That was because the man in the marriage certificate photo was not Mr. Q at all, but Stefan Hunt! Even the name of the husband was Stefan Hunt!“What's the matter? You just got married, so shouldn't you be happy? Why do you look so pale?”Stefan crossed his arms and asked with a smile on his face.It sounded like an inquiry, but it was more of a mockery. He was mocking Renee's naivety and ignorance.“What... What did you do?”The marriage certificate in Renee's hands suddenly felt as hot as lava. She quickly threw it to the floor. She was on the verge of a mental collapse.Stefan calmly bent down to pick it up. His slender fingers carefully wiped the dust off it. He looked at the wedding photo with deep eyes. His smile was gentle and profound.“Look at our photo. What a beautiful couple. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call us a perfect match. We're meant to be together.”“Shut up!”Renee covered her ears and yelled at him, "Do you think this is funny? I can make hundreds of
But he simply moved his fingers slightly and easily pulled her back into the abyss!Stefan's smiley eyes gradually turned cold. They were now filled with dangerous intent.“At a moment like this, he's the one you care about, huh? I underestimated your feelings for him.”“Of course you underestimated our feelings! That's because you're a cold-blooded animal! You don't even have basic human emotions, so how can you understand other people's feelings?!”Renee was filled with intense fury. She wanted to pounce on him like a mad dog, biting and tearing him to pieces.But she was also aware of the fact that, the more she lost control, the more satisfaction he would gain.The only thing that could truly hurt him was the feelings between her and Mr. Q.After all, for a person without emotions, that kind of blow was a "critical hit"!“Even if you used despicable means to achieve your despicable goal, he will still have my heart. As long as our hearts are together, it doesn't matter whet
“I mean it in the literal sense of the word.”A sinister smile broke out on Stefan's face, like the smile of Satan. He said slowly, "To tell you the truth, I castrated him. He can't even be considered a man now, so you should give up your fantasy, forget that he ever existed and stay with me.”“You castrated him?”Renee shook her head in disbelief. "That's impossible. There's no way you can lay a hand on Mr. Q that easily!”Stefan snorted disdainfully, "Four years ago, I could destroy him and make him live like a worm. Four years later, I can castrate him and make him less than a man...”“If I hadn't, how did the important documents you gave him end up in my hands? How did you end up marrying me instead of him?”While saying that, he calmly opened his package.It contained the crucial documents Renee gave Mr. Q and Stefan's copy of the marriage certificate.“Maybe...”Renee looked at the documents with fearful eyes. She swallowed with difficulty as her mind went through countl
She could not believe that the man who treated her so sincerely would become so merciless. The only possibility was that bastard Stefan must have done something despicable to Mr. Q, forcing him to do this!She wanted to see Mr. Q. She must see Mr. Q!“I'm warning you guys, step aside right now. I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Q. I don't want to hurt you.”Renee's eyes became cold. She clenched her fists, ready to go ham.The guard had also undergone strict training. He raised his weapon and said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Everheart, but we're just following orders. If you really try to break through by force, then we can only stop you by force.”“Is that so? Well, here I come.”Renee's left leg kicked the ground to propel her forward. She pulled her right hand back and launched a right hook at the guard.The guard dodged, but Renee dropped him to the ground in mere seconds. After that... more guards rushed forward and surrounded Renee.“Looks like you all want a beating to
Renee was someone who would not give up until she found what she was looking for.“I'll do just that. Even if I have to turn this place upside down, I'll find him and make him give me an explanation.”She pushed Chase away with a frosty face and walked straight into the Carmine Pawnshop.A few of the injured guards tried to stop her, but Chase waved them aside.“But Mr. Chase, Mr. Q explicitly forbids Ms. Everheart from entering the Carmine Pawnshop. If you let her in...”“It's okay. If I don't, she’ll never give up.”Chase stared at Renee's thin but stubborn figure and sighed. "Sometimes, it's easier to achieve happiness if you're ignorant, especially for a woman. I wish she'll be kept in the dark forever!”This was not Renee's first time in the Carmine Pawnshop. She could not say that she knew the place like the back of her hand, but she was familiar with the layout and furnishings inside.She searched every corner of the pawnshop, even the restricted area, but could find no
Rosie looked up at the bright moon and said, “Mr. Q is a good person. After I stole the treasure from the Carmine Pawnshop, not only did he spare my life, he even helped me quit my addiction. After that, he hired me as his assistant with a generous salary. I paid off my debt and sent my son back to kindergarten. Our future became bright again, like the moon.”“You're Mr. Q's assistant?”Renee's eyes lit up. As if she had caught onto a life-saving straw, she grabbed Rosie's hand and asked, "Do you know where he is? Can you tell me? I have something very important to ask him!”“Mr. Q has always kept his whereabouts a secret. Although I'm his assistant, I have no right to know where he goes. But...”Rosie was about to say something when Chase walked over and interrupted her words coldly.“Rosie, Mr. Q already told you that starting from this week, you're no longer his assistant. You've been dismissed. What are you doing here?”Chase's eyes were cold, and his voice was threatening, "
”Alright, let's go have a drink. I haven't had a good drink with anyone for a long time!”Renee felt that she got along well with Rosie. They hit it off right away. They came to a bar street on the Water Dock. They picked a cozy little bar, ordered a few bottles of strong beer, and started to drink.The bar had a wonderful ambiance. A man on stage was singing folk songs while playing the guitar. It was refreshing to see a bar with this kind of atmosphere in the Water Dock, an unlawful area.“Rosie, how long have you known Mr. Q for? You seem to have a crush on him.”Renee gulped down half a bottle of beer in one go. The sting she felt in her throat actually cleared her head. It even made her feel a bit excited. She started feeling the urge to gossip.“No woman can resist a man like Mr. Q. However, I have self-awareness. I know I'm already lucky enough to be his assistant.”Rosie had also relaxed a bit. She downed half a bottle of beer with great fervor. She did not hide her admir
"Yeah, you understand, right? A broken heart isn't easy to mend—even if it was fixed, there'd still be cracks…" Renee said softly as her beautiful eyes teared up. She held her head up high, not wanting to let her tears fall. She refused to cry over that man again, especially when so many years had passed. It would be too humiliating."Honestly, for the longest time, I felt like my heart had crumbled to dust. I didn't want marriage, I didn't want love, I didn't even want any type of relationship. I just believed that I would never become a bride again… until I met Mr. Q. For once, I felt like marriage could be a good thing…" Renee started thinking about their brief time together. Although it had been a mere facade orchestrated by her children and she had never taken it seriously, every minute she spent with the man had been blissful. No other man had made her feel that way before.Hence, she really didn't want her judgment to be wrong again. "Yeah, Mr. Q does have a certain charm to
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