"I won't let that happen," Stefan said curtly."But what if it does?" Elijah continued daringly. "The future is unpredictable, so what if their fates are bound to clash? What if only one of them is allowed to survive? Who would you save?"Stefan did not reply, but his eyes were fixated on Renee, full of unspoken affection and determination. His answer was clear.He had already made the wrong decision four years ago, causing him to miss out on creating memories with Renee. Now that he had learned his lesson, he swore to never repeat the same mistake.He knew that he, along with Renee and the children, did not have another four years to waste.It was already past 2 AM when the car arrived at the manor."Mr. Hunt, we've arrived," Elijah reported in a soft voice."Alright." Stefan nodded.The two of them were speaking and moving cautiously as though they were protecting a newborn kitten that was asleep. They were extremely worried that their movements would wake her up."Do you ne
Stefan was enraged but helpless at the same time. "How long have you known him? You haven't even seen his face, so why are you so attached to him? What's so good about that man?""He has lots of good qualities!" Renee protested drowsily."Like what?""He'd cook for me! Every day, no matter how tired I am from work, seeing a warm meal specially prepared for me just melts my heart…""Anyone can cook—all you need is cooking classes.""Yeah, millions of people can cook, but Mr. Q is special. He's one in a million. My trashy ex-husband could never replace him.""Have you ever thought of the possibility that… they're the same person? In that case, there's no need to replace anyone at all." When Stefan revealed this information, he quickly regretted it. He was indeed Mr. Q, or more precisely. He was his substitute.After being defeated, the real Mr. Q's fate was unknown after their previous battle.For years, he had taken over Carmine Pawnshop using a mask and a modified voice. With t
Stefan froze, and finally realized that Renee could have misunderstood him.They didn't exactly sleep with each other, they merely slept together, but… he didn't exactly intend to clear things up. Instead, he smirked slyly and teased, "What do you take me for? Do you really think you can just sleep with me whenever you like?""I take you as a toy, okay?" Renee blushed and quickly got out of his embrace. She then rummaged through her pockets and took out six hundred dollars, finally throwing the cash at the man's handsome face. Putting on an arrogant face, she said nonchalantly, "Here's your payment—just tell me if it's not enough."Stefan was speechless and smiled icily. "How generous!""Good! Now bye!" Renee waved and opened the car door, getting ready to make her escape. 'You'll have to be a little shameless if you want an easier life, after all! Anything that seems indecent won't make you feel as bad, nor would you need to face the consequences.'For example, although she s
Stefan put on a fake smile, and said smoothly, "You're right, I should train more. Once I've recovered, why don't you train with me?""Ahem!" Renee couldn't help but imagine it, and she felt so awkward that she was unable to keep up her arrogant front. She changed the topic immediately. "Fine, I'll get you to the hospital.""No need." Stefan seemed to have a plan in mind. "They'd just ask me to rest anyway. Just get me back to my room and inform my family doctor about my condition. Ask him what we're supposed to do about this.""Sure." Renee found his idea pretty good. The Hunt family's doctor was a professional from the most prestigious hospital in Beach City, after all. His skills were unmatched."Put your arms around my neck, then. I'll get you upstairs." Renee bent down and grabbed Stefan by the hand, placing it on her shoulder. Seeing this, Stefan felt his heart ache for her and rejected her offer. "It's okay. You're too small. I'm worried you might strain your muscles too…"
After considering it, Renee decided to stay and discuss the divorce with the man.Soon, the Hunt family's doctor arrived at the manor. With his years of experience in the medical field, he diagnosed Stefan with mechanical back pain. His back muscles were slightly damaged, so it would take a lot of effort to even walk or sit."Mr. Hunt, your back is severely damaged due to excessive strain. Now, I need to ask you a few questions to determine the appropriate treatment for your wounds…""Go ahead." "Well…" The doctor glanced at the two, hesitant to speak."Doctor, is something the problem? Are his injuries so serious that he's going to be partially paralyzed, or worse, bedridden?" Renee asked anxiously.Normally, doctors would only behave this way if a patient was about to pass. Thus, the woman naturally jumped to the worst conclusion possible."Umm, well, no. I'd just… like to know how you hurt yourself, Mr. Hunt. This is a very serious injury, but I didn't think it was appropria
"You're toying with me again! How could you discuss such intimate topics in front of a woman?!""What do you mean? This is merely a normal conversation between husband and wife…" Stefan said casually, but his eyes were filled with pride. "Don't forget. We are legally married now, so this isn't crossing any lines.""Hmph, legally married?!" This angered Renee, and she scoffed. "You played despicable tricks to obtain my documents and bribed the registration personnel too! How could you bring that up with absolutely no shame?!""Of course. But if you have any objections regarding this matter, you could just try to annul the marriage. We'll see if the judge supports you on that.""You really are a despicable man, Stefan Hunt. You're a fraud!" Renee yelled at the man, helpless. She knew well enough that the judge wouldn't support her even if she tried. Stefan Hunt was a perfectionist and would definitely make sure to avoid every single loophole when carrying this plan out.The woman kn
Stefan's gaze turned cold, and shock flashed in his eyes briefly. However, he was able to compose himself within seconds, putting on a fake smile. "Your martial arts skills are quite impressive, so that's not surprising."He had long guessed that Renee was someone with great power. Her identity as the gentle daughter of the Everheart family was a mere mask to please the public. Her secret identities would definitely blow everyone's minds if she were to be found out.However, the man never found enough concrete evidence to rip that mask off. Thus, he was very excited to hear her reveal her secrets."Really now?" Renee cracked her knuckles and approached the bed, smirking coldly. "Are you not afraid that you'd be my next target? After all, you can't move. A mere flick of my finger would be enough to take your life. Our marriage would automatically be dissolved then, so I wouldn't have to negotiate senselessly with you."She then placed two fingers on the man's neck as quick as lightn
Stefan remained composed, despite facing Renee's utter disbelief. "No… No way! That doesn't make sense at all!" The woman had goosebumps all over her body, and she quickly left the room. She had always thought that Stefan had some kind of ulterior motive for pestering her so much. The kinder he seemed, the worse his schemes could be. Hence, she knew that she couldn't let her guard down.Since she couldn't seem to read him, the only thing she could do was distance herself from him, not giving him a single chance to 'plot against her'. However, she was still considerate of his current condition, and knew that he wouldn't be able to survive on his own for the next few days. Thus, she dialed Francine's number, getting straight to the point. "Your son's back is strained, so you should hire a caretaker for him."Francine, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed to receive a call from her. She said brightly, "Oh, my dear daughter-in-law, I was just about to call you! Guess where I am righ
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"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