"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
"Haha, why else? It's because Shirley is practically your clone!" The manager slapped the woman on the back excitedly. "You just look so alike! Everyone in our industry is saying how Shirley is your stand-in too." "Shirley's debut film was the one that starred the famous Mr. Hunt and was inspired by the trending short story 'Hunt my Everheart.' People absolutely loved it, and that was Shirley's big break…"Renee brushed her hair out of her face and continued replying awkwardly. "Yeah, I've kind of heard of it.""It's a shame that Mr. Hunt is currently going out with Ms. Murphy. Looks like everyone's ship sank…" The manager let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with regret and sympathy.Renee watched as Shirley worked from afar, unable to contain her curiosity. "Is Ms. White still single?""Oh her?" The manager turned to look at Shirley as well, smiling. "She has someone rich, but you can't tell anyone this, okay?""Who is it? Is it Xavier Stuart?" "No, no, think bigger.""Bigg
"Does that mean you like Xavier?""That's not the only relationship a man and a woman could have, you know…" Not intending to stall any longer, Renee told her everything."Basically, my friend likes him, and I think he's fallen for her too. But he's just acting so weird! He likes her, but he doesn't dare to make a move.""So I was wondering if he has some kind of unresolved issues and if it has anything to do with you.""Fell for your friend?" A glimpse of jealousy flashed within Shirley's gorgeous eyes for a split second. She then let out a cold chuckle. "I think your friend must have been assuming things. Xavier loves me very much, and he'd never move on so easily."I did reject him in the past, but something happened later on, and it helped me confirm my feelings towards him. That's why I've decided to be with him. So I'm guessing he rejected your friend because of this.""R… Really?" Renee was dejected after hearing this. After all, everyone knew just how head over heels Xa
As Renee headed towards the parking lot, she found her head heavy, and she was feeling more disoriented the more she walked."Alright, everyone, get in position! And… action!" Behind her was the director giving orders, followed by the sound of the clapperboard.Shirley had already left the waiting area by then, and she now stood by the cliff for yet another shoot.Amongst her dizziness, she noticed Shirley's long hair and white dress. It was rather odd, but she found her looking quite similar to Briar, who she accidentally pushed down this cliff three months ago.Shirley and Briar's faces started merging into one, passing through the group of staff with an eerie smile. She was staring straight at her as blood started dripping out of the corners of her eyes and mouth…"Ah! No! Don't come near me!" Renee screamed as she blacked out, falling straight to the ground.After some time, as she regained consciousness slightly, she felt a bucket of ice-cold water poured onto her face.S
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
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked