Renee was stunned. She hadn't expected Stefan to be willing to turn his back on his own family. If she remembered correctly, he had been very protective of Briar before this, despite the obvious fact of her being a two-faced bitch. He treated her like a fragile flower, touching it gingerly in fear of damaging it instead of holding it tight.Had he gotten tired of Briar so quickly?'Tsk. The attention span of a man really is worse than a child's! It was the right decision to divorce him!' Renee thought as she quietly celebrated her correct choice.When the two policemen saw Stefan's stance, they stopped hesitating and slapped the handcuffs on Briar's hands."Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Briar cried emotionally as she begged, "Stefan, I'm innocent! Believe me! Tell them to release me! The baby will be terrified! You can ignore me, but don't ignore the baby!" Stefan furrowed his brows, his cold face not twitching the slightest as he said, "Take her away!" "Don't worry, Mr. Hun
Renee, overjoyed, hurriedly asked, "Well, where is it? Hurry up and bring it to me!" The young maid looked fearful and stammered, "M-madam, your suitcase was… in the basement. It's... well, it's best if you see for yourself!""What? In the basement?" Renee parroted, caught between laughter and tears at the revelation.They had exerted so much effort to search the entire villa, yet they overlooked where it would most likely be. How absurd was that?However, judging from the maid's expression, Renee didn't think things were that simple. Heading downstairs, she went to the basement.Stefan frowned, and he followed the woman silently.The Hunt villa basement was two floors below the ground floor, led by long, winding spiral stairs. Having mainly served as a refuge during the catastrophe of the Great War, the airflow could have been better, and the place was dark. Usually, no one would come down here.When he reached the basement door, he noted it was slightly open. A dark, red li
Perhaps it was because she had been running around all day that Renee was exhausted and nauseous, likely due to her pregnancy. She endured the discomfort in her abdomen and squeezed the quilt with curses written all over it tightly in her hand, and the fury was obvious on her beautiful face.Turning her burning eyes on Stefan, she asked coldly, "How are you going to deal with this? Your little mistress has done something so vicious and disgusting!"Briar had repeatedly challenged her and pushed her to the limits. Before this, Renee had been too lazy to bother about the woman. But this time, she had really crossed the line, and Renee wouldn't stand for it. If she did, there would be a second time. She wouldn't have the energy to deal with it if that happened!Stefan straightened up, the indifference on his face not changing as he asked another question instead of answering her, "What do you want me to do about it?""Hah!" Renee couldn't stop the sneer from escaping her lips. "Judg
Renee called for a cab and waited at the curb of the villa, her body swaying occasionally. At some point, Stefan had followed her out, and his hand wrapped around her thin wrist. There was concern in his eyes as he asked, "You don't look well. What's wrong?""I'm pissed at your little mistress!" Renee replied instantly.She wanted to shake the man's hand off, but she felt too weak and couldn't muster up the strength to do it."Are you okay? Do you need me to send you to the hospital?"Stefan felt uncomfortable leaving Renee alone and was fully prepared to get his car."I don't need your false sympathy!" Renee shot back. Stefan was a hypocrite. She didn't give him a second glance and sneered. "If you're really ashamed, you should advise your lover and get her to apologize to me on her knees, or the consequences will be even direr! Either way, I'll be pursuing this matter to the end. I won't let her off so easily!"The words were imposing, but because she said it weakly, it sound
When Renee saw Margaret, who was like a mother to her, tears of resignation filled her eyes."Margaret, my stomach hurts!"Like a child, she threw herself into the older woman's arms and wept uncontrollably. For four years, from the changes in her family to her grandfather's death and even her divorce from Stefan, not a single tear had been shed, and she remained as sturdy as a mountain.But it was tiring to be strong all the time. She was only a twenty-year-old woman! She didn't want to be strong anymore!Margaret was confused. She rarely saw Renee in such a fragile state, and she couldn't help but feel distressed, and tears also filled her eyes. She gently stroked Renee's back in comfort and said, "Shh, it's okay, Ms. Ren. I'm here. I'm here with you!"Renee soaked in the warmth of Margaret's arms. Having not felt this peaceful in a long while, she seemed relaxed and wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.Margaret was Renee's nanny and had a lot of experience in childbirth and pa
"You want to know about Madam Everheart?" Margaret asked, looking at Renee and sighing. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I don't really know her either, and I've never met her properly.""Really?""Yes," Margaret replied as she took a trip down memory lane and answered honestly. "I grew up and was homeschooled in my family. My family has always served the Schneider family, so when Madam found me and told me to apply to become a nanny to care for your pregnant mother and eventually you, I listened to them unconditionally.""She was very mysterious. She never appeared publicly and always wore a veil when she met me. That's why I said I probably never met her properly..."Even after decades, Margaret could still vividly remember the day she had met Madam Everheart. The woman had been unique. There was no word to describe her, and 'beautiful' was not enough. Even the veil she wore could not cover up her exceptional charm.When I came to the Everheart family, she had already left.
Margaret looked at Renee's belly and nodded in understanding. "You're right. The most important thing right now is to nurture your baby and have a safe birth."The older woman didn't ask who the father of Renee's baby was, and the latter didn't say a word about it either. The two women had an unspoken understanding of the situation.Renee was completely assured that Margaret would keep her mouth shut. As long as Renee didn't permit it, her nanny would take this secret to her grave.Renee put off all activities in the next few days and stayed in bed, nursing her baby under Margarent's meticulous care. It was clear that Margaret had come from a great line of doctors, as Renee's previous minor illnesses were cured with just a few doses of medicine. She no longer felt fatigued, and her appetite improved. She could now stomach several meals a day without feeling nauseous.Today, Margaret went out early to do some grocery shopping, and Renee slept in bed. The sun bathed her skin with
"I was planning to settle the score with you when I felt better, but I never thought you would serve yourselves up on a silver platter..."Renee wore a calm expression as she walked down the stairs, her knuckles cracking as she clenched and unclenched her fists.She had discovered earlier that the person who tried to bury Margaret alive four years ago was Jeremy's close friend, Charles, and for that, she decided that the man would pay with his life...And that man was standing right before her right now.Charles turned to Renee, and disdain flashed on their faces. Charles mockingly said, "Haha! What a bold statement! Here I was, wondering who it was... Turns out it's the remaining Everheart maggot! Our boss has wanted to get rid you for a long time, but he let you off because of the Hunts! You're just a despicable housewife who has been demoted, and no one will protect you! I might as well take your useless life to my boss for a reward!Renee sneered. "If you want something from
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
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