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
"Who the hell is calling?! So annoying!" Renee snapped as she stumbled around. She was rather frustrated by the constant ringing of her phone, and just threw it away as a solution."Hey, why did you throw your phone away?" Rosie groaned, trying to keep Renee steady as she picked up her phone from the ground.The person on the other end of the line was quite stubborn as well. They kept calling, especially since Renee was not picking up.Helpless, Rosie had to answer the call instead. "Hello? Who is this?""You're not Renee.""Umm, I'm her friend. She's had a bit too much to drink, so she can't come to the phone right now.""She's drunk?" The voice sounded extremely icy. "Where are you?""I'm at this pub in Water Dock. Who are y-""Take care of her. I'll be there in a minute!" The man ordered harshly as he ignored Rosie's words, hanging up right after."Ah…" Rosie was utterly stunned, still holding onto the weak Renee. She didn't know if she should leave or wait for the man. He
The bar owner wasn't even trying to stop them, and instead, egged them on. "Come one, come all! It's time to place bets on who will win this fight…""I bet on that fat guy!""Me too!""That pretty chick seems like quite a fighter, though. I'll bet on her!"Everyone crowded around Renee and Max as if they were in an underground boxing arena. All of them were more than happy to gamble.Rosie immediately panicked, afraid that these big burly men would actually fight them, putting both her and Renee in grave danger. Trying her best to settle things calmly, she flashed a desperate smile at Max and his group. "Sir, you took us too seriously. We were just joking, you know? Please calm down, and forgive my friend and I… We're modest people, so I think it's best if you find someone you can have more fun with. We don't have to go to such extremes over a small matter like this. People are going to laugh at all of us, you know?"Seeing Rosie begging for mercy, Max's interest in her was piq
The person seemed to be making a call, and the phone in Rosie's hand started chiming at the very same time as well."You must be Stefan Hunt. You were the one who called Ms. Everheart, right?" Rosie asked nervously. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the tall man, then at the ringing phone. Stefan was wearing a long black coat and frowning down at her. He looked like royalty, extremely elegant and completely out of reach. He furrowed his brow and asked slowly, "So, you're Renee's friend?""Uh yeah, kind of," Rosie replied unsurely. She knew that Renee hated her ex-husband, so she didn't really want to engage with this jerk either. However, the situation was rather urgent, so she looked past his menacing aura and blurted out, "You're just in time! Please save Ms. Everheart—she's surrounded by a bunch of perverts!""They're trying to attack her?""Yeah! Right there! Just listen to the screams yourself… I can't even get through because there are so many people around!" Rosie was t
Rosie soon came to realize that this 'large object' was, in fact, the arrogant Max."Ow!" Max yelped. His chubby face was bruised and swollen, and he kept whimpering in pain."What… What just happened?" Rosie looked confused.Stefan, on the other hand, continued sipping his cocktail, unsurprised. "This is her style, after all."Soon after, another person came flying over, landing right on top of Max. It looked like the 'Ed' that Max had mentioned. Another man came flying over, then another, and another, until there were six of them stacked on top of each other like building blocks, wailing and howling."The beauty won! She actually won! I'm rich, baby!" The few people who had bet on Renee winning the fight cheered at the outcome."If you've won money, then share some of it with me! I don't fight for free, you know!" Renee growled and stumbled over to a man, grabbing him by the hair.Immediately, the people around her backed away, staring at her like she was a ghost."Ms. Everhe
Renee looked up in shock, looking as if she had sobered up right then. However, the alcohol hadn't left her yet—her mind was foggy, and she wasn't in full control of her body.She reached over and pointed at Stefan's nose, turning to Rosie. "Girl, look, this… this is Stefan Hunt, my trashy ex-husband. Just look at him. He looks fine, doesn't he? But the truth is… he's not good at all! In fact, I've wanted to send him to heaven for a while now!"As the woman rambled on, she really seemed like she was getting ready to kick Stefan up into the sky."Hey, hey! Ms. Everheart, be careful!" Rosie tried to hold Renee's arm to steady her, but it only caused Renee to lose her balance and fall straight into Stefan's arms."Oh? Is this an attempt to seduce me, Renee?" Stefan teased with a smirk, holding Renee gently by the waist."Hell no!" Renee's cheeks turned red, and she tried to wriggle out of the man's grasp. "I'm disgusted by your touch, you shameless jerk! How could I possibly want to
"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
Both Stefan and Justin arrived at Grace Hospital quickly. However, Stefan suddenly stopped before he entered the hospital. He looked at Justin curiously."Let's go! It's urgent. Stop standing here!"Justin hurriedly ran. When he turned around, he found that Stefan had not caught up with him. Confused, he asked Stefan, "Something is puzzling me. Don't you want me to stop seeing her? Why did you let me come with you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes and interrogated Justin suspiciously, "Did you lie to me? Or are you plotting something?" "That's nonsense! Don't take me as you. I'm not full of schemes like you!" Justin sounded disdainful. In comparison to Stefan, Justin was not full of schemes. He also looked down upon Stefan since the latter was always vigilant.Justin answered honestly, "Yeah, I don't want you to meet her ever, but I'm sure she wants to see you if she's in danger. Yes, I hate you—but I want her to be happy." He guessed that Renee must be in a serious state since Jov
"Uh…" After some contemplation, Elijah nodded. "I know what to do, Mr. Hunt. It looks like you can see far beyond the current situation. Just leave this to me.""Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."Stefan remained calm; he didn't feel like he had stepped over the line. He merely wanted Justin to learn about the cruelty of the world since Justin was always being protected so well. Whenever he did something wrong, he had to pay a price for it.Besides, Stefan merely did it for his aunt, who had taken the gunshot for nothing. When they reached a consensus, Justin came to meet Stefan. "Hey…" After a pause, he said with dissatisfaction and helplessness, "Would you like to go with me?"Stefan raised his brows in confusion."I mean, do you want to visit Phoenix with me?" Justin sighed. He looked naive, like a college student, as he confessed, "I found Jovan. I don't know why he's so good at countersurveillance. After exiting the emergency room, he transferred her to