"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
“Well...”Renee tried to confess several times, but seeing how happy everyone was, she couldn't bear to kill their joy, so she ended up staying quiet. Amidst the joyful mood, Abigail's cute round face suddenly paled. A pained expression crept onto her face.“Aah! It hurts, Mommy! It hurts so bad!”The little girl grabbed her chest. She was having difficulty breathing.Everyone immediately became alert.“Margaret, the inhaler! Hurry up and grab the inhaler!”Renee hugged Abigail while rubbing her chest and comforting her, "Abby, don't panic. Breathe slowly. Inhale, exhale, inhale... The inhaler will be here soon.”Margaret quickly handed Renee the inhaler. "Here you go, Ms. Ren!”Renee took the inhaler from Margaret, put it in Abigail's mouth with practiced familiarity, and started pressing it.Abigail's breathing slowly returned to normal. Her cheeks, which had gone pale, gradually regained color.“Mommy, I'm sorry for scaring you. I was too happy today, so I forgot to take
Early the next morning, Renee picked up the necessary documents and met up with her assistant, Shelley, at a subway station.“Ms. Everheart, I'm here!”After Shelley walked out of the subway entrance, she pushed her black-framed glasses up her nose, jogged over to Renee's car, and climbed in.“Ms. Everheart, I'm so happy to see that you're okay. You have no idea how worried we are for you. We're afraid that you might have left us!”Shelley looked at Renee with sparkly eyes like she was looking at her idol as she spoke excitedly.Ever since Renee was sexually assaulted, she had never shown herself, so Shelley and the other employees in the company were all worried about her. They all wondered what was going on with her.Shelley had kept her mouth shut. She did not tell anyone about what happened to Renee for the sake of Renee's reputation.Renee gave Shelley a little smile and joked, "Why? Are you afraid that I might run away without paying your salary?”“That's not it. All the
She did not expect to be saved by Stefan, the guy she detested, once again.“I heard when the rapist was caught, he had already been beaten to a pulp with multiple broken bones in his body. Later on, when he was in the detention center, he cut off his own dick. Honestly, I definitely don't think he castrated himself; I think Mr. Hunt hired someone to do it. After all, the rapist actually tried to lay a hand on Mr. Hunt's woman. He got off easy with just a castration!”Shelley's admiration for Stefan was obvious. She asked again, "Ms. Everheart, were you moved by Mr. Hunt's actions? Have you been busy rekindling your relationship with him these days?”“No way!”Renee denied it vehemently. "I haven't seen him at all in the last few days. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore.”“You don't, but Mr. Hunt definitely does. We could all tell that he has special feelings for you.”“That's his business. It has nothing to do with me.”Renee put aside her chaotic thoughts. Sh
While Macsen was talking, his subordinate reached Leia and grabbed her neck with one hand. A light was reflected on the shiny machete; it seemed he was about to slash Leia.Frightened, Leia hunched and screamed in terror. "Ah, no! Save me, Liam! Ren, save me!" "Stop!" Reia yelled at Macsen, anxious. "What do you want to let us go? Tell me, I'll do it!"At first, she was carefree. She was fine even if she got killed and couldn't be bothered to resist. However, she grew restless since her friend was about to be harmed. She would rather take Leia's place. "Stop stalling for time. You've used this trick too many times tonight. Do you think I'll be fooled again?" Macsen sneered. "You're too vicious and nearly bit off my neck. I'm just avenging myself!""Then, you're asking for trouble!" Renee's gaze grew sharp. "Listen. If you harm her, you'll die very miserably right away!""Hahaha! Stop bluffing!" Macsen laughed. "People who can save you now can't even protect themselves. Plus, th
"What?" When Leia heard that, she swallowed and her hair stood on end. Although she didn't know what it meant, using human skin was terrifying. "You guys look confused. I'm sure you don't know what that is…" Macsen was calmer since his neck was bandaged. He said generously to his subordinate, "Come and explain it to them. Prepare them for fear that the lamp might not be bright enough because they're too nervous.""Okay, boss!" Macsen's subordinate nodded. He walked to them and said arrogantly, "Well, we'll use a machete to skin people from head to toe to make lamps. The light from these lamps is blurry and beautiful. It's a top and valuable item.""That's crazy!" After listening to that explanation, a chill ran down Leia's spine. She gnashed her teeth and said to Macsen, "Are you out of your mind? That's a crazy habit! Aren't you worried the victims might come demanding your life in the middle of the night?"The people here were used to a human lamp, so it became common among th
The three of them rolled their eyes in unison and looked speechless."Look, Liam. She's the top love-struck idiot. She'll never learn though she'd suffered much." Leia shook her head and sighed. She felt sorry for Renee's bad luck and disappointing actions.Although Leia was a love-struck fool herself, she was better than Renee. She would quickly retreat if she found anything wrong unless the guy shamelessly pestered her. Also, he had to show his sincerity. Only then would she forgive him. Renee was way worse. She suffered countless times because of one single man, but she didn't even hate him. She even wanted to ask him if they could start over.No one could be as "humble" as her.Renee used to be a bright and awesome figure, and it seemed like there was nothing she could not resolve. Yet, she lost herself several times because of a man. It infuriated Leia. Leia was not alone in feeling that way. Liam shared her sentiments and gnashed his teeth furiously. "Seriously, I wonde
Silence washed over everyone instantly. It seemed they were waiting for Renee's answer.Mateo, who was unrelated, was all ears too. He wanted to listen to a spicy story before he got killed. After all, it was related to Stefan, the mighty president of Hunt Enterprise. Of course, it would be amazing. However, Renee remained silent after a long while."Hey, silly. Of course, Renee wants to meet Adie and Abby the most!" Leia glared at Liam because the latter had asked the obvious. She also helped to get Renee out of the awkwardness. "Of course." Liam didn't let it go, and kept pressing Renee. "Is there anyone else you want to meet other than Adie and Abby?" "Certainly. Both Quinton and Margaret are very important to Ren. I know Ren can't bear to let them go," Leia casually mentioned other people except Stefan. She knew Stefan's name was too special to Renee. If she mentioned Stefan, Renee might break down. Hence, she could never mention Stefan."No, you're wrong!" Mateo finall
Previously, Amber cared very much about Liam. Later, she wanted nothing but to stay away from him.She had happily planned their wedding and imagined how to lead their married lives. Later, she planned her wedding with another man…and wanted to learn sewing from Liam to sew their wedding suits. It was heartbreaking!Hence, Liam chose a noble excuse to try and ruin the wedding between Amber and Mateo. He kept using pessimistic wedding opinions to influence Amber's thoughts as a traditional woman.True, he hadn't influenced Amber's mind solely out of his selfishness. Women would have more freedom if they stayed single. He dissuaded Amber from getting married mainly for the sake of her happiness, but it didn't cover up his despicable thoughts. Hence, he chose to keep quiet."Wow, Liam! I didn't expect you to fall for her. I thought you were forced to be with her!" While enjoying the fun, Leia forgot about her sadness and fear. Her eyes went wide as she teased Liam. "Hey, you kno
Liam found Leia unlucky and disappointing. He simply stopped talking.A brief silence overcame them. It seemed like they had accepted their fate to get killed as they quietly waited for their death.Macsen had returned to the shop to treat his wound. After struggling for a long while, Mateo failed to struggle free. Macsen's subordinate whipped him several times. "Motherfucker! Just wait. I'll make you pay!" Mateo furiously cursed Macsen's subordinate. Macsen's subordinate sneered. "Hmph. You want to make me pay? I think my boss will skin you alive. It's been a long time since I've seen a lamp made of human skin. We're waiting for a good show!"Leia had closed her eyes, but when she heard that, she shuddered and reopened them abruptly. Her voice was shaky as she asked, "Liam, what's that?" "Uh…" Liam found it too cruel and couldn't bring himself to explain it to Leia. He hated his incapabilities. "It's my fault. I got you guys into this mess. Damn it all!""No, we can't blam
Renee was well aware of the situation and was calm in the face of death. "If Macsen wants to kill us, Benjamin will feign ignorance. I think we're doomed here today.""Whatever. I'm not afraid!" Leia didn't take it too seriously, grinning. "You and Liam are the most important people to me. Although we weren't born on the same day, it's great that we can die on the same day. I want us to be siblings in our next lives!""Silly, you're so optimistic. We're going to get killed, not attending a party! Why are you this happy?" Liam's gloominess and tenseness gradually relaxed because of Leia's optimistic and happy tone. "Yeah, it isn't a big deal. I have no regrets since I can die with you guys.""You guys have no regrets, but I'm unlucky!"Mateo kept sighing. "If I knew, I wouldn't have meddled in this or caught you guys. At most, I'd be suppressed by another guy. But now, I'm about to get killed. I regret it! You have big supporters, don't you? Is there any way to contact either of
When the fight reached an intense moment, Macsen's subordinates managed to surround Liam and Mateo. They were disappointing.Macsen's most loyal subordinate aimed a gun at Liam's head and screamed at Renee, who had gone mad. He tried to threaten her. "Let our boss go, or I'll make you pay a price!" Renee regained her wits and turned to look at Liam. Her mouth was bloody. A helpless sigh escaped her. "Why are you this useless? How could they get you?"Helpless, she slowly got up and let Macsen go temporarily. "Motherfucker! Go to hell!"When Macsen regained freedom, he was no longer a gentleman. He slapped Renee twice with one hand and held his neck with the other. Then, he ordered his subordinates, "Tie them up with the woman on that ship!""Okay!" Macsen's subordinates were obedient. They quickly grabbed a thick and heavy rope to tie up Renee, Liam, Leia, and Mateo together, tying the rope around them thrice."Liam, why are you caught too? You're so useless. We even wanted
Everyone looked at each other in dismay before raising their weapons to attack Renee.Liam ordered his subordinates to fight Macsen's men when he noticed the danger. "Don't hurt her, or I'll fight you!"There were more than ten people from both sides. When they started fighting, the whole jetty was filled with the sounds of weapons and bullets. It was a mess.That battle sacrificed a lot of Liam's subordinates. Gradually, he failed to hold on."Mateo, where are your men? Get them into the fight. If anything happens to Boss, you'll suffer too. That crazy Stefan will kill everyone!"While fighting Macsen's subordinates, Liam wanted to involve Mateo in the fight since the latter was merely watching. Besides, he knew what a man like Mateo, who was good at weighing the pros and cons, cared about the most.As expected, Mateo chose to side with Liam when he heard that this mess would affect his relationship with Stefan.After all, Macsen was the most powerful person in the fort. It wou