On the other hand, Francine stood where she was and watched Stefan for a long time. Then, she asked Stefan seriously, "Who's the woman in your arms? You weren't that interested in women in the past. Why are you engaging in such ambiguous relationships with indecent women lately?"You betrayed your wife for that scheming Briar. Now, you've fallen head over heels for another woman. Are you sick? Is there something wrong with your hormones? Have you become a womanizer?" Hearing that, Stefan's face turned livid. As expected, his mother had a vicious tongue."I have nothing to say. You should all turn in early!" he snarled. He bypassed Alexander and Timothy, who were blocking him, as well as Francine, who was blocking the stairs, and thundered upstairs.The remaining three were left looking at each other in dismay and confusion. "Was I over the line just now?" Francine started reflecting on herself. She lowered her head as tears filled her eyes. "He's always so proud and noble, b
Stefan carried Renee to his bedroom on the second floor, and gently put her in bed.After such an endeavor, he was already sweating and gasping. "You're so heavy! Looks like you didn't skip meals even when you were sad!"After settling her down, he yanked his tie and unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt before looking at her.He was glad he could hold her in his arms again. He thought he could never do that again. After experiencing it again, he felt steady and happy—it was a feeling he couldn't put into words. Aside from that, she looked fine. It seemed she could eat and sleep well lately. Her cheeks were plumper, making her look chubby and less fierce than before. She looked adorable. Seeing her like that, Stefan's worries were eased. They could still lead normal and happy lives even if they were separated. It was another form of luck.Stefan bent over and patted her face before whispering gently in her ears, "Do you want some water?"Renee's eyes were closed, but when she he
Stefan felt quite desperate when he saw the mess on the bed and his body. Renee might be the only one who could boldly vomit on him and his bed. He vowed to make her stop drinking wine again. Although he was angry, he couldn't do anything about her. A long sigh escaped him as he took off his shirt. Then, he went downstairs shirtless."Stefan, you… You can't be so open even if you found true love. Did you forget you're not alone at home?" Francine said.Francine was about to head upstairs to check the situation out. When she saw her son come downstairs in that state, she got so scared that her expression changed. She covered her lips, and looked away from him."She vomited, so I asked Edith to clean it up," Stefan explained helplessly. After going downstairs, he took a bottle of iced water from the fridge and gulped it down to calm his arousal. Since they were alone in the living room, Francine walked to Stefan and tried to sound him out. "Hurry up and tell me what's going on."
"Yes." A sudden silence washed over Francine. She became contemplative, and said, "You two aren't just incompatible. There are many obstacles that will keep on tormenting you. It's a good thing you broke up with her early.""Mom, are you aware of something too?" Stefan asked. He suddenly looked up to stare deeply at his mother. Stefan had discovered something, and learned that he could never be with Renee for the rest of his life. Hence, he suppressed his reluctance and pain. He would rather bear the blame for abandoning his family to break up with Renee, but he was uncertain if Francine was aware of the same discovery. "What am I supposed to know?" Francine laughed, sounding ambiguous. "I've seen and experienced a lot of things. Maybe it's a big issue for you, but I might find it insignificant.""It's about…" After a pause, Stefan continued, "It's about Renee's brother."Francine was stunned. She panicked as guilt gripped her, then quickly shook her head and said, "I don't kno
"I'm sure of that." Francine sighed. She admired Stefan, but she also felt sorry for him. "You didn't let me down. You could take whatever that came.""I need to, even if I can't." Stefan cracked a bitter smile. "I'm not as strong as you think. But after pondering over it, I realize that we'll be happier being separated. Why should I force her to be with me if we're happier apart?" "So, you could take whatever that came your way." Francine looked toward the second floor. "If you're willing to forget about your old love and look for a new one, it's a sign that you've let go of the past. I'm curious as to what kind of woman can charm you. I guess she should be quite straightforward, since she got so drunk and vomited on you.""She…" Stefan just wanted to avoid trouble, so he didn't explain much. "Yes, she's special. She can easily affect my mood.""Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's not easy. You two should rest well tonight. I'll cook early in the morning and welcome her nicely."Although Fran
"Mom, don't…" Stefan wanted to stop Francine, but the latter moved agilely and bypassed him. She quickly reached the bedroom on the second floor.Francine opened the door to the bedroom, and immediately smelled the unpleasant stench of alcohol. She quickly developed a very bad impression about the woman lying in bed, but she kept consoling herself inwardly. "It's okay. As long as my son likes her, I can even accept a beggar. It's fine even if she drinks. People who love to drink are healthy!"At the same time, Edith went upstairs with the cleaning tools. "Madam Hunt, please wait a moment. I'll clean it up for fear that it might be too smelly for you.""Okay, you're just in time. Hurry up and clean it up!" Francine quickly urged Edith to go into the room to clean it up. Meanwhilr, she stood aside and watched the woman lying in bed."Tsk, would a decent woman drink so much? And she vomited all over the bed… It's baffling that Master Hunt didn't get mad," Edith complained while we
Edith felt that the former Mrs. Hunt was a very nice person, so she tried to seek justice for Renee with feedback she gave Francine."What do you mean?" Francine frowned. "You can't say I'm a bad person. I helped a lot of people in need all these years. I think I'm kind and nice.""Yes, Madam Hunt. You're a very kind and noble person, but I think that you're nice to everyone except Mrs. Hunt. You were very strict toward her. I don't understand why," Edith said. She stopped working and asked what she had wanted to for so many years, risking offending Francine at the same time. In these years, she was just an outsider these years. She had watched Renee marry Stefan. With the exception of Timothy, the Hunts weren't nice to Renee at all.Stefan was aloof, and rarely came home. He only dined with Renee for very few times. Besides, Francine openly made things difficult for Renee. She would always find fault with Renee, regardless of what a great job Renee had done. But now, the two of
However, Stefan walked into the room in time and blocked Francine before she could approach Renee."Mom, it's late. You should rest." Stefan stood tall and upright, like a large and heavy wall. He blocked Francine's view."Oh, stop blocking me! Can't I just look at her?" Francine looked sideways, trying to catch a glimpse of Renee."No!" Stefan was firm. He knew his mother well. If Francine knew that Renee was the woman lying there, she wouldn't let it go that night. Things would get very troublesome. "Hey, just let me look at her!" Francine was unwilling to admit to defeat. She behaved childishly and kept pestering Stefan, insisting on taking a look at Renee. At first, she was just slightly curious. However, her curiosity deepened because of how Stefan had stopped her fiercely. "Not a chance." Stefan refused to give in. He kept a cold face and said, "If you insist on this, I'll take her away and won't come home for a very long time."When Francine heard that, she stopped str
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
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T