Renee's body tensed up instantly, sweat dripping from her forehead. She didn't even dare to breathe, thinking, 'Oh, I'm so doomed…'She wasn't worried that Stefan wouldn't let her go, she just felt embarrassed about this whole ordeal. She constantly called the man a pervert, but her secretly hiding under his bed was even more perverted than his usual antics!"Dude, you dropped one," Seraphina sighed as she saw the block rolling away. She stood up and walked towards the bed to help him get it. "You have to be careful, you know? I had to go through a lot to get you this set… Ahhh!"The woman had just gotten down on all fours, peering under the bed to see where the block was. To her shock, Seraphina saw Renee hiding there, and she let out a piercing shriek."Under your bed, she… she…" Seraphina's face went pale as she stammered, still pointing at Renee shakily. She couldn't seem to find the words she wanted to say.Stefan, on the other hand, just smirked knowingly. "Come out, then. A
However, Renee wasn't afraid at all. She smirked at the woman and said cockily, "Go ahead, I'll be waiting.""Y-You!" Seraphina sputtered angrily, not expecting such a response from Renee. She quickly grabbed Stefan's arm and whined, "Stef, just look at this woman! She literally committed a crime, but doesn't have any remorse! How could someone be so shameless?! You shouldn't let her off so easily!"Stefan nodded, his handsome face serious. "You're right, I shouldn't. So… you should head home for now, I'll punish her myself.""Wh… What?" Seraphina blinked at him in disbelief. Renee was the one who was supposed to be punished, but Seraphina was the one being chased out of the room. Now, all her righteous indignation just made her seem like a nosy prick instead."You know, she's still my ex-wife. It's very likely that she hid in my room because she still has feelings for me, and she's probably doing this to win me back…" Stefan explained as he smiled meaningfully at Renee. Stefan t
Renee checked her wristwatch and noticed that it was getting late, so she decided to leave.Stefan smiled coldly and asked, "Do you not want the Rainbow Glaze?"Renee paused, inwardly thinking, 'Of course I do! Why else would I be under your bed?!'However, she kept up her cold and arrogant facade. "I don't want it anymore. Use it as a urinal or something!"Stefan was actually quite amazed by the woman's vulgarity. The Rainbow Glaze had been a renowned treasure for thousands of years, with many trying to get their hands on it. Hence, he never would've imagined Renee would view it as a urinal.'I knew women were trouble. Their sharp tongues can cut people up, especially those with weak hearts.'"If you want it, I can just give it to you. Then your efforts won't be wasted," the man said calmly as he stared at the woman's slender back.Renee was quite conflicted after hearing this. She had to admit that she was slightly swayed by this, even though she had just refused to take it a
Stefan had no idea that Renee liked building blocks, nor did he know of her extraordinary skills. His true intention was to dampen her spirit by giving her something she wasn't good at, but… the woman's performance made him view her in a different light.Renee could easily put a few irregularly shaped blocks together, forming them into a complete shape. It was obvious that her speed and technique exceeded the average person's."Huh, I didn't think you were a master at this," Stefan reluctantly admitted. Anyone else would've likely taken at least an hour to make those shapes, but Renee merely needed five minutes to achieve it. Her abilities were practically on his level.The woman didn't even need to look at the instructions, and she easily pieced another few blocks together. Her cherry lips curled upwards slyly, and she chuckled. "Well, you do have an odd mind, so I'm surprised you even think at all."She thought to herself, 'What a waste of intelligence. It's a shame he can't read
"Yeah, maybe." Renee didn't deny it either. Thinking back, despite having been married to the man for so many years, despite expressing every ounce of love she had for him, she'd never really tried putting her ego aside to make him stay either.She had been willing to give up everything for him, but she had let him go as soon as he brought it up. She didn't bother to try to save the relationship and even left before he could leave her…She couldn't help but wonder if things would've been different for them if she had just done something back then.As time passed, the clock soon struck 3 AM, which was usually when the human body felt most exhausted.Renee was starting to feel drowsy, and her movements were slowing down. However, she knew that she couldn't sleep now, as she wanted to get the Rainbow Glaze. She simply had to finish this project before dawn arrived."I'm getting sleepy." Stefan stretched as he looked at the Lego set that was only partially complete. He turned to the w
It was already afternoon when Renee woke up the next day. She was on a soft large bed that had a relaxing fragrance emanating from its sheets. She soon realized that it was Stefan's unique scent.It was said that a person could identify the scent of someone they loved very much; it wasn't the smell of their perfume, but the scent coming from within their very souls. It was likely that Stefan was considered somewhat important in her heart, which was why Renee could still recognize his unique scent."Damn it!" Renee jumped up from the bed as soon as she realized where she was, the shock waking her up in an instant. She was the only one left in the room at the time, as Stefan seemed to have gone off somewhere already."Ugh, how could I have fallen asleep?" Renee slapped herself on the forehead, frustrated that she hadn't finished building the Lego set. Furthermore, she just had to end up sleeping in Stefan's bed.She could only imagine how Stefan would humiliate her because of this. N
Renee tried to explain. "Grandpa, actually, last night…""You don't have to say anything more, you don't have to be so shy about it either. You're both youngsters after all, even if something did happen between the two of you, it's completely normal. I may be old, but I'm not that conservative. I understand." Timothy was grinning widely as he cleared his throat. "It's good that the little punk finally came to his senses. This morning, he even told me that you needed lots of rest after last night, so I shouldn't disturb you. He said you could sleep till whatever time you liked."Renee blushed, her voice panicked. "Grandpa Timothy, you've misunderstood. Nothing happened between us last night, we-""Nothing happened? And yet… you've slept in his bed the whole night." The old man grinned at her cheekily."Well… He… He didn't lay in bed with me. He was probably building his lego spaceship, so we really didn't…" The more Renee tried to explain, the more guilty she looked."Oh child, I
Renee left Hunt Manor with the Rainbow Glaze in her arms, still feeling rather conflicted. She then called Rubio, hoping to settle matters regarding Everheart Manor as soon as she could.The two decided to meet up in a lovely villa within Care Farm. Rubio was smoking a cigarette at the time, a young woman in her early twenties was sitting right next to him."You're quite a diligent woman, I must say! You were able to get your hands on this priceless treasure that many would sell their souls for, in such a short period no less! I knew you could do it—you're capable and tenacious, as expected from my confidant."Renee had placed the Rainbow Glaze into a beautiful box, holding it with both her arms carefully the whole time. She smiled softly and responded, "You're too kind, Rubio. It's just an artifact, really. There's probably loads of substitutes out there. It's not like it can grant immortality, so how could people be willing to sell their souls for such a thing?" Rubio just smile
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