Stefan finally understood Renee's thoughts and hugged her gently as he whispered, "Don't worry—you have me. I'm your biggest support. You can do whatever you want to. If you don't want to meet people, we won't. If you want to stay home forever, I'll stay here with you. It's not a big deal.""Thank you. You're the best!" Renee leaned into his arms, her eyes watery. In the past, she had achieved many things, but now she finally knew what true happiness was. It was not about status or wealth, but feeling secure with loved ones who made you happy."It's okay if you don't want to go out, but you must have the check-up. We can't ignore you and the baby in your belly." Stefan thought about it for a while, then came up with an idea. He patted her belly and said reassuringly, "Just leave it to me. I'll arrange it."Renee was lying in a lawn chair in the backyard and enjoying some sun that day when a professional obstetrics team moved into Everheart Manor with advanced equipment. Stefan spent
Since Renee was blind, her senses of touch and smell were extremely sensitive, and she knew the library had been transformed the moment she entered it. The former smell of books had been replaced by the smell of disinfectant, and even the lights felt hotter, like the lights found in hospitals. At that moment, she placed her life in Stefan's hands. She would resign to her fate even if he wanted to dissect her."What a rich imagination you have! Our kid might be a novelist in the future," Stefan said in amusement as he led her into the library."Ms. Everheart, we're going to take your blood now. We need to perform a full body check-up on you and test your blood," a nurse explained to Renee gently."Fine, go ahead. After all, I'm in your hands now." Renee held her hand out and chuckled nervously. After that, she heard some rustling and felt something sharp prick her arm."Be gentler," Stefan barked when he saw Renee wince, and watched her blood fill the tube. "Mr. Hunt, you certai
After that, Owen fished out a stethoscope. He was about to put his hand under Renee's clothes."Wait!" Stefan yelped, and pushed Owen's hand away. "What are you doing?""I'm trying to listen to her heartbeat. What do you think I'm doing?" Owen asked in bewilderment."Let me do it." Stefan took the chest piece from him and said seriously, "My wife is shy, so I should do it. All you have to do is listen to her heartbeat."Owen was speechless.Stefan asked stubbornly, "What's the matter? Can't I do it?""I mean… you can. But don't you think it's strange?" Owen asked hesitantly.Stefan replied, "No, it's not. What's strange is if you touch her that way." He wouldn't know if Owen accidentally touched other areas while performing the check-up. It was fine if he wasn't present, but since he was watching, he couldn't accept it."So… I guess all those romance novels are true. You're a textbook example of an overbearing president," Owen grumbled under his breath. Reality seemed more exag
Owen had been trying to lighten the mood, but his expression suddenly turned serious. "Wait!" He frowned deeply and ordered Stefan, "Place it two to three centimeters down and to the left."His words made Stefan nervous. He did as told, then asked hesitantly, "Is there something wrong?"However, Owen didn't reply as he listened to Renee's heartbeat. After a while, he put the stethoscope down, his expression grim. "I can't say for sure... I'll only be able to tell after getting the blood test results."Renee had been quietly cooperating all along, but her eyes widened in realization when Owen spoke. She quickly said to him, "I think we'd better stop here. I'm sure you're tired, and I'm feeling tired too since they took so much of my blood. Let's continue tomorrow!" She knew that there might be something wrong with her body, but she didn't know how serious it was, so maybe it was best that not many people knew about it so they wouldn't worry. Besides, if Tess managed to figure out who
Seeing how crestfallen Stefan looked, Owen had no choice but to comfort him. His preliminary judgment based on Renee's strange heartbeat and her fatigue was that there was something wrong with her health… but it wasn't because of her pregnancy. However, he couldn't make a groundless conclusion without referring to the blood test results, and he didn't want to agitate Stefan."I'm glad it's normal." Stefan breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you hear that, dear? You're fine. It's just that you get tired easily because you're pregnant. It's my fault—I have no experience with this, so I thought something was wrong with your health!" Stefan hugged Renee happily and pointed at her belly. "Baby, you'd better be good. Don't torture your mother. Your mommy is tired because of you, and if you tire her too much, I'll beat you up once you're born!"Amused, Renee smiled sweetly. "Oh, stop being so silly. You don't act like a mighty president at all.""Alright, guys, that's enough romance for one da
"What's the matter?" Owen asked Renee curiously."I hope you won't tell Stefan if there's any bad news," Renee said simply. She had made Stefan leave because she didn't want him to worry about her, and she needed Owen's cooperation to make that happen. "Ah, I guessed as much." Owen was not surprised by Renee's request. On the contrary, he felt sorry for her. Renee was the ill one, but she only cared about Stefan and didn't want him to be sad. It was a textbook example of true love."Don't worry, I'm not some insensible blabbermouth. I know what I should or shouldn't say," Owen said reassuringly, then added lightly, "Well, don't worry too much about it. I might not work miracles, but I'm still pretty good at what I do. You'll be fine as long as you stick with me. Also, nothing is really certain, and it could just be that you're tired because of the pregnancy.""I hope so." Renee smiled wearily and said nothing more. She felt that the blood test results would be bad. After all, the
Owen sighed deeply. He wanted to tell Renee that it was better for her to die early given her condition. Based on the blood test results and Renee's current fatigue, there was a high possibility that Renee was suffering from heavy metal poisoning. If that was the case, Renee would eventually have organ failure and nerve damage, and die a slow and painful death. In the initial stage, people would feel tired and sleep all the time, then the nerve damage and organ failure would start to cause them excruciating pain.Her life would become a living hell.Owen tried to think of the best way to phrase the cruel truth, and finally said, "You don't have to worry—I'll cure you." Although he said that, it was extremely difficult to cure heavy metal poisoning. He would also need to know the compound and its dosage so he could come up with a specific treatment plan."I want you to tell me the truth. What have your meals been like lately? Did you eat anything you shouldn't have?" Owen asked Renee
Owen felt sorry for Renee. A confident, bright, and carefree woman like her had been reduced to such a tragic state in just a few months. Renee had lost her eyes and had been poisoned; she was as pitiful as a wilted flower. "Ms. Everheart, I can't work miracles, but I promise to do my best to help you get better. And your eyes... You'll recover once we find a pair of suitable eyes. Don't be so pessimistic—there's hope as long as you're still alive." Owen tried his best to comfort Renee. Although it was very difficult to cure heavy metal poisoning, and there were not many successful cases of it, it was not impossible. Since there had been successful cases, Owen felt that he could succeed as long as he studied them and did more research."Thank you, Dr. Wagner. I feel more confident now." She forced a smile and said in Owen's direction, "I hope that you'll help me keep these things from Stefan regardless of whether I can be cured or not. He's exhausted, and I don't want too many thing
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
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.