"No, that's not true!" Renee said in panic, worried that Adie would investigate her whereabouts."I'm safe, and nothing has happened to me in years. So, don't worry, take care of Abby, and listen to Margaret. Understand?" Before Renee could end the call, Adie said bluntly, "No, Mommy, you've gotten into a lot of trouble in the past few years, and you still get into trouble. I think something's happened to you, and that's why you don't want to video call us... How about this, Mommy? Turn your camera on for a second and let me see you; I'll believe you if there's really nothing wrong.""Umm, well..." Renee stammered, then blurted out, "What are you saying, Adie? I'm hiking with my friend, and the signal is bad. I'll hang up first!" After that, she quickly ended the call, feeling guilty."You're so lucky, Ms. Everheart! Your children are cute and smart, and they love you so much!" Lisa remarked, looking wistful."I'm lucky, but they're not..." Renee sighed miserably and explained, "Th
"This isn't a sacrifice, it's a repayment." Renee forced a calm smile onto her face. "Thank you for thinking about me, but this had to be done." Lisa pursed her lips and said reluctantly, "Okay, I'll keep it a secret since you asked me to. Are you sure you want to leave now though? If you do, I'll talk to Ms. Pierce for you. I think she'll be okay with it.""There's no rush." A sigh escaped Renee. "You said that Jovan is still in a coma, and we don't know how he'll feel when he wakes up. I think it's better for me to sneak out after it's proven that he can see again. That way, if anything happens in between, I can still help." "Oh, Ms. Everheart, you're so kind! Even now, you're worried about Mr. Jovan. You must love him a lot, don't you?" Lisa smiled warmly and said, "Don't worry—you're the only one Mr. Jovan likes. Once he's recovered, he can snatch Hunt Enterprise from Stefan, then he can take care of you and make it up to you.""Ugh, I didn't think of that..." Renee groaned,
"No, it was Stef who made the decision, I just saw it through. It's his life, so I can only respect his choices," Francine said with a melancholic sigh. Back then, she was overbearing and used to control every aspect of Stefan's life. She even used to meddle in his marriage, until Stefan's relationship with Renee took a turn for the worse. Maybe she should have just let them be since Stefan cared so much about Renee… Maybe she shouldn't have given Briar a chance.Naturally, she didn't want to make the same mistake again. "But do all of you respect me? Have you ever thought about the consequences if something does wrong? Have you thought about what would happen to me if he really does regain his memories?" Seraphina's eyes watered as she asked them desperately. She turned to Francine, looking aggrieved. "You know about my feelings for Stef, Madam Francine, and you know what I've suffered for him. I've been with him when he was blind, on the verge of death, and even when the executive
"But where's Dr. Wagner? There's only half an hour left until the surgery, but he's not here yet. How unprofessional!" Francine tutted disapprovingly as she glanced at her watch. Brain surgeon or not, how dare he neglect the heir of Hunt Enterprise?"Let's wait a little while longer. Dr. Wagner usually arrives right on time, and besides, he only agreed to do this surgery because of his friendship with Mr. Hunt.""Hmph! Let's see how great he is then! He'd better cure my son, or it's over for him." Francine huffed as she sat in the corridor, forcing herself to be patient.Meanwhile, Seraphina stood in an isolated area, wiping away her tears as her gaze turned cold. She fished out her phone and called an unregistered number. "Turns out they don't care about me at all, so I don't have to hesitate. Do it—I'll bear the consequences!" After a while, it was time for the surgery.Anxious from the wait, Francine demanded, "What's the matter? Isn't he going to start the surgery now? He's s
Seraphina stepped forward and hugged Francine, patting her back reassuringly. "Don't be upset, Madam Francine—this might be a good thing. Now, Stefan doesn't have to take so many risks. It's meant to be, don't you think?""I'm not sad, but I find it strange that the doctor got into an accident right before the surgery..." Francine glanced at the operating room worriedly. "Stef will be furious when he finds out, and he'll definitely look into it.""Umm..." Seraphina swallowed, her anxiety obvious. Putting both of his hands in his pockets, Elijah turned to Seraphina with a fake smile. "Didn't you want to stop the surgery earlier, Ms. Murphy? Why do you look so worried then? To be honest, I'm not sure whether you want him to have the surgery or not." "What are you trying to say, Elijah?" Seraphina glared at Elijah and snapped, "I don't care about the surgery—I just want Stefan to be safe and healthy. I'll support whatever he does as long as it helps him get better.""Really? Don't
"Good, the surgery can proceed as planned then. Where is he?" Francine asked curiously."Oh, he..." Elijah glanced at the surgery room. "He entered the room using a staff card. I think the surgery has already started.""What? It's already started?" Francine quickly put her palms together and prayed, "God, please protect him, I beg you... As long as he's safe, I'll do my best to separate him from Renee!"Elijah frowned, looking perplexed. "Madam, why do you want to break up the couple after you agreed to the surgery? Didn't you say that you wouldn't meddle in his life anymore, and you'll let him make his own decisions?" "I did say that, but a fortune teller told me that they're incompatible, and they'll be in serious trouble if they get together. So, I've got to be the villain here to keep them safe," Francine answered honestly. Of course, it was also up to them whether or not they could overcome the obstacles in their path and be with each other forever. "Madam, when did you bec
Owen was immediately surrounded by people."How did the surgery go, Dr. Wagner? Is my son okay?" Francine asked Owen agitatedly. "Don't worry. The surgery was very successful, and everything will be okay as long as he gets good rest for a few days." The long surgery had exhausted Owen, so he didn't speak much and quickly headed to the changing room to change his clothes. There had been a lot of weird things about Stefan's brain surgery, and he needed to talk to Stefan once he'd woken up."Great! He's finally out of danger." Francine breathed a sigh of relief. To her, the most important thing was her son's safety. Seraphina stood nearby with a complicated expression, feeling conflicted. She was relieved that Stefan was safe, but she was also worried about the aftermath of this surgery. "Are you okay, Ms. Murphy?" Elijah walked up to Seraphina and whispered, noticing Seraphina's odd reaction. "I... I'm fine !" Seraphina swallowed and averted her gaze in obvious guilt. Elijah
"I won't hold you responsible for that because I know you only did it out of love for Stefan, but I hope you can understand my intentions too," Francine said slowly.Seraphina looked up, her eyes teary. "What are you saying, Madam Francine? What do you want?" "Calm down..." Although Francine seemed to be reassuring Seraphina, she looked disapproving and solemn. "I won't force you to leave my son, but I'll respect his choices. It's his business if he picks you or someone else. However, I do have one request—that you stay away from Stef while he's recuperating.""What?" Seraphina was stunned, and protested, "Isn't that too much, Madam Francine? You know what I've suffered and sacrificed for Stefan, but now that he's got his memories back, you want to get rid of me. You're not even letting me see him! Don't you feel bad doing this to me?" Seraphina wasn't used to such treatment having been pampered and spoiled her whole life. She was once the only heiress of the Murphy family before h
"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
"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