander are. They won't let you do whatever you want. You should just give up if you know what's good for you, or you might lead yourself into a desperate situation!”Renee had always felt that Hunt Enterprise would not easily have a change in dyn
Renee raised her eyebrows and feigned ignorance, "What exactly do you mean? I don't understand.”“Did I not make myself clear enough?”Jovan greedily took in the sensation of being so close to the goddess of his desire. His hand boldly slithered towards Renee's slender waist. His deep voice was cheeky, but carried a hint of seriousness too. "In ancient times, there was Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships. If I can have you, I would launch a thousand ships for you too.”Renee couldn't help but roll her eyes. “Get to the point!”“Simply put, if you become my woman, Hunt Enterprise is yours to do with as you please. If you want it to shut down, it'll shut down, and if you want it to keep operating, it'll keep operating.”There was a cold determination in Jovan's eyes.The whole world knew that he, Jovan Hunt, was just a carefree playboy. He had no interest at all in competing for power or building a business empire.The reason why he had been working so hard to r
Both of them were shocked to see each other.Renee had conflicting emotions regarding her former mother-in-law. On the one hand, Renee hated her, and on the other hand, Renee sympathized with her for having lost two sons in a row.But Francine also had conflicting emotions regarding her former daughter-in-law.From her initial dislike and disgust of Renee, to appreciation, and later on, to hatred—it was enough to write a novel that was millions of words in length!“Good evening, Madam Francine.”Renee swallowed awkwardly and greeted Francine, "Fancy... running into you here.”“Someone told me the light in my son's room was turned on so I rushed over to check, but turns out it's just you...”Francine's eyes were filled with both hatred and sadness, which gradually turned into gloom. She lowered her head and said, "Sure enough, there are no miracles in this world.”Renee was a mother too, so her chest tightened hearing that. She comforted Francine softly, "My condolences. Don't b
Upon seeing Renee's reaction, Francine's eyes brightened. She excitedly pulled Renee's hand and asked, "Did you think of something? Tell me, quick!”“I knew my son wouldn't die so easily. I knew he left clues for you!”Renee shook her head. Her helpless expression seemed sincere. "He didn't leave me any clues, but if even you, his mother, can't be sure if he's dead, then I'm even more uncertain... At least, so far, I've only learned about his death from other people.”“Since you've already chosen a grave for him, surely you must know where his corpse is?”Francine's bloodshot eyes were sad as she said, "Stefan's father said he had an accident and died in the hospital. Apparently, the way he died was horrible. His father was worried that I might not be able to take it if I saw him, so he was cremated overnight. We chose the grave together, but I still don't believe that he's dead. I think they must be planning something in secret, so I turned a blind eye and went along with their ac
But her mouth was still as vile as ever. She kept spouting various unpleasant words, challenging Jovan's patience.Fearing that something more serious was going to happen, Renee immediately stepped forward to stop them. "Jovan, let go of her. She's your aunt. This is disrespectful.”“Hmph, have you ever seen such a cruel aunt? If she doesn't respect me, why should I respect her?...”Jovan had no intention of letting Francine go. His eyes became increasingly cruel, as if they contained decades of accumulated anger. He looked like he was going to break Francine's hand!“This woman is the most arrogant and snobbish woman I've ever seen. In her eyes, everyone else except for her two precious sons is trash. Even though she humiliated me for years, I never thought of getting back at her, but she just had to insult my mother... I'm not venting my anger, I'm teaching her a lesson on my mother's behalf!”“Aah! My hand! You little bastard! You immediately start to retaliate the moment you g
Renee quickly left the villa, giving Jovan and Francine no chance to catch up to her.In her opinion, those two were just as bad as each other. When they get crazy, they were both pretty terrifying. She would leave them alone and keep her distance so that she wouldn't get hurt in the crossfire!Renee returned to the apartment. Her children were already sound asleep.Margaret was not asleep yet. She was organizing the items and materials needed for the two children's first day at school tomorrow.Renee was deeply touched when she saw Margaret still working this late at night.“Margaret, it's already so late. Don't overwork yourself. Go get some rest. I'll take care of it.”Margaret turned around and smiled kindly at Renee. "Ms. Ren, what are you saying? This is just simple work. You, on the other hand, have been working until now. You need to pay attention to your health and not overwork yourself. If you collapse, what will happen to the two children?”“Don't worry, Margaret. I k
“That may be true, but when you need a man, you need a man. For example, when I filled out the enrollment information just now, there was a column that asked for the name and occupation of the children's father. What are we supposed to write there?”The reason why Margaret started nagging Renee again was that she faced a dilemma when she filled out the enrollment information earlier.It made her realize that, be it Renee or the two children, they all needed a man in the house.“Just write “none”. There are plenty of people who lost their spouse or their father in this world, so why can't we be in that situation too?”Renee continued to paint, her mood not affected in the slightest.The moment she decided to divorce Stefan and leave Beach City for Sun Island, she had already anticipated these situations and had accepted them. She did not think it was a big deal.“We can't do that!” Margaret was a bit agitated. "Ms. Ren, you're too carefree. Nowadays, kindergarten teachers treat ch
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.