With that, only Renee and Jovan were left standing in the men's restroom awkwardlyLike a villain who had succeeded in bringing his evil plan to fruition, a sinister yet childish smile cropped up on Jovan's face. He told Renee, "You see? You clearly made the right choice in leaving your ex-husband because all he ever wanted was a tool to perfect his image. He was never interested in you, he never understood you, and he never even wanted to understand you. What a failure.""Why, thank you for the enlightenment, Jovan!" Renee could not help but roll her eyes as she pointedly sneered, "If you have that much spare time, why don't you worry about yourself instead? How stupid can you be? You've been played like a fiddle and wiped out from your position, yet you're still here bragging like an idiot!"Jovan wasn't angered by her words, and instead approached Renee with a cheeky smile. "So, you're worried about me, huh?"Renee let out a frustrated snarl and kicked Jovan in the butt before r
"I'm going to hang up now," Renee told Leia with a sigh. "It's time to pick up the kids."She then ended the call and headed straight to Monte Perry Kindergarten.The streets in front of the kindergarten were always full of cars and crowded with people. All kinds of luxury cars were lined up at the Monte Perry Kindergarten gates, making it look like some kind of car exhibition was going on.After a while, Renee finally found a parking spot. She parked her car and was about to get out when Margaret suddenly called her."Hello?" Margaret's voice was shaky with panic. "Ms. Renee, are you here yet? Come quickly! Something… something happened!""What happened?" Renee asked quickly, then said to Margaret soothingly, "Don't panic… Speak slowly.""I'm useless, Ms. Renee! I deserve to die a thousand deaths! I was about to pick up the kids just now, but the teacher told me that… that…" Margaret sounded as if she was about to burst into tears."The teacher told me," she continued anxiously
Ms. Apple looked somewhat conflicted. Her eyes darted around before she cryptically answered, "Please don't worry, Ms. Everheart. The twins are definitely fine, and I'm sure they'll be home in no time. As for the person who took them away… Please forgive me, but I really can't tell you anything about him."Hearing this, Renee dug her nails into her palms and forced herself to remain calm as she said with a sneer, "This man really is powerful, isn't he? He's so powerful that he can easily kidnap other people's kids in public, and even their own mother doesn't have the right to know about it.""He is indeed very powerful. In fact, only a handful of people in the whole of Beach City would dare to go up against him, so…" Ms. Apple paused for a few seconds, then told Renee in a lowered voice, "The twins both called him Daddy without hesitation and were very friendly with him, and the man himself… is connected to the Hunts.""Connected to the Hunts, huh?" Renee frowned slightly as she tho
Despite the servant's efforts to stop her, Renee strode in boldly and said sarcastically, “I was once a part of the Hunts. I treated Grandpa Timothy like my own grandfather, so there’s no need to stop me from visiting him, right?”Meanwhile, Timothy, who was sitting at the head of the table, was scowling fiercely at Stefan. He was just about to teach him a lesson after learning about the rumors about Stefan, Renee, and Jovan.However, his eyes sparkled when he heard Renee's voice, and he turned to her with a wide smile. "Ren, my wonderful granddaughter-in-law, I was just about to teach this clueless boy a lesson. I'm delighted you're here! Come, child, sit by me."He motioned to the unoccupied seat next to him and urged her to have a seat. Meanwhile, Stefan sat on the opposite side, his expression frigid.The servant added a new set of tableware to the table. Renee was unable to say no to the old man, and was forced to sit at the table with the Hunt family.The jovial atmosphere i
Stefan gingerly wiped his lips with a handkerchief, then turned to Renee with a smirk. "Truth be told, I really don't know why you're here. Might it be because you still love me and want to rekindle our relationship?""Excellent, excellent!" Francine clapped her hands gleefully. "Renee, if you wanted to rekindle your relationship with Stef, you should have just said so! There's no need to beat around the bush, and you don't need Stefan's opinion about it—he's a moron who doesn't know anything. I can help you both make it happen. We'll arrange for a larger and better wedding too."Timothy nodded his head approvingly. "I'm glad you're finally considering it. You should've reconnected with Stefan sooner. This is something that the whole Hunt family agrees on!""No way! That's not it!" Renee's cheeks reddened, and she started to panic. "I'm not here to reconcile with him. In fact, I'm going to become a nun and live alone for the rest of my life. I'm never going to get back together with
Stefan's gaze was frigid as he stared at Renee. "There's no one here, so you can just be honest with me. What happened to them? They need to be released immediately. I'm willing to give up everything for them—even my life. Don't push me, Stefan. I'm warning you." Renee clenched her fists tightly, her entire body tense. She had given birth to Aiden and Abigail and raised them with all her love and attention. They weren't just her life. They were also the Everheart family's future.Stefan might have tried to take them away, but she would definitely get them back."I'm not sure what you're saying." Stefan looked perplexed as he frowned at her. "Who are you referring to?""Stop acting dumb!" Renee burst out furiously. She was so enraged that she approached him, grabbed him by the collar, and warned, "I'll count to three, and if you don't give them to me, I'll break your neck. You already know I'm capable of it!""You want to break my neck?" The corners of his lips curved upwards into
Renee could rule out that the Hunt family planned to ambush her since the electricity had gone out due to a faulty circuit.She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed somewhat. She let go of Stefan's neck and tried to move away from him, but his strong arm suddenly circled her waist. He pulled her towards him, and she tumbled onto him with a yelp. When she felt his warm frame against hers, she immediately froze. "What... What are you doing?"Stefan remained silent, but his grip on her tightened.Renee lost her cool and hissed at him, "Stefan, don't you dare try to take advantage of me. Let me go before I hurt you!""Stop moving!" Instead of letting her go, he held onto her like his life depended on it."Clearly, you don't value your life. Do you want me to break your arm?" She was going to push him away when she heard sniffling. She hesitated, her eyes wide in disbelief.'Is Stefan… crying?' She thought in shock. She immediately calmed down, taken aback by this unexpected occurren
“You can't open the door until the electricity is restored," Stefan said bluntly.Renee's jaw dropped. "If the electricity doesn't come back on by tonight, I'll have to spend the night with you!""I can handle it. It's only one night, after all." Stefan was so calm that Renee wondered where his anxiety from earlier had gone. Only now did she realize that she had fallen into his trap."Didn't you say you had PTSD and that your organs would fail and you'd die?" She asked him suspiciously."I'll be alright if you're here to give me hugs. I can handle you," Stefan said smoothly.Renee was speechless."You might be able to stand me, but I can't stand you," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "I have to get out of here today!"She wanted to use the light from her phone to try to figure out how to open the doorknob, but unfortunately, her phone ran out of battery and turned off.The room became dark once again."Damn it!" Her patience had reached its limit, and she patted the ground arou
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo
Both Stefan and Justin arrived at Grace Hospital quickly. However, Stefan suddenly stopped before he entered the hospital. He looked at Justin curiously."Let's go! It's urgent. Stop standing here!"Justin hurriedly ran. When he turned around, he found that Stefan had not caught up with him. Confused, he asked Stefan, "Something is puzzling me. Don't you want me to stop seeing her? Why did you let me come with you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and interrogated Justin suspiciously, "Did you lie to me? Or are you plotting something?" "That's nonsense! Don't take me as you. I'm not full of schemes like you!" Justin sounded disdainful. In comparison to Stefan, Justin was not full of schemes. He also looked down upon Stefan since the latter was always vigilant.Justin answered honestly, "Yeah, I don't want you to meet her ever, but I'm sure she wants to see you if she's in danger. Yes, I hate you—but I want her to be happy." He guessed that Renee must be in a serious state since Jov
"Uh…" After some contemplation, Elijah nodded. "I know what to do, Mr. Hunt. It looks like you can see far beyond the current situation. Just leave this to me.""Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."Stefan remained calm; he didn't feel like he had stepped over the line. He merely wanted Justin to learn about the cruelty of the world since Justin was always being protected so well. Whenever he did something wrong, he had to pay a price for it.Besides, Stefan merely did it for his aunt, who had taken the gunshot for nothing. When they reached a consensus, Justin came to meet Stefan. "Hey…" After a pause, he said with dissatisfaction and helplessness, "Would you like to go with me?"Stefan raised his brows in confusion."I mean, do you want to visit Phoenix with me?" Justin sighed. He looked naive, like a college student, as he confessed, "I found Jovan. I don't know why he's so good at countersurveillance. After exiting the emergency room, he transferred her to
"So, what do you want to do?" Stefan asked emotionlessly. He kept watching Nora, who was lying unconscious in the ward."At the very least, we have to teach the Baldwin family a lesson and make the public aware of your family's power as the head of The Great Eight of Beach City. It's not just about venting anger, but more about which side the various great families will take. It concerns the future of your family, too. We can't take it lightly!"Elijah could not hide his indignation. As Stefan's assistant, he was no longer merely an ordinary employee. He was loyal to Stefan and the Hunt family. He couldn't bear to see Stefan suffer any injustice or watch the Hunt family get humiliated. If Stefan hadn't stopped him, he would have gathered all the manpower to fight the Baldwins. Although he had fought Cadmus and Tiger, he had yet to defeat them. He tried to figure out a way to make a counterattack, his face shadowed in gloom.Stefan turned and calmly looked at Elijah. "How shoul
When Justin was willing to send them on an errand again, Cadmus was eager to express his loyalty."No, you don't have to risk your lives for me. That's bloody and horrible. All you need to do is find someone for me." After a pause, Justin added, "Jovan Hunt, Stefan's younger cousin." Cadmus clenched his fists and said fiercely, "It's another Hunt! Old Master Baldwin is right. The Hunt family is full of bad people. If we knew, we shouldn't have dismantled the bombs in Hunt Enterprise. The Hunt family has strengthened their security system now. It's hard to set up bombs there if we want to." Justin felt a headache when he heard Cadmus babbling. He rubbed his temples, and said tiredly, "Stop. We don't have to blow up Hunt Enterprise. I just want to find him. Do you get me? Find him. That's enough!"He stressed his intention of locating Jovan as if he were giving a simple and clear order to robots. Most of the time, Cadmus and Tiger were like AI. Real robots were probably more obedie