“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
Xavier leaped up, swooped Leia off her feet and carried her on his shoulder, then walked unsteadily towards the villa.Stefan and Renee were in shock. They stared at each other for a long time before they snapped back to their senses.Renee: "Your buddy is crazy.”Stefan: "Your bestie doesn't seem that normal either."Renee: "Are they entering the bridal chamber now?”Stefan: "Probably.”Renee: "Should we stop them?”Stefan: "They're consenting adults. Whatever happens, happens.”And thus, Leia and Xavier spent a whole night doing adult stuff.After Renee put the two kids to bed, she sat on the beach next to the fire with Stefan, drinking some wine.The waves rose and fell. The two drank one glass after another. They were both feeling a bit tipsy by now, Stefan more so than Renee because his alcohol tolerance was low.“We're alone. Can you tell me what your dark side is now?”Renee's hair had been blown into disarray by the sea breeze. It also made her mind much clearer. In
“Admit it, Stefan. You're a murderer. You killed Mr. Q, didn't you?!”Renee clenched her fists and questioned Stefan emotionally.She had had her suspicions before, but it was not until Stefan arrived at Sun Island that it was 100% confirmed.This was also the reason she had been feeling depressed and gloomy all day. She wanted to confront Stefan about it, but she was afraid that the moment she did, they would never be able to go back.Stefan was caught off guard by the accusation.He did not expect Renee to come to that kind of conclusion.He did not know whether to laugh or cry.It seemed like he overestimated her intelligence. He thought she had already realized that he was "Mr. Q"!“What kind of reaction is that? Did you kill him or not? Tell me the truth. Why are you laughing?”Renee could not understand why he was holding back laughter.Was it an arrogant laugh because she guessed right, or was it a mocking laugh because she guessed wrong?“Do I look like a murderer to
It was time to bring the matter to a conclusion.The next day.“Ah!”Leai's scream could be heard from the guest room.As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Xavier sleeping next to her on the bed. The most tragic thing was that she was holding onto him tightly with her hands and legs like an octopus!“You're awake, Lei?”Xavier stretched with drowsy eyes. He looked gently at the woman in his arms with a smile.“Xavier Stuart, what's going on? You… me… how did we...”“We drank a lot last night. Generally speaking, this is a normal outcome.”Xavier put on a relaxed demeanor. Every inch of him, from his hair to his toes, told Leia that he was "experienced”.Leia was going crazy. She had a sacred view of love. She could not accept the concept of casual sex.“Shut up, you rotten scumbag! Don't talk to me!”She kicked him out of bed, hastily put on her clothes and fled the room like she was running for her life.“Good morning, Lei!”Renee was already awake. She was taking a w
“What should I do? He's here! He's here! I don't know how to face him. Hurry up and stop him!”Leia awkwardly scratched the ground with her leg while blushing, making a hole in the beach beneath her feet.“Uhh... How am I supposed to stop him? I...”Renee was at a loss.After all, a shameless guy like Xavier would just go wherever he wanted. There was no way she could stop him.As the man approached, the panicking Leia jumped into the sea and swam offshore.“???”The smile on Xavier's face disappeared. He was also shocked by Leia's action.“What's wrong with Lei?”He asked Renee with a puzzled look.“Umm... She... She's just taking a morning swim. It's a habit she's had for years.”Renee came up with a random excuse to cover up for Leia.Xavier believed her. He had an appreciative look on his face. "It's a great habit to have. Many of the girls I've met are very delicate. They would start complaining after staying too long under the sun, let alone exercising.“Lei is a spe
"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
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