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
Renee was not joking; she figured her brother was right. She should go back.Soon after, the group took a flight back to Beach City.Quinton came early to pick them up. His gentle and elegant appearance made him look like a kind and knowledgeable scholar. No one knew he was the notorious and fearsome Night Demon who had spilled the blood of many people.Quinton leaned against a large black SUV and kept his eyes on the exit. When he saw Renee and the two little ones, he waved at them excitedly. "Sis, over here!""Sis?" Leia and Xavier exchanged glances confusedly, then turned to Renee. "Who is he? Why is he wearing a mask in broad daylight?""He's my brother," Renee replied honestly, a smile on her face. She had been talking to Quinton on calls lately, but Leia and Xavier had been unaware of his existence."Brother? Is he your godbrother?" Xavier frowned and complained in disgust, "What age is this? That's such an old-fashioned way to hit on girls. I'm going to throw up.""No! He
The dialogue between the two siblings made Leia feel a little jealous. Their conversation touched her.Leia wiped her tears and bumped Xavier with her elbow. "Look at them! How touching… Ren rarely relies on other people, so her brother must be a really good person. I'm so envious!"Xavier was the only child and could not understand such sibling love. He frowned, looking confused. "Don't you have a brother? Isn't your brother the same?""No way. I've been fighting with my brother since we were young. He always insults me and calls me names. He always says no one will ever want me, and I will never get married. He says I must equip myself with more skills, or I'll starve to death!" Leia whined.Leia could not stop whenever she complained about Liam. "Did you know he used to trick me when I was a kid? I handed my pocket money to him for safekeeping, but when I asked him for it, he asked me to pay a service fee. I had to give him two dollars to retrieve a dollar of pocket money. In th
Everyone was at a loss for words. There was a long silence. Xavier's smile froze a little, but he eventually laughed and reached out his hand to Quinton cheerfully. "Ah, you're an old friend! I've heard so much about you!""We're indeed old friends." Quinton had a cold look in his eyes. He said, smiling, "After all, there were many times when I wanted to chop you up and feed you to crocodiles!""Hahaha! Quinton, you're such a funny man!" Xavier pointed at Quinton. "I thought Stefan had beaten you into depression. Is that why you've been hiding in Water Dock?""You must be joking, Mr. Stuart. Do I look depressed? You can try to find out.""If I do, I'll die."The two men were going back and forth with smiles on their faces, but it felt like they were fighting it out with their words.Renee and Leia held each other's hands and retreated to the side, afraid of being accidentally injured."Okay. Have you had enough? Can you stop fighting? Don't block the entrance and hinder traffi
"Ah, monster!""That's so scary! Did someone cut off half of his face? That's terrible!"The passersby's reactions hurt Quinton's self-esteem badly. He quickly put his mask back on and smiled bitterly. "Sorry for scaring you.""N-No..." Renee felt sorry for Quinton and comforted him, "I think you're very handsome. Your eyes are very much like Mom's—gentle and determined. Your mouth is very much like Dad's. You have beautiful lips. You're really my brother. If we weren't blood-related, I would've fallen in love with you at first sight!""Really?" Quinton's eyes brightened immediately. Quinton had always wondered what his mother looked like. He had imagined it countless times, but it never felt real. However, when Renee described her, her image immediately came to his mind, and his heart softened."Of course. You can ask Lei too. She's Mom and Dad's goddaughter and often visited us. She knows Mom and Dad's faces very well… Right, Lei?""Y-Yes!" Leia had been startled by Quinton's s
"Why would I lie to you?" Xavier draped his arm around Quinton's shoulder and patted his chest with his other hand. "Don't worry, bro. You are Ren's brother, so you are also my brother. I only want the best for you!""But you are Stefan's friend, so how good can you be?" Quinton frowned and looked at the man's arm in disgust, restraining the urge to cut it off. Years of bloody battles had made him wary of people and unfamiliar with intimate interactions."No, no, no. I am no longer his brother. From now on, I will cut ties with that cold-blooded and heartless man!" Xavier crossed his arms, and smiled earnestly. "I am now your buddy, so I will listen to everything you say. And I wasn't joking earlier. If you want, I can bring you to the plastic surgeon and let him see if your face can be reconstructed.""Sure." Quinton nodded, the defensiveness in his eyes fading slightly.They got into the car and started talking happily. Quinton even warmly invited Xavier to Carmine Pawnshop to ha
"This is just my brother's hobby. There are dozens more in his display case. If you like them, I can ask him to send you a few.""My gosh, Ren, you are simply too rich!" Leia pretended to wipe away tears as she complained. "Ren, you're literally living the perfect life! You were born into a rich family, you're skilled at practically everything, and are currently the president of KCL. Not only that, your children are pretty and clever, and even your brother who appeared out of nowhere is a magnate. How are common girls like me going to live? Oh, but I forget about the scum from the Hunt family that tainted your life. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You have cut ties with that pathetic being, so you can live a beautiful life alone in the future…"Renee was amused by Leia's dramatic monologue. "My dear Ms. Lei, aren't you born into a rich family? Don't you have a powerful brother? And the most precious thing is that you have a reliable man. I am the one who should envy you.""Man?" Leia fro
"But…" Renee insisted."This is worth it. I was able to gain Benjamin's trust and calm his anger, which in turn helped us leave. I would've done the same thing again without hesitation."Liam looked relaxed and sounded casual, as if he didn't have a close brush with death. Rather, he treated the whole thing like a game he nearly got disqualified from and in turn rewarded for. The result was worth it. He took everything as an exciting adventure rather than a life-threatening incident. "Oh, you're always so casual. What do you mean, worth it? If that knife reached your heart or the doctor wasn't skillful enough, you would've been killed. And I… I might have to watch you die just because I left things to chance!" Renee yelled.She couldn't dwell on what had happened. The memory chilled her blood, and she hated herself for being so scheming. Renee could feel herself changing. Before, she was direct, bold, straightforward, and did everything she could for the sake of justice. Now, sh
"It was just a test from my father. He had seen through people. He wouldn't make things difficult for the people who were nice to me," Amber explained.She knew what kind of a person her father was. At this point, she didn't want to keep it from Renee and the others either. She felt that it was more important to reassure them. "So, it really was a test!" Leia was enlightened, but failed to understand Benjamin. "Is he out of his mind? He didn't have to make it seem so real! If Liam didn't block the knife for you, he would have lost you!"Leia was filled with lingering fear when she recalled the terrifying scene yesterday. Benjamin's madness surprised her. He could even be harsh on his daughter! At the same time, Leia mocked Mateo's fake passion. He said so much, but he could still attack his so-called beloved woman at that critical moment.What amazed her the most was Liam. He claimed that he didn't love Amber, but he was the one who used his chest to block the attack for her. It
Amber's emphasis made both of them awkward. It seemed like Liam had flattered himself.Renee and Leia happened to run into that scene when they opened the door. Feeling out of place, they wanted to leave and hide.Finally, Renee walked over and faked a smile despite the stiffness in the air. "Hahaha! Liam, I'm glad that you're awake!""Renee…" Liam's facade faded as he blinked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" "We did, but you guys were so absorbed in talking to each other that you didn't hear us," Leia eagerly explained.There was a screen between the bed and the door. A servant informed Liam and Amber about the visitors, but they didn't hear that since they were absorbed in their conflict.Thus, Renee and Leia were forced to watch an awkward romance. They found it stifling, just like Liam and Amber."Okay. Let's not talk about that."Liam didn't want to recall that awkward scene and changed the topic. "I was just stabbed. Stop making a big fuss over it. And don't wo
Nothing went wrong that night. Renee and Leia slept soundly after such an exhausting day. The next morning, a servant of the fort woke them up early. "Ms. Everheart, Ms. Osborne, Mr. Osborne is awake. You can visit him." "Great! Liam's awake!" When Leia heard that news, she got out of bed and quickly washed up.Renee, finally relieved, breathed a sigh. They reached Liam's room as quickly as they could. There, armed guards were around, guarding the place fiercely. "What's going on? Do they take Liam as a criminal?" Leia was furious to see it. She wanted to demand an explanation from those guards, but Renee stopped her.They had to bow down since they were staying in Benjamin's territory. It was up to him to treat them politely or otherwise. Even if they were locked up like prisoners, it was only expected.Liam had just regained consciousness and was seriously injured. If they offended Benjamin, he and the others would only suffer.Liam leaned against the head of the bed in
"I'll bring Phoenix to see my parents. If she's okay with it, we'll get married. This army is the wedding gift my family prepared for her." Justin smiled, his tone eager."Stop fantasizing! Renee won't go there with you," Xavier said. He found Justin's plan ridiculous. "I don't believe you. Has Renee ever said yes? You keep saying you were going to do something big, but you might not even get anything out of it.""It's not up to you whether she'll say yes or not." Justin was indifferent toward Xavier's mockery. He seemed to be very confident, his eyes cold. "I told you that because I wanted you to pass the message to Stefan. I'm not trying to take advantage of the situation, because I already gave him a chance to win her back.""Then, I need to thank you on Stefan's behalf." Xavier didn't take Justin seriously at all, and instead waved provocatively at him. "We'll talk about that once you make Renee say yes. Bye!"Back in the guest room, Xavier held his phone, hesitating. In the en
After a long wait, there was finally some news."Good news, everyone! Ms. Jenkins' blood matched Mr. Osborne's. Mr. Osborne is out of danger since he got a blood transfusion in time. He'll wake up soon. It's getting late, so you should all get some rest," the doctor said as he exited the blood transfusion room."Great! Liam's out of danger now!" Leia leaped happily, moved to tears. "Wonderful! I knew he'd be fine! Thank god!""Well, I told you not to worry, but you refused to listen. You were worried for nothing." Xavier was delighted, too. He watched her dotingly, happy that she had finally relaxed. At the very least, she would stop being cold to him and find fault with him.Unexpectedly, Leia still found Xavier an eyesore and glared at him. "What does it have anything to do with you? I don't want to talk to you!"Then, she held Renee's arm and yawned. "Let's go, Ren. We can finally sleep. I want to sleep with you tonight."The two friends returned to their room, leaving Xavie
"No, Ms. Jenkins! If Mr. Jenkins learns you're donating your blood for another man, it'll drive him mad!" The doctor looked at Amber, too terrified to act. Everyone in the fort knew how much Benjamin cared about Amber. He would never let anyone off the hook if they harmed her, let alone donating so much blood."He won't be angry." Amber sounded indifferent. "He didn't even care about me. If it weren't for Liam, Matt would have killed me. I want to donate my blood to Liam. No one can stop me, not even Dad.""But…" The doctor was too scared to act rashly. "Do it. If not, I'll cut my veins to release the blood." Amber seemed to have anticipated the doctor's hesitation. She fished out a blade she got somewhere and abruptly placed it against her wrist. "Then, I'll die of blood loss. Is that worth it?""Oh, no!"The doctor never expected the usually gentle Amber would suddenly become so tough and stubborn. He stopped babbling and immediately started the blood transfusion. After all,
"Oh, no! Something's wrong!" someone screamed, "Mr. Osborne lost too much blood and needs a blood transfusion immediately! Whose blood type is O?" Leia couldn't hear that well. She immediately calmed down and returned to Liam's room. "There was a slight deviation when we withdrew the knife, causing massive bleeding. The patient needs a blood transfusion immediately. If not, he'll die!" the nurse announced; her hands were bloody, and she was sweating profusely. "Use mine!" Leia hurriedly dashed over, gasping for breath. "I'm his younger sister. I'm sure my blood type is compatible."The nurse shook her head and cautiously refused, "No, it's advisable not to have an immediate family member do this. There might be a negative response." "Use mine. My blood type is O." Renee stood up and rolled her sleeve, her tone firm."No way!" Leia refused, looking at Renee. "You've just recovered. I can't see you take the risk."Renee was poisoned before, and barely survived because Stefan h
"Oh, please!" Leia rolled her eyes at Xavier; her gesture was far from romantic. "We haven't been together that long. Plus, you dated Shirley for a long time. You were famous in the entire Beach City over how hard you worked to win her over. She made you fall head over heels for her. But you've never made such a big scene when you're dating me. People might even assume that you're single!""Why did you bring up Shirley again?" Xavier held his forehead helplessly. The scariest thing for a man was having his girlfriend repeatedly mention his ex. No matter what the man said, it would always end up in a fight."Why, can't I bring her up?" Leia snapped. Like a lot of women, Leia yearned to travel back in time and replace all the time Xavier had with his ex-girlfriend. She said jealously, "You can't forget about her, so you're afraid of me mentioning her. You're worried you might get exposed when I mention her.""No!" Xavier became impatient, his face looking awful. "I have many