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
"N-No… I wouldn't dare… Mr. Hunt, please forgive me. I won't do it again. Please…""Don't worry. I'll spare your insignificant life. I'll give you a taste of hell on earth!" Stefan stepped on the man's head and pressed it into the mud.The pervert didn't dare fight back, and he soon passed out from fear…Renee was still lying on the cold mat. She was already untied, and her clothes were also loose. Her fair skin was slightly pinkish. She looked like the most enticing meal in the world.Renee wriggled her way to Stefan and wrapped her arms around his legs. She then pressed her face against him. "Stefan, you're really here. Am I imagining things?"Stefan looked down confusedly at her. "You've been saved. Hurry up and put on your clothes. Stop messing around!"He didn't know that Renee was under the drug's influence and couldn't think clearly. He also didn't know that, from her perspective, he was the only cure for her burning passion."I haven't been rescued yet. I feel awful. It'
Renee was dumbfounded. She blinked several times before carefully asking, "W-What do you mean?"Stefan's facial expression was cold. He looked Renee up and down without revealing the contents of his mind.Renee was wearing a revealing silk pajama. She quickly covered her exposed skin with a blanket. "I can't remember. Why don't you give me a hint?" She asked carefully."Don't you remember what you did to me?" Stefan walked to the edge of the bed and asked in a deep voice, "Or are you pretending to forget so you won't be held accountable?""I honestly can't remember a thing. Show me the evidence. Don't slander a good person!" At this moment, Renee felt like a part of her memory had been erased. All she remembered was lending her phone to a guy after work ended. She genuinely couldn't remember anything else that happened after that.Which was why… She wasn't sure if she had gone berserk and 'bullied' Stefan last night.She prayed she didn't—otherwise, it'd be too embarrassing—and s
Stefan pursed his lips. "I tried to resist, but it didn't work. You know how strong you are, don't you?" He asked."Well…" Renee glanced at the ridiculous scratch marks on his body and suddenly felt less sure about her line of reasoning. "You should think about whether your outfit was too revealing. Did you use suggestive body language? Were you intentionally seducing me?""As a man, especially an attractive one, you should abide by modest virtues. Don't flirt all the time. If you can't even protect yourself, how can you expect others to protect you? If you tell people that you were 'bullied' on the internet, they'll only say you deserved it!""..." Stefan was speechless.What was wrong with him? Why was he arguing with her about this?In the end, Renee still felt a little guilty. She started coaxing him. "Alright, alright. Don't be sad. I acted too rashly and didn't take your feelings into consideration… I'll transfer some money to your account later. You can buy some supplements
Similarly, Renee used an iron wire to cut her wrist just to meet Stefan."Am I right? You did so many things just to see him. Now you finally met him. Are you happy and satisfied now? But you look worse than before." Jovan teased Renee. He found her pitiful, but at the same time, he felt that it served her right. It seemed everybody was a joke in their romance with others. Only those who never loved could be at the top of the food chain. They would laugh at those who gave up their hearts to others and could not understand those people's bizarre actions."Stop gloating. It's none of your business! Let go of me, or I'll make you feel sorry for yourself."Renee had just escaped death and was weak. Had it not been for that, Jovan wouldn't be able to stop her or watch her make a fool of herself. Still, she would be fine with losing blood again just to torment him if he kept on talking nonsense. Then, he would watch his tongue."Tell me, Phoenix. Is he telling the truth?" Justin
The loud noises in the ward naturally alerted Justin and Jovan."What's going on?" Justin became very nervous and kicked the door of the ward open. He saw that Renee had woken up and was crazily tearing at the bandages."Uh…" Justin was struck dumb. He had thought of the possibility of Stefan waking Renee up, but he did not expect it to be that effective. Renee ended up becoming a maniac who had lost control of herself. "You're awake?" Jovan was stunned too. He instantly understood the whole incident and gave Renee a thumbs-up. "You're great!"Renee looked coldly at them and ordered them, "Get out, you two! I haven't settled things with him!" Although she was fine with the way they regarded her, she did not want them to see her as a maniac. Besides, their presence would affect her and stop her from being crazy."I won't get out."Jovan turned Renee down. He rushed over and hugged her, stopping her from hurting herself."What are you doing? Let go of me!"Renee was still ha
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
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