Renee's unusual reaction stunned everyone in the room, especially Justin. He did not expect that she would react that way at all."Are you sure about having the two families go to war?" He raised his eyebrows and asked mischievously. "Of course!" Renee continued enthusiastically. "My grandfather always hoped that one day I could follow in his footsteps and lead an army into battle myself. If the Baldwin and Hunt families are bound to fight, whether it's in business or war, I want to be the one to lead! Anyway, I also have a deep grudge against the Hunts, and I hate Stefan so much that I long for a life-and-death duel with him!""Fantastic! You really are something, young lady." Austin stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "You are indeed the granddaughter of General Everheart—so confident and strong-willed. You are much better than my unworthy grandson! Justin, you should learn from Ren. If you always give in, how can you protect her in the future? Maybe she'll have to protect yo
Austin was fired up when he heard this and said, "That's right! We have to worship the God of War. Consider it our pledge of allegiance. Let's get to the helicopters, we shall leave at once!""Yes! Let's go right now!" Renee waved her arms and cheered.Inwardly, she finally felt relieved. As expected, Austin was a very impulsive man, even to the point of narcissism. He had actually believed her completely when she asked him to go and worship the God of War.This time, the Baldwin family and Stefan would not meet. Later, she could just find a random reason to stop the two families from fighting. It was perfect!Renee smiled lightly and thought about her plan happily. She really was a genius who could adapt to any situation!At that moment, the butler entered the room with a concerned look on his face. "General Baldwin, sorry to interrupt, but there seems to be someone… a big shot outside asking to meet you!"Austin said coldly, "Don't be such a coward. Who is this big shot you're
Stefan stood in front of everyone and replied slowly and firmly, "I'm here to settle our remarriage, of course."He stepped closer to Renee and pulled her into his arms, then smiled at her. "Darling, you're so disobedient. You ran off with another man, and that's not very nice.""Dar…ling?" Renee met his eyes in bewilderment.'Even if he is acting, he doesn't have to go overboard like this, right?'When she thought about her nightmare last night, the only thing playing in her mind was that Stefan was going to murder her.By this time, the Baldwin family was staring at Stefan like they were a pack of starving wolves and he a juicy steak, but they did not dare to act impulsively because of Stefan's strong aura. Austin even took out the revolver he carried with him and placed it on the table, saying sternly, "It seems like the offspring of the Hunt family is rather daring—he actually came all the way here to snatch something of ours. I heard that you're the only heir left, boy. If
Austin knitted his eyebrows and was immersed in his thoughts for a long time. Then, he fixed his fierce wolf-like eyes on Renee. "So, what you're saying is… you've been using Justin and us this whole time, and you were acting from the very beginning to deceive the Baldwins?" Renee inhaled deeply and nodded guiltily. "I'm very sorry. I was wrong.""Don't-!" Justin wanted to stop her but it was too late. He hit his forehead on the table and groaned. "She can't be saved. Renee, you idiot! It's not worth it!"It was too foolish for her to risk her life for this cheater!Justin knew Austin very well—the old man detested lies and was very stubborn. Once he lost his temper, he could even kill others. How would this end now?"Well, isn't that just great?" Austin had obviously lost control of his emotions. He pointed his revolver at Renee and said icily, "I like you and admire you very much. I would have even used all my resources to nurture you because you are Maurice's granddaughter, bu
Before Renee could finish, Stefan gripped her wrist firmly. "She does not need to make a choice—she's coming with me."As soon as he said that, he turned around and walked away, pulling Renee along."How dare you!" Austin lost his patience and instantly aimed his revolver at Stefan's head. "You're asking for death, you impertinent brat!"The guards around them also aimed their weapons at Stefan. As soon as the old man gave the order, the two of them would be shot to death!Renee panicked and struggled to get her hand free. "Let go of me, Stefan. There's nothing wrong with giving in sometimes! You may want to die, but I don't!"Stefan snorted coldly. "I, Stefan, am not so weak that I need a woman to save my life."Renee was speechless. 'This stubborn man… How many times have I saved you? Stop acting like you're the hero here!'Stefan turned around and looked at Austin with a smirk. "Mr. Baldwin, you can shoot me if you'd like, but the second you do, your entire army will turn int
Renee tidied herself up quickly, wanting to leave. "Oh, right. I released your mother last night, so she should be safe by now. Why don't you try to contact her to see if she's okay?""There is no need for that." Stefan, no longer exuding his usual cold and intense aura, looked very relaxed. He took off his jacket and threw it onto the chaise lounge casually, leaving only a white shirt partially covering his perfect muscular body.Renee's heart fluttered seeing this, and she gulped subconsciously.The man then took off his valuable diamond watch and put it on the table. He propped his long arm on the edge of the table, and said lightly, "My mother arrived in Beach City last night, and should be having afternoon tea with her friend now.""She arrived last night?" Renee was confused. "Then why did you go to the Baldwin residence so early in the morning?"Stefan looked up and met her gaze, the corner of his lips curving into a playful smirk. "What do you think?""I…" She bit her lip
Stefan instinctively reached to touch Renee's cheek, but stopped himself. He was usually a man of few words, but surprisingly, he was laying his cards on the table for her. "It's true. Think about it carefully; I'll come and ask for your answer early tomorrow morning." Renee clenched her fists slightly, surprising him when she just nodded obediently. "Okay." She would consider it for the sake of the two babies in her belly, as long as he sincerely wanted to start over with her. After he left, she stood in front of the huge French window and looked down at the city quietly, seriously thinking about her future. 'Should I stick through with my plan of making a fortune and reviving my family with the two kids? Or, should I go back to my past life and live under the protection of the Hunts? Do I really want to be a housewife whose life revolves around her husband and kids? It seems like both choices have their pros and cons, and there'll be regrets regardless.' As she was ponderin
"Can't you tell? Although Stefan asked me to move out of Hunt Villa, he gave me such a big castle. He removed the rose garden I planted in Hunt Villa, but he gave me this larger and more valuable one instead..." Briar stared at the rose in her hand and said to Renee smugly, "All these rose seedlings were frozen and airlifted from Bulgal. A seedling costs tens of thousands, and this garden is more than a hundred square feet. I've got countless roses, which shows Stefan's endless love for me!" Renee glanced at the endless rose garden. It was indeed stunning. "All that I can say is that the Hunts are indeed rich." Inwardly, she had to admit that this did affect her. 'Of course, I'd be jealous. I even pity myself. Now that I think about it, he'd never done anything for me even though I was married to him for so many years, so why was he indulging Briar like this? It's fine if I lost to someone else, but this is Briar, who's nothing but a cunning fox. I can't just let this go!' "The
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"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