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
Renee slapped Chase violently across his face, her patience worn thin to the bone."Spit it out, will you?!" she demanded. "Just tell me your idea and stop sputtering like that! It's like you're teasing me!"Chase smiled awkwardly and replied, "The impostor, Mr. Q is indeed a cautious man, and he would only contact me through text messages. There's also no way to ascertain his address or whereabouts through his phone number, so unless he's willing to voluntarily show up, we have no way of finding him. So far, the only person who can make him turn up willingly is you, Ms. Everheart.""I'm afraid I'm not that powerful…" said Renee dejectedly. "Ever since he stood me up, I couldn't contact him at all. If he really cared about me, he would've been a little more to say goodbye before he left.""I believe the impostor, Mr. Q, must have a good reason for it…""So? Get to the point. What should I do to get him to show up?""It's really simple." Chase curled his finger in a beckoning gest
The three of them rolled their eyes in unison and looked speechless."Look, Liam. She's the top love-struck idiot. She'll never learn though she'd suffered much." Leia shook her head and sighed. She felt sorry for Renee's bad luck and disappointing actions.Although Leia was a love-struck fool herself, she was better than Renee. She would quickly retreat if she found anything wrong unless the guy shamelessly pestered her. Also, he had to show his sincerity. Only then would she forgive him. Renee was way worse. She suffered countless times because of one single man, but she didn't even hate him. She even wanted to ask him if they could start over.No one could be as "humble" as her.Renee used to be a bright and awesome figure, and it seemed like there was nothing she could not resolve. Yet, she lost herself several times because of a man. It infuriated Leia. Leia was not alone in feeling that way. Liam shared her sentiments and gnashed his teeth furiously. "Seriously, I wonde
Silence washed over everyone instantly. It seemed they were waiting for Renee's answer.Mateo, who was unrelated, was all ears too. He wanted to listen to a spicy story before he got killed. After all, it was related to Stefan, the mighty president of Hunt Enterprise. Of course, it would be amazing. However, Renee remained silent after a long while."Hey, silly. Of course, Renee wants to meet Adie and Abby the most!" Leia glared at Liam because the latter had asked the obvious. She also helped to get Renee out of the awkwardness. "Of course." Liam didn't let it go, and kept pressing Renee. "Is there anyone else you want to meet other than Adie and Abby?" "Certainly. Both Quinton and Margaret are very important to Ren. I know Ren can't bear to let them go," Leia casually mentioned other people except Stefan. She knew Stefan's name was too special to Renee. If she mentioned Stefan, Renee might break down. Hence, she could never mention Stefan."No, you're wrong!" Mateo finall
Previously, Amber cared very much about Liam. Later, she wanted nothing but to stay away from him.She had happily planned their wedding and imagined how to lead their married lives. Later, she planned her wedding with another man…and wanted to learn sewing from Liam to sew their wedding suits. It was heartbreaking!Hence, Liam chose a noble excuse to try and ruin the wedding between Amber and Mateo. He kept using pessimistic wedding opinions to influence Amber's thoughts as a traditional woman.True, he hadn't influenced Amber's mind solely out of his selfishness. Women would have more freedom if they stayed single. He dissuaded Amber from getting married mainly for the sake of her happiness, but it didn't cover up his despicable thoughts. Hence, he chose to keep quiet."Wow, Liam! I didn't expect you to fall for her. I thought you were forced to be with her!" While enjoying the fun, Leia forgot about her sadness and fear. Her eyes went wide as she teased Liam. "Hey, you kno
Liam found Leia unlucky and disappointing. He simply stopped talking.A brief silence overcame them. It seemed like they had accepted their fate to get killed as they quietly waited for their death.Macsen had returned to the shop to treat his wound. After struggling for a long while, Mateo failed to struggle free. Macsen's subordinate whipped him several times. "Motherfucker! Just wait. I'll make you pay!" Mateo furiously cursed Macsen's subordinate. Macsen's subordinate sneered. "Hmph. You want to make me pay? I think my boss will skin you alive. It's been a long time since I've seen a lamp made of human skin. We're waiting for a good show!"Leia had closed her eyes, but when she heard that, she shuddered and reopened them abruptly. Her voice was shaky as she asked, "Liam, what's that?" "Uh…" Liam found it too cruel and couldn't bring himself to explain it to Leia. He hated his incapabilities. "It's my fault. I got you guys into this mess. Damn it all!""No, we can't blam
Renee was well aware of the situation and was calm in the face of death. "If Macsen wants to kill us, Benjamin will feign ignorance. I think we're doomed here today.""Whatever. I'm not afraid!" Leia didn't take it too seriously, grinning. "You and Liam are the most important people to me. Although we weren't born on the same day, it's great that we can die on the same day. I want us to be siblings in our next lives!""Silly, you're so optimistic. We're going to get killed, not attending a party! Why are you this happy?" Liam's gloominess and tenseness gradually relaxed because of Leia's optimistic and happy tone. "Yeah, it isn't a big deal. I have no regrets since I can die with you guys.""You guys have no regrets, but I'm unlucky!"Mateo kept sighing. "If I knew, I wouldn't have meddled in this or caught you guys. At most, I'd be suppressed by another guy. But now, I'm about to get killed. I regret it! You have big supporters, don't you? Is there any way to contact either of
When the fight reached an intense moment, Macsen's subordinates managed to surround Liam and Mateo. They were disappointing.Macsen's most loyal subordinate aimed a gun at Liam's head and screamed at Renee, who had gone mad. He tried to threaten her. "Let our boss go, or I'll make you pay a price!" Renee regained her wits and turned to look at Liam. Her mouth was bloody. A helpless sigh escaped her. "Why are you this useless? How could they get you?"Helpless, she slowly got up and let Macsen go temporarily. "Motherfucker! Go to hell!"When Macsen regained freedom, he was no longer a gentleman. He slapped Renee twice with one hand and held his neck with the other. Then, he ordered his subordinates, "Tie them up with the woman on that ship!""Okay!" Macsen's subordinates were obedient. They quickly grabbed a thick and heavy rope to tie up Renee, Liam, Leia, and Mateo together, tying the rope around them thrice."Liam, why are you caught too? You're so useless. We even wanted
Everyone looked at each other in dismay before raising their weapons to attack Renee.Liam ordered his subordinates to fight Macsen's men when he noticed the danger. "Don't hurt her, or I'll fight you!"There were more than ten people from both sides. When they started fighting, the whole jetty was filled with the sounds of weapons and bullets. It was a mess.That battle sacrificed a lot of Liam's subordinates. Gradually, he failed to hold on."Mateo, where are your men? Get them into the fight. If anything happens to Boss, you'll suffer too. That crazy Stefan will kill everyone!"While fighting Macsen's subordinates, Liam wanted to involve Mateo in the fight since the latter was merely watching. Besides, he knew what a man like Mateo, who was good at weighing the pros and cons, cared about the most.As expected, Mateo chose to side with Liam when he heard that this mess would affect his relationship with Stefan.After all, Macsen was the most powerful person in the fort. It wou
"What do you want? I'm warning you! Stay away from me, or I won't go easy on you!"For an unknown reason, a chill ran down Macsen's spine when he saw how fierce Renee looked. He wondered why she was that fierce. She could walk fast even when dragging a sandbag over 110 pounds—she wasn't ordinary.Holding a gun, Macsen flexed his fingers as his knuckles turned white. "I don't care about people's lives! I can kill them if I'm happy, including you!""Is that so?" Renee stubbornly faced the gun and walked forward. She glared at him coldly. "A demon like you should never live. I'll kill you, even if I have to die for it!"She swiftly pounced on and pushed him down despite the heavy sandbag.Everything happened so fast, Macsen was dumbstruck. Renee even managed to knock on his gun. The gun went off, firing a bullet at a nearby stone pillar. It nearly hurt one of Macsen's subordinates. "Oh, you don't care about people's lives, do you? You can just kill them, huh? I'll make you suffer t
Macsen clenched his fists, agitated. For many years, he was mainly responsible for the armed forces of the fort. On the other hand, Benjamin instructed his adopted sons to take care of his business. Previously, Hunt Enterprise promised the Jenkins family many profits under the condition that Renee and Joanne could leave the fort safely. Hence, Benjamin let them go at that critical point despite the humiliation he faced. Afterward, Stefan continued his close cooperation with the Jenkins family. While this happened, the relationship between Macsen and Benjamin grew tenser. Gradually, Macsen kept gathering power to surpass Benjamin one day and take revenge on Stefan.Renee and Leia's sudden arrival at the fort was beyond Macsen's expectations. Although he was getting stronger, he wasn't powerful enough to fight Benjamin and the Hunts. Despite this, he naturally wouldn't give up such a good chance easily. Macsen's revenge was the result of his impulsiveness. He had been reckless,