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
After hearing Chase's words, Renee became even more confident of her suspicions. She quickly pulled her two children aside and warned them, "Close your eyes first. Wait until I confirm that there's nothing inside there that's inappropriate for children, and you can open your eyes."Then, Renee turned to Mr. Q and said, "You don't have to open the door. I'm not interested in your perverted things. As long as you admit before my children that you're a bad guy and promise to stay away from them in the future, that's enough."Renee had considered many things and was worried that the pervert would attack indiscriminately if he were exposed, so she planned to take her children away before figuring out how to save whoever was inside the room.Mr. Q ignored her and ordered Chase again, "I said to open the door. Didn't you hear me?""Um..." Even though Chase was visibly unhappy, he didn't dare disobey a direct order from his boss. He pulled out the key and opened the door."Watch out!" R
"Um..." The woman hesitated to speak as if she had difficulty expressing her thoughts."If you're in any trouble, just let me know. I'll shoulder the consequences for you. But if you insist on protecting a bad person, then I won't care about you!" Renee was a little angry when she saw how the pitiful woman so quickly shouldered the blame when she'd done nothing wrong.It was precisely because of their weakness that evil had become so rampant. After all, it would "cost" nothing to be evil."No, you've misunderstood! I'm not trying to protect a bad person! I just..."The woman took a deep breath and mustered up her courage before continuing, "Fine. I don't want you to misunderstand Mr. Q, so I'll be honest. I'm a single mother, and it's been hard raising my child all alone. At one point, I couldn't even afford to eat. I had to work in a nightclub, which was filled with bad hats. I unknowingly got involved with them."One time, a client tricked me. Mr. Q and Chase saved me. They
"Mommy, Daddy Q has been busy all night. Do you know what he's doing?" Abigail asked Renee in a soft and gentle voice.The corners of Renee's eyes were slightly red, and she asked hoarsely, "What was he busy with?""You'll find out if you come with us!" Abigail said mysteriously. She led Renee to the observation deck on the second floor of the shop.The observation deck was built by the seaside at the junction of the three countries, and the view up there was breathtaking."Abby, why did you bring me here?" Renee asked in confusion as she looked up at the stars in the sky.Abigail smiled mysteriously and asked, "Do you know what day it is, Mommy?""Huh? The day? Uh... the weekend?" Renee answered with a puzzled look on her face."It's the ninth of August, which is your birthday, silly Mommy!" Abigail said sweetly."Today... is the ninth of August?" Renee suddenly realized.Today was her birthday!"Look behind you, Mommy!" Renee turned, following Abigail's finger, seeing Cha
Renee snapped out of her immersion immediately and turned around to face the man with a guarded look."What are you going to do?" Renee asked."It's simple!" Mr. Q continued whispering in her ear. "Last time, I asked you to let me take Abby as my goddaughter before reclaiming Sun Island. Now I want to add on to that...""What do you want to add? You can't possibly want my son as your godson now?!""That's not all!" Mr. Q grinned and continued whispering, "I want Abby to be my goddaughter, Adie to be my godson, and you... to be mine.""You're insane!" Renee jumped away from him as quickly as a lightning bolt, standing warily as if facing a fierce beast. "I knew it! You're like the weasel who pretended to pay homage to the chicken so that it could steal food! You only have bad intentions!"I knew you were too good to be true! You made my favorite food, baked a cake with the kids, and even set off fireworks for my birthday... It turns out you were just waiting for this! You're so gr
"Stop being so full of yourself. The way I see it, Adie is interested in you because you and Stefan are enemies. So, the enemy of his enemy is his friend."Renee considered inwardly whether or not to go along with Mr. Q's proposal and pretend to be a loving couple with him to fulfill the wishes of her two children.If he was a good man, having one more person to love her two children wouldn't be a bad thing.If he were a bad man, however, he would eventually reveal his true colors, and the two children would no longer be fooled."So, do you want to give it a try?" Mr. Q asked, and when he saw the hesitation in the woman, he pushed further and said, "Give me a response. The children are looking at us from afar. If we agree, they will definitely be overjoyed."Renee looked towards her children. She saw them standing not too far away, their eyes shining with expectation.Even if Renee had a heart made of steel, she couldn't bear to disappoint her children. So, she turned to Mr. Q an
After returning from Carmine Pawnshop, Aiden and Abigail were visibly happier than ever. The smile on their faces never dropped, and they pulled Renee along as they pestered her to give them new siblings with Mr. Q."Mommy, when will you and Daddy Q have your wedding? Can Adie and I be your flower girl? After you hold the wedding, we can live together as a family, then you and Daddy Q can give us siblings!"Abigail was already envisioning a wonderful life where Mr. Q lived with them. As the family's little princess, she had always been carefully sheltered by everyone. Now thinking about having future younger siblings, her little heart had also developed a sense of responsibility and the yearning to protect them."Yeah! When your relationship is stable, you should hold a wedding as soon as possible. Then Q can live with us and take care of you. He can make your favorite food, plant the sunflowers you love, share the pressure of your work, and deal with that jerk, Stefan! It's perfe
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
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