'What's wrong with him today? Is he in a drunken fit? Why did he go berserk all of a sudden?'"Lean your head closer." William was wearing white gloves. He was ready to use professional tactics to apply anti-allergic medication for her. After calling her name several times, she seemed to have still not heard him. All her attention seemed to be attracted by the noise outside. "Oh, I'm sorry."It was only then that Leia noticed his instruction. She obediently leaned her face closer to him."This medicine is a bit stimulating, so you may feel a bit of pain when I apply it to your face. But it's highly effective, and it can help reduce the swelling rapidly. Just bear with me." William patiently introduced the medication to her, and his techniques were very gentle. "What did you say... Ah!" However, she still did not listen to him. On the other hand, she was all ears while listening to Xavier's words from outside. When she heard of something, she inevitably laughed. After tha
Leia gave William a disdainful look and said coldly. "I don't have to inform you about my relationship with him, do I?" William appeared defeated. He even sounded slightly anxious. "Lei, don't be mad. I just feel that he's not a good man. He looks like a playboy. You'd better stay away from him so you won't get hurt." "Hmph! Even if he doesn't look like a good guy, he's better than a liar like you!"She then grabbed his collar. At the same time, her eyes were full of hatred. "It was merely because of my generosity that I let you stay alive. It doesn't mean I've let bygones be bygones and forgiven you. You'd better don't test my patience." "You can hate me or even kill me. But please don't give up on yourself and get such a man to harm you. You..." Before William could finish talking, Xavier, who was eavesdropping outside, could not remain calm. He barged into the room again. "What did you say just now? Who gave herself up? Who is a bad guy? What f*cking kind of man am I? Te
"William?" When Renee saw him, she was shell-shocked. She thought that such a scumbag like him should disappear from Leia's world. Unexpectedly, he'd be so bold to appear again. When Renee recalled Lei's bad deeds, she was fuming with anger. So, she grabbed his collar. "You're still alive? Why do you pester Lei again? If you're courting death, let me help you!" "Ms. Everheart, I know that you have powerful means. You can kill anyone you want. I'm not the first, nor will I be the last. Go ahead if it makes Lei happy!" William closed his eyes and said with a profound meaning. Renee was confused. She tightened her grasp and frowned deeply. At the same time, she glared at the man in front of her as though he was asking for death. "What do you mean? Why do you make me sound so ruthless and bloodthirsty? Why claim that you won't be the first nor the last one?" William was strangled by her grasp around his collar, so he found it hard to breathe. As a result, his face flushed. He
"Have you heard of a saying? The only two things that one needs to forget about a person are time and a new lover..." Leia's gaze became distant as she said slowly, "I traveled around the world during this period to meet different people and gain new experiences. I want them to heal me."At first, it was ineffective. But God made me bump into Xavier on Quartz Island. He isn't my new lover, but he's indeed like a lifeguard. He pulled me out of the deep sea so I could crawl out of the hurt William had caused me. But now it seems like... I've fallen into a deeper abyss." When Renee saw her downcast look, she felt very sorry for Leia. "You should try to seek his heart if you truly like him. I think he must be troubled by some rancor, so he's so hesitant and awkward. He isn't bold enough to get closer to you. He may be in some kind of abyss too, and he needs you to pull him out." "His rancor..." Leia looked at Renee and smiled with a profound meaning. "Maybe it's you?" "Leia, don
William pat Renee on the shoulder after seeing her panicked reaction. "Don't worry. You're Leia's friend. She'd be upset if something were to happen to you, so I won't run my mouth either."Renee seemed conflicted, taking a deep breath as she looked toward the man. "You have to promise you won't tell a single soul, and I mean it. I know I did something bad, but I want to wait till the right time to put an end to it all.""Ms. Everheart, you don't have to tell me anything. I don't think you're wrong at all. Briar deserved it! Let's just pretend none of this ever happened. We'll bring this secret to our graves," William said coldly and resolutely.The woman didn't doubt William's words at all. A frosty expression like that indicated that his love had completely run cold. However, she just couldn't understand how people could behave so indifferently after they've had a change of heart.She knew just how much William used to love Briar after all. He was even willing to trick Leia just
Despite that, Renee had no choice but to meet with Briar, all for Leia's sake."I was actually pretty shocked at the state she was in. Her hair was a mess, and she looked malnourished. And I felt sorry for her…" Renee balled her fists up, a lump rising in her throat. She was inexplicably upset."That's nothing but a facade. That woman is used to acting fragile to gain sympathy. She's actually an evil sociopath deep down. I thought I could fix her if I showed her some genuine love, but… she dragged me down to her level instead!""Hah, you sure are quick to shift all the blame to her. You men are the same. You're just mad because you couldn't handle her.""Looks like Briar is a pitiful woman after all. To think the man who claimed to love her with everything he's got abandoned her in the end regardless." Renee shook her head, sighing.Due to their similar experiences with men, Renee somehow empathized with Briar at some point in time, despite being rivals."She used my tape with Le
Renee returned to the Carmine Pawnshop after destroying the tape thoroughly. She headed to bed with a heavy heart.She was especially restless for the entire night, with several dreams popping in her head during her slumber.In her dreams, Briar crawled out of the sea with messy hair, with her limbs dislocated and her bones penetrating through her flesh. She then cackled eerily, her face completely drenched in blood."Hahaha, Renee Everheart, your days are numbered… I may not have been able to compete against you when I was alive, but I can drag you down to hell with me as a ghost!" Briar screeched as her bloodied face inched closer to Renee, to the point she seemed to be hovering right above her.The suffocating pain consumed the woman's chest. She flung her arms around in panic, screaming, "No! Don't come near me!""Ms. Ren! Ms. Ren! Wake up! The sun is up!" Margaret worriedly held her hand, sitting by her bed. "Argh!" Renee felt like she was pulled out of an abyss as her eyes
Quinton was reading the newspapers at the time, and as he lowered his hands, a sharp glare was revealed."I… I'm just going to tend to some work in the company. There's going to be a lot of new projects coming in, so I figured I should head back to work after such a long vacation.""You're my sister. As long as I'm here to provide for you, you can have a lifelong vacation if you so, please. Besides, it's been quite dangerous lately, so I'd say you should rest a little longer before returning to your work."Quinton was considered the current head of the Everheart family, hence somehow taking up the father figure role. He couldn't help but wish he could place Renee under lockdown forever just to ensure her safety. After all, Beach City was currently in an ever-changing state. Moreover, he had made many enemies in the past and was very worried that his sister would be dragged into his mess."Oh, now you're just being dramatic. I'm not a weakling! If anyone dares to try something on
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo