"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
Both Arthur and Sheila were startled by Stefan's threat. They knew that Stefan was a haughty man, but they never expected it to reach the point where he would disregard basic social etiquette of showing respect to the elders—all for a woman of a low status!For a family who had always abided by strict rules, such behavior was simply perfidious!The elders in the room could no longer stand by quietly. One by one, they stood up and voiced their disapproval."Stef, you're Arthur's nephew! How could you speak to him like that? Think of how embarrassing it would be if the public finds out about this!""No matter how wrong Arthur and Sheila were, they are still your uncle and aunt! You should settle the matter by discussing it like civilized people. Is the problem even worth losing your temper over?""As your uncles and aunts, we think you two are the ones who should be begging for your aunt and uncle's forgiveness!"Because of his arrogance, Stefan now became the target of the family'
"Apologize to her."The demand that came out of Stefan's mouth sounded simple, but it was given firmly and coldly as he slowly stepped toward Sheila."What are you doing? Don't come near me! You… You…"Sheila backed away from Stefan in fright. She looked so distressed that she could barely hold her tears in.Renee tugged at Stefan's sleeve and whispered, "I'm fine, Stefan! Please, stop looking like a man-eating monster! We're still younger than them, so let's just…""I said apologize!"Stefan repeated his order to Sheila in a much more forceful manner now, completely ignoring Renee's pleas. He looked as if he might beat Sheila to death in a heartbeat!Seeing this, Arthur rushed over and acted as if he was teaching Stefan a lesson, asking him, "What are you doing, Stef? Is this how you speak to your aunt?""I'm only counting to three. Both of you will apologize to my wife…"Stefan had a savage expression on his face, and his eyes looked bone-chillingly cold as he counted, "One,
After Stefan had given his warning, the party then went on quite harmoniously, and the jeering and sneering were gone as well.Renee used to occupy an even lower status than stray dogs in the Hunt family, but she had risen to the pinnacle as if she was the main star of the show. Elders who used to hold her in contempt now surrounded her and praised her incessantly.This helped her understand a certain truth—how popular and respected you were with your in-laws had nothing at all to do with how friendly and sociable you were or how good you were at your career because, at the end of the day, it all depended on how your husband treated you.When your husband doted on you, it did not matter how lazy or unruly you were. When all had been said and done, you would be his one in a million, an irreplaceable wife and a remarkable daughter-in-law.But when your husband neglected you, it did not matter how much you abided by the rules or even if you were completely perfect. In the end, you wou
Meanwhile, Alexander and his wife, who were on the stairs, were so embarrassed that they shifted awkwardly and quickly turned around to look away."Geez," Francine muttered, "I didn't know our son could be so shameless!""Geez," Alexander exclaimed with pride, "I didn't know our son could be so good at it!"Renee mustered up all her strength to kick Stefan off her body and shot up to her feet. She tried her best to straighten her messy hair and clothes and said, "Mom, Dad, would you… would you like a cup of tea?""Oh, don't worry about us! You're both clearly very busy right now, so we won't trouble you. Your dad and I were just passing through."After that, Francine quickly dragged Alexander away, and they were gone."Oh god, I'm done for! My image is completely and permanently ruined! What will your parents and all your relatives think of me from now on?!"Renee buried her flushed red face in her hands out of bashfulness. She felt like crying, but no tears came out. She though
"Fine!"Stefan's renowned haughtiness finally gave way to Renee's gentle persuasions. He turned the steering wheel with one hand while he tousled her hair with the other. "For the sake of my angelic wife, I won't stoop to their level today."And so, they agreed to part ways—Stefan drove away and headed towards the open-air parking lot less than half a mile away, while Renee got out of the car and queued up in front of the kindergarten gate and waited her turn to pick up her kids. Once the kids were with her, Stefan drove back to the kindergarten, and they would meet up again.In fact, many other parents had opted to do the same thing because there were just too few parking spots in front of the kindergarten, so it did not matter whether you were a powerful official or a common citizen, once they became parents, they had to abide the rules to set a good example for their children.Meanwhile, the Panamera boastfully screeched to a halt in the parking spot that Stefan had just given u
"Well, so you do know your place!" Jasmine crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her chin high before she roared at Renee arrogantly, "Hurry up and kneel in apology. I won't hold you responsible for it." The surrounding parents tried to persuade Renee to give in. It was because Jasmine was Ethan's lover for many years. She had become quite arrogant because of how much he had spoiled her. The reason why she dared to be so arrogant was because she had given birth to a son for Ethan. It was a general fact that the Murphy family had only pronounced having a daughter called Seraphina, but in fact, Ethan's illegitimate son was more than four years old now. Jasmine was bold enough to even put Ethan's original wife down because of that illegitimate son. She also became very wilful and unscrupulous. "Great idea!" Renee cracked a smile and put on a queen's demeanor. She stated condescendingly, "I'm ready. You can kneel now." "You're so insensible. I asked you to get
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
"So, what do you want to do?" Stefan asked emotionlessly. He kept watching Nora, who was lying unconscious in the ward."At the very least, we have to teach the Baldwin family a lesson and make the public aware of your family's power as the head of The Great Eight of Beach City. It's not just about venting anger, but more about which side the various great families will take. It concerns the future of your family, too. We can't take it lightly!"Elijah could not hide his indignation. As Stefan's assistant, he was no longer merely an ordinary employee. He was loyal to Stefan and the Hunt family. He couldn't bear to see Stefan suffer any injustice or watch the Hunt family get humiliated. If Stefan hadn't stopped him, he would have gathered all the manpower to fight the Baldwins. Although he had fought Cadmus and Tiger, he had yet to defeat them. He tried to figure out a way to make a counterattack, his face shadowed in gloom.Stefan turned and calmly looked at Elijah. "How shoul
When Justin was willing to send them on an errand again, Cadmus was eager to express his loyalty."No, you don't have to risk your lives for me. That's bloody and horrible. All you need to do is find someone for me." After a pause, Justin added, "Jovan Hunt, Stefan's younger cousin." Cadmus clenched his fists and said fiercely, "It's another Hunt! Old Master Baldwin is right. The Hunt family is full of bad people. If we knew, we shouldn't have dismantled the bombs in Hunt Enterprise. The Hunt family has strengthened their security system now. It's hard to set up bombs there if we want to." Justin felt a headache when he heard Cadmus babbling. He rubbed his temples, and said tiredly, "Stop. We don't have to blow up Hunt Enterprise. I just want to find him. Do you get me? Find him. That's enough!"He stressed his intention of locating Jovan as if he were giving a simple and clear order to robots. Most of the time, Cadmus and Tiger were like AI. Real robots were probably more obedie
"Uh…" The nurse felt like she was put in a difficult position. She hesitated and could not speak for a long time.Justin found something wrong and demanded coldly, "Is it that hard to answer this question?""It's related to the patient's privacy. I can't tell you about it casually."Helpless, the nurse tried to excuse herself by using the same excuse she had used on Stefan a while back."Privacy?" Justin sneered. "I even barged into the surgery room. Stop using that excuse on me. If I can't get the answer I want, I'll make this hospital the headlights of the news soon.""I don't know. Please stop forcing me." The nurse found her work too difficult. She always ran into tycoons whom she couldn't afford to offend. She had no way to do things right."It looks like there's something wrong here."Justin began to feel that the nurse must have been warned by someone to remain secretive. His eyes flashed fiercely, and he glanced at Cadmus and Tiger.They walked over just as fiercely, an
People stayed away from Justin. The door of the emergency room was still closed, and it was unknown if there was anyone in it. Someone secretly informed the front desk, no longer able to take such a scene. Shortly after, an attending doctor rushed there."What are you doing, sir? We can talk things out. Stop affecting other patients here!"The nurse on duty was frightened by Justin, but she had to brace herself to stop him."What am I doing?" Justin cracked a crazy and twisted smile. He looked at the attending nurse coldly. "Of course, I'm going to knock this door down!""No, you can't do that!" the nurse said nervously. "The doctor is still trying to save the patient in there. You'll disturb them!" "The lamp is turned off. I'm sure the rescue is over. Stop lying to me!" Justin was fine with being shameless. He urged again, "If you don't open the door for me, I'll use a rougher way to do it! We'll see about that."He had yet to say what he would do before Cadmus and Tiger st