“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
The atmosphere suddenly became tense again. Everyone looked at Stefan, waiting for his answer.The man slowly took a sip of champagne and said meaningfully, "I used to be fearless, but now, what I fear most is my wife leaving me.”“Oh no, you really are a hopeless romantic. Show some backbone, Stef!”Xavier waved his hand. He expected that answer. It did not surprise him at all.Leia also could not help mocking Stefan. "Can you two please stop taking every opportunity to show how much you're in love? It's making me sick. I don't even have the appetite for the leg of lamb anymore.”Renee was calm, though. Her beautiful lips curled into a shallow smile. She looked gentle and peaceful, but there was a trace of coldness in her eyes.She crossed her legs and wrapped the blanket tighter around her, then said to Stefan, "May I ask you a question?”Stefan shrugged and said calmly, "Go ahead.”“You keep emphasizing that you're afraid I'd leave you one day. Does that mean, deep down in y
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
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked