Francine glared at Stefan. "I'll beat him up if he cancels the marriage!"...Meanwhile, Quinton was recovering in another hospital. It was now time to remove the gauze on his face.Renee waited in the ward with her two children and Margaret. Adie and Abby were extremely excited, and couldn't stop asking questions."Did they remove the scar on Uncle's face?" "Did he become a handsome man?""Is he as handsome as Daddy?" "Will we get a beautiful aunt soon?"Renee's head was starting to ache, and she shushed them exasperatedly. "Stop it, you two. He needs rest, so don't disturb him."Quinton leaned back against the bed and smiled at the kids tenderly. "It's fine, I feel better after listening to them. It's more effective than any medicine." Abby walked to Quinton and held his hand, asking gently, "Uncle, have you ever been in love?""Ahem!" Renee quickly stopped Abby. "Abby, don't be rude. He's your uncle." 'Of all the things she could ask him, why that?!'Abby was baffled.
"I don't have a girlfriend but... there's a woman I can't forget," Quinton replied honestly. It was difficult for the children to understand the significance of an unforgettable woman to a man. Renee was the only one who knew who Quinton was referring to. "Quinton, you..." Renee looked at Quinton hesitantly. "Hey, it's a happy day. Let's not think about unhappy things..." Margaret said quickly when she noticed the tense atmosphere. "Mr. Everheart, I'm sure you'll be blessed after surviving this disaster. If you do have someone you can't forget, you should try your best to be with her. If you can't, you can get to know other women; I'm sure many women will fancy you.""That's wishful thinking," Quinton replied calmly, looking distant and melancholic. "Margaret, please take the kids out for a walk. I need to speak to Quinton alone," Renee said to Margaret finally."Okay." Margaret nodded and patted Renee's shoulders, whispering, "Miss Ren, I think Mr. Everheart has changed a lot
"The person you would never meet again..." Clenching her fists, Renee yearned to ask Quinton if it was Joanne, but didn't, knowing it was a sensitive topic."Let's talk about you instead, shall we?" Quinton said suddenly and flashed a smile at Renee. "I heard that the neurosurgeon operated on me because of Stefan. Do you owe him a favor now, or is it me?" While peeling the apple, Renee's hand shook, and she cut her finger. It started bleeding.Quinton's eyes grew wide, and he said anxiously, "Renee, are you alright? Let me have a look." He tried to get out of bed, but Renee held him down. She sighed and casually wrapped her finger with tissue. "It's no big deal. I'm not that delicate."After that, she continued peeling the apple and cut it into small pieces. She picked up a piece with a toothpick and handed it to Quinton. "Eat this." Quinton obeyed her and bit into the apple. After that, he said, "Don't avoid the subject. How should we return Stefan's favor?""It's unnecess
"Umm, that..." Renee knew what Quinton meant—he wanted her to get back together with Stefan. She might have considered that in the past, but now, she knew that they had no future together. She couldn't accept a sinister and cunning man who tried to kill her brother, and anyway, Stefan and his family would never accept a person who had nearly killed him several times. Even if she tried to ignore him, she still saw news related to Stefan.[The president of Hunt Group was attacked! His life is in danger, and he's in a coma!]Those headlines were a constant reminder that she'd nearly killed Stefan. A vast chasm separated Stefan and Renee, and even their past together couldn't bridge the gap. Besides, he had forgotten all about her, so their past together was practically nonexistent now."Renee, don't stress. If you guys love each other, don't hold back. Don't be like me, and sacrifice your dignity for a lifetime's worth of regret." Quinton looked crestfallen again. "She hated me even be
Renee wiped away her tears and threw herself at Quinton, hugging his neck tightly. "Uncle, you're so handsome. We want a hug, too!" Adie and Abby were amazed by Quinton's looks too, and tried to reach up to hug him. Children generally loved charming people. When Adie and Abby saw Quinton for the first time, they were frightened by his face and burst into tears, but now, they hugged and kissed him adoringly.It was a beautiful and touching scene. A week later, Quinton recovered and was discharged from the hospital. He instinctively wanted to wear his mask, but was stopped by Renee. "Quinton, you no longer need it..." Renee took his mask and put it in a box, then held his hand and smiled. "Be brave, you're going to be fine." Quinton nodded hesitantly. "I'll try my best." Putting on a mask was like wearing a disguise—behind a mask, you could be somebody else, but without it, everything was out in the open. It wasn't easy for Quinton to adjust to the sudden change. Quinton was n
The slim figure standing beside the pond was none other than Joanne. "Jo… Joanne?" Quinton whispered in disbelief, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Past memories engulfed him, and the image of her wild eyes as she held a knife over him flashed in his mind."Quinton, we'll go to hell together!" Joanne whispered viciously as she held his neck tightly. Quinton had somehow survived, and had managed to swim to a small island nearby. He had been badly injured, and had been nursed back to health by the locals. After that, he had lost contact with Joanne, and eventually received news that she had passed away. His resentment and bitterness grew, making him more paranoid and twisted after years of despair. However, this recent near-death experience had changed him. The second he saw Joanne, it was not hatred that overwhelmed him, but love. Unfortunately, the woman just stared at the pond as if she had not heard Quinton."Jo..." Quinton approached her and tried to
"Hey, what's the matter? You're scaring me. Are you really my brother?" Renee asked teasingly as she held Quinton's face and scrutinized him. After that, she nodded solemnly. "Hmm... You're handsome, so you must be my brother." "Heh. You know I can't get mad at you." Quinton rubbed Renee's head dotingly and left the hospital together with her. Joanne was standing in a corner out of sight, and she watched them until they left. She dug her nails into her skin as her heart throbbed painfully. "Quinton..." Past memories of Quinton doting on her the way he did with Renee flashed in her mind.How had things ended up like this?...The car sped along and finally stopped in front of Everheart Manor. It was once a burned-down manor that frightened people, but after Quinton's meticulous repairs, its liveliness and warmth had returned. Adie and Abby loved the place very much, especially Abby. She needed a good environment because of her asthma, and it wasn't until they moved here that Abby
"Umm... I'll try my best," Quinton replied reluctantly. In the past, he had always dreamed of making a comeback and avenging the parents he had never met before. However, after surviving this disaster, he was no longer as vengeful as he used to be.Chase's disappearance had dealt a great blow to Carmine Pawnshop, and Quinton's position in Beach City wasn't as strong as it was before. Plus, if he wanted to take revenge, there would be collateral damage, and Quinton didn't want to harm his family and friends. He preferred spending peaceful days with his family than fighting; more than anything, he didn't want to lose his family. "What? You're a man, so you should act like one! Your grandfather and father were famous and mighty in Beach City, but how is it that you're such a wimp? You should act like the grandson of a general you are!" Levi was very close to Theodore Everheart, Renee's father, and had been planning to avenge his cousin. He always felt that Renee shouldn't get involved
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
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.
"That's unnecessary." Justin stood in front of Renee, his face cold. He said firmly, "She's unwell and can't have wine." "Is she unwell? I didn't see that." Jovan sized Renee up before he sized Justin up. Then, he sneered, "And who are you to her? You can't stop her from having wine.""It's none of your business who I am to her. I said she can't have wine." Justin always kept peace with others, but at that moment, he was dominant. He didn't always want to control Renee, but she had drunk a lot of wine that day. It might have hurt her belly. Hence, he felt it better for her to abstain from wine lately. However, Jovan was unaware of that affair. He simply found Justin purposely showing his ownership over Renee, which disgusted him."Waiter, get her a glass of milk. She only wants that," Justin instructed a waiter, showing his consideration for Renee. "It's okay. I can have a little wine. Plus, I'm rather good at drinking. It's not easy for everyone to get together tonight. I do
They danced for around ten minutes. Renee danced to the song heartily. Her initial gloomy mood also improved.Renee drank some water and took a few deep breaths. Then, she sincerely praised Leia, "Alright. Your welcome ceremony is bizarre, but it helped relieve my stress. I like it very much!"She could tell that Leia had painstakingly prepared that gift for her. After all, it was not easy to ask the Zambawi people from primitive tribes to sing an English song. "I'm glad you like it. I did this because I wanted you to relax and stop taking things seriously. You need to stop being so hard on yourself and get rid of all the pressure!" Leia said honestly. The Zambawi hand-drum dance came with the charms of a primitive dance. Its goal was to set people free. Of course, it was suitable for Renee to relieve her stress."Yeah, your stress is relieved. From now on, you'll start afresh. This is for you. I'm sure it'll be one of your happy memories." Liam handed the previous Polaroid to
"This is your welcome ceremony. This hand-drum dance is to help eliminate bad luck." Leia held Renee's arm, satisfied with her arrangement. She said happily, "Listen to their song! It's a great song!""Is there a song?" Renee frowned; she felt that Leia was always doing bizarre things. She wondered how Leia could come up with such a preposterous welcome ceremony."Mm, listen carefully! It's English. You can understand it." At that point, Leia said to the Zambawi people, "Put on your microphone. And sing louder."The Zambawi people gave their cooperation. They used their typical Zambawi singing to sing the English song. While listening to the song, Renee found it very familiar. "The flowers will bloom in spring, and the birds are free. I'm still waiting, waiting for my love to come back. Hurry home!""Isn't that Spring Flowers by Curtis Harrett?" Renee finally recalled what song it was. It was a song with a happy beat. It could make people happy. The Zambawi people made th
"I don't know, either. All I ever remember from when I was young is that I led a very painful life. I once tried my best to make the Garcia family accept me. I did all the dirty and tiring jobs. I went out to work at an early age to get money for them. I also did all the house chores. "But my foster parents were never nice to me. They would always beat me up or scold me. My elder foster brother also saw me as an eyesore. He always tried to get me killed…" Quinton calmly described his past. He no longer seemed to be in pain. All that was left in him was numbness, as if he were talking about someone else.However, Renee was always in pain whenever she heard him talk about his past. She felt like she had returned to his past with him and experienced those painful things. It was normal for her to feel that way because they were twins. A lot of their thoughts and feelings were synchronized. "I suddenly recalled that I would inexplicably become gloomy many times when I was young. I
"I'm sorry." When Renee heard that from Quinton, she realized the conflict between him and Stefan had yet to be resolved. It was temporarily put aside because of her. She occasionally saw him and Stefan talk to each other and drink together, but they merely put on a show to ease her mind. Their hatred for each other hadn't been eliminated. Instead, it was growing secretly. If Renee were Quinton, she might never forgive the person who had snatched away her beloved and seized her identity. That person even ruined her face."Why did you say sorry to me? It's the resentment between him and me. It has nothing to do with you. Plus, I didn't know he was my brother-in-law then. If I knew, I wouldn't have fought him." When Quinton recalled those affairs, he realized that people were nothing but the sport of fate. If there had been no resentment between him and Stefan, Renee might not have broken up with Stefan. Their families might even get closer. "Stop bringing up the past. It's
During these days, Renee was under pressure because of her affairs. She had no chance to ask Quinton about it. Now, the long flight gave them a chance to have a deep conversation. They could talk about their woes and seek consolation."Me?" Quinton lowered his head and shook his head helplessly. "I'm still the same old me. Nothing is troubling me. I've been busy with Carmine Pawnshop. I have no time to think about other stuff.""You have no time?" Renee touched her chin and smiled naughtily. "Then, you must have been dwelling on other stuff. Let me guess… Is it the thing between you and Joanne?" "Stop asking so much." Quinton did not deny it but refused to talk much about that. "It looks like I made the right guess. You fell out with Joanne, didn't you?" Renee knew Quinton well. Generally, his work would not affect his mood. The only person who could affect his mood was Joanne, who shared a complicated relationship with him. Before Renee left Beach City, she had created a l