"I should head home. I'm a bit worried about my cat. My cat was spayed not long ago, and I live alone. I want to head home and take care of her…" Shelley admitted."Understood. You should head home then, don't worry." Renee said reassuringly.Shelley walked away but turned around when she remembered something. "Ms. Everheart, when I took the elevator this afternoon, I heard about a pervert in this office building. Don't work too late. It might be unsafe.""Don't worry. If he comes to me, he'll get into trouble instead." Renee smirked."You're beautiful, Ms. Everheart, so you'd better be careful. We should stay far away from twisted men like these." Shelley looked at her boss worriedly."Yes, I understand. I'll be careful." Renee looked up and smiled warmly at Shelley. Her concern was touching.After Shelley left, Renee was the only one still working overtime on that floor. All the lights in the office area were turned off except for the ones in Renee's office. The floor seemed co
Once Shelley got home, she realized she had left her keys at the company's workstation. She had no choice but to take a taxi back to Azure Group.When Shelley arrived at the office building, she spotted a dark gray sports car parked in the open parking lot of the building. "Wow! It's an Aston Martin One-77. Isn't this a limited edition? There are only three of these cars in the world. How come it's here?"Although the young lady seemed like a nerdy girl, she was rebellious at heart. Ever since she was a kid, she loved sports cars, rock music, and extreme sports. Shelley froze, her eyes glued to the car. She hurriedly took out her phone and took multiple photos of it, then realized the car's owner was still sitting inside the car.Shelley's cheeks turned red, and she quickly leaned down and apologized to the car owner. "So sorry for causing you trouble!"As she turned to leave, the car owner suddenly rolled down his window and said in a deep voice, "Are you working for Azure Group
Shelley had some of Renee's rebelliousness in her. She was uncooperative and rebuked Stefan. "Mr. Hunt, please be clear. I'm working as Ms. Everheart's assistant, not yours. Why should I listen to you?""If you want your boss to be safe, do as I say. If we delay, the situation might get worse." Stefan commanded.Shelley sensed the murderous aura in Stefan's eyes and quickly gave in. When she dialled Renee's number on her cell phone, she got an automated reply instead. "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable.""Why can't I get through? The signal in the building is excellent. Is Ms. Everheart's phone out of battery?" Shelley found it a little odd. Ms. Everheart would keep her phone charged if she was still in the office. Why would her phone be out of battery? Was she off work and on her way back home?"You're taking too long!" Stefan had lost his patience. He opened the door, stepped out of his sports car, and headed straight to the office lobby.Although she was confused
Shelley searched around but did not find Renee, so she figured Renee must have gone home.Shelley said to Stefan, who was still sitting in Renee's chair, "Mr. Hunt, Ms. Everheart must have gone home. This is Azure Group's office, so I hope you remember your position as an outsider. You should leave now. I'm going to lock the door."Stefan rested his chin on his interlocked fingers, then said with a cold look in his eyes, "No, she's not home yet."If she had gone home, he would have seen her."If she's not home, where else could she be?" Shelley gathered her courage and questioned Stefan, "Mr. Hunt, you insist on staying and won't leave. Are you trying to steal the company's secrets?"Stefan snorted in disdain. "This is such a small workshop. What secrets would this company have that are worth stealing?"Shelley fought the urge to roll her eyes, and said awkwardly, "Right. Hunt Enterprise wouldn't have to steal information from Azure Group. Even if they did, it's unlikely for you
Stefan coldly asked the question."A-Alright, Mr. Hunt!" The security guard switched on the surveillance camera for the number two elevator.Renee was by herself the entire time, but a man in a plaid shirt suddenly walked in when the elevator stopped on the sixth floor.The duo conversed for a while before Renee retrieved her phone and made a call. The man took the phone from Renee.After that, Renee passed out in the elevator. The man then pulled her close into his arms."Damn it!" Stefan looked like he was about to murder someone. "Who is this guy? Find him right now."How dare that man touch Renee? Stefan was determined to break the man's arms since he'd laid them on Renee.The security guard rubbed his glasses before gasping. "T-This guy was the person we caught not long ago. He was caught secretly filming women in the bathroom. The company has already fired him. Why did he come back?"The surveillance footage continued to show the man carrying Renee out of the elevator aft
In a dim underground space, a light bulb flickered on and off. There was a damp, musty smell in the air. Rats squeaked and scurried about in a pile of trash.Renee was lying on an old, torn mat. Still groggy, she struggled to open her eyes."You're finally awake. I was worried I went too far with the drugs and ended up killing you!" The man in a plaid shirt gave his glasses a nudge while he stared at Renee. His smile was creepy.Renee wanted to get up, but her hands and feet were bound by ropes. The worst part was she barely had any strength to get up."W-Why did you kidnap me? I don't think I've ever done anything to you…" Renee mustered all her strength to speak, and yet her voice still sounded weak."You did nothing to me, of course. You're just unlucky for bumping into a pervert like me…" The man kneeled next to Renee and touched her face. The softness of her skin excited him."Tsk, tsk. Your face, your skin, and your body… Even if I only get to do this once, I'd die with no
Renee wasn't expecting this pervert to be smart enough to see through her plan. She had to change her strategy. "If I were you, I wouldn't choose me as a victim. Do you know who I am?""I don't know who you are, but I know you're a beautiful woman. Not just that, but you're a beautiful woman who's single. Otherwise, why would you work so late? Is no man in your life to treat you well? Hey, I'll treat you well. In fact, I'm doing a good deed!"The pervert kissed Renee's neck while he touched her body and continued his vulgar speech.Renee couldn't move at all, and she couldn't fight back. All she could do was try to intimidate him with her words. "Do you know who Stefan Hunt is?""Stefan Hunt?" The man stopped moving. "Who doesn't know him? He's Hunt Enterprise's CEO and has control over the entire Beach City. He's every man's idol. Why wouldn't I know him?""Do you know about Stefan's secret habit?" Renee asked."What's that?""Stefan is someone with obsessive-compulsive disorde
Stefan and Shelley were supposed to go to the police station in a patrol car.However, during the ride, Stefan pursed his lips, frowned, and seemed to be deep in thought.The police officer thought he was too worried. "Mr. Hunt, you can relax. There shouldn't be anything major to worry about. Perverts like him show up in office buildings throughout the year. Based on our experience, they're all cowards. The worst they'd do is take pictures or touch women inappropriately. They wouldn't go any further than that. Otherwise…""Stop the car!" Stefan ordered with a cold look in his eyes."W-What's the matter, Mr. Hunt?""I'm not in the mood to listen to your nonsense. I want to get out of the car right now." While the police officer was blabbering, he discovered new clues. However, he couldn't be bothered to tell the others.The driver didn't dare to disobey Stefan. He immediately stopped the car by the road.Stefan opened the door and got out. He turned around and faced Shelley. "Go
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,