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
Renee carried the Rainbow Glaze with her the entire time and arrived at the Azure Group with an absent mind. She was wondering if she should return it back to Stefan. After all, if the relic truly was an important item to him and to his family, she couldn't possibly repay his kindness for giving it to her without any requirements at all.She wouldn't even have the heart to give him attitude the next time they bumped into each other. 'How frustrating would that be?! Ah, whatever, I should just give it back! Nothing's free in this world!'The employees of Azure Group instantly fussed over Renee when they saw her."Ms. Everheart, what brings you here? You should be resting at home! Please don't walk around too much!""We're here to look after the company, and everything's going smoothly. Don't you worry about us. You should take care of yourself first!""Ah! Ms. Everheart, slow down! The janitor just cleaned the floor earlier, so you might slip!" Everyone swarmed Renee with concern
Renee stood before the windows while she tried her best to adjust the angle of the telescope, acting as if she was a spy focused on her mission. Everyone had a tendency to snoop at some point, and it should be fine if she snooped on the legendary Stefan Hunt himself.The man was currently sitting before his desk, reading through the document in his hands thoroughly. His defined, charming features were perfectly sculpted, making him look like he belonged on the front cover of a magazine."Ugh, just look at how serious he's pretending to be. I refuse to believe you won't yawn or pick your nose in private!" Renee scoffed cheekily as she stayed in the same position for quite some time, hoping to capture a glimpse of Stefan's uglier side.After a short while, Stefan received a call and got up, walking over to his windows with a cup of coffee in his hand."Shit!" Renee ducked immediately, worried that she would be caught red-handed. From what she knew of the man, he was a complete narcis
Finally, the only people left in the room were Renee and Stefan."What the heck? What does he mean by 'many children'?" Renee turned to Stefan in alarm.'Could he have found out about Abby and Adie's existence? If he has, there's going to be a battle soon. This is war!'She knew that this wasn't the right time to go against the Hunt family, which was why she still felt somewhat uneasy. However, if it was bound to happen, she would not go down without a fight either. 'No one… And I mean no one can take Abby and Adie away from me!'"There's no one around, so drop the act. I know about our child," Stefan said nonchalantly.Renee clenched her fists, still pretending to be aloof. "What child? I don't understand. If you want babies to continue your bloodline so badly, just spread the news and pick a girl with the best genes! Aren't you being a little ridiculous by clinging to your ex-wife like this?!"Stefan stared at Renee, pausing before he gave her a cryptic smile. "I thought you
Stefan's threats made Renee feel more alarmed, and she wondered if he had noticed any discrepancies in her denial. However, since he hadn't made it clear that this was the case, she didn't want to question him any further either.Just as the man was about to leave, Renee's eyes landed on the box which contained the Rainbow Glaze. "Wait."Stefan's tall figure halted, anticipation in his eyes but his voice cold as he turned back to her. "What is it? Have you changed your mind?"Renee couldn't help but roll her eyes. 'This man is so self-absorbed!'"You've misunderstood. I just wanted you to take this back with you—I don't need it anymore." The woman pushed the box towards him with a cold expression.Stefan looked visibly upset, and his aura was so menacing that anyone around him would get chills. He scoffed, "You don't need it anymore?""Actually, I just don't want to owe you any favors. This thing seems pretty valuable, so if I were to take it, we'd only be making things harder to
Renee thought to herself, 'Isn't Stefan Hunt the most cocky and heartless person? How could he possibly have this many thoughts hidden away?'"Stefan, you're… you're joking, right? Or have you been drinking? Is this the alcohol talking?" She knew how low the man's alcohol tolerance was, so it was still a possibility that this was the case. The woman refused to believe that he would ever hold such deep love for her, especially considering their terrible past relationship with each other, and the fact that she had seen his sheer ruthlessness.The woman's question was just like a bucket of water, extinguishing all of Stefan's burning passion. Instantly, his rationality returned, and the longing in his eyes was quickly replaced with hostility. Stefan then let go of her hands and sneered, "Renee Everheart, is your heart made of stone? You really are the cruelest, most dense woman I have ever met!""Hey, don't try to pin the blame on me. You should know which of us is truly the cruelest
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo