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
At night, Renee headed back to her apartment with the Rainbow Glaze. The place was rather lively, with Mr. Q playing with the children. There was even a hearty dinner left on the dining table just for her."What brings you here?" Renee asked casually as she closed the door. Compared to before, she was no longer against being around this man. Sometimes, she would even feel relieved to find him in her house when she returned."Didn't I tell you? I'm now your husband and the father of your two children, so I'm obligated to take care of you. It's my responsibility to make sure you come back to a warm meal and to keep the kids company," Mr. Q explained as he continued playing 'red light, green light' with the children.He didn't sound like he was joking at all and seemed to be truly genuine in everything he said."Yeah, Mommy! We're a family, so of course we're living together. Let me tell you a secret… Daddy Q picked us up from school today! Our classmates were so jealous that we had a
Mr. Q calmly described the situation as if he was an outsider in the scenario. Despite having lost the battle, he didn't seem to hold any resentment at all, and graciously accepted his defeat."You're kidding, right? How is that possible?" Renee was certain that Mr. Q was lying on purpose, all for the sake of toying with her."I'd believe it if you said the relic had historical value, but I refuse to believe that it can cure all diseases! This is real life, not some fantasy movie! If you keep bluffing, this thing is going to reveal its true form as a god or something!""You can choose to not believe me, but it is the truth. Stefan Hunt handed you something that he needs to survive, which means that he literally put his life in your hands. I'm sure he asked for something in return." Mr. Q raised an eyebrow questioningly."He didn't ask for much. He… he probably felt like he owed me too much, so he gave this to me… to make himself feel better about himself." Renee stammered, trying t
Mr. Q placed his hands together and replied, "If Stefan really were to fight you for custody, what do you think your biggest disadvantage would be?""I don't think I have any disadvantages." Renee seemed cocky, replying coldly. "I raised both of them, that's a big enough advantage. He has nothing against me.""If it was someone else, they might not be able to win against you, but this man is Stefan Hunt. He has Hunt Enterprise behind his back. As long as they wish it, both the court and the public would surely favor them without questions. If you don't have a perfect plan to counter his attacks, you might just lose horribly."Renee clenched her fists, looking slightly depressed. "What would be a perfect plan, then?""Back to my previous question. If Stefan were to fight for custody, I think your biggest disadvantage would be the environment you could provide for the children, not your financial status or education level…"Renee shook her head, visibly confused. "I don't get it."
Moments later, Renee realized the only solution really was to give the children a father, so that they could be a complete family. She thought, 'Do I really have to try it out with Mr. Q and get married to him?'The next day, Renee decided to return the Rainbow Glaze to Stefan after giving it some thought.Mr. Q had described the item as some kind of fantasy tool that had healing abilities, and she found it bizarre. However, now that she knew about it, she couldn't bring herself to feign ignorance. She would never forgive herself if Stefan's condition worsened without this relic.Renee checked her watch and noticed it was ten in the morning, which was during work hours, so Stefan was probably busy in Hunt Enterprise at the time. She still had no idea how to face the man after his confession, so she wanted to visit Hunt Manor during these hours to avoid him.Timothy was watering his plants at that moment. He soon noticed the maid bringing Renee over to him, which brought a bright sm
"Okay then!" Renee nodded and brought the Rainbow Glaze, along with a big basket of fresh cherry tomatoes, into the manor.Stefan's bedroom was on the second floor, and it was normally off-limits. After placing the basket of cherry tomatoes on the coffee table, Renee headed upstairs toward the man's room. At first, she was going to place the item by his doorstep but figured that it would be unsafe to leave such a precious relic outside. After a few minutes of pondering, she decided that it was best to just place it inside his room.With that, she tried to turn the doorknob but didn't expect the shut door to swing open so swiftly. She looked up in confusion and, to her horror, saw Stefan standing at the door with damp hair and an exposed torso. He merely had a pair of gray sweatpants on, making him seem casual, chic, and sexy at the same time. It really showed just how charming he was.Renee's face instantly turned red. She turned around and stumbled over her words. "I… I'm sorry,
The male anatomy was the body's most vulnerable area, and the effects of being injured there were awful.Stefan would make her life difficult if he became impotent because of her. She didn't want to be responsible for that, so she couldn't be careless.Stefan's expression clouded, and he grabbed her wrists and asked her harshly, "Renee, are you done? How much longer will you embarrass me?""How did I make you feel humiliated? The hit was quite hard, so it's best if you get checked at a hospital. You don't love your body enough to care for it, but you're upset with me for helping you arrange a doctor's appointment? You have no idea how to be appreciative!""I know you're a CEO who values your reputation, so you'd be embarrassed to have a check-up at the hospital. I can help you register anonymously, so don't just assume that I'm trying to embarrass you—it's for your own sake!" She responded angrily.“Haha… For my own sake?" His scowl turned into a sarcastic smile, and he pulled her
"Try it… if you're not afraid of becoming impotent!" Renee gritted her teeth and prepared to strike him where he was weak."Do you think I'm afraid of that?" Stefan, on the other hand, wasn't scared of her threats at all. He was calm, his eyes fixed on her crimson lips as he prepared to kiss her.“Don’t!” She closed her eyes, and rejection was written all over her face.The kiss she was expecting never came, and she slowly opened her eyes to find Stefan looking at her in disgust."Do you honestly believe I'm that perverted? You should know that I hate forcing others. You may leave now!" He stood up abruptly after speaking and didn't look at her again. Even though she had gained her freedom, Renee was suddenly hit with disappointment.She stood up and fixed her hair. She gazed at his icy back and wanted to say something before leaving, but she didn't."Ren, have you returned the item to him?"As she walked down the stairs, she noticed Timothy returning from the garden, held by
"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