Michael was already furious, but his anger escalated when he saw his son's incompetence. He raised his hand, as if he wanted to strike Patrick's head, and shouted, "How did I end up with such a useless son? No brains! No backbone! Letting a woman lead you around! If you had even half of Carl's intelligence, we wouldn't be in this mess!"Patrick's expression darkened further.Renee withdrew her hand from the doorknob, realizing that leaving now would only further embarrass Patrick, who had always been kind to her. She couldn't bear to do that.Just then, a calm, deep voice cut in.A tall, dark figure approached with measured steps, composed and reserved.His handsome face was devoid of expression, and his eyes showed a touch of coldness."Dad, Calvin is fine now. There's no point in berating Patrick," Carl said calmly."I want to do more than just berate him! The Hendersons want an explanation. If this scandal gets out, where will the Grey family hide their faces? It all comes do
The police acted efficiently, wasting no time in presenting the settlement agreement to Renee after she agreed to settle. One of the officers was the female officer who had taken Renee's statement earlier. Kindly, she reminded Renee, "Are you sure you've thought this through?" Renee's hand trembled slightly as she held the pen and with a bitter smile, she said, "I'm sure. Let's just get it over with." She felt she had no choice but to go along with everything, feeling like nothing more than a pawn in someone else's control. Without giving herself a chance to reconsider, Renee quickly signed her name. The officer sighed, took the agreement, and left.Shortly after, Susanne entered the room carrying a basket of fruits. Their eyes met, and Susanne's were rimmed with red from guilt. "Renee..." she began. "I know everything. Is Patrick okay?" Renee asked. Susanne wiped her tears, sighing as she took out the fruits from the basket. "He's fine, just received a scolding. You know ho
At the university gates early in the morning, there weren't many people around.Exhausted, Renee was forcefully pulled into Carl's car despite her struggles. No matter how hard she tried to resist, a strong force continued to pull her back.Looking up, she realized that he seemed to be playing with her, as if her resistance was just a ploy to attract him.Finally, she gave up and let her arms drop.Carl pulled her close, lifted her face, and gently touched her reddened forehead."Looks like you haven't learned your lesson. Why did you leave the hospital?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't been the one pushing her to settle outside the hospital room.Renee stared at him, feeling like she couldn't understand him even after two lifetimes.Seeing her silence, Carl gripped her chin more firmly.She felt like a doll in his hands, manipulated at his will.Feeling humiliated, Renee gritted her teeth and forcefully slapped his hand away.The sound echoed loudly in the car.A tense s
Renee reluctantly followed Carl to Annie's apartment.Upon exiting the elevator, they were met with a shocking scene - bloodstains scattered on the floor and red paint smeared on the door.Before Renee could react, Carl rushed into the apartment. She heard a man's agonized scream and Annie's sobbing."Carl! I'm so scared! I'm afraid..."Annie's cries snapped Renee back to reality, and she quickly entered the apartment.Inside, she saw a man lying on the floor, his face contorted in anger, blood dripping from his mouth, and tightly gripping a knife.Annie, on the other hand, cradled her bleeding arm as she weakly leaned into Carl's embrace, her face filled with sorrow.The man continued to curse Annie, calling her derogatory names and accusing her of promiscuity.Annie pleaded, "No, no, I'm not like that..."The man laughed coldly, "Don't lie! That's what everyone online is saying! Someone told me you're easy to sleep with! Besides, men are coming in and out of your apartment e
She watched helplessly as she bled, while across the room, Carl pulled Annie behind him protectively.Annie smiled from behind Carl.Seeing this, Renee's face turned pale, and she let out a bitter laugh...Soon, the police burst in."Who called the police?""I did," Carl said coldly, pointing at Renee. "Her. Take her away."The police, seeing Renee's injury, exclaimed, "There's so much blood. We need to bandage this first."Carl didn't even look at her. "I said take her away. She must face the consequences of her actions."With that, Renee was handcuffed.The concerned police officer used his personal bandage to stop the bleeding from her wound.The slight pressure made Renee break out in a cold sweat from the pain.As she was being led away, she paused briefly and said nonchalantly, "I didn't do it."As Carl looked up at her, Annie fainted.He naturally ignored Renee, carefully picking up Annie instead.Renee glanced around, suddenly realizing that Carl's presence was ev
Susanne rushed to the police station and her face turned pale with fear upon seeing Renee's injured hand."What happened? You just left the hospital. How are you in trouble again? You're a designer, your hands are crucial!"Susanne understood this, so how could Carl not? Yet he had kicked the man's knife towards her.If that's how it was, then let the chaos continue.Renee smoothed her hair and said, "I'm fine. Mom, did you find out what I asked you to look into?"Susanne held Renee's hand, tears falling as she worried. It took her a moment to respond."Yes, I did. Look."Susanne took out her phone and showed the contents only to Renee.After seeing it, Renee felt somewhat relieved. "Just as I thought."Susanne pressed her lips together. "Renee, what do we do now? The Calvin incident just ended, and you're in trouble again. With Mr. Grey's temperament, he'll surely banish you.""I'm afraid it won't be as simple as banishment."They exchanged a knowing look.Mr. Grey knew ab
"It's not that she's different from Calvin, it's that she's different from me. She's pure and noble, she's your fiancée, and I'm nothing. So I shouldn't compete with Annie, shouldn't resist, shouldn't defend myself. I should bow my head and accept my fate, I should offer myself up, I should admit my wrongs, right?"Uncle Carl, have you thought about what would happen after I do all that?"Would you really let me go?"So what should I do? Die?"Renee's words cut deep, but she laughed after saying them.She raised her injured hand towards Carl, waving it slightly. "A few millimeters more and it would have cut the nerve. Are you disappointed, Uncle Carl? If my hand was ruined, your Annie would be the school's only representative in the competition. Then the online gossip would turn into me maliciously slandering her and getting what I deserved. Mr. Grey could use that to get rid of me, while your Annie would remain the untouchable goddess."You never care about what I say or do. You
Renee composed herself and took a moment to think. Then, she leaned closer to the female officer, the only person she felt she could trust."Could you please...""Alright, I will," the officer nodded.After explaining everything, Renee finally felt at ease.To avoid putting the officer in a difficult position, she took a deep breath and said, "I've said all I need to say. I won't let you get in trouble for me. Handle this however you need to."Not wanting the kind officer to face trouble with Carl because of her, Renee obediently raised her cuffed hands.The officer hesitated, then chuckled. "Actually..."She started to speak but trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.Then, meaningfully, she said, "Don't you think staying here might actually be the safest option for you?""Safe?" Renee didn't quite understand but nodded anyway. "Thank you."The officer seemed to want to say more but shook her head and said nothing. She unlocked Renee's handcuffs and left the room.Som