Leia was struck speechless. She remained quiet and motionless as if she had been petrified. Xavier walked to Stefan, looking at the charming, lovey-dovey couple in front of him. Strangely, his handsome and bright face seemed solemn and gloomy. With a sentimental vibe, he whined, "Stef, you sure are awesome. I just went on a trip, but you guys turned hostility to love and made up with each other. As expected... no matter how skillful one is, one is no better than a talented person like you." Stefan was so gripped in a state of deep love that he acted as if he was Eros. He was not as cold and distant as he was before. On the contrary, his whole being radiated with the light of love and peace. "Bastard, stop teasing me. It's all because of my deep sincerity that she changed her mind. Keep this in mind. Sincerely is the key to love!" After he said that, he hugged Xavier with one arm and whispered in his heart, "Leia is kind and magnanimous. She's much more reliable than that wom
“Bro, why are you so nervous?”Xavier's lips curled into a mischievous smile. He remained as unpredictable as ever. "You're the one who invited me here, so shouldn't you at least show some confidence?”The two men were locked in an invisible battle. The atmosphere became weirdly tense.“Can you two... act normally?”Renee gulped and suggested cautiously.Xavier's beautiful eyes immediately curled into crescent moons as he beamed at Stefan. He patted Stefan's shoulder and said, "Haha, just kidding. Look how scared Stefan is. He's worried that his wife would run away with someone else...”“Alright, I'll stop teasing you. This island is beautiful! I want to look around!”He ran a few steps, then suddenly stopped and came back because he remembered something. He told Stefan, "Umm... Ms. Osborne has something important to say to you, Stef. Be mentally prepared, okay? Make sure you tighten your belt.”“Tighten my belt?!”Renee was confused. "What the hell? Xavier, explain yourself..
“Hmm.. Where should I begin? Actually, I'm not sure how things turned out like this either...”Renee grabbed Leia's hand and let out a long sigh. She told Leia honestly, "I made up my mind not to get involved with him ever again, but things changed. He came at me really aggressively. I couldn't stop him, so I pretended to accept him and waited for him to get bored. But after a while, I realized that he's... actually not that bad.”“Not that bad?!”Leia poked Renee's forehead and scolded her, "Have you already forgotten about the pain he made you go through just because the wounds have healed? Have you forgotten about all the dirty things he did four years ago? Have you forgotten about all the hardship you went through in the last four years, having to bring up your children by yourself?”“That guy is cold and unpredictable. He might treat you well now, but what if he suddenly has a change of heart? He'll hurt you again and snatch Adie and Abby away from you. Have you thought about
In hindsight, perhaps her brother had already anticipated that Renee and Stefan would reconcile sooner or later!Tsk, she felt really bad for her brother, but there was nothing she could do.Renee's shoulders trembled as she sobbed quietly for a while. Then, she lifted her head and grabbed Leia's hand tightly. She said, "Lei, tell me where your brother is. I want to see him. I have a lot to say to him.”“He's traveling around the world. I'm not sure where he is right now...”Leia smiled awkwardly and said, "Last time we said goodbye was half a month ago. We went to Nouveauland together, after which he traveled east. Apparently, there's a place called the East Cape Lighthouse there that's said to welcome the world's first rays of sunshine every day. As for me, I went west all the way to Quartz Island, Meryah.”It was there that she ran into the massive playboy, Xavier Stuart!By the way, wasn't it funny that all three of them brokenhearted souls—her brother, Xavier, and her—chose
Renee turned around and their eyes met. In his eyes, she once again saw the coldness of old.The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Even though they were on a warm island, it felt as cold as the South Pole.Neither of them spoke, but one could feel the exchange of sharp blades between their eyes.“Oh no!”Leia covered her face. She knew this would happen!The atmosphere was as eerie as a horror film. Leia, who was stuck between them, felt extremely awkward. She felt like jumping into the sea to get away."Umm... Mr. Hunt, please don't misunderstand. The two of us talk nonsense to each other all the time. Sometimes, we don't really mean what we say. Besides, besides...”Leia was crumbling under intense pressure. She racked her brains trying to make excuses for Renee.Although she strongly disapproved of their reunion, she did not hope to see them get into a fight over something so ridiculous.“I meant everything I said.”Renee stared at Stefan expressionlessly. His coldness
“You mean you've been thinking of a “future” with me?”“Of course!”Renee held the handsome man's face and teased him, "If I don't plan to have a long-term relationship with you, why would I waste my time? Look at you. Your face becomes tense so easily. It's not handsome anymore. Come on, smile for me. I love your smile. It captivates me every time.”“Stop being glib with me. I warn you, if you dare leave me, I'll break your leg.”Stefan's tone was still cool and arrogant, but his mood had obviously improved, and he could not help but smile."I know, I know. Hurry up and make dinner already. Lei's starving!""Fine. Xavier is roasting a leg of lamb. It should be done soon. Let's head over there."After that, he gave Renee a possessive kiss and went away to prepare dinner.Leia watched everything with wide eyes. She remained shocked for a long time.“T-That's it?”She gulped hard and asked, "Renee, what did you do? How did you tame the legendary giant iceberg who's used to bein
“What the hell???”Leia was staring at the leg of lamb and salivating wildly when she heard what Xavier said. It was so sudden that it stunned her.“I still remember the bold words you said on the speedboat. I, Xavier, have rarely been impressed with anyone, especially women, but after hearing what you said, I'm completely impressed. Don't let me down now.”“What bold words? I say lots of bold words all the time. You can't expect me to remember all of them.”Leia feigned ignorance and said, "Wow, the leg of lamb looks so good...”“It's okay if you don't remember because I do. I can remind you. You said you would show him your skills with a knife, you said you would castrate him and turn him into a eunuch, you said you would force him to his knees to apologize, etc...”Xavier crossed his long legs and said mischievously. He kept fanning the flames, trying to turn the situation chaotic.“D-Did I say that?”Leia shrunk back. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.Yes, she was inde
“Simply drinking like this is boring. Why don't we play the Three Gardens game?”Renee reached out to stop Leia and Xavier from drinking and proposed eagerly.“That's a kid's game. Boring!”Leia and Xavier surprisingly had the same opinion. They both expressed no interest in the game.“How can you say my wife's proposal is boring?”Stefan's expression turned cold. He threatened, "You'll play the game, and you'll like it.”“Alright, alright, we'll play it.”Leia and Xavier once again acted in unison. They both succumbed to Stefan's pressure.Leia secretly complained to Xavier, "Is Stefan possessed? He's completely turned into a henpecked husband. It's scary."Xavier was unperturbed. "Nah. Deep down, my bro is actually a hopeless romantic. It took him a lot of effort to act like an iceberg in the past.”Renee clapped her hands and said, "Okay, let's start. I visited the Three Gardens on Wednesday. Today, we visited the—Fruit Garden!”Stefan: “Watermelon.”Leia: “Peach.”Abig
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
"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