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
While the two kids were still at school, Renee called Mr. Q on the way home."What's the matter?"Mr. Q was surprised by Renee's sudden call. "I have a situation. Where are you now?""Me?" Mr. Q paused briefly before answering, "I'm dealing with something at Carmine Pawnshop.""Is that so? When are you free? Can you come over to my place?" Renee sounded a little anxious. It seemed she had something important to discuss with him.Mr. Q could hear Renee's anxiousness and answered calmly, "Give me a moment. I'll come over now.""Sure. I'll be waiting."Renee started packing the daily necessities for her and the children as soon as she went home. About an hour or so later, Mr. Q arrived as promised."You're finally here."Renee felt an indescribable calmness as soon as she saw him. Mr. Q had not accompanied her and the children for long, but his presence gave them the warmth of home. Before she realized it, she had considered this notorious man as one of her own.Even if a wo
Renee confessed to Mr. Q about her entanglements with Stefan. She felt he had a right to know about it, regardless of their relationship."I guessed as much." Mr. Q was not surprised. He nonchalantly asked with a smile, "So, have you decided?""I won't remarry him, let alone give him custody of the two kids."Renee looked determined and gazed at the man in front of her intently. She took a deep breath and said with courage, "So, I decided to marry you!"Mr. Q remained stoic to her answer. He said indifferently, "Tell me why you chose me. You just want to keep custody of the two kids, right?"Renee fell into a short silence. Then, she shook her head and said solemnly, "I think it's more than that. I'm marrying you for way more than the kids.""Well, that's odd..." Mr. Q smiled with interest and leaned closer to Renee. He reached out to caress her cheek. "Could it be… Are you attracted to me?""I don't know." Renee did not refuse Q's touch. She bit her lips lightly and felt very
After the discussion, Renee and Mr. Q took the packed luggage and went straight to the kindergarten to pick up the two children from school.Aiden and Abigail were thrilled and proud to see Renee, and they were eager to show her off to the other children.Abigail pulled her best friend, Yara, over. She held her chin high and looked at Renee in front of the kindergarten, proclaiming, "Look there! The most beautiful lady in the crowd is my mommy. She's the best mommy in the world. I'm lucky to be her daughter!"Yara looked on at Renee with starry eyes but sighed regretfully. "Oh, Abby. Your mommy is indeed beautiful. Why is she with an ugly man in a mask? That's such a waste.""I frequently saw how the TV portrayed mismatched couples. Isn't that just like your mommy and that masked man? If I were you, I would find a beautiful man for your mommy. Maybe she'd be happier with that."Although young, the little girls were obsessed with pretty faces.Abigail loved pretty faces. Naturally
"You'll find out soon. I can't tell you now, or it'll lose its magic.""Uhh..." Renee was so amused by her daughter and could not stop laughing.Aiden crossed his arms and said cooly, just like an adult, "What secret can they have? They must be talking about handsome guys again. Childish!"Since they started kindergarten, the relationship between the two little ones had subtly changed. The cool Aiden was undoubtedly very popular in kindergarten. Nonetheless, he was too cold and distant and made no friends. The children liked him but dared not approach him. On the contrary, his sister Abigail had become the darling of her teachers and classmates because of her cute face and high emotional intelligence. She made a lot of friends and had companions wherever she went.Aiden was secretly jealous and felt he was no longer the only one for his sister. Abigail used to worship and admire him. She always listened to him unconditionally. However, now, it seemed she had her own ideas and n
"Are you joking, Mommy? Why should we live with this bad guy?"Aiden's strong reaction showed how much he disliked Stefan.Abigail, on the contrary, was blinking her shiny eyes and showed anticipation. "Really? Can we really live with Handsome Daddy, Mommy?"Her reaction irked Aiden even more. He crossed his arms across his chest and criticized her harshly, "What is wrong with you, Abigail? Don't you have any sense of danger? We are going to the place of this bad guy. What are you so happy about?""Of course, I am happy. My mood gets better when I think of seeing Handsome Daddy every day. And what's more, if Handsome Daddy and Mommy become best friends, we will have an extra daddy. Isn't it wonderful?" Abigail explained logically for her excitement."No, it is not! We don't make friends with bad people. We stay away from them!""Maybe he is not a bad guy. You don't know him yet. If we live with him, it will be a great opportunity for us to get to know him better!""There is no n
What Stefan and Abigail were doing now was the loving scene between father and daughter she had imagined countless times in her mind.She had been very hopeful about their married life when she married Stefan back then.She had wanted to give him a lovely daughter and a cool son.She had pictured in her mind that he would carry their daughter, and she would hold their son as they strolled together in the sea of sunflowers, enjoying the evening breeze and the happiness of a family. Regardless, when her dream came true, she could no longer ignite her long-lost passion."Mommy, do you still hate Bad Daddy?"Aiden was very sensitive and smart and quickly sensed the change in his mother's emotions. Like a young knight, he patted his chest bravely and said, "If you still hate him, I will take revenge for you! I will not be like that idiot Abby who smiles and gets tricked so easily by the person who hurt you. Abby is a traitor. I will find a way to make her come to her senses!"Renee
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