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
Francine stayed silent, not denying these allegations. Renee had always been a smart woman, which was why she admired her to begin with."Hah, well, I can't blame anyone but myself for this. I was fooled by Star Actress Shirley's innocent demeanor. As expected from her, I suppose, her acting skills are immaculate." Renee gave a thumbs up as she shook her head, smiling sadly."Does that mean you're admitting to all the crimes you have committed?" Francine asked as she tightened her grasp on the railing, her entire body trembling."What crimes?" Renee lifted her head and stared straight at Francine with her usual thorny attitude."What do you think? Do you feel no regret for what your demented brother has done to Stef and Seraphina? He ruined their lives!""You can insult me, but don't you dare insult my brother. I was the one who made the decision to lure Stefan Hunt into the trap. So I'll take full responsibility for what happened."Renee could guess that her brother had definite
There wasn't even the slightest hint of fear shown on Renee's face. She even burst out laughing, as though she wasn't being held captive."You bitch. How could you laugh in the face of death?!" Seraphina fumed, slapping Renee across the face as hard as she could. "What's so funny, huh? Are you not scared?!"A red slap mark slowly appeared on Renee's fair skin, with blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. It seemed quite painful, yet she didn't even furrow her brows. Instead, the woman continued laughing loudly. "Hahaha, I'm laughing because of your stupidity. You're the one staring in the face of death, yet you still act like you have the upper hand! Isn't that hilarious?""You… What do you mean by that?! I'm doing just fine! How dare you curse me?!" Seraphina was actually feeling quite guilty from the start, and hearing Renee's words took her aback. Despite this, she still intended to slap Renee once more, but it was no match for the woman's great reflexes. She kicked her
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
Renee was furious—he was ridiculous!"You won't allow that?" She snorted and looked at him as if he were crazy. "Who do you think you are? You can't meddle in my life!""I'm nobody, but I know that I don't want you to marry another guy." The man approached Renee, wanting to catch her."Stay away from me, or I'll get somebody! You should know how powerful the Baldwin family is in North City…" Renee spat coldly. She did not want to make things too ghastly, so she wouldn't alert the Baldwin family if she could help it. The man sneered wickedly. "Yes, the Baldwin family is strong. So? Even if they're strong, they can't fight against my cunning means!""What do you mean?" A bad feeling gripped Renee. She wanted to ask more questions, but found herself dizzy. Her surroundings became blurry. "I'm so dizzy! What…did you do?" The next second, she staggered and fainted.He firmly caught her and whispered, "You've suffered a lot, so I'll let you rest a bit.""Ah! You… You…" The make
"You flatter me." Renee smiled, sadness in her eyes. She recalled the day she was about to marry Stefan many years ago. The young female designer responsible for her makeup had praised her the same way. At that time, she had recently lost all her family members and was gripped with excruciating pain. Her waist had been much slimmer. She looked pitiful but bewitching. "Don't worry! Master Hunt is a great man. He'll be nice to you and protect you. You guys are a perfect match."Renee remembered that the makeup artist used a makeup blender to soak her tears and firmly told her that. The artist at that time also felt that Stefan would be her protector for the rest of her life. Renee had a crush on Stefan for many years. He was the ray of light that had saved her from her despair. Although she was strong, she couldn't help but regard him as her savior. At that time, she never imagined spending the rest of her life with someone else other than him. Many years passed since then. Sh
Twenty minutes ago, Renee's gown was accidentally splashed with wine. Hence, she changed into a spare slim-fit strapless gown. The long gown reached to the floor and was full of shining diamonds. It set off her curvy figure and made her appear like a noble princess from a painting. Unfortunately, her waist was too slim, so the gown didn't fit her well.The young woman who was responsible for Renee's makeup patted her chest and said confidently, "It's fine. I'll tighten the waistline a bit. Leave it to me! I'll get it done in ten minutes.""Are you sure?" Justin couldn't hide his amazement as he watched Renee, who had changed into a new gown. He cleared his throat and said, "I think this is already perfect. It's fine even if you don't adjust the waistline."He felt that Renee was the most perfect woman no matter how she appeared. She would always bewitch him, even if she was just wearing slippers and casual coats.If his parents hadn't insisted on getting a renowned designer t
Liam looked certain. "The Baldwin residence is strictly guarded. Plus, Austin owns military power. If the Hunt family wants to take Renee away, they'll have to fight the Baldwins. Things will get very hideous. But if they use a little trick, they don't have to waste any manpower to take her away. Why wouldn't they do that?""So, you're saying that Mr. and Mrs. Hunt fought against Justin's parents to purposely attract others' attention and to cover for Stefan. They wanted to give him the chance to take Ren away secretly.""That's very likely."Liam nodded. Else, he couldn't figure out why the decent Alexander and Francine would do such an indecent thing in front of so many rich and powerful people. After all, the Hunts would be ridiculed for what they had done just now if it got exposed. It was such a great price. They wouldn't have to make such a great sacrifice if not for their son's lifetime happiness."If that was true, the Hunts are just too cunning." Leia shrugged. She fou
The spotlight shone on the entrance as everyone looked forward to the prince and princess' entrance.However, only Justin appeared like a charming prince in front of everyone in his white suit. There was no sign of his princess. Austin's initial confident smile stiffened. He flexed his fingers slightly and held himself back as he waited quietly for Justin to get onto the stage. Justin took calm steps. Smiling, he waved and greeted everyone, looking very much like a future bridegroom. When he got on the stage, Austin pulled him over. While lowering his voice, he interrogated coldly, "Why are you alone? Where is Ren?""Don't worry, Grandpa. Ren is the princess. Of course, she has to come last. We're just people who set off her charms. All we need to do is wait for her patiently."Then, Justin held the microphone and faced all the guests below the stage. He cleared his throat and said, "Please calm down, ladies and gentlemen. My future bride's gown is rather grand and needs more
Austin was telling the truth."Of course, children will always stay with their mothers. Home is wherever their mother is. You'd better ask about Ren's opinion instead of making a scene here."Austin glanced at the gilded ancient clock above the hall, his eyes sharp."The engagement ceremony of my grandson and Ren is about to start in ten minutes. You can ask her opinion when she's here.""Really?"Francine was delightedly surprised. For the first time, she felt that Austin was not as horrible as legend had it. He was reasonable. She tried to reconfirm with him. "So, you're saying that I can ask Ren to come home with me when she's out, and you'll let her go if she says yes?" "No, you're wrong." Austin shook his head. "She came here willingly. Of course, it's not as if you need to ask me to let her go.""It's fine. That's not important as long as you remember what you said." Francine was confident and eager. She then said smugly to Austin and the others, "Wait and see! I have w