Jovan lifted his foot and turned sideways to look at Renee. He smiled. "I was never a gentleman, to begin with. I bring shame to the family. It's not like you've never heard about that… I couldn't do anything to Stefan when he was alive, but I can insult him all I want now that he's dead!"Renee's eyes filled with tears. "You're mad. Even if Stefan's dead, he'll always be stronger than you!"Jovan's eyes glistened briefly. He approached Renee one step at a time. "Is that so? What can he do right now? My footsteps are on his face, and I'm about to sleep with his wife in front of him. All he can do is watch. Do you call that strong?""You’re shameless!" Renee slapped Jovan hard across the face. "You're a loser. Don't ever think you can get close to me!"Renee still felt angry even though she'd said those things. She lifted one leg and kicked Jovan in the stomach."Hmph!" Jovan curled up and kneeled in front of the tomb.Renee stood behind him and stepped on his back. "This is how y
Renee couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with Jovan. She turned around, got into the car, and drove away from the gravesite.She didn't once look at Stefan's so-called tomb.That was because she believed from the bottom of her heart that he was still alive…Under the moonlight, Renee returned to Leia's apartment in the city center as quickly as she could.She had been through too much today. She was exhausted, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She wanted nothing else but a good night's sleep.As soon as she opened the door, she realized that Liam was also there, apart from Leia.After their fight in Hunt Enterprise, it felt a little awkward when they locked eyes."Ren, you're finally home. Liam almost called the cops," Leia said with a long sigh. She wrapped her arms around Renee's arm. "Are you hungry? I'll cook something for you if you are."Renee shook her head. She looked tired. "I'm not hungry. I'm just a little sleepy. I think I need a good, good rest. Goo
"I don't believe you!" Leia was still worried. She turned to look at Liam. "Liam, think of something. Ren must've experienced something devastating. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so downtrodden. Although you guys broke up, you can't just ignore her. Didn't you wait all night to talk to her after she returned? Why are you being silent?"Leia had always been hot-headed. She directly pushed Liam into Renee's room and closed the door with a bang. She then locked the door from the outside.Liam instantly panicked and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Leia, damn it! Open the door!""I don't care. You have to make Ren feel better tonight. Otherwise, don't even think about coming out," Leia uttered. Worried that the lock might not hold, she even attached a steel bar as a latch for good measure.It couldn't be helped—her brother was too passive—if she didn't lend him a hand, he wouldn't even stand a chance!Renee and Liam were left in the large room all alone. They looked at eac
Meanwhile, at a child-friendly hotel in Beach City, Aiden sat cross-legged on a couch in one of the suites, eyes glued to Happy Sheep and the Big Gray Wolf on television.Briar brought some washed fruits to Aiden with a big smile on her face. "Adie, have some fruits. You need the vitamins."Adie smiled in an adorable manner. "Thank you, Aunt Briar. You're a beautiful and kind person. No wonder you're Mommy's good friend.""You are such a sweet-talker.""Of course. I get to eat super sweet fruits that you personally washed. My mouth naturally becomes super sweet too!" Briar couldn't stop smiling throughout her conversation with Aiden.Although she kept reminding herself that Aiden was Renee and Stefan's child and that the child would severely delay her marriage into the Hunt family, meaning he couldn't be spared, she couldn't resist his angelic smile. He was so sweet with the things he said that she couldn't help but want to be close to him. She yearned to give him good food and
Good men were scarce, and women needed to have thick skin to win them over and keep them. The more ruthless one was, the more stable one's position in the household would be. Weak women would only be discarded—even their children would end up suffering.Therefore, Briar had no other talent than competing for men.She fought hard to have Tristan and had him wrapped around her fingers.Tristan thought she was pregnant with his child but in reality… The child didn't even belong to the Hunt family.In other words, even if her baby was healthy, she wouldn't keep it.Renee happened to be the perfect scapegoat.Stefan was the man Briar had set her sights on. She was willing to pay any price to get married to him."Adie, you have to believe that I'm a good person. I would never hurt you. You should be grateful that your mother has a good friend like me," Briar said with a smile while she gently ruffled Aiden's head.She made up her mind right there and then.The kid could only blame h
Briar stood up and went to the door. Outside stood William, her biggest admirer."I'm here for my reward!" William barged in and pressed Briar against the wall. He began kissing her passionately.Briar lifted her arms and let him do what he wanted without any expression on her face. She even seemed annoyed.After a few kisses, William found it pointless and harshly let her go."If you don't like me at all, why did you promise you would give yourself to me as a reward for completing the mission?" William asked.He pinched her cheeks with his long fingers. "You're like a log. There's no warmth and no response from you. Are you rewarding me or humiliating me?" he asked through clenched jaws.Briar sneered. "What's the rush? I've always kept my promises. If I promised you something, I'd give it to you, but not now…""What's your excuse this time?" William was losing his patience."I've considered you my one and only love interest for many years. I've never let myself forget that. B
William saw Aiden, who was fast asleep, and his expression changed instantly."Briar, are you mad? How could you do this to a child? He's still so young. He shouldn't be taken to Carmine Pawnshop… You should know when to stop! Aren't you afraid that karma will come back to bite you?"A while ago, he received an order from Briar to deliver something 'unique' to Water Dock's Carmine Pawnshop.On the surface, Carmine Pawnshop sounded like a proper pawnshop where various precious treasures from around the world were gathered, but in reality, it was a breeding ground for evil.The pawnshop's owner was mysterious and had a powerful background. He once claimed that if a pawnbroker could give him something precious, he would fulfill any of their wishes.Some traded invaluable treasures for the love they so desired, while others traded their organs for immeasurable wealth.All in all… As long as the owner was willing to accept the item one offered, one's deepest desires could be turned in
"I could say the same about you!" Briar looked at William. Just as she was about to start mocking him, she caught sight of Aiden. Her heart ached a little.She took a deep breath and clenched her fists tightly. She couldn't go easy on him!"This is the last time I'll do anything for you. I hope you can keep your promise. Delete those videos and voice recordings on your phone. We owe each other nothing after this. We'll pretend we don't even know each other!" William exclaimed before leaving the hotel with Aiden.Briar stood where she was and watched them leave. She didn't move for a very long time, and there wasn't any expression on her face, not unlike a soulless corpse.After remaining silent for a while, she squatted and began laughing like a lunatic. She even started rolling on the floor while she laughed…"Hahaha! Briar, you're such a sad case. Even that fool who loved you the most decided to leave you for good. You deserve to have nothing!"Briar clambered onto her feet and
"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