Stefan did not answer Renee's question immediately, and the silence in the cave made everything more awkward.Renee wasn't used to being so close to him. She could feel his breathing and the warmth of his body, but it felt like their hearts were far apart. She didn't know what he was thinking. Humiliated and disappointed, she tried to stand up, keeping her distance from Stefan. "Is it that difficult to answer?" Renee huffed angrily. She could accept Stefan's fickleness and insincerity, but she couldn't accept his silence and avoidance when it came to their children."What do you want me to do?" After a long silence, Stefan quietly stood up, upset that their romantic moment was cut short. However, he didn't regret his decision to stay away from her—he knew she would suffer less in the future. "What do you mean? You're their father, but you never thought of how you'd take care of them in the future?" Stefan's casualness infuriated Renee, and she had to stop herself from slapping him.
"You want to find another father for them?" Stefan laughed when he heard that, feeling angry and helpless. "If you think that's the better option, just go ahead then!" Then, he walked ahead to look for the treasure."You..." An unspeakable sadness gripped Renee as she watched Stefan walk away. She hadn't meant it—she just wanted to see his reaction. He had always been a very possessive man, and logically, he should have gotten furious at the suggestion of his former partner and children forming a family with another man. However, he didn't stop her, and even seemed to support her plan. At that moment, Renee realized that Stefan might have really given her and the two children up. She naively thought that he would turn around and fight for his family, but it looked like they could not make peace with each other anymore.Stefan walked ahead absent-mindedly, adjusting his headlamp. He saw an undercurrent in the cave ahead of him, and there seemed to be something shiny beside it. "I thin
Sunset gradually came, dying the sea and clouds orange. The scenery was beautiful as they returned to the campsite at the foot of the hill. After their discussion, Renee no longer had any expectations of Stefan. She merely regarded him as a stranger and ignored him. Holding the treasure chest, the children followed them cautiously, tired of the ups and downs of their parents' emotions. "Daddy, what did you do in the cave? Mommy looked so weird after she left the cave. She looks... scary!" Adie didn't dare provoke Renee after she had scolded him, so he went to pester Stefan instead."We didn't say much." Stefan put both hands in his pockets and watched Renee, who was keeping some distance from them. He sighed, then whispered, "Your mommy wants to find a new daddy for you and your sister." "What?" Adie's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Is Mommy out of her mind? We have a daddy, so why does she want to find us a new one? If that happens, who will you be to us, Daddy?" "I don't know!"
"Tiffany is..." Abby blinked innocently. She was about to introduce Adie's most beloved girl to Stefan when Adie immediately covered her mouth."Abby, watch your tongue. It's a secret, so keep it between us!" Adie ordered Abby."But it's Daddy… I think it's a nice thing that you like Tiffany, so shouldn't we share our happy events with our parents?" Abby felt that telling Stefan about Tiffany wasn't a bad thing, and couldn't understand Adie's exaggerated reaction. "He's no longer our loved one." Adie pouted and glared at Stefan furiously. "He said terrible things to Mommy in the cave just now and broke Mommy's heart... Abby, do you still remember the promise we made?" "Yes!" Abby nodded, then said solemnly, "If Daddy makes Mommy mad, we'll support Mommy no matter how close Daddy is to us." They had made such a rule because they felt that Stefan and Renee's relationship was never certain, and they never knew whose side to take. Sometimes Abby would take Stefan's side while Adie to
"Miss, let us think about it for a while!" Adie said to the teacher, then leaned close to Abby's ear and started whispering to her.Both Renee and Stefan stood nearby awkwardly, unable to do anything during their children's serious discussion. Thanks to their status and identities, the parents around them immediately started gossiping about them. "Wow, they're the legendary Master Hunt and Ms. Everheart. What a perfect couple!""Their marriage is practically a gift from heaven. They even have a pair of twins! What a perfect life..." "How lucky that our child can study with the children of such a prestigious family!""I knew that the parents of the children studying in Monte Perry Kindergarten were extraordinary, but I didn't expect this at all!"Renee's awkwardness grew as she listened to the excited whispers around her. She stared at the ground, wishing it would open up and swallow her. She had been through a lot, but this was a first for her. In the past, she could have made
Everyone turned to Adie, and Renee asked him suspiciously, "What kind of wish?" She had a feeling that Adie was about to trap her."I want Daddy and Mommy to hug each other for ten minutes!" Adie blurted out. "Yeah, we hope Daddy and Mommy can hug each other for ten minutes," Abby echoed excitedly as she jumped up and down."Huh? What a weird wish!""I heard that Mr. Hunt and Ms. Everheart divorced each other. I guess they're forced to be together for the kids...""The children probably want them to get back together. It's sweet, but… also quite pitiful." Everyone started gossiping, curious about the relationship between Stefan and Renee and sympathetic towards Adie and Abby.Renee's jaw dropped, and she quickly squatted down and held Adie, whispering indignantly, "What are you two up to? You can't trick me like this!" "Mommy, we're not trying to trick you…" Adie whispered back, his gaze sincere. "I heard stories where people stopped fighting after hugging each other, so yo
The people around them felt confused watching them hug."Why are they hugging each other so intimately? They look so lovey-dovey.""Although they're divorced, they look more in love with each other than my husband and I..." "Ah, I really don't understand rich people. Isn't it tiring to keep breaking up and getting back together?"Renee's cheeks heated in shame, and she wanted to leave, but Stefan just hugged her even tighter."Calm down, time's not up yet," Stefan closed his eyes and whispered to Renee."You know, I should be asking you that question. Isn't it tiring for you?" Renee stopped struggling and whispered furiously to Stefan. She couldn't blame the parents for bringing it up; she herself was tired of this vicious circle. She didn't want to feel these emotions anymore… She just wanted peace.After ten minutes passed, Renee and Stefan let go of each other. "Great! That's the kind of romance we want to see!" Some of the parents started clapping enthusiastically. Adie
Adie and Tiffany's relationship began from the moment Adie arrived at Monte Perry Kindergarten. As soon as he entered, a lot of girls were charmed by him because of his handsome face and elegant temperament—he was just like a fairytale prince. Many girls, and even some boys, would hand him notes, snacks, or toys every day… but Tiffany was different. She would always sit in a corner gloomily, not showing any interest in Adie or the other children. All the children became excited whenever there was a class activity, but she always just sat by herself quietly, reluctant to participate.Adie was a very observant child, and had immediately noticed Tiffany. He was friendly to her and invited her to play with him and the other children a few times, but Tiffany always shook her head and refused. Adie had probably spoken to Tiffany less than ten times in that semester. Things began to change one summer afternoon. Adie was wandering around the kindergarten when he suddenly heard someone cry
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