“Ah, it's Daddy Q, and he's come to play with us! Let me go open the door!" Abigail's rosy cheeks were the colour of apples as she grinned and rushed towards the door."Daddy Q, you've arrived. We missed-" She opened the door while standing on tiptoe, and the smile died on her face when she realized the tall and attractive guy standing outside the door wasn't Mr. Q. "Wow, uncle, you're quite handsome," she said adoringly. "Are you lost? Who are you searching for?"Stefan looked down at Abigail standing there adorably. "Excuse me, does Renee live here?" His icy stare softened involuntarily."Handsome Uncle, why are you searching for my Mommy?" Abigail was naive, and spoke bluntly.Stefan's eyes widened slightly when he heard this. "Your Mommy?"“Yes. Renee is my Mommy. She is still working, so you'll have to wait a bit if you want to meet her!"Abigail liked Stefan instinctively, and pulled him into the house by grabbing his large hand with her small, pudgy fingers.When she noti
"Come with me, Abby!"Aiden glared at Stefan, then took his sister's hand and led her into the study."What is it, Adie? It's not polite to leave the handsome man out there all by himself! We should spend more time with him."Abigail stared impatiently out into the living room, gazing at Stefan, sitting on the couch, wishing she could always cling to the man.But Aiden swiftly slammed the door shut and, with a stern expression, scolded his sister, "You silly girl! Still can't recognize who that man is?""What do you mean, Adie? Do you know that handsome man?""So you really can't recognize him. Fine, I'll show you a picture…"Aiden picked up his phone and browsed through it for ages, punctuated by periodical "ums" and "ahhs" before finally tapping on Renee and Stefan's wedding photo."Ah, he's our Bad Daddy!" Abigail covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened with shock, looking as big and juicy as grapes. She had always known that their Bad Daddy was very handsome, but
Stefan remained calm and completely unruffled. He eyed Margaret up and down with a cold gaze that bathed him with an oppressive aura."Are you… Renee's nanny?"He had an inkling of a memory of what Margaret was like. He remembered how Margaret used to like matching him up with Renee in the past. He wondered why she would suddenly change so dramatically and become so hostile to him that she even wanted to chase him away with a knife.Margaret's eyes oozed with animosity towards Stefan. She glared viciously at him, and with a kitchen knife in her hand, she sarcastically taunted, "I can't believe the noble and haughty Mr. Stefan Hunt would remember an old woman like me! Well, in that case, you must know full well that there is a mortal grudge between us. What gave you the audacity to step into this house yourself? Are you plotting something evil?""I'll give you three seconds," she continued. "Get out of this house, or I'll give you a taste of my kitchen knife!"Margaret feared that
"That's impossible, Margaret! Handsome Uncle is a good guy! He gave us these tomatoes. I tasted them, and they were very sweet! I ate so many just now! Try them yourself, Aunt Margaret! Once you've tried them, you'll know that Handsome Uncle can't be a bad guy!"Then, like a nimble little cat, Abigail slipped through Margaret's fingers and ran from behind her towards the basket of tomatoes, picking one up and offering it to Margaret with bright, innocent eyes."You're such a silly girl, Abby! Bad guys don't have the words "bad guy" written on their faces so you could tell them apart from the others! Don't you remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood that I told you about? The big gray wolf pretended to be her grandma and tricked her into trusting him; that's how she ended up getting eaten by the wolf… That man is just like the big gray wolf! You must always keep your eyes open and use reason to distinguish the bad from the good, and you must stay away from him, understood?"Marg
The twins ran happily towards the kitchen, and from then on, Stefan could hear the clanging of kitchen utensils emerging from the kitchen mixed with the sound of children laughing.Stefan walked around the house as if he was back in his own home. After a while, he headed towards the kitchen and asked the twins, who were mixing a batter. "Do you need any help?"Abigail gazed at Stefan sweetly, her eyes sparkling as brightly as stars in the sky. "Do you know how to cook, Handsome Uncle?"The sight of Abigail made Stefan feel as if his heart was soaked in sugary syrup. He smiled without realizing it, then shook his head and replied, "I never knew how to cook. It's too trivial and such a waste of time. It's the kind of thing best left to the servants.""But it won't be the same!" argued Abigail. "The servants are not your family members, so the food they make won't taste as good…"Abigail was a bona fide foodie, so she had high expectations for the food she ate. To her, good food not
And just like that, the twins successfully baked a cake for Stefan, which they then presented before him."Handsome Uncle," Abigail called with a sweet smile. "This is your first time visiting our house, so we specially made this cake for you to welcome you here. You must eat the whole cake! You don't want to waste our efforts, do you?""No problem," Stefan promised. "I have a bit of a sweet tooth anyway."He then took a spoonful of the cake along with the icing and put it in his mouth. It was sweet, fluffy, and creamy—every bit as heavenly as a cake made by a professional bakery. He continued to eat mouthful after mouthful, finding himself enjoying more with every bite.But then, the more he ate, the heavier his eyelids felt, until eventually, his whole body slumped onto the couch…-After leaving Azure Group, Renee headed towards Celestial Pavillion by following the address given to her by Rubio. The place was one of the most exclusive restaurants in Beach City, where the food
"Hmph, you crafty, conniving man!"Renee could not even guess what Haze was scheming right now, and she was no longer in the mood to skirt around the subject, so she told him point-blank, "Just tell me what you want. If it's something that's within my power, then I'll try my best to do anything you like.""Marry me!" Haze half-joked with a faint smile."Don't even dream about it!" Renee refused without even thinking.It was not the first time the guy made such a shamelessly preposterous proposal to her, and it was certainly not the first time she refused him. As time passed, such a gesture no longer affected her. The only thought that crossed her mind now was that Haze was deliberately looking for a chance to get beaten up."I just knew that you'd say no," Haze clutched his chest as if Renee's answer had deeply wounded him."If you keep on acting crazy like that," Renee warned him coldly, her fists tightly clenched, "then I'm not going to hold back any longer. Tell me exactly wha
Haze's captivating eyes darkened a little as they flashed with a complex mix of emotions. He quickly returned to his look of cynicism as he joked, "What are you afraid of? I'm offering you a prime cut of meat on a platter! It's right in front of you now, so why not just be bold and take a huge bite? If you can't chew it all today, then leave it for tomorrow! If you still can't chew it all tomorrow, then leave it for the day after that! I'm sure you'll manage to chew everything eventually! Besides, isn't that better than refusing it and starving to death?""I don't like the way you put it. Azure Group has been developing steadily. Who told you it is starving to death?""You know better than anyone else whether or not it's starving to death. Your best buddy Liam Osborne almost dragged his family into the mess just so he could get enough money to help Azure Group stay afloat. Azure Group is nothing but an old broken car that wouldn't even start. Without any outside help, there's no hope
Similarly, Renee used an iron wire to cut her wrist just to meet Stefan."Am I right? You did so many things just to see him. Now you finally met him. Are you happy and satisfied now? But you look worse than before." Jovan teased Renee. He found her pitiful, but at the same time, he felt that it served her right. It seemed everybody was a joke in their romance with others. Only those who never loved could be at the top of the food chain. They would laugh at those who gave up their hearts to others and could not understand those people's bizarre actions."Stop gloating. It's none of your business! Let go of me, or I'll make you feel sorry for yourself."Renee had just escaped death and was weak. Had it not been for that, Jovan wouldn't be able to stop her or watch her make a fool of herself. Still, she would be fine with losing blood again just to torment him if he kept on talking nonsense. Then, he would watch his tongue."Tell me, Phoenix. Is he telling the truth?" Justin
The loud noises in the ward naturally alerted Justin and Jovan."What's going on?" Justin became very nervous and kicked the door of the ward open. He saw that Renee had woken up and was crazily tearing at the bandages."Uh…" Justin was struck dumb. He had thought of the possibility of Stefan waking Renee up, but he did not expect it to be that effective. Renee ended up becoming a maniac who had lost control of herself. "You're awake?" Jovan was stunned too. He instantly understood the whole incident and gave Renee a thumbs-up. "You're great!"Renee looked coldly at them and ordered them, "Get out, you two! I haven't settled things with him!" Although she was fine with the way they regarded her, she did not want them to see her as a maniac. Besides, their presence would affect her and stop her from being crazy."I won't get out."Jovan turned Renee down. He rushed over and hugged her, stopping her from hurting herself."What are you doing? Let go of me!"Renee was still ha
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