The woman's words put Stefan into deep thought. 'Yeah, she's right. Being single gives you fewer worries for sure.'As someone who was usually more rational and collected, he knew that he shouldn't allow himself to fall deep into this pit called love. He shouldn't allow himself to lose control.-As Renee's burns were nearly healed, she returned to her own apartment. Her children missed her very much, to the point they didn't want to let go of her."Mommy, you've been working so hard lately! You haven't been home for days. Adie and I feel so bad for you. Here, let me give you a massage…" Abigail said as she started massaging Renee's shoulders and legs. Although the little one didn't have much strength, Renee still found it quite relaxing."Mommy's having it so hard right now. Looks like I can't delay my plan any longer!" Aiden frowned and spoke in a serious tone, looking like a carbon copy of his father.At the time, Renee lay on the couch, eating some fruit slices while enjo
When night fell, Renee drove to Carmine Pawnshop in Water Dock, bringing Abigail and Aiden with her, as planned.Compared to the 'thrilling' experience she had last time, her entire way there was a rather smooth affair as if someone had cleared the way for her. Many of the people there were strangely courteous, while some even handed her bouquets of flowers. They were close to putting out a red carpet for her."Huh, this is weird. Did they have a change of heart or something? What happened to those vicious people? Why are they so gentle and kind now?" Renee asked under her breath as she looked towards the flower necklace around her neck, visibly confused.Aiden was in the back seat, showing a knowing look as he pointed out the obvious. "That's because they see you as their queen now! Of course, they'd have to give their queen the best treatment they can provide.""What queen? I don't even know them! It's not like we're in a movie!""You don't have to know who they are. You just ne
"Daddy Q, we came to see you with Mommy!" Abigail skipped to the man with a bright smile as if she were a little angel.Mr. Q was still wearing a mask at the time, but his alluring charm was evident as he lifted his gaze, especially when her eyes met his.With that, both of them froze as though sparks were flying in the air between them."I heard from the kids that you like eating fish, especially steamed grouper… So I'm making this just for you. I hope you like it." Mr. Q said in a calm tone. It sounded as if they had been married for years, and this was a special gift for his one and only wife.The little ones looked toward Renee, their innocent eyes glittering with pride. "See, Mommy? We told you Daddy Q is great!"Renee was speechless. 'What the heck is this guy saying? It's not even like we're close, so why is he saying that he's making this just for me? He's clearly just putting on an act to win the kids over!'"Ahaha, thank you so much, Mr. Q. You must be a busy man, and y
After leaving the kitchen area, Renee walked around Carmine Pawnshop with Chase following next to her. The man warmly presented every single exhibition hall they had in the area."Ms. Everheart, this is the Eastern Treasures Hall. It stores many internationally known treasures, such as sculptures of the twelve zodiac signs, gilt jade seals, ancient jadeites…"And this is the Western Treasures Hall. There's a scepter made of pure gold, a diamond crown, and even a sculpture of Venus…"And here is the Rare Findings Hall. Here, you will find the last sample of a Carolina Parakeet, a thousand-year-old lucid ganoderma, and a ten-thousand-year-old amber…"Renee's mouth was left agape through the entire journey, a testament to how absolutely stunned she was. She was quite surprised to find the pawnshop holding such wealth. Any of the treasures they possessed could definitely exceed an average company's yearly profit. From a financial standpoint, Mr. Q was indeed quite a reliable candid
With that thought, a chill ran down Renee's back as she considered her options carefully.There was no movement inside the house as if the cries for help had just been Renee's imagination."Okay. I know you're scared. You don't have to answer me. I'll kick the door open and get you out. All you need to do is expose the ugly side of that guy to my two children after this!"As Renee said this, she prepared her hands, reaching out to break down the door.Suddenly, a deadly vibe burst out from behind her, and someone reached out to catch her wrist in a deadly grip, freezing her completely in her tracks."Why are you in the restricted area of the shop?"The man's low voice gave off an eerie chill as it resounded from above her head.Renee turned around to see Mr. Q standing behind her with a cold look on his face.In the darkness of the night, the name 'Midnight Demon,' coupled with the black mask he wore, really suited his image.Though Renee was not a coward, she was still in som
Renee suddenly felt a chill run up her spine as she shoved Mr. Q away and coldly. "There's something wrong with your head, isn't there? How could you joke about something like this? I'll cut you down if you do it again!"Even though her financial strength may not compare to his, she could definitely subdue him in a matter of minutes. If he forced her hand, she wasn't about to show him any mercy!Mr. Q approached Renee again with a solemn expression as he said seriously, "I never joke. To have given birth to two lovely children like Adie and Abby, I'm sure you have good genes. It's barely worthy of me, but I'm sure if we come together, we can give birth to a child more perfect than the two. Are you sure you don't want to try?""Blargh!"Renee didn't buy it at all. She made a throwing-up motion before shooting back sharply, "Please get this straight. Children aren't the product of just one parent. That's impossible! My children are great, maybe because they got my perfect genes, and
Back then, when Renee had fallen in love with Stefan at first sight, wasn't it also because of his appearance? If he didn't have that handsome face of his, she wouldn't have foolishly waited for him for four years, and she likely wouldn't have agreed to marry him. That's why being obsessed with appearances only called for bad luck. Despite that, she was a die-hard lover of outward looks, even now!"I see..." Mr. Q said with a sigh as disappointment streaked across his face. "If that's the reason, then I really can't compare. I used to be very handsome, but unfortunately, I'm disfigured now. The scar on my face... let's not even mention others; even I can't stand the sight of it!"Renee couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy upon seeing the proud and arrogant man suddenly become so self-deprecating and downtrodden, She forced a smile on her face and comforted him, "Hey, it's okay. Men don't have to rely on looks to get a wife, you know? The treasures in your collection alone
Aiden and Abigail blinked their big, innocent eyes and immediately jumped to Mr. Q's defense."Mommy, you must have misunderstood Daddy Q! He's the most gentle and kind person I've ever met besides Daddy Liam! How could he be a bad guy?""Abby is right!" Aiden said as he rubbed his chin, a serious expression on his face. "I introduce Mr. Q to you as a husband candidate after careful consideration. You may not believe in my sister's judgment, but you must believe in my intelligence.""Well..." Renee was momentarily speechless.Disregarding everything else, Aiden's intelligence was truly unbeatable. Anyone who passed his assessment was either a super intelligent person who could beat Aiden or genuinely a good person.Currently, Mr. Q didn't seem like a good person at all. That meant his intelligence must be extremely high to have the two little children be so obedient to him."It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. Once I kick down this door, you'll understand my good intention
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s
Time passed by. Gradually, the pain knocked some sense into Justin. He no longer wanted to take advantage of Renee."Let me get you some water." Renee had no idea what she could do for Justin. After some contemplation, she got to her feet and poured him a glass of water.Finally, she studied the room closely and found that it was a wedding room as Justin had mentioned. Everything was set up according to her preferences, which she had occasionally mentioned to Justin. For example, she loved keeping some ceramic ornaments on the bedside cabinet and hanging some seashell wind chimes at the windows. The entire room was painted in beige and green, which were her favorites, too. Beige gave a sense of warmth, while green gave a sense of gloominess. All of those details became the perfect wedding room for Renee.If everything went on smoothly, she would spend most of her time there, and he would be her life companion. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in the world.Renee handed the gla
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price