"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
Rosie was at a loss for words and lowered her head quietly. 'I think he's right. Just a while ago, Ms. Everheart did say that they were now legally married again because he used some sort of trick! If they really are husband and wife on paper, I have no right to interfere!'"So, can I take her home now?" Stefan raised an eyebrow."Okay!" Rosie nodded profusely.Stefan nodded back. He looked cold and elegant, but his heart was pounding in his chest. 'Well now, it does feel good to be legally married!'He then brought Renee all the way to his limited edition Rolls-Royce, with Elijah opening the door to the backseat already. "Mr. Hunt, is the young miss alright?" Elijah asked in concern. Since this was the most dangerous and crime-infested place in Beach City, he was worried that Renee had been in danger. He even had some of their men on standby, heavily armed. If they received orders from Stefan, they would demolish the entire port in seconds."It's fine. She's just drunk. She als
The atmosphere in the vehicle suddenly became tense."So, that means that person is much more important than Stefan Hunt to you?" Stefan clenched his jaw, questioning angrily."Are you kidding?" Renee smacked Stefan lightly, still drunk, then started hugging him even tighter. "Mr. Q, you're the most important person to me now. Why else would I marry you? Stefan Hunt is nothing to me, I moved on from him four years ago… That jerk was probably jealous of your personality and looks, and that's why he scarred your face! Don't worry, I'll definitely get revenge for you!""Really now?" Stefan scoffed. "And how are you going to do that?""Simple, he scarred your face, so I'll scar his…" Renee let out a burp and covered her face, giggling. "I'm going to carve the words 'I'm an ugly jerk' into his face! Hahaha, pretty cruel, aren't I?"Stefan fell silent. "Pfft!" Elijah couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. When he felt a chill in the car, he cleared his throat and said formally, "
The Lotso bear was a villain in the movie, but it was a pitiful villain because it was abandoned by its owner. It used various means and encountered a lot of hardships to return to Daisy, its owner. In the end, it found that its owner had long gained new toys.After getting hurt, it no longer wanted to be kind. It was used to act cunningly as a form of disguise. But honestly, it was a dear baby who needed love. Of course, it was not a villain at all. Renee liked it because she saw herself as well as others in it. Everyone was gloomy in some way. People got hurt and slowly became gloomy. Instead of criticizing such a thing, Renee felt more compassion and sorry for such a situation. "But you still don't want it and want to throw it away." Stefan was gripped with complicated feelings after listening to Renee's explanation. He sounded sad."Yes, I like it. But I still want to throw it away. It's better to stop in time." Renee laughed and stopped shaking her legs. She was her usual
A week later, Renee recovered because she listened to the doctor and underwent treatment. She could be discharged from the hospital.In the meantime, Stefan stayed outside the ward and did not enter the ward.On the contrary, Jovan kept entering the ward from time to time. Renee would either scold or drive him away. Stefan entered the ward on the day Renee was leaving the hospital. He quietly helped Renee pack up her things. Generally, a caretaker could do that. However, Stefan acted like he wanted to repent and felt better when he took it upon himself. "Do you still need this?" Stefan pointed at a Lotso bear toy at the head of the bed and asked Renee calmly.During the one-week hospitalization, Renee got bored. Stefan would give her some blind boxes as entertainment. Renee found Rubik's cubes, stickers, and keychains when she opened the boxes. She would always throw them away because she was not interested in them. When she unpacked a rather large Lotso bear toy, she became
Jovan had kidnapped Renee, but he risked his life for her though he appeared like a cunning and selfish man. Renee felt that she did not deserve his love. She had wronged both Jovan and Justin, but she could not love them back. On the other hand, the one she wanted to love kept pushing her away cruelly…She slapped herself fiercely. Her action frightened the nurse. "Ms. Everheart, we can talk things out! Why did you hurt yourself? You can't…" "Don't worry. I'll get better and won't harm myself again." Renee was teary and laughed at herself. "I slapped myself because I recalled the things I'd done. I was very stupid, and I wanted to knock some sense into myself." "Okay, I'm glad to hear that." The nurse heaved a sigh of relief, but she was afraid to see Renee keep acting crazily. After she was done bandaging Renee's wound, she left hurriedly.When Stefan saw the nurse exit the ward, he walked in nervously and inquired about Renee. "How she's doing?" "She's already feeling be
Having said that, Justin turned to leave. He knew that if he stayed, he would only look more of a fool. "Tsk! What a pity!" Jovan watched him leave, shrugging and sighing. "He's sincere and loyal. Too bad he pales in comparison to the scumbag!""Get out!" Renee was overcome with sadness and pushed Jovan away fiercely. "Get out! I don't want to see anyone!" Knowing that she had harmed Justin again, she was filled with guilt. She just wanted to be left alone."Rest well. I'll be with you until you're recovered and discharged from the hospital," Stefan said calmly before exiting the ward.In a while, a nurse came to tend to the bandages that Renee had removed. She advised Renee, "Ms. Everheart, you have to be careful. You're weak now. You can't get angry, or it might be life-threatening.""I don't care. My life is so messy, I'd rather die."Thinking of the recent events and the men around her, a severe headache hit her. She wanted to keep being unconscious."Please don't say tha
"Do you still want to marry me?" Justin asked Renee."I…" Renee could talk nonsense with Jovan, but she couldn't joke with Justin. She had harmed him many times and couldn't keep hurting him. Honestly, she didn't want to marry him or anyone else. She did not want to rely on anyone. She knew she could rely on a man and lead a steady life if there was love. But without love, it would be very hard to rely on a man.However, she knew that Justin liked her and wanted to marry her. If she promised to marry him, the impulsive Jovan would get the staff of the City Hall here. If she turned Justin down at that time, she would harm him again."Fine. You don't have to feel stressed. I know the answer." Justin was no fool. Renee's hesitation told him what she wanted. "When I begged you to marry me, you forced yourself to say yes. You just wanted to repay me for saving your life.""No, you're wrong!" Seeing Justin hurt pained her more than when she was hurt. She hurriedly explained, "I reall
"What is it?" Renee looked at Justin curiously.Renee, Stefan, and Jovan were curious about what was on Justin's mind."If my family starts fighting the Hunt family, which side will you take?" Justin went straight to the point. He had been curious about that as he made wild guesses about Renee's mind. Since Renee was right before him, he wanted to get the answer from her before he could give up."Hmph! I thought it was something serious. Why did you make it sound that serious…" Jovan burst into laughter, finding Justin a loyal man. "Isn't that obvious? If she wants to take your side, you guys would be married by now. There wouldn't be so many shitty things either!""Shut up, Jovan!" Renee glared at Jovan. If she was stronger, she would beat him up. She said coldly, "Did you forget how you took me away?""Yes, I used some cunning means to take you away, but let's be frank. If I didn't come that day, would you marry him?"Jovan had long gotten used to Renee's fierceness. On the c
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