After a long pause, a strange atmosphere appeared in the room. "So… You're saying that Briar wasn't pregnant with your child, and you guys were not in that kind of relationship?" Renee was flabbergasted. After a pause, she finally found her voice. She had imagined all kinds of possibilities, trying to figure out why Stefan was so loyal to such a pretentious b*tch like Briar. However, she never imagined that would be the reason. Stefan held his forehead as his handsome face turned aloof. He was rendered speechless and helpless at the same time. "Do you think I would fall for a woman like Briar, given my taste?" He returned the question. "How would I know what time of woman you like?" Renee crossed her arms across her chest and said in a peculiar manner, "In short, don't men like such feeble, beautiful, innocent, and pretentious b*tch? Can you control yourself the moment she starts flirting in front of you?" "Stop it." He then continued solemnly, "It's unsuited to des
The sorry state she was in was the result of his tolerance and compassion toward Briar. That was also the reason her children were deprived of paternal love from the moment they were born, unlike the ones in other ordinary families. "You mustn't do anything to her," Stefan spoke in a low voice filled with cockiness. He said gradually, "She's been punished, so you should stop." "Should I stop just because you said so? What about the pain my kids and I had to suffer? Why should I be generous and tolerant?" She was never a tolerant person, to begin with. If they bullied her, she would only teach them a harder lesson. If she were not pregnant and eager to leave Beach City for Sun Island, she would've never let that pretentious b*tch off the hook. "I can't change the past, but from now… I'll make it up to you and the kids." He glued a firm gaze on her face. "We can make a fresh start. I believe that we'll have a happy future." "Who wants a future with you? There's no future be
"No way!"Little Aiden wanted to provoke Stefan, so he went in for the kill. "Mommy already hates you so much. She doesn't even bother to talk about you. You've done so many horrible things. We'll find out. All we need to do is look into it."Renee was embarrassed. She was a little worried about Stefan's impression of Aiden, so she scolded Aiden softly, "Adie, you can't be so rude."The words she could not say were, 'That's your father!'How could a son lecture his father? It was simply embarrassing."Mommy, how am I rude? I'm just telling the truth. This bad guy has done a lot of horrible things. You've suffered so much because of him!"If you do something bad, you have to suffer the consequences! Everyone hates him because of his actions. It makes sense for us to hate him!""Look at Q. He's the best. He's nice to you and treats us well. He accompanies us every day and cooks us good food. A man like him deserves our favor and respect."It was hard to refute Aiden's clear and l
As the saying goes, never push your enemy into a corner. Moreover, Stefan was like a fearsome and ruthless beast. Renee knew when to stop, and so did Aiden and Abigail. Aiden and Abigail sensed that Stefan had reached the limit of his patience, so they hurriedly took out his clothes and pants and stuffed them into his hands.Aiden held his chin up and stated seriously, "We'll let you off this time. Don't you fall into our hands again. It won't be this easy next time.""Same to you. Next time, I'll show you!" Stefan responded with the same cool look and warned them arrogantly. Then, he grabbed his clothes, turned his high heels, and strode into the bathroom quickly."Hahaha!"Renee could not hold back her laughter anymore. It started from a soft peal but quickly escalated into a massive burst. Her wild and unrestrained laughter almost echoed throughout the building!Stefan had always been stoic and arrogant, maintaining a dignified composure throughout the years they were toget
"Mommy taught us to be a good person. If Bad Daddy has changed, why don't we give him a chance to be a good person?""If we treat him well, he'll treat us well. If we treat him badly, he'll do the same to us. Why don't we be kinder to him and have one more person that treats us well?"Abigail spoke her mind with reason.She had always been Aiden's number-one fan and most loyal supporter.Renee laughed and joked that Abigail would always be undoubtedly supportive of Aiden. She did not expect them to quarrel over Stefan."Uh, hey… You two…"Renee listened as the little ones quarreled. She turned to Aiden and then to Abigail, feeling a little at a loss. It was the first time she had encountered such a scene."Abby, your thoughts are problematic. A bad guy will always be a bad guy. He'll never become a good person. We'll hurt ourselves by being kind to the bad guys!""That's not true. People may make mistakes. If not, why would we need teachers and police officers?"It was Aiden's
Renee gulped nervously. She went forward to ask the doctor softly, "Doctor… W-what happened to him?""He fainted from his allergies. It's nothing too bad," the doctor explained. After that, he lectured Renee with a frown, "By the way, what are you guys doing? As his family, don't you know he has hemophobia? His condition is severe. You have to be careful with his diet. He may get an allergy from indiscriminate eating, and it may even kill him!""Huh? He ate something wrong?""Yeah. He can't take sleeping pills. His prescription drugs for hemophobia can cause adverse reactions. If it's serious, it may kill him!"Renee came to a sudden realization after listening to the doctor's explanation. She remembered Aiden saying that he had given Stefan some sleeping pills. She thought he would nap a little because of the pill but never thought it would have such a big impact."It was my negligence. It's our fault, and it won't happen again.""Well, his condition is quite serious. He can be
There was nothing but silence in the room. The man lying on the bed had his eyes tightly closed, accentuated by his long eyelashes that were as dense as feathers. The gentle light from the orange desk lamp cast a shadow on his tall, defined nose. Renee saw no response from Stefan, so she leaned down and got closer to him. As she observed him carefully, ripples of inexplicable feelings rose in her heart."Dude! Leaving all else aside, you do have such a pretty face! Why did God bless you with such beauty?"Renee was once again mesmerized by Stefan's flawless complexion. Stefan had perfectly defined features and great skin. She wondered if he had been using some high-class skin care products for his flawlessly smooth skin.Renee had been fooled many times before and became much more vigilant. She pushed Stefan and warned again, "I'll say it again. Don't use the same trick again!"Stefan did not move or respond."Are you still pretending? I have plenty of ways to deal with you!" R
Renee interrupted Stefan with a stubborn expression.'Damn! That's so embarrassing!' Renee thought. She wondered when Stefan had actually woken up. He must be laughing at the way she was sleeping so soundly beside him!Renee wanted to lash out at Stefan. However, she remembered the doctor's advice and tried to control her temper."How do you feel? Are you still dizzy?"Stefan looked deep into Renee's eyes and let the emotions flow between them. He asked with a half-smile, "Do you care about me that much?""Don't make a fool of yourself. I'm not concerned about you." Renee tensed her pretty little face and said emphatically, "I'm just afraid about the responsibilities. The kids went overboard this time. I don't want you to blackmail us in case something happens to you."Renee thought she was being very sober and sensible. However, Stefan simply arched his brow with a meaningful look that flashed across his eyes. She could not tell whether it was disappointment or interest."What
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