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
Abigail's voice interrupted Renee's thoughts.Curious, she walked to where Abigail and Stefan were standing.At the moment, the father and the daughter were standing under the garden arch where the vanilla plant grew in front of the main gate.Sitting on Stefan's shoulders, Abigail pointed at a bird nest with her tiny finger and cheered, "Mommy, look at this. There is a bird nest here, and there are four babies inside. They are so cute!""Um. so your surprise is these birds…"Renee smiled weakly and looked at Abigail with loving eyes.This dramatic girl was capable enough to make anything petty sound very serious.But it was because of her character that Abigail became Renee's angel that brought her endless happiness and surprise.Abigail explained to Renee with a very serious face. "This is not an ordinary bird, Mommy. This is a special gift Handsome Daddy prepared for you!""For me?"Renee turned her eyes to Stefan. Her gaze changed so quickly, as if the warm sun in the spr
She fished out her mobile at the same time and googled when birds can fly after hatching.And the answer: about a month.She rubbed her chin and nodded. One month should be sufficient to rebuild the Everheart Manor.The remaining three, however, reacted differently.Abigail was excited and waved at the four chicks happily. "Wonderful! We have new family members. Welcome to our family, birdies!"Aiden was as cold as ever and commented briefly, "That was childish!"As for Stefan, his thin lips curled into a vague smile. It was obvious that his "wicked" plan had worked.There were, in this world, flightless birds, such as the four he placed on the vines. They were kākāpō, the world's only flightless parrot found in Nouveauland. They were also known for their longest lifespan and low intelligence among the bird species, as well as their peculiar appearance.Renee was just like them. She was adorably dumb to be thinking of flying out of his hands. He would never let it happen!The
Renee made her way to the kitchen and started cooking dinner.Though it had been so many years, it was strange that she didn't feel the least awkward to be back in this kitchen. She felt as if she had returned to her own territory.No matter how strong she presented herself, she still subconsciously enjoyed life as a little woman who cooked for her loved ones.She quickly served a feast on the table like how it was in the past. The aroma of the food spread in the house.What was different was that the usually deserted table became very lively, and people were already seated and could not wait to dig in."Wow, it smells so good! Mommy, the lemon pie looks very tasty, and it's making my mouth water…"Abigail missed Renee's lemon pie very much. She could eat the entire thing on her own every time Renee made them.But Renee was normally very busy with her work and had little time to cook. So when Abigail saw the pie on the table, she grabbed one immediately like a hungry beggar."H
"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