Naturally, Xavier wouldn't lose such an important position."I want Skylar to be my diving partner," Santiago ignored Xavier and said to the coach calmly. His words shocked both Xavier and Leia, Xavier even more so."What the hell are you doing? You're trying to advance by retreating? What kind of strategy is that?" Xavier glared at Santiago and demanded, "Why did you pick Skylar? We've finally got a chance to fight each other head-on, so why are you backing out now?"Santiago glanced at Xavier in disdain and murmured, "I'll leave Lei in your hands for now, but you have to make sure she's safe." Puzzled, Xavier watched as Santiago dove into the sea with Skylar after they had changed into their diving suits. "He's mad!" Xavier scoffed, peeved that he was the only one on this metaphorical battlefield. Santiago didn't even want to fight against him. He sighed and walked over to a dazed Leia, then said casually, "Let's get going then, dive buddy." "I must be very unlucky to be paire
When Leia saw the moonstone, she quickly dived deeper. "Slow down!" Worried, Xavier swam after her. The coral reefs were beautiful, but they were also sharp, and some were dangerous to touch. However, Leia was behaving like an irrational child, excitedly pushing aside the corals like she had found a fun new toy. In her eagerness to find the moonstone for Renee to ensure her friend's peaceful life, she failed to see the silver creature lurking in the crevice above the moonstone. Just as Leia was about to touch the moonstone, the creature emerged from its hole and bit the back of her hand. Leia shrieked and pulled her hand away quickly."It's a snake! It's a sea krait!" Xavier's mind went blank when he saw the sea snake bite Leia and swim away. He immediately swam to her and grabbed her hand. Leia pointed at the moonstone excitedly, thinking it was just an insect that bit her. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, she waved the moonstone at Xavier proudly, showing off he
Santiago felt like Xavier was the most opinionated and arrogant man he had ever met. "Have you ever asked Lei what she wants? Who is the outsider here, you or me?" He approached Xavier angrily, wanting to take Leia from him.At that moment, Leia was feeling weak, and her lips were pale. She looked at them and groaned, "Can you two stop fighting? I'm dying here! Hurry up... and get me to the hospital!" Too weak to hold on, she blacked out and lost consciousness. When Leia woke up, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. Both Xavier and Santiago were sitting in front of her bed, and she could feel that the atmosphere between them was tense. However, the most important thing was that she was alive."Lei, you're awake! Are you thirsty? I'll get you some water." When Santiago saw Leia open her eyes, his eyes lit up."Of course she's thirsty, she's been in a coma for two days! If you didn't talk so much, she'd be drinking water by now," Xavier snapped as he handed Leia a cup of warm
"In two to three hours," Santiago replied. "The doctor said they'll put you under anesthesia to clear out the venom in your body, and you can't drink any more water after this until the surgery is done.""Well, there's still time left..." Leia looked around. "Where's my phone? I want to tell Ren I'm okay." However, Xavier gently pushed her back down onto the bed and said, "Don't worry about her, she'll be taken care of.""By whom? Don't tell me it's your scumbag buddy, Stefan!" Leia retorted rudely. "I'll be more worried about her if he's around!"Her words made Xavier snort. "Why do you hate Stefan so much? They're a match made in heaven, but they just have a lot of obstacles to face along the way. It's not fair to label Stefan as a scumbag, is it?""He obviously is!" Leia burst out furiously. "He cheated on Ren while they were still married to each other and got another woman pregnant! In the end, when he finally won Ren back, he got engaged to someone else. Isn't he a scumbag?
Santiago handed Leia her phone, effectively interrupting Xavier and Leia's argument."Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You're the best!" Leia stopped arguing with Xavier and beamed, then used her left hand to call Renee."If you really think so, stop calling me Mr. Dalton..." Santiago muttered unhappily, then said, "You can call me Santiago or even Santi.""Ah, I..." Leia could tell that Santiago was upset, and she didn't know how to respond."Mr. Dalton is how my fans address me, but you're not my fan anymore, so can you call me Santi from now on?" Although Santiago was asking Leia, his firm tone made it clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer."Okay... Santi." Leia turned beet red as she said it. Shyness overwhelmed her, and she felt like she was in a TV drama. Calling Santiago 'Mr. Dalton' was normal, but calling him 'Santi' suddenly seemed incredibly intimate.Xavier frowned and scoffed enviously, "Did you guys forget I'm here? And Santi... How disgusting! Don't tell me this is so
Renee woke up in a large bed in a strange white room. She looked around in confusion, wondering if she was in a morgue. "You're finally awake. You were in a coma for three days because the drug I used was too strong. I actually thought you'd stay that way forever..." A woman's indifferent voice came from the window, sounding as if life and death were nothing to her.Renee immediately turned towards the woman standing at the window, then frowned. "It's... you." It was the woman who had snuck into Renee's ward the other night."I'm honored you remember me," Eloise scoffed sarcastically, as she tended to a bouquet of sunflowers beside the window. She took a pair of scissors and cut the stems of the sunflowers she had just picked, carefully placing them into the vase. It looked very beautiful."The master said sunflowers are your favourite, which is why he ordered me to plant sunflowers in the garden. Now, they're all in bloom, but he can't even see them. It's just like his unrequited
"Hmm… You didn't have the time to look for my master, but you had the time to meet Stefan every night. You had the time to bicker with Mr. Baldwin and chat with Mr. Osborne. You were really busy... so much so that you forgot about my master," Eloise snarled, wrapping her fingers around Renee's pale throat and strangling her. "Did you know that my master came up with countless methods to kill himself while you were with Stefan? His wrists were full of cuts, and no matter where I hid the razor blades, he'd find them. He used to be so strong, but now he's weak and fragile. Do you even know what he's been through?"Renee's eyes widened in surprise, and she slowly stopped resisting. She stared up at Eloise solemnly as she strangled her, and her vision soon started to blur. "Hmph, I won't let you die so easily," Eloise let go of Renee and said coldly. "I brought you here to atone for your sins." Renee coughed as her lungs filled with air again. Gasping, she asked Eloise, "How... do yo
Eloise looked at Renee suspiciously, not believing that someone could be that foolish. "Are you really willing to give up your eyes for him and help cover for us?""Willing or not, I owe it to Jovan." Renee sighed and added, "I don't have to let them know if you don't trust me, but you'll just have to figure out how to deal with them when this becomes a bigger mess." Renee wasn't bluffing Eloise—she genuinely wanted to resolve this. She'd always felt guilty because of Jovan's sacrifices, and when night fell, that uneasiness would play on her mind. She always wondered if he was living in despair or had fallen into his enemies' hands… or if he was dead. Thinking of all those possibilities hurt her and gave her restless nights. She no longer wanted that kind of life; she wanted to repay Jovan."How are you going to tell them that you're safe?" Eloise asked carefully. "I'll post on Facebook..." Smiling, Renee explained, "People in danger wouldn't think of posting something on social me
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
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