Timothy suspected that Mr. Q was probably a source of contention between Stefan and Renee, so he avoided asking anything else about him.Aiden, on the other hand, was a child. Even though he had tremendous intelligence, he had little understanding of relationships and continued to battle for Mr. Q's justice. "I disagree with you marrying Bad Daddy, Mommy. You should get married to Q—He's a thousand times better than Bad Daddy!"Pouting, the little boy fiercely declared, "If you don't marry Q, I won't acknowledge you anymore!"Timothy was perplexed. He grinned as he affectionately rubbed the boy's head. "Can you explain why you like Q? How is he superior to your father?""Q aced all of my tests. He cooks well, talks kindly, sings well, makes Mommy laugh, and most importantly, he has a house full of unique treasures. If Mommy is upset, she will go inside for a stroll and immediately feel better!""Treasures?""Yes. It's Water Dock's treasure house. Everyone admires and fears him. He's in
Everyone left Renee and Stefan alone at night so they could have some private time together.She wheeled him to his bedroom, and the atmosphere felt loving."You must be tired today… Rest up. I'll go get some rest as well. The servant will arrive later to assist you with cleaning." Renee carefully tucked her hair behind her ear and prepared to leave.Before she could, Stefan gripped her slender wrist and gazed at her intently. "We pretended to be in love for an entire day. Isn't it pointless if you leave now?""Didn't we agree that this is all a ruse? They've fallen asleep, so it's time to call it quits.""But I want it to be real." He softly took her hand and put it on his handsome face. He was like a lion who had let go of his pride to beg for a pat on the back. "You want it to be real, too, right?""I…" She couldn't find the words to reply. His stubble pricked her palm as she stroked his face, and her heart pounded in her chest."Stay. I want us to sleep together… like a married cou
Stefan's back had healed and was stronger than before a week later. His bond with Renee has strengthened rapidly as well. She didn't mind spending more time with him, and they were kissing and touching each other like any other husband and wife.Stefan was happy with their current status and treasured his time with her. The thrill of regaining what he had lost was the greatest gift God could have given him!One morning, the sun was bright outside the window, and the birds were chirping as a breeze swept through the beige-colored drapes. Renee lay in Stefan's warm arms, refusing to move."It's time for you to wake up, sleepy head." His strong arms wrapped around her, and he tapped her nose softly as he murmured, "Today is a special day. I want to take you and the kids to celebrate.""Shh. It's so warm here. I want to sleep." She held him tightly, nuzzling his chest like a contented cat. She loved lying in his arms like this because it made her feel safe. She refused to leave this warm
"That's not right, Francine! Shouldn't you be angry with your daughter-in-law for being so lazy?""I don't see any reason to get angry," said Francine in a considerate tone as she took a sip of her tea. "If the young couple wants to sleep, then let them. It's perfectly natural that they're especially affectionate with each other. I don't see any problem in letting them roll around in bed for a while anyway.""But that's nonsense!" one of Stefan's aunts argued indignantly. "She's a member of a respectable family now, and she should learn to act like it! All of us who married into the Hunts know this! We make sure that we're elegant, dignified, graceful, and courteous at all times—the basic qualities that the wife of an affluent man should…""My daughter-in-law doesn't need any of these qualities," Francine interrupted. "All she needs to do is to spend the rest of her life happily with my son.""You may be able to accept this, Francine, but what about Stefan? Can he endure having suc
The atmosphere in the great hall tensed up immediately. The tension was so thick in the air that it felt like a knife could cut through it.Ever since Stefan faked his death and Jovan colluded with his cronies in an attempt to seize power in Hunt Enterprise, the Hunt family was divided into two warring factions. The first took Alexander's side, while the second took Arthur's side—and from then on, the two cousins then became adversaries.Alexander had a forthright personality, so when he saw Arthur approaching from a distance, he immediately glowered and blurted, "Hmph! I can't believe you have the gall to step into this house! If I'm not mistaken, I don't think my father ever invited you and your wife here today!""Come on, Alex! Why are you treating me like I'm a stranger?"Arthur, cunning as an old fox, wore a wide phony grin on his face as he walked up to Alexander and put his hand on his cousin's shoulder in a fake brotherly gesture."How could I not be here when it's such a
"Arthur's right," Alexander agreed smugly. "No one else in the entire Hunt family could ever hold a candle to Stefan apart from your son Jovan…"Then he viciously added, "But I've got a grandson and a granddaughter now. As their grandfather, I will raise them and train them so well that they'd be able to take over the family business from Stefan one day. We won't need to trouble your son anymore."Alexander's words made Arthur and Sheila green with rage, but because old Mr. Hunt was still there, they remained cautious and dared not cause too much of a scene. Still, these two would never give up so easily, especially not Sheila—she was not one to take it lying down! She had been stifling a grudge all along, and now that Alexander humiliated her in front of the whole family, she swore that she would let them pay no matter what!"Alex, Francine, let's not forget that it is a happy occasion for the family, so let's not bring up the messy past! When I heard that Stefan got back together
"Why didn't you tell me that there were guests downstairs? What would your family think of me now?!"Renee buried her beet-red face in her hands, totally humiliated. She wished that she could find a hole in the ground and hide in there forever. They must have found out that she had been sleeping in this late, and if she showed up looking unkempt and disheveled, she would forever be regarded as the shame of the Hunt family and drown in their saliva from their disparaging opinions!"What they think is their business," replied Stefan. "All I want is for you to be comfortable."Stefan put his arms around Renee's shoulders and calmly led her downstairs. Then, in a casual tone, he greeted everyone, "Good morning, uncles and aunts. Please forgive me and Ren for getting up so late."Stefan's power and position in the Hunt family were only second to Timothy, so as soon as he spoke up, his voice carried a certain authority that instantly silenced the whole room.But when he looked down at
This bastard was downright vulgar!Sheila and Arthur were seething with anger. They quickly rushed towards Timothy to complain."You… You heard that, didn't you, Uncle Timothy? Stef was simply being disrespectful of us! Sheila only meant to give them the golden lock as a special gift with pure intentions. It's fine if they don't appreciate it, but how could he say that Jovan could be cut off from his children? You must grant us justice, Uncle!"Sheila clung onto the armrest of the chair where Timothy was seated, wailing as if the world was ending.Arthur then added, bringing up his long-dead father to put more pressure on Timothy, "My father died young, Uncle Timothy, but before he died, he entrusted me to you. Although I'm only your nephew, I've always looked up to you as my real father, so you can't let your son and grandson bully me like this. If Jovan really is cut off from his children, my bloodline will end with him, and in that case, my father will certainly have something t
"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