Xavier eagerly opened the door to his office, and saw Leia standing in front of the French windows. He quickly walked up to her and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck as he murmured elatedly, "My darling, you finally came to see me. You want to tell everyone about our relationship now, right?" When they started dating, their behavior changed drastically. In the past, Leia had been the clingy one, while Xavier was always uncommitted and vague. He had always been reluctant to officially make her his girlfriend, but now, he was the one who wanted to announce it to the world. He had become the clingy one in the relationship, and always wanted to hug and kiss her. However, Leia was concerned about her work, and requested a secret relationship instead."I don't understand why we can't expose our relationship. You're not a celebrity, so it won't affect your career, right?" He complained while hugging her."I'm not a celebrity, but your ex-girlfriend is. You don't know how horrible h
Renee covered her face and turned away, looking embarrassed.Xavier scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Renee, you're here. Why didn't you say anything? I didn't realize….""It's alright, it's just Ren. There's no need to treat her like a guest." Leia walked up to Renee and pulled her into the office, then said to Xavier, "You're aware of Quinton's condition, right? Well, Ren and I came here today to ask if you know any good plastic surgeons. We want to help him treat his scar.""I see. Well, you came to the right person. I do know a lot of good plastic surgeons, but… are you sure he's willing?" Xavier looked troubled as he explained, "I introduced a good plastic surgeon to him before—one who's operated on many celebrities. It would have been easy for the surgeon to heal such a scar, but Quinton refused to go for surgery and argued with me about it, so I didn't dare to bring it up again.""Oh, now I remember. You told me that before but you didn't update me agaim after that. I
Both Leia and Xavier glared at each other."I want a clean break with you from now on. I won't even call you this week. Goodbye!" Leia declared and turned away, her nose in the air."Fine! I won't call you either!" Xavier got angry and hurt, feeling like he wasn't important to her. "If you stop calling me just because of that, I feel like you wouldn't hesitate to leave me if anything happens… I think we should seriously think about whether we want to keep this relationship going."Leia's body stiffened and her lips parted in surprise. "What? Are you breaking up with me because of something this trivial?" "I didn't say that, but I think we need to be rational and figure out if this should go on," he said coldly. He looked like a nonchalant playboy, but when he fell in love, he would do anything for his partner. His feelings would get stronger easily, and he would be more impulsive and childish in his thinking. Xavier said that only because he was serious about this relationship, an
Shirley was wearing an expensive white suit and had a pair of sunglasses on, looking every bit the famous movie star. She lowered her sunglasses slightly and waved at Leia enthusiastically.Leia, however, just rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Well, it's not. This place isn't big and we have our eyes on the same guy, so it's not strange that we bump into each other here. Don't act like we're close." She hated scheming women who always pretended to be weak. Besides, Shirley was Xavier's first love who he had adored for many years, so Leia naturally found her an eyesore."How rude! Shirley is a famous movie star, you know? She actually greeted you politely, but you dare be rude to her! Aren't you afraid of being attacked by Shirley's fans?" Shirley's assistant argued with Leia angrily. Shirley was respected everywhere she went given her current popularity, so her team wasn't used to being treated coldly. Despite Leia's position as the young lady of the Osborne family, the assistant refused
"Xavier, you're here..." Shirley pretended to be shocked and then glanced at Leia. "I don't know why Miss Osborne is so angry. I greeted her politely, but she just started insulting me... But it's fine. As a public figure, I can't make everyone like me."Leia rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and mocked, "Yeah, obviously you're the most innocent person here. I was the unreasonable one for targeting a star like you; I'm nothing but a narrow-minded madwoman.""Miss Osborne, don't say that. I didn't mean that..." Shirley looked at Xavier pitifully. "Xavier, you've been with me for years, so you know me best… Am I a troublemaker?"Xavier glanced at her coldly and said, "If you had acted this well in your movies, we would have profited ages ago.""Xavier, you…" Shirley's face turned livid and she quickly lowered her head, gritting her teeth in anger. Xavier always praised and adored her, so she never expected that he would embarrass her in front of another woman. She could not accept it!"
Xavier put one hand in his pocket, his posture cold as he walked into his office. He then casually dropped onto the sofa, uncaring about his image now."Umm... It's fine. Mr. Stuart, you can talk to Shirley alone and she can brief us later. If we go in, we'll only be in your way," the agent explained quickly. Of course, she hoped that Shirley could win Xavier's heart back. After all, Shirley would fall from grace in less than half a year without a sponsor given her lack of skills. She would lose both her net worth and her huge fanbase, and it would be tough for her to make a comeback again."Just come in. As her team, you should be involved in her future plans, right?" Xavier frowned impatiently, burning with anger. Leia's indifference earlier had annoyed him, and now, these women were trying to scheme against him."Well... This..." Both the agent and assistant glanced at Shirley, waiting for her order. They were loyal to Shirley, so they always obeyed her. "It's fine, just come i
"Cruel?" Xavier sneered and glared at Shirley. "Letting you live after everything you've done is already generous!" Shirley's eyes instantly turned watery, and she grabbed his arm and sobbed. "I know that you're still mad at me because of the affair, and that's why you're behaving like this, but don't you still love me? Give me another chance, we can start over!""No way." Xavier brushed her hand off in disgust. "My intentions back then were sincere, and I really did want to spend the rest of my life with you, but you disappointed me. You're devious and greedy, and I hate that kind of person the most. The only thing I feel for you now is disdain, and if you leave now, maybe I won't think so badly of you." Shirley collapsed on the floor in despair and helplessness. "I didn't do that because I was greedy... I just hoped I could be the perfect match for you. I didn't know things would turn out that way. Your father and I...""Shut up!" Xavier interrupted her and clenched his fists.
Shirley was about to leave in a fit of anger with her agent and assistant, but froze when Leia crashed to the ground in front of them. Everyone was dumbstruck as they stared at her."Ugh, how embarrassing…" Leia mumbled, keeping her head low. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her... Maybe she could migrate to another country tomorrow.Knowing she couldn't hide from them any longer, Leia looked up and smiled at them widely. "Umm… hi. What a coincidence, I just happened to be passing by!"Shirley sized Leia up condescendingly, then scoffed, "Yeah, what a coincidence! Miss Osborne, weren't you eavesdropping on us?""Of course not! Why would I do something like that? I told you I was just passing by." Leia stood up and dusted off her clothes, stubbornly refusing to admit it."I thought you were a virtuous person given your noble background, but it looks like the two clearly aren't connected. Although I grew up in an ordinary family, I never did such an immoral thing
Stefan purposely spoke politely. Awkwardness filled everyone again. The children continued making comments and said a lot of rude things to Stefan."Keep quiet. Didn't you hear me? Are you asking for a beating?" Renee scolded.Renee was gripped with an unspeakable sadness, just like Stefan. She failed to hold herself back from getting mad at the children. "Mommy, we're taking your side. We want to seek revenge for you. Did we do anything wrong? Why are you mad at Abby and me?" Adie felt aggrieved. He would always unconditionally take his mother's side. If Stefan were his family, he would openly welcome Stefan. But since Stefan had abandoned their family and made Renee sad, Adie would only regard Stefan as his enemy. He would fight Stefan fiercely. "Your daddy and I aren't at war. You don't have to pick a side. I just want you kids to be good and not be affected by my relationship with him. Although we're separated, he's still your daddy. No one can replace him. Do you under
When Quinton saw how Renee looked at him, he held himself back and muttered, "You're so dumb. How could you side with him at this moment?""No, I'm not. I just think he's right. There's no right or wrong in a relationship. You can't criticize people just because they don't like me. It'll make us look very petty," Renee said. "Hmph! Do you have to act fine when others bully you? If that's the case, I'm petty," Quinton muttered, but did not expose his thoughts openly. He merely did not want to embarrass Renee, and angrily sipped some wine. Everyone held different thoughts as they ate. In the meantime, Renee and Stefan met each other's gaze several times before quickly looking away. They hid their feelings, but knew what the other felt. Eventually, Margaret returned to the private room with the two children. Both Adie and Abby instantly realized that Stefan was there. Surprise overcame them. Still, they tried their best to suppress their yearning for Stefan's love since he had
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married