Unfortunately, their plan was too optimistic. Rubio hid the evidence well. On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with Pascal Manor at all. Even after an extended search, Shelley found nothing.Three hours had already gone by. It was time for her to meet up with Renee.She arrived at the rendezvous point they had agreed upon, but even after waiting for a long time, Renee was still nowhere to be seen.“Oh, no! Did something happen to her?”Shelley called Renee.The call was not answered.“Do I really have to call the police?”Shelley hesitated. In the end, she decided not to call the police but instead sought help from Stefan.“Mr. Hunt, are you busy? Can you come to Pascal Manor immediately? Ms. Everheart is in danger!”She believed that Stefan's presence definitely carried more weight than the police's. If Rubio really was doing something bad to Renee, upon hearing Stefan's name, he would definitely become so scared that he would not dare to do anything.Stefan rem
Renee noticed Stefan right away. Her smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a frosty chill.She said sarcastically, "Wow, fancy seeing you here, Mr. Hunt. Why aren't you keeping your ‘bro’ company? She hurt her foot and needs your ‘brotherly love’.”Stefan frowned and ignored Renee. Instead, he looked at Rubio and asked in an icy voice, "What did you do to her?”Rubio was a man in his forties who had a shrewd face. He gave Stefan a smile that did not reach his eyes and said with an ambiguous expression, "Ms. Everheart and I had a very pleasant time. We spent more than three hours together, just the two of us, and we've grown very close. As for what happened between us, I think it's Ms. Everheart's decision whether to tell you or not.”“Anyway, for me personally, I'll treat it as a little secret between Ms. Everheart and me. I will occasionally think back on it with much fondness.”Hearing that, Renee lowered her head and blushed shyly. "Mr. Pascal, I get embarrassed easily. If
Then, he turned around and walked away just like that!“???”Renee's mind was filled with question marks.That guy was so shameless. Shouldn't he ask for her opinion first?Stefan walked back to his sports car. Before getting in, he stopped, turned around, and asked Shelley, "Can you drive?”“Of course. What do you want me to do, Mr. Hunt?”“Take her car back.”After giving Shelley the command, Stefan turned to Renee and said, "We'll go in my car.”“Yes, Mr. Hunt. What a reasonable arrangement. I wish you two a pleasant meal!”Shelley could read the mood. She quickly drove away in Renee's car while Renee stared at her speechlessly.“Get in.”Stefan was very satisfied with Shelley's cleverness. With a hint of a smile on his lips, he called out to Renee, who was frozen in place.Renee was seething. She started to suspect that the assistant she had carefully selected might have been a spy Stefan planted near her.“If you don't get in, I'll drive away without you.”Stefan was
Renee felt that, sometimes, Stefan was pretty crazy himself, and he's someone who had seen a lot of stuff.If even he thought that Rubio was crazy, then Rubio must be really, really crazy. Her understanding of Rubio may not have been comprehensive enough. She may have heard only a small part of the rumors.Stefan snorted and said, "Do you know why Rubio is already 48 years old but still looks so young and healthy?”“Maybe he's just born with good genes. Maybe he works out a lot. You can't accuse him of being crazy just because he looks young. You young people from prestigious families get jealous so easily...”“You know nothing!”Stefan was so angry at Renee's accusation that he decided not to be subtle anymore. He told her bluntly, "It's because he likes to take nourishment from girls under 18 years old to absorb their vitality!”“I've heard of that rumor...”Renee flipped her hair and replied calmly, "All men have desires. Some like lolis, and some like older women. Considerin
Renee could not stop Stefan from talking nonsense, so she could only cover her ears with both hands.The scenery outside the car gradually changed from a beautiful suburban environment to a bustling city center. They eventually arrived at a Western restaurant.“We're here,” Stefan said without any gentlemanly manner.Renee sulked in the passenger seat and refused to get out of the car. To be precise, she did not want to dine with Stefan.'There's a huge rift between us, and we dislike each other, but now we have to eat at the same table? Doesn't he feel awkward?'After taking a few steps, Stefan realized that Renee had not gotten off the car, so he returned to the car and looked down at her with a slightly puzzled expression. "Why are you still in the car? It's already so late. Aren't you hungry?”“I'm not hungry!”Renee continued to sulk, hoping that the man could read the mood.”Are you sure you're not hungry? “Stefan was amused.It was already 8 pm, so it was long past di
”Ahem!”Renee cleared her throat a few times and tried to cover up her embarrassment by drinking water.Stefan pretended not to hear anything. He elegantly spread a napkin on his legs, then wiped his hands with a hot towel. His movements were dignified and elegant.The waiter soon brought some exquisite dishes to their table, including braised beef in red sauce, braised cold shrimp with lime, caviar, prime sirloin steak, and a fruit salad.Renee's eyes were glued to the delicious food on the table. Not only did her stomach growl even harder, but she also could not help swallowing her saliva again.Stefan wordlessly carved a piece of steak and put it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly and then showed a regretful expression. "I consider myself a picky eater, but the quality of the steak here is really something else. Too bad you're not hungry, or you could have tried it.”Renee tried to shift her gaze to the outside of the window. She raised her chin high and said disdainfully, "It'
The red liquid ran along Stefan's hair and dripped down to his cheeks. Although he was in a mess, he still exuded a regal air.“Stef!”A woman's voice came from behind them.Seraphina was holding onto the hand of her best friend, Lina Hepburn, while staring at Stefan incredulously.After confirming that it really was him, she dashed over to Stefan with large, unladylike steps and wiped the wine from his head with a napkin.“My silly brother! What is going on? Why would someone as respectable as you let her splash wine on you in public? Look at you. Your hair and clothes are all wet. Oh, it pains me to see you like this!”As she wiped, she mumbled about how angry and upset she was, then turned angrily and admonished Renee, "Renee, you're in the wrong here. We're all civilized people, so there's no reason to act like this. Splashing wine on my bro's face is like splashing wine on my face. Even if he wouldn't pursue the matter, I would...”Seraphina disliked Renee. When she had to
“Aah! I'm so mad! I'm so mad! Stefan Hunt, you bastard! I hope you choke on that steak!”After Renee left the restaurant, she finally couldn't maintain her dignified demeanor anymore. She started cursing Stefan out.She never knew that he could be this shameless. After making her so mad that she almost had a stroke, he actually had the gall to sit back down and enjoy the food she paid for with Seraphina Murphy, who kept finding faults with her. What did he take her for? His credit card?!Renee hated how easily she let him affect her emotions even after all these years and even though she had maintained a clear mind... It made her feel useless and powerless.Stefan Hunt was the bane of her existence. Nothing good happened whenever she ran into him. She must stay as far away from him as possible from now on.Thinking of that, her emotions finally calmed down a bit.If she could not deal with him, she could just avoid him, right?She reached out for a taxi and returned to her apart
"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