"What papers?"Renee felt like a fish that could breathe again. She was finally able to think normally. Her bright eyes were focused."Didn't you want me to sign the share transfer contract? Give me the papers before I change my mind!"Stefan's words were cold and proud.He actually agreed?!Renee could not believe it. She quickly handed him the contract and a pen in a respectful manner."If you would, Mr. Hunt!"She did not even dare to breathe too loudly during the process lest the temperamental man went back on his word due to a perceived slight! Stefan signed the contract with a cold face and then said without any emotion, "You better not advertise the content of our divorce agreement to the public. If you want anything, just tell it to me straight. There's no need to play dirty."His words struck her like ice cones, cold and painful.Renee froze.She thought the reason he signed the share transfer contract so readily was because he did not believe any of Elon's nonsens
The man's clothes were plain and he was wearing a face mask. He was patiently wiping the leaves of a plant on the desk, making sure each leaf was spotless clean.Hearing Renee's voice, he gently raised his eyes and looked over curiously. "The new boss of Hunts & Co., I presume? The poor woman about to be abandoned by Stefan Hunt?"Renee felt a little awkward. She cleared her throat softly and said, "The second part was unnecessary."The man put down the spray bottle and took off his mask. His middle-age face looked kind and gentle, exactly as the information said.From the information Liam sent her, Renee knew that the Hunts & Co.had three partners—two men and a woman—and this man, John Wayne, was one of them.Among the three partners, John was the oldest and the most experienced. He looked like he would be easy to get along with, but he was actually the most cunning one.John said, "I'm curious. We haven't met before and I'm dressed like this, so how did you recognize me?""It'
Three days passed.The Sporadic Star Bar was a relatively famous bar in Beach City. It was an elegant and artistic-looking two-story establishment.Xavier and Christopher were currently sitting in the VIP area on the second floor. Not only did it have a great view, it also provided a certain level of privacy.The two already had a few drinks, but Stefan, who had agreed to meet them here, was still nowhere to be found."What's up with Stefan? This is the first time in four years us Golden Trio are meeting up with just the three of us. He wouldn't stand us up, would he?"Xavier was holding a glass of wine with a slightly anxious expression. He kept looking towards the entrance."I asked to see him today because I have something important to talk to him about. If I don't take care of this, my father will surely break my leg when I go home tonight!"Christopher, being the oldest in the Golden Trio, was as calm as ever. He said unhurriedly, "Bro, calm down. You know how Stef is. If h
Stefan frowned slightly after a hint of surprise flashed across his cold face.What have Renee done? Why was Zack willing to pour drinks for her?Three years ago, when Hunt Enterprise acquired the Hunts & Co., Zack left a deep impression on Stefan due to his arrogance and lack of respect.However, because Zack's professional capabilities were so outstanding—he would easily help Hunt Enterprise solve all kinds of legal issues—Stefan simply let him be.All these years, Stefan had always left the Hunts & Co. alone. He did not care how much money they made as long as they could be useful in crucial moments.But those lawyers simply turned the law firm into a “retirement home”. Not only did the law firm not make money, it was losing money every year!Renee actually gave up $40 million dollars and a luxury house in exchange for this law firm. In Stefan's opinion, it was so not worth it.He was sure that there was no way Renee could deal with the difficult people in the law firm, consi
The two men went downstairs. Because of their good looks, they attracted a lot of attention.Unfortunately, Renee's group was too immersed in their drinking game to notice.Therefore, the two young noblemen were... completely ignored!Xavier was used to being the center of attention everywhere he went and had never experienced such a cold reception before. Moreover, he was feeling mad on Stefan's behalf, so the words that came out of his mouth were very arrogant. "Look how excited they are over a stupid drinking game. So childish."Only then did the group notice them. The atmosphere that had been merry a second before rapidly dropped to a freezing point.Stefan's eyes met with Renee's. An invisible tug-of-war began.Although neither of them spoke, the others could clearly sense the fireworks that were going off between them. They could tell a silent battle was raging.The new boss versus the old boss. The lawyers were in a tough spot.They immediately made the decision to step
Zack was determined to play a prank on the two snobbish rich kids, Stefan and Xavier.Therefore, when he distributed the number plates earlier, he deliberately assigned number 6 to Xavier.Think about it. Two young masters from the Great Eight of Beach City kissing each other for 30 seconds. What an exciting sight that would be. It would become a classic that would leave its mark in history."Who's number 6? Please stand up!"Zack looked at the group and asked even though he already knew the answer.Xavier had a short temper. He immediately stood up and pointed a finger at Zack. "Who do you think you are? How dare you embarrass my bro? Do you wanna die?”Zack's expression was calm. He completely disregarded the threat.He had been involved in the legal industry for many years and had seen people from all walks of life. Even people more powerful than Xavier Stuart had to show him respect."If you're willing to bet, you must be willing to pay your wager too. Since you two decided
Zack noticed Renee's embarrassment and wanted to help her out."Yeah, I think this punishment is boring too. I wouldn't want to offend His Royal Majesty Mr. Hunt, so I decided to forfeit my punishment right."Many an eye were rolled in the crowd.Zack's double standard was too obvious. He was singing a completely different tune a moment ago. His preference for the new boss was way too obvious!Stefan's expression did not change much, but his perfect, cold face was unreadable under the flickering light.He stared at the woman next to him with a cold gaze and suddenly smirked. “I underestimated your charisma. You sure know how to win people over.”“...”Renee simply sat there. She did not know how to respond.'Why is this guy being so sarcastic?'She just helped him evade punishment. Was he not supposed to thank her? Why did he look so unhappy with her?'Men are so unreasonable!'The game continued. This time, the arrow pointed at Xavier."Hahaha!"Xavier laughed out loud. H
Upon leaving the bar, Renee said goodbye to Zack and the other lawyers and stood alone by the roadside to wait for her ride.The cool night breeze brushed against her cheeks, making her feel refreshed.Her figure was graceful in the white dress, her hair fluttering slightly in the wind like a waterfall. There was not much emotion on her delicate face, but there was a hint of sadness there, as if it hid many stories.Quite a few men stopped their cars and either honked or whistled at her, wanting to take her for a ride, but she scared them away with her fierce gaze.Another car stopped nearby. Renee was ready to roll her eyes again. The window slowly rolled down to show Stefan inside.Her gaze changed from a fierce one to a cold one, as if she did not even know him."Need a ride?"Stefan invited in a low voice."Nope, wouldn't want you to go out of your way!"A direct refusal from Renee.Stefan was speechless at her response.Go out of his way? They lived next to each other.
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