"Little boy, where are you taking me to?" Leia wasn't on guard with the child; she took his hand without hesitation and walked forward."Lei, don't go!" Renee cautioned. She looked around carefully, worried, and remained standing at the same spot."It's fine, Ren. He's just a child. I'm sure he finds us interesting since we're new here. He wants to take us to some fun place. I'll be right back after I check it out," Leia said casually. At that, Renee could only stand where she was and wait. That pregnant woman and the children around her kept staring at her strangely. At the same time, they also kept gesticulating and grinning, making her uneasy. After a while, Renee heard Leia's excited voice. "Ren, come here! There's something nice!"Renee, uneasy staying where she was and being stared at by the others, felt that it might be better if she checked out what Leia was doing. At the very least, it would alleviate her worries. She followed the sound and walked over. Leia wasn't
Leia grinned, optimistic.Finally, she got the yellow durian and screamed at Renee excitedly. "Ren, I got it! Get away, it might fall on you." "Uh, what are you doing?" Renee asked."I'm throwing it down, duh! I can't keep carrying it since there are so many thorns on it!""Didn't you just pick it? That's not very nice, right?" "What's wrong? We'll pay them later. This orchard should belong to the Jenkinses. I'll make my brother pay for it. Given his status among the Jenkinses, I think it's fine for us to take the durian.""Okay, be careful," Renee said, finding found Leia's words reasonable. Leia was the playful sort who wouldn't stop even if she couldn't get the durian. Renee stepped aside to let her enjoy her fun.The durian dropped from a height of more than sixty feet. Luckily, it just cracked a little when it fell on the ground and didn't get ruined. "Okay, you got the durian. Can you get down now?" Renee said, trying to coax Leia to get down from the tree the way sh
"No!" Renee's heart skipped a beat. She pounced on the boy without hesitation. The laws at The Triangle were imperfect, with various forces trying to grab power from each other. Many places were full of soldiers and armed civilians. Child soldiers were common as well. The gun in the boy's hand was most probably authentic. When Renee saw him aim the gun at Leia, who was on the top of the tree, she couldn't take the risk. The boy suddenly started crying.Renee exerted herself when she pounced on the boy, pushing him to the ground roughly. Coincidentally, there was a rock there. It injured the boy's forehead, which started bleeding. "What are you doing?! Why did you take out a gun? Do you know what'll happen if you fired that?" Renee rebuked him solemnly, ignoring his bleeding forehead. She snatched his gun."Thieves! Robbers! I'm going to shoot and kill you!" the boy cried profusely. His voice seemed to echo in the whole fort as he kicked Renee and tried to beat her up. He wa
"Thanks, I can finally get down. You're pretty reasonable. I guess you guys aren't savages after all!" Leia said as she got down. The moment she reached the ground, she had yet to say anything to Renee when Mateo immediately instructed, "Get them!"The next second, the guards raised their guns and aimed them at Renee and Leia. Both were confused."How dare you harm Luneth's child! Master won't let you off the hook!" Mateo snarled icily, acting as if he didn't know Renee and Leia.Anyway, he had no relation with them. He only had a grudge against them.Renee had assumed Mateo would have some respect for them, but she had underestimated human nature. "What's going on? Why did you tie us up?" Leia demanded. Under such circumstances, Renee and Leia couldn't resist and were easily tied up."It's fine. I guess he wants to keep us as hostages. He won't do anything to us," Renee said calmly, trying to pacify Leia. Mateo waved, then shouted cruelly, "Take them away!" Renee and L
Mateo brought Leia and Renee to a cell and locked them there."Just you wait! This isn't over. I'll get justice for Luneth, but I need to ask Master how you two should be punished," he threatened.However, he was slightly more polite before he left. "You'll be staying here for a while, but don't worry. I won't starve you. Just tell the guards if you need anything." Leia rolled her eyes. "Oh, so I need to thank you, don't I?""I'm sorry to have upset you." Mateo didn't say much. He nodded and left the cell.That cell looked better than an ordinary cell—it came with a bed, table, chair, stool, and small bathroom. It resembled a small hotel room. "What should we do, Ren? Should we figure out how to run away?" Leia sounded anxious. She looked around and tried to find a shovel to dig a hole in the ground. "I don't know, either. Just wait. Treat this as a trip. Anyway, I'll sleep first," Renee said indifferently, looking calm. She lay sideways on the bed. Leia walked to the bed
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"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