"He's an idiot," Quinton said curiously to Renee. "How do you expect him to make amends?"Renee stood up and walked in front of Chase, helping him."Chase, I know you're devoted to my brother. You simply have a weak vision and haven't realized you've been working for an impostor for the last four years. You probably want to know who the impostor is, right?”Chase’s lips paled, and he felt weak as he murmured guilty, “Boss is why I’m still alive. He rescued me. However, I was too blind and stupid and couldn't identify between an imposter and my boss. I'll be ashamed of myself if I continue to live!""Wait a minute. Let’s not talk about death or living first. Tell me, do you want to know who the imposter is?”"Of course, I do!"His eyes were wrathful, and he lost his tenderness and serenity. "This imposter is so bold that he dared to impersonate Mr. Q. He better not let me capture him, or I would make him suffer a terrible death!”"Uhm, calm down..." she soothed him.She had the
Quinton donned an apron and went to work in the kitchen. He grinned pleasantly and responded, "I’m not the best cook out there. It’s simply that I am mature at a young age. Therefore, I’m accustomed to performing duties like purchasing groceries, cooking, and washing clothes."Renee leaned against the wall, staring at the busy but organized man as she wondered how many dinners he must've prepared to be this acquainted with cooking."Quinton, could you tell me how you survived all these years?" she asked, phrasing her words carefully, afraid that her question might trigger his pain.The knife in his hand stopped chopping the vegetable, and he pursed his lips without uttering anything."If it’s uncomfortable telling me, then you don’t have to. After all, that was in the past, and it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the future!"She could feel that his mood had soured and swiftly shifted the topic."It's fine..."He smiled faintly at her and resumed cutting as he said casual
Renee ultimately failed to obtain any additional information from Quinton."Fine. If you're not going to tell me, I'll just have to figure it out myself!" She stated obstinately.She had always assumed that the Everheart family's downfall was due to commercial rivalry, which led them to bankruptcy. She had always blamed it on society.But suddenly, there was a legitimate explanation behind it. Quinton's past, the Everheart family's bankruptcy, and even the loss of her parents were not as simple as she had imagined."Silly girl, if you want to find out for yourself, you can. Just don't be too depressed when you do..."He sighed while his skillful hands prepared the food. "The closer you are to the truth, the more hurt it will bring." "No, I disagree. It hurt the most to be lied to and treated like an idiot. I’m almost 30, not a fragile flower that needs protection. I'm not actually as weak as you'd like to believe."Renee's eyes were filled with passion, and she stated firmly, "
Margaret followed Renee carefully, and her ideals about how she saw the world reiterated themselves many times along the road."What is this place, Ms. Ren? Why is everything so chaotic? Everyone here appears to be frightening. Is this a dangerous place?" She delicately inquired, pulling on the corner of Renee's clothing."Margaret, relax a little. It is very chaotic here. Out of all the places in Beach City, this is the most dangerous, as there are no boundaries. But don't worry because someone is looking after us, and no one will attempt to hurt us.""Taking care of us?"As Margaret was lost in confusion, Renee pushed open the double-carved log door of the restaurant and walked in with a smile.“Renee, you’re finally back. Quickly sit down and eat. The food is starting to get cold."Quinton, irritated earlier, immediately brightened up, and his gaze softened and gentled.When he saw Margaret behind Renee, he grew concerned and grimaced. “Who is she?”The Carmine Pawnshop wasn
The atmosphere instantly turned solemn as the air grew thick with sorrow."Can you tell me what exactly happened back then?" Quinton asked, lowering his voice. "Even though the Everheart family abandoned me, I have the right to know the truth."“No, it’s not like that, Mr. Quinton. Please don’t misunderstand Mr. and Mrs. Everheart. They never abandoned you. They loved you just as much as they loved Ms. Ren. However, an accident did happen that year.”With a sad face and enduring heartache, Margaret told them about the tragic events that happened 28 years ago.“At that time, everyone was happy that Mrs. Everheart was pregnant with twins. They picked the greatest private hospital for your and Ms. Ren's arrival on the day of your birth. Finally, both of you were born safely. But then a gang of thugs burst into the delivery room and kidnapped you and Ms. Ren. Madam had just given birth to you two and was weak, so she could only protect Ms. Ren and watch you being taken away by those pe
Quinton Everheart turned sullen as he once again cleverly avoided the subject."..."Renee, too, had no desire to pursue it. She did not want to put any more pressure on Quinton, as she felt that he was already under enough. Besides, no matter what, she would find a way to get to the bottom of the truth and find out what actually happened herself anyway.She swore that the Everheart family would be avenged!It ended up being a dinner that was filled with warmth and happiness for Renee. Her heart was bursting with so much bliss and joy that she was almost moved to tears a few times."I have a brother now! I actually have a brother!"What a wonderful feeling it was to find that she had a close family member again! No longer was she duckweed floating aimlessly without any roots to anchor it down."Everheart Manor is in a sorry state right now," she told Quinton, "but I'm determined to rebuild it, and when it's done, you and I, along with Adie and Abby, will move into the house and
"This bastard is clearly a traitor! How could you still plead for me to let him go, my silly sister?"Quinton slammed the table furiously and shouted an order to his men outside, "Get in here! Drag this turncoat out and feed him to the fish! I don't ever want to see him again!""Calm down, Quinton! Why are you screaming for blood all of a sudden?"Renee sighed helplessly. She was completely unaccustomed to the cruel and vicious side of her brother, having only known him as a gentle and polite man. But then she thought of the arduous life he must have had to suffer through since he was a child, and the violent outburst failed to anger her. Instead, she just felt sorry for him.In this situation, the only thing she could do as his sister was to tolerate and try to understand him. Later, at a more suitable time, she would be his "tranquilizer" and try to keep him under control."Actually," she said, "I think the fact that Chase is unwilling to lure out the impostor proves the strengt
Renee and Chase secretly discussed how to lure the impostor Mr. Q out of the study."Ms. Everheart," said Chase with emotion, "although you are his sister, you are nothing at all like Boss. You have a kind disposition, and I'm assured that, at the very least, the impostor Mr. Q won't be so cruelly tortured once he was handed over to you.""You speak as if my brother is a savage beast and that impostor is some kind of angel of justice! Is that guy really worthy of your protection?""He is!" Chase nodded gravely. "I believe that everyone else who works in Carmine Pawnshop would make the same choice.""Then… is there going to be a mutiny? What will happen to my brother? He built Carmine Pawnshop from the ground with his own hands! Is he going to be replaced?""Don't worry, Ms. Everheart. Boss won't be replaced. I'm sure that Carmine Pawnshop will soon resume its operations in the same way that it once did. It's just that we'll all miss the security and stability that we enjoyed these
"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