"I…"Cecilia was still feeling a little weak. She looked at the crowd with cloudy, bleary eyes, as if she had something she could not say out loud."I bumped into you and Ms. Everheart earlier," Ruby pointed out suggestively, continuing to fan the flame. "And you looked a little upset then. Was Ms. Everheart the last person you were with?"She felt that her implication was obvious enough, even if she did not spell it all out—Renee Everheart pushed Cecilia into the sea!Having climbed through the ranks in the entertainment industry for long enough, she had armed herself with weapons that helped her get ahead. Among all the weapons in her arsenal, borrowing the hand of another to eliminate a rival was her favorite, as it was the most convenient. Without lifting a finger, she could just stand back and let someone else eliminate the most threatening enemy on the battlefield—the perfect strategy!"That's right!" Cecilia's mother agitatedly held her shoulders and urged, "Don't be afr
Cecilia's mother then turned to Christopher. "Take your bride to the hospital, Chris, and hurry up, will you? If she stays a moment longer, I fear someone might beat her to death!""Of course," Christopher replied. "But I'd like to take the opportunity to publicly announce that the wedding between Cecilia Smith and I has been canceled. Our relationship as a couple ends today as well. I deeply apologize for dragging everyone into this mess and wasting your time today, but rest assured, you will be fully compensated by my family and I."This threw the crowd into an uproar.Xavier was flustered and anxiously tried to help save Christopher's situation. "What the hell are you talking about, Chris? Are you seriously canceling the wedding and breaking up with Cecy right now? Don't you think that's a bit too cruel? Tell me it's not true. Tell me you're just joking to lighten up the atmosphere."But Christopher said nothing in reply. He picked Cecilia up in his arms and carried her away.T
Renee's lips curled up, but her expression was cold. In a moment, her heart froze into ice.She assumed that Stefan would never have to ask such a stupid question, but since he had actually blurted it out, it was clear that a vast chasm had opened up between them, forever separating them from each other, no matter if he believed it or not…"I have nothing to explain," replied Renee. "If you trust me, I don't have to say a word, and you'd still trust me. But if you don't believe me, it won't matter even if I explain everything to you till my mouth gets dry. I could dig out my heart and show it to you, and you still won't believe me."Renee forcefully yanked her hand from him. There was only calm diffidence on her flawless face. Then, as if not caring at all what Stefan thought of her, she added, "Do whatever you want. I'm leaving!"Then she turned on her heels and left without having the slightest feeling left for the man, not giving a jot of what he thought of her. So what if he th
"You're lying!"Stefan's eyes were as keen and shrewd as an eagle's. He sneered at Ruby and added, "Didn't you just tell me you've admired me for a long time? Then how is it possible that you've never heard of my ex-wife's name?""I…" Ruby was stunned, speechless. Being a veteran of the entertainment world, she was used to pulling words out of her ass, and everyone would accept whatever she said without batting an eyelid. She never expected Stefan to be so perceptive that he could immediately catch the inconsistency in her speech. For a second, she was completely at a loss for what to do.Then in a hasty bid to save face, she blurted, "What… What I meant was that I've never personally met Ms. Everheart, but of course, I've heard of her. After all, your CP 'Hunt My Everheart' is really popular online. Lots of people in the entertainment industry are fans of that site.""Because you admire me…" Stefan ruthlessly interjected, coldly staring at Ruby. "You must be jealous of her because
This whole incident had been plaguing Stefan's mind, and he knew he would not be at peace until he found out the truth.He took a deep breath and decided that the best course of action would be to ask the person directly involved in the matter—Cecilia Smith. Cecilia had been sent to the hospital to receive emergency treatment, and her life was now out of danger, but because she was drowning in the water for too long, there were concerns that she might've damaged her brain, heart, and lungs, and she had to remain hospitalized for a few more days for observation.All the guests had now left, with only Cecilia's parents, Christopher and Xavier remaining at the hospital with her. They were all standing outside the door to her private ward amid a tense and heavy atmosphere.Cecilia's mother was wringing her hands and staring cautiously at Christopher. She then fumblingly said, "Chris… There were too many people earlier, so I couldn't really speak to you frankly, but now that everyone'
Xavier balled up his fists, but in the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly let it go. If he really beat Christopher up, the three best friends would return to being distant and strained around each other after having recently overcome many obstacles to reunite."Fine, fine! The three of you have been dragging it out for so many years now that it's all a big freaking mess! I'm so tired of it and want nothing to do with it anymore. Just do whatever you like!"Xavier quickly turned and stomped away. He still had a lot on his plate. In fact, even his dad declared that this week was his last stint of freedom! If he lost that criminal case, he'd be locked up behind bars and face a harsh sentence for a long time. What mattered most to him was finding a good lawyer to help him win the case right now. But no matter where he looked, he still found that the only person suited for the job was Zack, yet Zack was Renee's employee, and he had unfortunately been in a battle royale with her
Stefan’s arrival left everybody stunned. Cecilia's mother was the first to react. Seeing that her son-in-law Christopher really was going to slip through their fingers, she quickly latched onto Stefan instead."So you've come, Stefan! Cecy here has been talking about you just now. There's been a misunderstanding between you two. I think it's high time you clear it all up!""The truth is," she continued, "Cecy was inexperienced and very naive emotionally through those years. That's why she…""Mom!" Cecilia interrupted her, feeling humiliated. "Didn't I tell you to stop talking about that?"Both of these men once loved her deeply, but right now, neither of them wanted her. This came as, without a doubt, a huge blow to a woman like her. If her mother kept on fawning over these men, trying to please them so they'd take her back, she would soon be left without a shred of dignity!Christopher, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed. He even casually patted Stefan's shoulder and half-jo
"Hahahaha!"Cecilia continued to laugh. She had to take a long time to catch her breath again, before she finally told Stefan in a mocking tone, "It's you, Stefan! I think you're really funny!""I had assumed," she added, "that the love between you and Renee was as strong and unbendable as steel! But surprisingly, you couldn't even stand this minor test! Compared to your feelings for me back then, your feelings for her are simply different… Are you sure that you love her more than you love me?"Stefan's cold and chiseled face displayed even more displeasure."I never said I loved her," he denied."I see!" Cecilia raised her brows and chirped, suddenly feeling a lot better. With a faint smile, she continued, "If you really did love her, you'd never even think about asking this question. But since you did ask, it proves that you don't really love her that much at all, or perhaps… you just don't understand her yet.""The truth is," she added, "it doesn't matter whether she pushed me
"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