"Stef! What do you mean? I'm Seraphina. Don't you recognize me?" Seraphina tried to tidy her torn clothes, her eyes filled with tears. She looked at Stefan, feeling ashamed. "Are you disgusted? Those monsters hurt me and made me dirty. Is that why you don't want to talk to me anymore?""Oh, it's you!" Stefan exhaled, feeling relieved. Stefan had thought it was Renee who called for help, and images of her being tortured had flooded his mind and made his head ache. Fortunately, it was not Renee."W-What do you mean?" The desperation in Seraphina's eyes grew. Stefan's attitude towards her was a million times more painful than the abuse she had just suffered."Did you think I was Renee? Did you think those monsters tortured Renee as she tried to save you? Are you relieved to find out that it was just me? Because if it's me, you wouldn't have cared as much, would you?" Seraphina cried out bitterly.Stefan did not reply, and instead asked her, "Seraphina, what are you doing here? What ha
"That freak! I'm going to dig out his eyes and make him pay!""Don't be impulsive. This is his territory. He's unrestrained here. You won't be able to imagine how crazy he could be.""Stef, why have you become such a coward? That man made your eyes blind. He even sent those monsters to humiliate me. Are we going to let this slide? Aren't you the powerful Stefan? You…""No, I'm not!" Stefan said without any emotions in his eyes, "That Stefan is dead.""Don't say that. Even though you're blind now, it's not impossible to heal with advanced medical technology now and the right eyes."Seraphina hugged Stefan and wept. "Stay strong. The Hunt and Murphy families are rich and powerful. I'm sure your eyes will heal!""All the more reason to stay calm and find a way out of here. Things will get better," Stefan said emotionlessly. He wanted Seraphina to leave safely. Otherwise, this guilt would weigh him down for life like a mountain."You're right. Things will eventually get better!"Se
"What do you want from me? Just say it." Stefan knew Quinton would not let them go just like that. Quinton was vengeful and would not stop until he tortured Stefan."It's simple. I just received an order from an old customer. He's old and needs a strong heart. He wants a strong heart from someone powerful and strong, so he has his eye on you. After all, you're the second young master of the Hunt family. You're the only one deserving of the title in Beach City," Quinton said, smiling casually as if he was talking about the weather. "So, if you willingly cooperate with my surgeon and give your heart to my client, I'll release Ms. Murphy.""No, never!" Seraphina had been hiding behind Stefan, but when she heard that, she ran in front of Stefan and held her arms out to block the way. She no longer cared about anything at this moment. "You freak! Devil! You can find the right heart for a little money, but you want Stef's. What you really want is his life! Don't even think about it! I wo
Stefan was a little dazed. He touched his chest subconsciously and thought, 'It seems… my heart is still there. It's still beating.'"Damn. What happened?" Stefan had a terrible headache. He couldn't see and didn't know where he was. Suddenly, he heard Francine's miserable cries. "It's Stef. It's really Stef. He's back! Oh, thank God!"Francine hugged him so tightly she almost crushed him."Mom?" Stefan frowned slightly and called out, feeling unsure."Son! I'm right here. You've suffered so much, my poor boy!" Francine said agitatedly. During the days of Stefan's disappearance, Francine cried all day and night. She seemed to have aged ten years from crying so much. "Son, where the hell have you been all this time? We searched the whole of Beach City but couldn't find you. Are you okay? Who had the audacity to do this to you? We must take revenge. Our family…" Francine started heatedly, but was soon interrupted by Stefan."Mom, where am I now?""Silly boy, where do you think?
"Mom, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect myself, and now I've made you sad." Stefan's voice was calm.Francine looked at Stefan sadly. Her son used to be such a proud man, and now he was so depressed and melancholy. The light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Francine was devastated seeing her son like this; it was so painful that she could hardly breathe."Stef. Oh, son. What have you been through?" Francine hugged Stefan tightly. She couldn't imagine the kind of torture Stefan had been through during his disappearance to become like this."It's over. I don't want to talk about it," Stefan said indifferently. He did not want to reveal anything, and forbade Seraphina from saying anything.Stefan believed what he had suffered was the consequence of his past actions. It was to repay what he owed to Renee, and he deserved it. The debt was cleared, and the two no longer owed each other anything. There was no need to get involved with each other again."Okay. Let's not talk about it.
"I couldn't believe it either! I didn't think Ms. Everheart would be so cruel to Stefan, the man she truly loved. Her love may have turned sour, but she shouldn't have been so cruel. Unfortunately, it was indeed Ms. Everheart's doing. Love can be so beautiful, yet so scary sometimes!" Seraphina sobbed, deliberately slandering Renee. Renee's brother was the one who harmed them anyway, which was the same as Renee hurting them."Stef was reluctant to tell you for old time's sake. Ms. Everheart was the one who did it, but he did not want you to act impulsively and try to avenge him." Seraphina watched Francine's expression and continued to add fuel to the fire. "Also, when I went to save Stef, Ms. Everheart retaliated and hurt me. I..."Seraphina hesitated, then burst into tears."Good girl, calm down. How did she hurt you? Tell me…""S-She ordered a bunch of men to violate me. I almost died!" As Seraphina spoke, she lifted the hem of her nightgown, revealing the shocking bruises on he
Renee took a sip of her grape milk tea, then sighed. "Well, it would be rude if I didn't see it then, right?""Prepare yourself. It may be a little heartbreaking," Quinton said mysteriously.Renee could not help but roll her eyes. "Enough with the dramatics, brother. Hurry up, or I'm going to fall asleep.""You lazy pig. You sleep so much every day! I guarantee you'll suffer from insomnia after watching this," Quinton scoffed and sent a video to Renee.Renee casually clicked on it. However, the second the video started, she froze and clenched her fists subconsciously.After a few minutes, Quinton asked, "Well, have you finished?"Renee said indifferently, "I finished it.""You finished it?" Quinton was slightly surprised and asked eagerly, "So, how do you feel?""I don't feel anything," Renee replied calmly."No way! How can you not feel anything? I'm usually unemotional, but even I felt touched seeing it. Shouldn't you be feeling something more?" Quinton urged.When Renee di
"Mommy, look! Uncle Xavier took us to a treasure cove today! We caught a lot of fish and colourful starfish! Aren't they beautiful?" Abigail was carrying a small bucket, her round face flushed like a red apple. "Look, Mommy! It's a colorful starfish! Isn't it beautiful?" The little girl took the starfish by its two arms and excitedly showed it to Renee."Yeah, it's so pretty." Renee forced a smile, looking distracted.Little Abigail put down the colorful starfish and hugged Renee tightly. She looked up and asked worriedly, "Mommy, what's wrong? Are you unhappy? Did someone hurt you?""No. I'm happy. You're amazing, Abigail. Did you collect many good things?" Renee tried her best to keep her spirits up and share her children's joy. Unfortunately, her depression was like a dark cloud in the sky—it was so obvious that Aiden, Xavier, and Leia felt it too."Ren, what's wrong?" Leia put down the bucket full of fish and took Renee's hand. She asked worriedly, "Is it him again? Did he pr
"You're trying to take revenge on Stefan, aren't you? What did he do? Why do you hate him so much?" Renee demanded.She was particularly clueless.At the very least, she felt that Stefan and Jovan didn't have a grudge even if they couldn't get along. Besides—back then, Stefan survived because of Jovan's blood.In a sense, they should be close to each other. Stefan was able to live on because of Jovan.Yet now, Jovan wanted to ruin the one he had once risked his life to rescue."No, I don't hate him," Jovan answered honestly. "I even admire him, and I'm jealous of him. He's my role model, the pride of my family.""Then, you're envious of him!" Renee went straight to the point. "You can't defeat him, so you tried to make him disappear. When that happens, you'll feel better. No one will block you, and you'll get a chance to shine."Jovan, speechless, slowly stopped smiling. Renee had accurately guessed his innermost thoughts. Since he couldn't defeat Stefan, he would let Stefan b
The thing Renee feared the most was that Jovan's action would infuriate the Baldwins.Quinton, Adie, Abby, and Margaret were still there. If the Baldwin family wanted to do something bad, Renee's family would be in danger. Her happiness was secondary. She just wanted to ensure that her family was safe and sound.It seemed Austin was full of schemes. Though he seemed to have brought her family to live with her, he in truth just wanted hostages to control her…Unfortunately, she couldn't go back in time even though she had seen through his tricks."What's the rush?" Jovan watched Renee with a meaningful smile. "Someone will handle it even if it's a big mess. Your family will be fine. My foolish cousin won't let them be in danger. At most, the two families will fight fiercely."Renee was shocked. She glared at him, and suddenly understood something. "So you did it on purpose! You wanted to watch them fight and get something from it.""That's not my concern. Once, I was more powerf
After all, Jovan was a human being. Such direct physical pain made him shake and groan. Normally, he should get angry and try all means to make her stop biting him.However, he was not an ordinary man. Although he trembled in pain, he maintained his posture and let her bite him as if he wanted to see who would give up first.Renee kept biting him fiercely, as if her teeth would gnaw through his palm. Blood oozed out of the wound. She was full of hatred, wishing to vent her anger. "Just bite me hard as long as you're happy. I'm enjoying myself too!"Jovan looked at her, whose head was lowered as she kept biting his palm fiercely. It was a bloody scene, but his words made everything sound ambiguous. Renee noticed his underlying meaning and was disgusted. She immediately let go of his palm. "Bah! Disgusting! You're sick!"Her lips were still stained with blood. From afar, it looked like a blooming rose from afar. It looked attractive on her. Aroused, Jovan held the back of her
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the
Meanwhile, Liam and Leia became vigilant when they saw that scene."What are they doing?" Liam walked past the guests enjoying the fun and stood between Alexander and the two guards. He faked a smile and said, "We're the guests you invited sincerely. Is this how the Baldwin family treats their guests?""Guests?" Austin got off the stage and strode toward them. Although he was smiling, coldness gleamed in his eyes. "Have you ever seen any guest steal the hostess?""You can't say that, Sir Baldwin..." Liam smiled and added, "How could you be sure that it must be the Hunt family?""Who else could it be?" "This is just your guess. They've always been here. Even if they wanted to do that, they couldn't. So… You should act fair and square, given your noble identity. Shouldn't you find fault with the culprit instead? Isn't that more reasonable?" Liam looked at Austin. Although he was younger and came from a family weaker than the Baldwin family, he was still domineering.Besides, his
Alexander took a deep breath and analyzed logically, "This wasn't Stef's style. If he wanted to snatch her away, he would have done it openly in front of everyone. But this trick was cunning and dishonest!""Yes, you're right, but this is a special case. If he didn't use a trick, his woman would marry someone else. It's normal for him to be restless." Although Francine agreed with Alexander's analysis, she felt that Stefan could do anything if it concerned Renee. Naturally, he would stoop this far. "Regardless, we have to leave," Alexander whispered to Francine, sensing danger. "Austin has always been decisive and cruel. Since Stef humiliated him, I'm sure he wouldn't let Stef off easily. We're in danger too.""Is it that serious?" Francine looked at Austin, who was standing on the stage. He coldly ordered his assistant about something. It seemed like he wasn't that crazy. "I don't care what he'll do. We have to get out of North City right away because this city is controlled b
"What?! She's gone?" Justin's face fell immediately. He grabbed the collar of the person who came to inform them and demanded coldly, "What do you mean?! Why is she gone for no reason?""We… We don't know!" That person looked at Justin while trembling and reported everything. "When we got there, we found no one else in the makeup room except the makeup artist lying on the ground. We didn't see Ms. Everheart, either. We don't know what happened!""Something must have gone wrong with her!" Justin pushed that person away without hesitation and rushed toward the makeup room."Hey, Justin! What are you doing?" Sophia watched Justin disappear in front of everyone. She wanted to pursue him but failed.Everyone below the stage fell into an uproar and discussed among themselves endlessly. "The bride went missing all of a sudden! Did her ex-husband come for her?""It's possible. They were once madly in love with each other. Plus, the Hunt and Baldwin families were in conflict for many yea
On the surface, everyone felt that Justin was passionate and respected the bride well. However, only he knew that he was just terrified. He was afraid that the reality might exceed his anticipation. He was terrified to find that he was betrayed in the end when he had trusted Renee that much and treated her so sincerely."Justin, what's going on with you? How could you talk about that at such a time like this? The most important thing now is to make her come out and have this engagement ceremony. We should do the guests justice. If not, everyone will laugh at us after we've kept our dignity well for so many years!"Sophia couldn't understand his hesitation. They were just going to urge Renee to appear. It had nothing to do with their patience or ability to take good care of Renee.Both Alexander and Francine looked at each other in confusion."Dear, did you do anything?" Alexander asked Francine softly.If Renee suddenly failed to attend the ceremony, it might have been Francin