"That's..."Charlotte's words left the principal in a dilemma. When Monte Perry was established, the family committee had jointly proposed a rule to raise the school's admission threshold and ensure the student population's quality.Over the years, the kindergarten had strictly enforced this rule and did not accept children from single-parent families.Even though the school's principal appreciated Renee's decent and kind-hearted stance and liked Aiden's intelligence and cuteness, she couldn't make a special exception before so many parents."What's with your hesitation? As the kindergarten principal, you can't always break the rules, can you? Children from single-parent families are problematic and have flawed characters! Having them attend school with children from normal families will definitely affect the regular children! We can't let that happen!"Charlotte spoke with such righteous indignation, and the parents around her also fanned the flames by agreeing with her stateme
But Aiden was unusually quiet today, and it was obvious that the little boy was occupied with his thoughts.Renee could guess that the incident just now must've upset the child, and she was instantly distressed."Adie, what are you thinking? You're frowning too deeply. Can you tell Mommy about it?" Renee asked gently.She had raised her two children in a more relaxed fashion, giving them the leeway to do whatever they wanted to do. She never interfered with their natural progression and rarely lectured them.The only thing she required from them was that if there were anything that made them unhappy, they would have to tell her at the first opportunity and not conceal the thought.So, while Aiden acted like a cold child, he was still willing to share his thoughts with Renee.He looked down at the ground and pouted before looking up with wet, round eyes at Renee and said, "Mommy, is it because I'm not good or smart enough? That's why all those people didn't like me and drove me aw
It was late at night, and all was silent. Aiden made sure Renee was asleep before quietly peeking from under the covers. He hid in the bathroom with a walkie-talking in hand. His brows furrowed seriously as he whispered, "Emergency, emergency. Come in Q, come in Q."Not long after, a response came from the other end of the walkie-talkie."Roger. Q here. Please go ahead, Adie. I repeat, please go ahead.""Come and meet me at Apartment XX right now. Immediately!""Copy that!" After the exchange, Aiden put away the walkie-talkie and quietly left the house.Mr. Q wore a mask and a black trench coat at the apartment's gazebo. The tall figure had already arrived as promised.At the same time, Aiden carried his small briefcase and walked briskly to the rendezvous point under the moonlight."You're right on the dot, Q. I knew I didn't pick the wrong man! You get ten points for that," Aiden generously praised the man who stood as tall as a mountain."Did you bring the stuff I wanted
With one deal after the next, Mr. Q gradually overcame the other men to become Aiden's favorite and most suitable 'daddy' candidate.As for whether Mr. Q would be the most suitable 'husband' for his mother, Aiden had to further examine him to be sure."Q, let me tell you something..."After playing with the game console enthusiastically, Aiden suddenly turned serious and said, "I went to the kindergarten with Mommy today, and we were bullied. They said I couldn't attend that kindergarten because I didn't have a daddy. I really liked that kindergarten, and It makes me so sad that I'm not allowed to attend. Is it true that children without a daddy like me are always doomed to be inferior?"Mr. Q's brows suddenly furrowed deeply, and he asked in a low voice, "How can you not have a daddy? Didn't you say that your daddy was Liam, the sixth son of the Osbornes?""Ah... Since we're already so close, I will tell you the truth. Indeed, Daddy Liam is my daddy, but he's not my real daddy. M
"Hmm..." Mr. Q hummed with a regretful expression on his face. "It's a pity my face is disfigured. I have a long scar, that's why I don't take off my mask. I'm afraid I won't meet your mother's requirements."Aiden stared at the man for a long time, a frown on his little face. He seemed conflicted for a long time before he waved his small hand and said boldly, "That's okay. Even though Mommy likes pretty faces, I'm sure she'll consider my opinion. I can help put a good word in if you're good enough in other aspects. Besides... I think your features look perfect. Even with the mask on, you still look great. I'm sure you can charm my mommy into a daze."Mr. Q's lips curled up, and he said with a touch of teasing, "Is your mother so superficial that she only cares about what's on the outside?""Of course not!" Aiden protested while shaking his head. Then, he sighed and lamented, "If she did, why would she have married that jerk, Stefan, in the first place? She ended up getting so badly
"No problem," Mr. Q agreed easily, then fist-bumped Aiden to seal their alliance.-Early in the morning, Renee woke up in a daze when the sharp sound of the doorbell rang out."Ugh... It's too early for this... Who is it?!"Renee yawned widely as she lazily went to open the door. When the door swung open, there was a sliver of Monte Perry Kindergarten executives. Led by the school director, they were dressed in formal wear, and each held a bouquet.They bowed in unison to Renee and shouted, "Good morning, Ms. Everheart! We're sorry! Please forgive us!"Renee took a step back in fright."W-what's going on?!""Ms. Everheart, you brought your son to register at our school yesterday, and unpleasant things ensued. After I learned what happened, the staff involved were seriously dealt with, and we abolished that ridiculous rule as soon as possible. We, the teachers and students of Monte Perry, would like to welcome you to our kindergarten warmly! Please accept these small gifts as a
"And who are you?" Renee asked with a bewildered look on her face."Hello, Ms. Everheart. I'm an employee from Scud. A customer entrusted me to deliver breakfast to you. It's freshly baked and piping hot, so please be careful. Please sign here.""Breakfast?"Renee was even more confused.Who would personally make breakfast for her in the morning?"Can I know who sent it?""The client would like to stay anonymous.""I don't even know who sent it, so I definitely won't sign it. It's best you send it back to where it came from."Renee was very guarded. Her address was hidden, and only Liam, Leia, and Aiden knew it.Yet today, a large group of people had suddenly dropped by. Something had to be going on!Her face turned cold, and she was about to close the door when Aiden suddenly ran out."Wait, Mommy! I had this breakfast specially made for you! You must try it!"The little boy tugged on Renee's hand and said sincerely, "Mommy, you're an adult that can take care of yourself
In Renee's opinion, the male escort wasn't too shabby. He was not only handsome, but he also had a fine figure with good muscles. He was also understanding and was fine with her being intelligent and beautiful. When she was less busy, she would consider this again.Apart from him, Jovan was also quite good-looking. If she had the time, she would tease him again. It should be fun.Julian wasn't too bad either; she could invite him into her hacking team. Haze was even more capable. She still needed to get the time and ask him to teach her binary coding.Renee picked up a slice of bread and took a bite, chewing as she decided.'What's so irreplaceable about him? He’s as dead as a doornail now. The world is big, and there are plenty of men out there, just as varied as the types of food laid before me. I should take my time and try them out slowly. I will eventually find the right one that suits me!'Only, as Renee continued to chew, her expression turned ugly.Damn... The bread that
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
"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