Xavier refused to even look at the homewrecker, and went to the parking lot to get his car. Before he could open his car, he heard people talking."Hey, isn't that Ms. Leia Osborne?""Those people are too cruel. She's a rich young lady, but they stripped her bare. Are they courting death?""You're right. But they're smart. Since they're in a group, they won't be punished much.""But I don't think they're cruel. After all, nobody asked Ms. Osborne to be a homewrecker. I hate homewreckers the most!"Xavier' heart pounded in his chest and he grabbed a man nearby by the collar and demanded, "Who's the homewrecker who's being beaten up?"The man said agitatedly, "What does it have to do with you? Are you out of your mind?""I'm asking you—who is it?" Xavier was usually a calm person, but he couldn't stay calm right now. His grip on the man's collar tightened. "It's Ms. Leia Osborne! Why didn't you go and see it for yourself since you're so curious—" Xavier pushed him aside quickly,
Heart aching, Xavier carried Leia and quickly walked to his car. He opened the door to the back seat and gently laid her there."Are you feeling cold? Just hold on, alright… You'll be okay soon." Xavier got into the car and turned on the heater, and the car slowly grew warm. Xavier glanced at Leia hopefully but she remained silent as she curled up in the backseat. Xavier reached out and touched her cut hair, and his eyes blazed with anger. "They're inhuman! I'll never let them off the hook!""Don't touch me!" Leia snapped suddenly and pushed Xavier's hand away, covering her head protectively. Her eyes were wild and filled with tears as she spat, "You're just like them! Don't touch me.""I'm sorry I was late. You've suffered so much..." Xavier said hoarsely. He shouldn't have been so careless. Leia was probably being abused when he bumped into Shirley at the door of the club. No wonder Shirley had urged him to leave—she probably knew what was happening. How despicable! Xavier never w
Leia pushed Xavier away and tried to open the door. "Cut the crap! I'm not discussing this with you, I'm telling you what I'm going to do.""Lei, calm down. You're seriously injured. Let me take you to the hospital." Xavier didn't want to waste time. He immediately got into the driver's seat and locked the doors, then drove to a nearby hospital."I don't want to go to the hospital! Open the door and let me out. Open the door now!" Leia demanded as she smacked the window and door. Those people had beaten her up badly, so she wanted to go to the police station first. "Open the door!" Leia was so agitated that she almost leaped to the front seat and took control of the steering wheel. She glared at Xavier and sneered, "I know you're eager to take me to the hospital because you're worried that I'll report this to the cops, and you don't want to implicate your first love. Xavier, you're the most disgusting man I've ever met… I hate you!" Leia's heart twisted painfully in her chest when
Xavier's words calmed Leia down."You're willing to let her do a test?" Leia looked at Xavier in disbelief, then scoffed, "Well, powder me in sugar and call me a donut. Are you really Xavier? You agreed to let her do the test.""If I don't, you and Stefan will use other methods to make her do it. It's better that she do it willingly instead of making a scene," Xavier explained as he drove."Well, at least you're sensible." Leia leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, thinking about when Shirley's fans beat her up. Truthfully, she had her own selfish motives—she hadn't resisted at all so she would look worse, and she hoped that would give her the upper hand when bargaining with Shirley. Besides, if her injuries were bad, Xavier might side with her. Now, it seemed like her plan had worked. They arrived at the hospital very quickly. When Leia's attending doctor and nurse saw Leia's condition, they stared at Xavier suspiciously."Don't be scared, Miss. Tell me—how did you ge
Xavier glanced at Leia, who was hiding behind the doctor, and said to her grumpily, "Don't you think you should explain this? They're labelling me an abuser!""Hey, how dare you threaten your wife? You'll be in trouble if you keep this up!" The doctor pointed at Xavier and said threateningly, "I'll call the cops to arrest you if you raise your voice at her again. You'll end up in jail after your wife's checkup!"When Leia heard that, she immediately burst into tears. "Doctor, I can't believe I married such a violent man. He beat me up and humiliated me without any remorse. Do inspect my injuries properly, so I can divorce him once I get the report!" "It's okay, Miss. I've met many people like you, so I know what to do. You must divorce him—only then can you leave this abyss. We must never be with such violent men. I'll get you a report now!" After that, the doctor led Leia to an examination room to inspect her injuries. Leia's injuries were bad—her back, legs, and face were full
At that moment, Leia came out because the nurse had finished treating her wounds. "It's okay, doctor." She dramatically wiped her tears and sobbed. "I don't want to blow this out of proportion. It's fine as long as he sincerely apologizes… This is just my fate." "What's the use of the law if saying sorry was enough? He's so violent, Miss… he could have killed you! You can't be soft-hearted towards him." The doctor urged Leia earnestly, "I've seen many cases like this. The wives kept forgiving their husbands, and the price they had to pay was their husbands beating them to death. You're lucky that you survived today, but it doesn't mean that you'll always be this lucky. Listen to me—you have to call the cops." "I'll call the cops. Didn't you give me a medical report? I'll call the cops if I can't reason with him," Leia said and glanced at Xavier meaningfully. If that report could help escalate the case to attempted murder, Shirley would be involved if Leia called the police. Not onl
"I'll ask her to come for the test, but I have a request." Xavier met Stefan's gaze evenly."What request?" Stefan asked calmly, not wanting to make a scene. "If Shirley's eyes are compatible, you have to ask for her permission to take them. You can't forcefully take her eyes from her," Xavier insisted. This was the limit of his compromise, and he felt that every human being deserved that much. Sight was so important, and it was illegal to take that away from someone forcefully. "No, I disagree." Stefan's expression was indifferent. "No one will give up their eyes willingly. If I respect her wishes, then we can't move forward." "It's fine!" Leia said suddenly, "We promise not to remove Shirley's eyes without her permission. Just get her here; I promise I won't force her." Stefan frowned and looked at Leia in dissatisfaction, then said coldly, "That's your promise, not mine." "Agree to his demands now, and I promise you I'll make her give up her eyes to Renee willingly," Lei
Shirley pursed her lips guiltily when she noticed Leia's injuries. "I... I don't know why you're hurt. You shouldn't falsely accuse me or try to hurt me.""You don't know?" Leia was both infuriated and amused. "Did you forget how you instigated your fans when I went to see you in the private room? Your fans are crazy, and they would do anything their idol tells them to do. In short, you're the cause of my injuries though your fans might be the tools. You must bear legal responsibility since you've committed the crime of instigating others to break the law." "When did I instigate my fans? There's no point in talking if you have no evidence, or I'll sue you for slander." Shirley knew that it was a criminal offense if Leia held her responsible, so she had to deny it. "You want evidence, right? I have it!" Leia sneered as she took her phone out. "I knew that I might be in danger before I went into the private room to meet you, so I recorded everything to protect myself. I recorded all
"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
After a long while, Quinton turned around. He looked at Renee, who was across from him, and heaved a long sigh."We're about to go home soon. Why do you look this gloomy? What's wrong…? Are you reluctant to part with this place?" Quinton said. "No, I'm not." Renee poured herself a glass of orange juice and sipped it. She frowned and dwelled on it before she said, "I feel empty inside. I don't know if I made the right choice.""Empty?" Quinton asked curiously."I think I've said goodbye to a steady life since I decided to leave. Maybe I'll keep on wandering from now on," Renee said melancholically. The reason why she chose to give it a try with Justin because she was tired. She was exhausted from leading a wandering life and wanted to settle down with someone. Others could not give her the sense of security like Justin. When she saw him, she inexplicably wanted a home. At that time, she thought she could forget about everything and start a new life with him. Unexpectedly, she
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr