Renee chuckled. "Of course I'm happy to have you with me. I don't find you annoying. I just feel that you guys have been taking care of me all the time like I'm a baby, and it made me rely on you. I don't want to keep on being like this. It's time for me to face the world alone." "What did you say? What nonsense is that?" Leia asked anxiously, frightened by Renee's words. Both Stefan and Quinton were not around, so Leia was responsible for taking care of Renee. What if something happened to Renee, or she became even more unhappy? If that happened, Stefan and the others might hack Leia into pieces, and she might even kill herself."Do you remember the last time I left Everheart Manor?" Renee asked Leia vaguely."Let me think about it..." Leia frowned contemplatively, and realized that it had been a very long time since Renee had gone out. "It was probably the time when Shirley's fans attacked us, but that wasn't your fault. I was careless, and it gave them the opportunity to attack
"Ah... it's not a good idea to go out now. Why don't you wait a little?" Leia suggested hesitantly, but in actuality, she couldn't say no to Renee when she asked her something so coquettishly. After a while, she agreed."I heard that Miss Band is coming to Beach City for a performance at Hill Pub. Let's go check it out!" Renee said excitedly, sounding like she had just been released from prison. Miss Band was an old band from Eliwern, and it was the band she and Leia loved the most during their college days. It was an old band from Eliwern. Renee, Leia, and Liam formed a band because they idolized them, and they had then become a legend in BC University and gained a lot of fans. But a few years ago, Miss Band had disbanded, upsetting many of their fans. After being low-key for a few years, the band had now started going on tours around the world with its original members. It was such a rare chance, and Renee didn't want to miss it."Yes, we can go there but... Why don't we just watch
The pub was overcrowded, and everyone was eagerly waiting for Miss Band to appear. Leia and Renee wore dark punk clothes with large sunglasses and dreadlocks. They looked like cool young women who loved rock music."Ren, it's cramped and stuffy here. Why don't we go back?" Leia held Renee's hand firmly the whole time, and the noise nearly drowned her voice. "Okay, let's go in!" Renee didn't hear Leia. She looked happier than she had been for a long time. She kept feeling things around her as she moved through the crowd, trying to get closer to the stage. As she did so, she accidentally stepped on the foot of a young woman."Hey, what are you doing? Are you blind? You stepped on my foot!""I'm so sorry!" Renee kept nodding and apologizing. "Do you think saying sorry will help? Have you never watched a performance before? Why do you keep pushing me? What's the rush?" The lady's friend demanded as she chewed her gum, trying to seek justice for her friend. Leia bristled and immed
"Thank you." Renee breathed a sigh of relief and stood up straight using the man's support.The man was silent as if he was staring at her for a long time. After that, he whispered to her, "Do you like Miss Band?" "Yeah!" Renee adjusted her sunglasses and pretended to be calm. "Miss Band is my rock enlightenment band—I fell in love with rock because of them. To be honest, I learned from them and came up with a band myself!""I know." The man explained calmly, "I recognized you, and I'm your fan.""Really?" Renee was surprised. It had been a while since she had been in a band. Even if it was very popular back then, it was so long ago that people had probably forgotten about it. But somehow, Renee had bumped into a fan of hers."I know all your band's songs, and I can sing them all." "Well... that's quite unusual!" Renee pushed her hair behind her ear awkwardly. Back then, she had been confident and direct, but after going through so much, she'd become humble. When she was in a b
"You can't reach her? How come?" Renee held out her hand. "Give me my phone. Let me call her."However, the man refused to do so.At that moment, Renee knew that something was wrong. "Who... are you?" She asked the man coldly. "I thought you could tell from my voice...""Are you... Jovan?" Renee asked tentatively. At first, she'd found his voice familiar, but the place was very noisy, and she felt like someone as successful as Jovan wouldn't come to a pub to watch a performance.. At that moment, a lively melody came from the stage downstairs. Jovan chuckled softly. "Let's listen to the song. The music is nice, so let's not ruin the moment.""So it is you." Once Renee confirmed that it was Jovan, some of her anxiety faded. She had expected him to come find her sooner or later, and knew what to do if he did. Truthfully, she'd thought they would meet sooner, but fortunately, they had met in a nice place. She hoped they could remain on good terms. Jovan was absorbed in the mus
Renee was speechless. Of course she was aware of Jovan's feelings for her, but after everything that had happened, she didn't want to talk about it. "If I could, I'd rather have you instead. Someone else can have that lousy Hunt Enterprise!" Jovan complained as he sulkily sipped his wine, acting like a child in front of Renee. Renee's fingers tapped the table along to Miss Band's music, and she looked relaxed. Calmly, she said, "Jovan, I did owe you in the past, but I don't owe you anything now. What you want is none of my business. If you consider me a friend, please let me go back to my friend." She was no fool—she knew that her fate was in Jovan's hands today, but she still hoped that Jovan could be rational and let her go..."Yes, you don't owe it to me, but I owe it to you. Your eyes are as perfect as gemstones, and I feel guilty every day that I use them. Do you think I can pretend to be ignorant and keep on shamelessly using them?" Jovan clenched his fists and blinked back
Jovan pulled Renee into his arms."You..." Renee started to struggle, but suddenly, a strong smell hit her nose. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, she blacked out.-When Renee woke up, she found herself lying in a large bed. She instantly realized that she was at Jovan's manor in the suburbs away from the city. When she had surgery to donate her eyes to Jovan, she had laid in the same bed."You're awake?" Jovan's voice came from above her, gentle and passionate. A chill crept up Renee's spine, and she sat up, leaning back against the head of the bed. "Why did you bring me here? Don't tell me you want to force me to fall in love with you; it doesn't suit you, Jovan.""You still can make jokes. It seems like you're in good spirits." Jovan smiled and walked to the wine cabinet. He poured himself a glass of wine and went to sit on the sofa near the bed, leisurely crossing his legs. Slowly, he said, "Forcing you to love me, hmm? Well, I can certainl
Renee figured that Jovan had lost his mind, so she decided not to waste her time talking to him. She accepted her situation since she couldn't do anything about it.Jovan was surprised at the sudden change in her attitude. Flattered, he fawned over Renee every day diligently.On a bright afternoon, Jovan insisted on listening to some CDs with Renee.Helpless, Renee chose to listen to the songs with him. Yes, Jovan was crazy, but his taste in music was as good as hers. He liked bands that she liked, like Oasis, Keane, and Coldplay. If Renee and Jovan only chatted about music, the atmosphere would be good, and they could talk for the whole afternoon."Listen to this song. It's called Hey Jude, and it's a classic by The Beatles..." Jovan said eagerly as he placed a CD in an old-fashioned record player. The Beatles had been formed in 1960 and was considered the pioneer of rock music. Most of their songs had become hits, including Hey Jude, which was their most popular song. The nice
"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