Renee stood next to Aiden and Abigail. She stared at Stefan and Francine with a puzzled expression for a while before asking weakly, “What are you doing?”“The bad guy's mommy is teaching him a lesson so that he wouldn't bully you again. I think... she wasn't hitting him hard enough. They look a bit like they're acting.”Aiden remarked expressionlessly.“No way! Bad Daddy cried really miserably just now. He seemed to be in real pain. It didn't look like an act to me,” Abigail pouted and retorted foolishly.Seeing his proud son stop cooperating even when she kept hitting him, Francine could only give up and think of another solution.“My dear daughter-in-law, I heard this brat bullied you, so I gave him a hard beating, but I don't think it's enough punishment, so take this cane and let out any anger or resentment you have. I promise he won't dodge or retaliate!”She stuffed the cane in Renee's hand.“Isn't this... a little inappropriate?”Renee looked at the thick cane in her ha
They sat at the dining table, waiting for Renee's answer.Stefan did not stop Francine, which was as good as agreeing to Francine's proposal.As long as Renee was willing to reconcile, he was willing to pay any price.“I don't have any requests. Well, maybe just one...”Renee paused for a second before continuing with determination in her eyes, "I hope you can clearly recognize that the two children belong to me alone. Their family name is Everheart, and they have nothing to do with the Hunt family. Don't even think of touching them, or I'll fight you to the death!”Her stance was still the same as before. It was firm, with no room for negotiation.“In your dreams!”Stefan pursed his thin lips, his handsome face filled with uncontrollable anger.This woman was so obstinate and unreasonable. He really wanted to tie her up and tame away her stubbornness like she was a wild cat.In contrast, Francine was calm.After a moment of silence, she slapped the table and said, "I underst
“That's enough!”Stefan stood up coldly, turned to Renee, and threw out these threatening words, "If you want to come back, bring the children with you. The Hunt family will treat you well. If you insist on going against the Hunt family, I'll do everything in my power to stop you!”After that, he went upstairs expressionlessly.Obviously, Francine was open-minded, but Stefan was still a very arrogant man.How could he accept marrying into a woman's family? How could he let his children take another family name?Renee actually heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Stefan lose his temper.If Stefan had actually agreed to Francine's proposal, Renee would have no idea what she should do.It's not like she could lash out at them for being considerate of her!She would much rather fight him fair and square. At least, if she lost, she would be able to accept it.“See how upset your son is? I don't think he wants to be with me at all. Please stop it with the pointless matchmaking...”
“Well...”Aiden rubbed his chin and seemed to be in a dilemma. "Q has his strong points, but Bad Daddy has his values too. It's such a difficult choice.”“I know!”Abigail raised her hands high and said with sparkling eyes, "Since Daddy Q and Bad Daddy are both pretty good, why not just accept both of them, Mommy? One can take care of the cooking and household chores for you, while the other can take care of your business. You can marry Bad Daddy first, then marry Daddy Q, and then you'll have both!”“That's right. Abby's proposal is very good. I agree with what she said.”Aiden also raised his hands high in support.He was very pleased to hear his sweet, foolish little sister finally say something clever for once..“Ugh. You two have such daring thoughts...”Realizing that the two children were serious, Renee did not know whether to laugh or cry.Neither Mr. Q nor Stefan was an easy opponent to deal with. One was enough of a headache for her. Both of them? She might not get t
Stefan could not accept it. "I thought you were just putting on an act. Are you really gonna “cast out” your only son? If Dad and Grandpa find out about this, they'll break my leg.”Francine patted Stefan on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, son. Your father and grandfather will do no such thing because they were actually the ones who proposed it. I couldn't accept it at first, but they convinced me that as long as you can reconcile with Renee and live a happy life, everything else isn't as important.”Stefan was speechless.“Son, listen to me. You don't have to feel any mental burden. Renee will definitely take good care of you after you marry into the Everheart family. She won't abandon you ever again. Isn't that what you've always dreamed of? As long as you can make peace with yourself, your dreams will come true.”Stefan continued to remain silent.“Say no more. Come downstairs with me and tell Renee that you're willing to marry into the Everheart family and make her take r
“That's right. Although the Everheart family is in ruins, we can still afford to feed you. As long as you say yes, I’ll definitely welcome you into the family with a grand wedding!” Renee fought back a smile and joked with him.She was certain that the egoistic Stefan would never agree. He might even get so mad that he'd beat her up on the spot.That way, she could claim to be the victim and prevent the Hunt family from claiming that she was cold-blooded and refused to give them a chance!“Are you sure you're willing to marry me?”Stefan raised his head and looked straight into Renee's eyes. He asked softly.“Uhh... S-Sure!”Renee could not figure out what he was thinking, so she could only nod guiltily.“Okay, I agree.”Stefan agreed without hesitation.“Ahem!”Renee and Francine were both shocked. They could not believe what they were hearing.“What... What did you say?” Renee carefully verified.Impossible, absolutely impossible!She must be hearing things!“I said, I
That was because, if she did not escape soon, she might actually be tempted to accept his offer...Especially the last promise. No woman could resist that.Think about it. After coming home from a tiring day of work, there's a stunning beauty waiting for you at home. He would make your stomach, mood, and body feel great. It would be better than winning the lottery!“Stefan, let's be honest with each other. What's your goal? If it's the children, I advise you not to waste your time. Just file a custody lawsuit and let the judge decide.”With the last trace of reason in her mind, Renee pushed the man away and calmly asked him.“No, my goal has never been the children,” he said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, as his eyes bore into Renee's. “Then what's your goal? To torture me, get revenge on me, and finally destroy me?”“Am I so heinous in your eyes?”“Of course you are. Other than that, I can think of no other reason why you would lower yourself to this level.”Renee looked
“I'm glad to hear that.”From behind his unique mask, Mr. Q looked at Renee with complicated eyes. He said meaningfully, "Remember, you made this choice yourself, so you can't regret it no matter what, okay?”“No regrets.”Renee nodded again to assure him. She left herself no way back and bet everything she had on this decision so that she could have a fresh start.Regardless of whether the ending would be a happy one or a terrible one, she would have no regrets!“You're aware of my situation, I presume? I've sworn to never take off the mask, so the way we obtain the certificate will be a little different.”“How so?”"Give me your documents. I have special connections that will let us obtain a marriage certificate directly."“But...”Renee was a bit dumbfounded. "Are you really gonna wear this mask forever? Even after we get married? Even when... even when we sleep together?”“My face is disfigured. It's a humiliation for me. I won't let anyone see it. If you mind, we can end
"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